Autoclave

Abstract

 Apparatus consisting of one single horizontal autoclave (1) simply rested on the floor without requiring masonry work for its installation.
The autoclave (1) is designed to accomodate one or more material-holders which can be introduced and extracted by means of trolleys and which have rectangular base.
Said material-holders (2) can support means such as vertical rods (6) arranged along straight rows with minimum dead spaces, in the case of yarn cheeses. When working with tops, tows, beams, staple or other type of textile material, the support means are different from the rods and they are of suitable shapes but still arranged as indicated above for the yarn cheeses.
Autoclave (1) is of circular section and is provided inside with two side partitions (5) for holding the dye liquor which can overflow from the top by means of appropriate overflow fittings, in the event of thermal expansion or excess liquor.
Normally, the space not occupied by the liquor whether at the sides or at the top, is filled with compressed air so as to accomplish static pressurization of the apparatus.
The apparatus in accordance with the invention makes it possible to have an appreciably lower bath ratio (that is, the ratio between the weight of the liquor contained and the weight of the goods to be treated) compared to those possible with the usual apparatus already known in the art, with consequent considerable savings of heating and electrical power as well as, therefore, lowering of running costs.
In addition to the autoclave (1) which forms the essential part of the apparatus, the apparatus is also of course completed with a motor-driven pump (3) and relative diverting valve (7) for circulating the process liquor and a heat exchanger (4) for heating and cooling said liquor, these latter devices being already known in the art and indispensable for apparatus of such kind.

Description

[0001] This Patent Application relates to an apparatus for dyeing, washing and bleaching comprising one horizontal autoclave of circular section, designed to accomodate extractable material-holder trolleys.

[0002] The apparatus is very novel and : represents an appreciable step forward in its own industrial field.

[0003] The apparatus in question is characteristic first because it is based on just one horizontal autoclave, simply rested on the floor, without requiring masonry work for its installation, nor lifting devices for loading and unloading the basket holding the goods to be treated.

[0004] The apparatus is characteristic secondly because the autocla ve is provided inside with two side partitions for holding the dye liquor which can overflow from the top by means of appropriate overflow fittings in the event of thermal expansion or excess liquor.

[0005] The apparatus is characteristic thirdly because the space not normally occupied by liquor in the autoclave, whether at the sides or at the top, is filled with compressed air thereby accomplishing a static pressurization of the apparatus without requiring a special motor-driven pump for the purpose.

[0006] The apparatus is characteristic fourthly because the space in the autoclave defined by the side partitions and by the base can accommodate one or more material-holders with rectan gular base, which can support means such as vertical rods arranged along straight rows and therefore with minimum dead spaces in the case of yarn cheeses, or other means of suitable shape, but always arranged in the same way, in the case of tops, tows, beams, staple or other textile material.

[0007] Said material-holders can be introduced and extracted quite simply by means of trolleys without requiring lifting equipment.

[0008] The apparatus is characteristic fifthly because all the above features make it possible to have an appreciably lower bath ratio (that is, the ratio between the weight of the liquor contained and the weight of the goods to be treated), compar ed to those possible with the usual apparatus already known in the art, with consequent considerable saving of heating and electrical power as weel as, therefore, lowering of running costs.

[0009] These main features and other ones of lesser importance will be more clearly understood from the following completion of the description with reference to the accompanying drawings. More precisely, these drawings illustrate, for the purposes of comparison, in figures 1 to 4 the diagrammatic cross sectional view of the same number of types of apparatus already known in the art for dyeing or also washing and bleaching textile material, while figures 5a, 5b and 5c illustrate, by way of not limitative example only, a preferred embodiment of the apparatus in accordance with the invention, in the cross section, in the longitudinal section and in the diametral section or plan view respectively.

[0010] As can be seen in the drawings, the more widely used solutions known in the art up till now include:

a) vertical apparatus with expansion vessel outside the autoclave (fig. 1)

b) vertical apparatus with expansion inside the autoclave (fig. 2)

c) vertical cabinet apparatus (fig. 3)

d) apparatus with horizontal tubes and expansion vessel outside the autoclave (fig. 4).

[0011] As can be deduced, by observing the above mentioned drawings (figures 1 to 4), the presence of expansion vessels for the liquor in order to permit its thermal expansion (5) outside the autoclave (1) or autoclaves means that two heat exchangers (4 and 6) must be used for heating and cooling said liquor as well as two motor-driven pumps (3) and (7) for con veying it to and for recirculating it in the autoclave (1), respectively.

[0012] As a result, power consumption as well as the bath ratio is high, since the autoclave/autoclaves is/are completely full of liquor.

[0013] The provision for introduction of special material holders (2) in the autoclave (1) (figures 1 and 2) entails the use of an open lifting equipment with cover.

[0014] This means that the apparatus can be used for any type of fabric but the work cycle is slow and cumbersome.

[0015] On the other hand, the providing of apparatus with appreciable extension in the vertical direction (figures 1 and 2) entails the construction of pits under the working plane or ground floor of about 3 metres, thereby appreciably increasing the cost of the system.

[0016] The vertical rectangular cabinet solution in fig. 3 is hence the one most widely used today because the apparatus does not require foundations nor lifting equipment for introducing the material in the autoclave and nor does it require a liquor expansion vessel (5) outside but inside said autoclave, nor does it require the use of more than one motor-driven pump (3) and heat exchanger (4).

[0017] However the apparatus can only be used for hanks of yarn (2) and has a relatively high bath ratio, higher even that the solutions illustrated in figures 1 and 4.

[0018] Among the apparatus already known in the art, there is the British Patent N° 2.072.724 in the name of YOSHIDA KOGYO which, however, is provided with a multiple suction system for the dye liquor and which certainly has the one horizontal autoclave, but said autoclave is designed for other purposes, namely: to dye or bleach horizontal beams of fabric; therefore said autoclave is not designed to accept rectangular material-holders with vertical axis, as does the machine in accordance with the invention.

[0019] Furthermore, the machine in accordance with the above patent must have an upper longitudinal tank parallel to the autoclave, said tank not being necessary in the patent in accord ance with the present invention where the expansion of the process liquor is self-contained in an specially empty section of the autoclave.

[0020] In the YOSHIDA KOGYO patent a hollow cylinder is provided inside the autoclave and the fabric-holder beam for distributing the bath liquor and for containing compressed air.

[0021] In the BELLINI patent, this cylinder does not exist just as the beam does not exist, and the compressed air is contained at the side and at the top inside the autoclave.

[0022] The prior patent has only one possible application, while the Bellini patent (claim 5) is of universal application as it can also accept material-holders with different types of yarn cheeses.

[0023] Also known in the art is French Patent N° 2.427.417 by the sa me holder of the previous patent and prior to it, therefore the above statements are applicable in the latter case too.

[0024] French Patent N° 2.150.122 in the name of FRAUCHIGER has been superseded by the BELLINI solution which actually takes it into consideration (as in fig. 4).

[0025] If the machine has just one autoclave it can only contain one column of cheeses; more than one autoclave must be provided if more than one column of cheeses are required.

[0026] In the BELLINI Patent there is always just one autoclave con taining just one material-holder with several vertical rods which permits the introduction and extraction to and from the autoclave of all columns in just one stroke.

[0027] Each autoclave of the French Patent is provided with a perforated jacket whose purpose is to distribute the bath liquor and to contain the cheeses, this not being necessary in the BELLINI Patent.

[0028] The expansion vessel is provided outside instead of being self-contained.

[0029] French Patent N° 2.003.379 in the name of THIES consists of a conventional machine designed in a different manner.

[0030] An example of the machine is given in the present Application.

[0031] To sum up (see claim 5), the apparatus in accordance with the invention is also provided with just one autoclave, only that in this type of apparatus the necessity of using a tack le, for loading and unloading, and expensive foundation pits, is thereby avoided, but said apparatus still remains of universal application with low bath ratio and with rapid loading and unloading.

[0032] The inventor of the apparatus in accordance with the invention has really profited from the aforementioned disclosures and after various experiments has succeeded in devising a solution which eliminates the various difficulties associated with the solutions already known in the art, by taking into consideration and amplifying the separate individual advantages offered by these solutions, thereby representing a considerable step forward in his own specific industrial field.

[0033] Above all he has provided one single horizontal autoclave (1) (figures 5a, 5b, 5c) instead of various autoclaves (see figure 4) and has envisaged it simply resting on the floor.

[0034] He has devised that inside said autoclave there can be used one or more material-holders (2) with rectangular base carrying the goods to be dyed, provision being made for stacking, also automatically, on vertical rods (6); said material-hold ers (2) can be loaded and unloaded simply by sliding trolleys, whose operation can be automated.

[0035] The apparatus in accordance with the invention comprises one single motor-driven pump (3) for circulating the process liquor, provided with a diverting valve (7) which permits flow of said liquor in both directions to and from the autoclave (1), and also comprises just one heat exchanger (4) for heating or cooling the liquor.

[0036] However the main feature of the horizontal autoclave (1) which forms the essential part of the apparatus in question is that of having two side partitions (5) which separate the material-containing compartment from the rest of the autoclave.

[0037] The dye liquor normally fills only this zone, hence bath ratio is minimum, even 6:1, that is, the ratio of the weight of the liquor is only six times that of the material to be dyed or just washed and bleached.

[0038] The remaining side and top zones of the autoclave (1) are filled at first with compressed air thereby accomplishing the static pressurization; in the event of thermal expansion or addition of chemical products producing expansion of the liquor, the latter can overlow in said empty side zones through appropriate overflow fittings provided in the top part of the partitions (5).

[0039] Lastly the special design of the material-holders (2) with rectangular base permits positioning of the cheese holder rods (6) along straight rows with minimum dead space.

[0040] Hence the apparatus is universal in application being suitable for dyeing yarn cheeses, tops, tows, beams, staple or any other textile material, of widely varying diameters and cheeses.

[0041] As bath ratio of the apparatus is minimum, maximum savings in heating and electrical power and purification costs are to be achieved with said apparatus.

[0042] As no prior foundation requirements nor the use of material lifting equipment are necessary, equipment costs and running costs are correspondingly reduced.

Claims

1. Apparatus for dyeing, or washing and bleaching cheeses of yarns or any other textile material, which, in addition to comprising a motor-driven pump (3) and relative diverting valve (7) for circulating the process liquor in one direction or the other and a heat exchanger (4) for heating and cooling said liquor, essentially comprises an autoclave (1), and is characterized in that said autoclave is supplied in just a specimen, with horizontal axis, simply rested on the floor, and inside said autoclave are provided two side partitions (5) which separate the material-containing compartment filled with process liquor from the rest of the autoclave filled with compressed air.

2. Apparatus for dyeing, or washing and bleaching any textile material as claimed in claim 1,
characterized in that the autoclave (1) which forms the essential part of the apparatus is designed so that the material-containing compartment between partitions (5) can be filled with one or more material-holders (2) having provision for automatic stacking of goods on vertical rods (6), arranged in straight rows, the appartus is also
characterized in that said material-holders (2) have a rectangular base and the latters can be loaded into the apparatus on special external trolleys, then can be subsequently unloaded without requiring lifting equipment, said loading and unloading operation being rapid, that is simultaneous for all the vertical rods.

3. Apparatus for dyeing, or washing and bleaching any textile material as claimed in claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the autoclave (1) forming the essential part of the apparatus is designed so that the material-containing compartment is the only one fillable with the process liquor which however can overflow from said compartment into the remaining part by means of overflow fittings provided in the upper part of the partitions (5).

4. Apparatus for dyeing, or washing and bleaching any textile material as claimed in claims 1 to 3,
characterized in that the empty space of the autoclave (1) is normally filled with compressed air in order to permit static pressurization of said autoclave, thereby eliminating the necessity of another special motor-driven pump, and also characterized in that when said process liquor overflows from partitions (5) into said empty space, this takes place only through expansion of said liquor due to thermal expansion or to the addition of chemical products.

5. Apparatus for dyeing, or washing and bleaching any textile material as claimed in claims 1 to 4,
characterized in that there is provision for using material-holders (2) capable of carrying hanks of yarns on straight rods all of equal length as well as carrying yarn cheeses, tops, tows, vertical beams, staple and any other cheese of any diameter and height, arranged as said in straight rows always such as to minimize dead spaces, hence the apparatus can be considered to be of universal application, and bath ratio is minimum, equal to, for example, 6:1, that is the weight of process liquor contained in said apparatus is only six times the weight of the goods to be treated, consequently maximum saving of heat and electrical energy required to run the apparatus is achieved with obvious lowering of running costs.

6. Apparatus for dyeing, or washing and bleaching any textile material, as herein described and illustrated in figures 5a, 5b and 5c of the accompanying drawings.

Drawing