Appeal No. 96-1225
Application 08/107,696
the claims remaining in the application.
THE INVENTION
Appellant claims a process for cleaning workpieces by
placing the workpieces in a pressure tank and contacting them
with a liquefied or supercritical gas which is mechanically
circulated at a velocity which is varied during the cleaning.
Appellant also claims a cleaning apparatus which includes two
cylindrical pressure tanks which each contain an axially-
mounted impeller and which are connected by a conduit system
having therein a pump and heat exchanger. Claims 1 and 12 are
illustrative and read as follows:
1. In a process for cleaning workpieces exhibiting
organic residues, comprising introducing compressed gas under
pressure into a pressure tank loaded with the workpieces, the
improvement wherein a liquefied or supercritical gas having a
temperature is mechanically circulated within the pressure
tank during cleaning of the workpieces whereby the
mechanically circulated liquefied or supercritical gas
exhibits a circulation velocity and said circulation velocity
of said liquefied or supercritical gas is varied during said
cleaning.
12. An apparatus for cleaning workpieces contaminated
with organic residues said apparatus comprising:
a first cylindrical pressure tank containing an impeller
mounted on an axle within said first cylindrical pressure
tank; said first cylindrical pressure tank is connected via
conduits provided with valves with a second cylindrical
2
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