System and method of vapor recovery in industrial washing equipment

Claim 1

An apparatus for recovering vapors from a volatile solvent used in industrial washing equipment of the type including a wash area for washing various articles therein and at least one holding tank for containing the solvent; said apparatus including: a hood supported in spaced relation to the wash area, fan means mounted to said hood for creating and maintaining an envelope of negative pressure between said wash area and said hood, causing the vapors rising from said wash area to be drawn to said hood, means in said hood for converting the vapors drawn therein to a liquid state to yield pure solvent and including impaction means, said impaction means including an impeller and an impaction surface spaced radially from said impeller, said impeller being structured and disposed to draw the vapors through a center thereof and to direct the vapors tangentially outward therefrom for subsequent impaction against said impaction surface to create droplets of said pure solvent, and means for collecting said pure solvent for subsequent use.

Claim 2

An apparatus for recovering vapors from a volatile solvent used in industrial washing equipment of the type including a wash area for washing various articles therein and at least one holding tank for containing the solvent; said apparatus including: a hood supported in spaced relation to the wash area, fan means mounted to said hood for creating and maintaining an envelope of negative pressure between said wash area and said hood, causing the vapors rising from said wash area to be drawn to said hood, means in said hood for converting the vapors drawn therein to a liquid state to yield pure solvent and including impaction means, said impaction means including an impeller and an impaction surface spaced radially from said impeller, said impeller being structured and disposed to draw the vapors through a center thereof and to direct the vapors tangentially outward therefrom for subsequent impaction against said impaction surface to create droplets of said pure solvent, and means for collecting said pure solvent for subsequent use.

Claim 9

An apparatus for recovering vapors from a volatile solvent used in industrial washing equipment of the type including a wash area for washing various articles therein and at least one holding tank for containing the solvent; said apparatus including: a hood hingedly supported in spaced relation to the wash area, and being movable between a closed position, in covering relation to the wash area, and an open, operative position to expose and permit access to the wash area, a unit on said hood including: a motor; an impeller driven by said motor and being structured and disposed on said hood to create an envelope of negative pressure above the wash area, causing vapors to be drawn to said hood and within said unit; a surface spaced radially outward from said impeller; said impeller being structured to direct said vapors drawn into said unit against said surface at a velocity sufficient to cause droplets of pure liquid solvent to be separated from said vapors by impaction; a coalescer for gathering the droplets of pure liquid solvent; and means for returning the gathered purified liquid solvent to the washing equipment for subsequent use during washing operations.

Claim 10

An apparatus for recovering vapors from a volatile solvent used in industrial washing equipment of the type including a wash area for washing various articles therein and at least one holding tank for containing the solvent; said apparatus including: a hood hingedly supported in spaced relation to the wash area, and being movable between a closed position, in covering relation to the wash area, and an open, operative position to expose and permit access to the wash area, a unit on said hood including: a motor; an impeller driven by said motor and being structured and disposed on said hood to create an envelope of negative pressure above the wash area, causing vapors to be drawn to said hood and within said unit; a surface spaced radially outward from said impeller; said impeller being structured to direct said vapors drawn into said unit against said surface at a velocity sufficient to cause droplets of pure liquid solvent to be separated from said vapors by impaction; a coalescer for gathering the droplets of pure liquid solvent; and means for returning the gathered purified liquid solvent to the washing equipment for subsequent use during washing operations.