Claims
- 1. A cleaning system utilizing a pressurized dense-phase cleaning fluid, comprising:
a cleaning containment vessel having a containment-vessel interior; a pressurization source in fluid communication with the containment-vessel interior to produce a cleaning pressure therein; and at least one ultrasonic energy source directing ultrasonic energy into the containment-vessel interior, each ultrasonic energy source comprising
a transducer housing having a transducer-housing interior, an ultrasonic transducer within the transducer-housing interior, the ultrasonic transducer directing a beam of ultrasonic energy through the transducer housing and into the containment-vessel interior, and a gas-pressure source in fluid communication with the transducer-housing interior, the gas-pressure source producing a pressure in the transducer-housing interior substantially equal to the cleaning pressure.
- 2. The cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the transducer housing comprises
a drive plate to which the ultrasonic transducer is affixed, and a transducer housing can that is affixed to the drive plate but not to the ultrasonic transducer.
- 3. The cleaning system of claim 1, further including
a dense-phase cleaning fluid recirculation system that draws the dense-phase cleaning fluid out of the containment vessel, cleans the dense-phase cleaning fluid, and introduces the cleaned dense-phase cleaning fluid back into the containment vessel.
- 4. The cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the at least one ultrasonic energy source comprises two ultrasonic energy sources.
- 5. The cleaning system of claim 4, wherein the two ultrasonic energy sources are arranged in a substantially facing relationship to each other so that the ultrasonic energy of a first ultrasonic transducer is directed toward a second ultrasonic transducer.
- 6. The cleaning system of claim 4, wherein the ultrasonic transducers operate at different ultrasonic frequencies.
- 7. The cleaning system of claim 4, wherein the ultrasonic transducers operate at frequencies differing from each other by from about 1 Hz to about 50 kHz.
- 8. The cleaning system of claim 4, wherein the first ultrasonic transducer is a 16 kHz ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer is a 20 kHz ultrasonic transducer.
- 9. The cleaning system of claim 4, wherein the first ultrasonic transducer is a 10 kHz ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer is a 12 kHz ultrasonic transducer.
- 10. The cleaning system of claim 1, further including a cleaning fixture that moves an article to be cleaned through the beam of ultrasonic energy.
- 11. The cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the cleaning containment vessel and the transducer housing have no common wall.
- 12. The cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the cleaning containment vessel and the transducer housing have a common wall.
- 13. The cleaning system of claim 1, further including a dense-phase cleaning fluid within the containment-vessel interior.
- 14. The cleaning system of claim 10, wherein no additives are mixed with the dense-phase cleaning fluid.
- 15. The cleaning system of claim 10, wherein an additive is mixed with the dense-phase cleaning fluid.
- 16. The cleaning system of claim 10, wherein an additive is mixed with the dense-phase cleaning fluid, the additive selected from the group consisting of soy-methyl ester based solutions, water, hydrogen peroxide and water solutions thereof, carbon dioxide-soluble organo-peroxide additives such as benzoyl peroxide and peroxyacetic acid, and ozone generated in-situ.
- 17. The cleaning system of claim 1, further including
a dense-phase cleaning fluid within the containment-vessel interior, wherein the dense-phase cleaning fluid comprises a fluid selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, xenon, ammonia, helium, krypton, argon, methane, ethane, propane, butane, pentane, hexane, ethylene, propylene, tetrafluoromethane, chlorodifluoromethane, perfluoropropane, and mixtures thereof.
- 18. A cleaning system utilizing a pressurized dense-phase cleaning fluid, comprising:
a cleaning containment vessel having a containment-vessel interior; a pressurization source in fluid communication with the containment-vessel interior to produce a cleaning pressure therein; a first ultrasonic energy source directing a first ultrasonic energy beam into the containment-vessel interior, the first ultrasonic energy source comprising a first ultrasonic transducer operating at a first-transducer frequency; and a second ultrasonic energy source directing a second ultrasonic energy beam into the containment-vessel interior, the second ultrasonic energy source comprising a second ultrasonic transducer operating at a second-transducer frequency different from the first-transducer frequency.
- 19. The cleaning system of claim 18, wherein the second ultrasonic energy beam and the first ultrasonic energy beam are substantially coaxial and oppositely directed.
- 20. The cleaning system of claim 18, further including
a dense-phase cleaning fluid recirculation system that draws the dense-phase cleaning fluid out of the containment vessel, cleans the dense-phase cleaning fluid, and introduces the cleaned dense-phase cleaning fluid back into the containment vessel.
- 21. The cleaning system of claim 18, further including
a cleaning fixture that moves an article to be cleaned through the beam of ultrasonic energy.
- 22. The cleaning system of claim 18, further including
a first transducer housing containing the first ultrasonic transducer, and a second transducer housing containing the second ultrasonic transducer.
- 23. The cleaning system of claim 22, wherein the cleaning containment vessel, the first transducer housing, and the second transducer housing have no common wall.
- 24. The cleaning system of claim 22, wherein the cleaning containment vessel and the first transducer housing have a common wall, and wherein the cleaning containment vessel and the second transducer housing have a common wall.
- 25. The cleaning system of claim 18, further including
a dense-phase cleaning fluid within the containment-vessel interior.
- 26. The cleaning system of claim 18, further including
a dense-phase cleaning fluid within the containment-vessel interior, wherein the dense-phase cleaning fluid comprises a fluid selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, xenon, ammonia, helium, krypton, argon, methane, ethane, propane, butane, pentane, hexane, ethylene, propylene, tetrafluoromethane, chlorodifluoromethane, perfluoropropane, and mixtures thereof.
- 27. The cleaning system of claim 18, wherein the first-transducer frequency and the second-transducer frequency are different from each other by from about 1 Hz to about 50 kHz.
- 28. The cleaning system of claim 18, wherein the first-transducer frequency is 16 kHz and the second-transducer frequency is 20 kHz.
- 29. The cleaning system of claim 18, wherein the first-transducer frequency is 10 kHz and the second-transducer frequency is 12 kHz.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/325,620, filed Sep. 28, 2001, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60325620 |
Sep 2001 |
US |