Single sump vapor degreaser

Figure 1.18 Single-Sump Vapor Degreasing Process...

Note that this "free" step of rinsing is only available once in a single-sump vapor degreaser — on entry of the parts to the vapor degreaser (Figures 1.10 and 1.11). 

Figure 1.20 The Sump of a Single-Sump Vapor Degreaser...

Figure 1.48 The Single Sump Vapor Degreaser (and Figure 1.19)...

Yet, every inline vapor degreaser has the capability to implement the same functions found in batch vapor degreasers, such as the single-sump vapor degreaser shown in Figure 1.48. 

Each open sump operates as a single-sump vapor degreaser, with a heater, primary and secondary condensing coils, and a freeboard zone to contain emission of solvents and to dry parts. 

In a single-solvent vapor degreaser (Figure 3.14), there is fluid transfer from the rinse sump to the cleaning sump as condensate overfills the rinse sump and flows over a weir (Figures 1.3 and 1.5) into the boil sump. 

In a single-solvent vapor degreaser only one temperature is involved — the normal boiling point of the solvent — and one need not control it because it cannot be exceeded unless the boil sump is empty of fluid. 

Admittedly, one could install both a heater and a cooler in the single sump of a vapor degreaser. One could then cycle between heating and cooling the contents of that sump. The gain in doing so would be that the footprint (floor space requirement) of the vapor degreaser would shrink substantially. 

A second aspect of difference between the vapor degreaser used with single solvents and that used with cosolvents is the management of fluid transfer between the two sumps. 

The cosolvent pair which replaces the single solvents is proposed to be used in two different processes. The SA cosolvent is proposed to be used in a cold cleaning process conducted in a sump at the boiling point of the RA cosolvent. The RA cosolvent is proposed to be vaporized from another sump and used to rinse the SA cosolvent from part surfaces and dry them by evaporation as is done in an open-top vapor degreaser. The proposed process is seen in Figure 3.12. 

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