JPH0335432Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a steam cleaning device that evaporates cleaning liquid in a tank by heating with a heater and cleans an object by contacting the vapor. This device uses a cleaning liquid such as trichloroethane, and is used for cleaning the surface of molded articles such as automobile bumpers.

(Prior art) This type of conventional steam cleaning device, for example,
As shown in the figure, a straight pipe heater 11 is installed and fixed horizontally at the bottom of a rectangular cylindrical cleaning tank 2 so as to extend from the inner wall of the tank to the inner wall of the tank on the opposite side using a fixture 12. Connecting pipe 8 to cleaning tank 2
The cleaning tank 2 is filled with a cleaning liquid 4 such as trichloroethane until the pipe heater 11 is hidden under the liquid surface.
The cleaning liquid 4 is evaporated by the heat generated by the heater 11, and the vapor comes into contact with the object 10 carried into the cleaning tank 2 by the operation of the lifter 13, thereby cleaning the surface of the object 10. From the viewpoint of work safety, the steam of the cleaning liquid 4 is cooled by the water-cooled corrugated pipe 8, condenses, falls as water droplets, and returns to the cleaning liquid 4 at the bottom of the tank.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) When this type of steam cleaning device is used for a long time or repeatedly, sludge consisting of waste particles on the surface of the object begins to form on the surface of the pipe heater 11. After that, it adheres more and more, and eventually the cured product comes to cover the entire surface of the pipe heater 11. This hardened sludge cannot be easily removed with a scraper. Therefore, in this device, the heat generation efficiency of the pipe heater 11 is significantly reduced due to the formation of hardened sludge.
Accidents of disconnection of the pipe heater 11 due to over-energization frequently occur, approximately ten times a month. In this case, conventionally, the cleaning liquid 4 in the cleaning tank 2 is extracted, the failed pipe heater 11 is taken out of the tank and replaced with a new pipe heater 11, and the cleaning liquid 4 is poured back into the cleaning tank 2.
It was necessary to inject. The work of extracting and re-injecting the cleaning liquid 4 must be done carefully, especially since the cleaning liquid 4 is expensive, and is therefore complicated and takes a long time, which is a major factor in reducing the operating rate of this device. was.

As a countermeasure against this, pipe heaters 11 are installed in two stages inside the cleaning liquid 4 in the tank 2 and slightly above the liquid level, so that the heating of the lower heater 11 causes the cleaning liquid to rise.
At the same time, the heat generated by the upper heater 11 promotes the vaporization of the cleaning liquid 4, reducing the heat generation load on each pipe heater, thereby extending the life of the pipe heater 11, and reducing the number of replacements of the pipe heater 11. One possible method is to reduce the number of times the cleaning liquid 4 is replaced.

However, this method is based on the premise that the cleaning fluid 4 is replaced in the same way as before, and as in the past, this method has the problem of significantly reducing the operating rate of the equipment. Since the heater 11 has a two-stage structure, the cleaning tank 2
It is difficult to clean and repair the lower part, which is disadvantageous in terms of maintenance management.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a steam cleaning device that does not require draining and reinjecting cleaning liquid when replacing a malfunctioning heater.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The steam cleaning device of the present invention is a device that evaporates cleaning liquid in a tank by heating a heater and cleans an object by contacting the steam, and is a shaft type device that is attached at both ends. A pipe heater with bent parts,
It is characterized in that it is installed in the cleaning tank so that it is above the water level range of the cleaning liquid and the main part of the heater is located below the water level range of the cleaning liquid.

The pipe heater according to the present invention has a heater wire housed in a protective pipe, and the mounting portions at both ends of the heater wire are bent. The bent shape of the mounting part is
Various shapes are possible as long as the main part of the central heater is located below the water level range of the cleaning fluid when the pipe heater is attached to the cleaning tank part above the water level range of the cleaning fluid. It is preferable that the mounting portions at both ends of the heater are bent in the same direction or symmetrically. In addition, the pipe heater
The end of the pipe heater is usually passed through a hole in the wall of the cleaning tank and fixed with a flange or the like so that it can be connected to electrical wiring from outside the cleaning tank.

(Function) In the steam cleaning device of the present invention, since the main part of the pipe heater is located below the water level range of the cleaning liquid, that is, inside the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid can be evaporated by the heat generated by the heater. Surface cleaning operation can be performed. When replacing a pipe heater due to a breakage accident, the device of the present invention has the mounting parts at both ends of the heater installed above the water level range of the cleaning liquid, so connecting devices such as flanges can be removed. By wrapping a removal rope or wire around the bent attachment portions at both ends of the pipe heater and pulling it up, the above-mentioned replacement work can be carried out without having to draw out and re-inject the cleaning liquid.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the steam cleaning device of the embodiment has a bent pipe heater 1 horizontally hung at the bottom of a rectangular cylindrical cleaning tank 2 from one side to the other side. At the same time, a water-cooled corrugated tube 8 is fixed to the upper part of the cleaning tank 2 along the inner wall, and a cleaning liquid 4 such as trichloroethyl is put therein. The cleaning liquid 4 fluctuates within a constant water level range A (between an upper limit water level H and a lower limit water level L) by a conventional control mechanism including a float or the like. Further, the cleaning tank 2 is covered with a heat insulating material 9 to keep it warm.

The pipe heater 1 of the embodiment is axially shaped, and the mounting portions 3 at both ends thereof are bent twice at right angles and symmetrically, and a connecting flange 5 is formed at the portion of the washing tank above the water level range A of the washing liquid. The main part of the heater is mounted using the flange receiver 6 so that the main part of the heater is located below the water level range A of the cleaning liquid, that is, inside the cleaning liquid 4. By connecting the external electric wiring to the heater wiring 7 and energizing it, the pipe heater 1
generates heat, the cleaning liquid 4 is heated and evaporated, and the steam contacts the object 10, such as a bumper, brought in by the lifter 13, and as a result, the surface of the object 10 is cleaned.

During operation of the apparatus of the embodiment, the pipe heater 1
If a disconnection failure accident occurs and you need to replace it, the work involves removing the connecting flange 5 and flange receiver 6, wrapping a rope or wire around the mounting parts 3, 3 at both ends of the pipe heater 1, and replacing the pipe heater 1. This can be done by pulling up.

(Effects of the invention) As explained above, the steam cleaning device of the invention has
By making the mounting parts at both ends of the pipe heater into a bent shape, it is possible to proceed with the replacement work of a failed pipe heater without having to draw out the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank and re-inject it.In other words, the work can be done easily and in a short time. This makes it possible to create a trowel that significantly improves the operating efficiency of this device compared to conventional methods, which in turn leads to improved productivity of the products to be cleaned.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing a steam cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing the lower part of the device shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing a conventional steam cleaning device. It is. In the figure, 1...Pipe heater, 2...Cleaning tank, 3
...Mounting part, 4...Cleaning liquid, 10...Object, H
...Upper limit water level of the cleaning liquid, L...Lower limit water level of the cleaning liquid, A...Water level range of the cleaning liquid.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] The cleaning liquid in the tank is evaporated by heating with a heater,
In a device that cleans objects by contact with the steam, a pipe heater with a shaft shape and bent mounting portions at both ends is installed in a cleaning tank above the water level range of the cleaning liquid and with the main part of the heater at the water level of the cleaning liquid. A steam cleaning device characterized in that it is installed so as to be located below the range.