Cross flow tank
A cleaning tank apparatus and methods for cleaning workpieces are described. The cleaning tank may include an outlet plate having a top edge and a bottom edge, with the outlet plate having a plurality of rows of outlet openings. The plurality of rows of outlet openings including a first row of outlet openings being closest to the top edge of the outlet plate, and a second row of outlet openings below the first row of outlet openings, wherein at least one of the outlet openings of the first row is larger than the outlet openings of the second row.
1. A cleaning tank, comprising:
an outlet plate having a top edge and a bottom edge, wherein the outlet plate is a side plate of the cleaning tank, the outlet plate comprising a plurality of rows of outlet openings, wherein the plurality of rows comprise:
a first row of outlet openings being closest to the top edge of the outlet plate;
a second row of outlet openings below the first row of outlet openings, wherein at least one of the outlet openings of the first row is larger than the outlet openings of the second row, wherein an offset distance between the top edge of the outlet plate and a center line of the first row is less than an inter-row distance between respective centerlines of the first and second rows.
2. The cleaning tank of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the outlet openings of the first row is approximately circular having a diameter being greater than 0.75 inches.
3. The cleaning tank of claim 2 , wherein the at least one of the outlet openings of the first row at least 15 percentage larger than the outlet openings of the second row.
4. The cleaning tank of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the outlet openings of the first row is approximately circular having a diameter, and where the diameter, in inches is within +/−0.25 inches of a value equal to seventy five percent of a square root of an incoming flow rate into the cleaning tank divided by an outgoing flow rate through the outlet plate.
5. The cleaning tank of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of rows further comprises:
a third row of outlet openings below the second row of outlet openings; and
a fourth row of outlet openings below the third row of outlet openings, wherein a first inter-row distance between respective centerlines of the first and second rows is greater than a second inter-row distance between respective centerlines of the second and third rows.
6. The cleaning tank of claim 5 , wherein the first inter-row distance is greater than 2.5 inches.
7. The cleaning tank of claim 5 , wherein the first inter-row distance is approximately 3.5 inches.
8. The cleaning tank of claim 1 , wherein a centerline through a center of each the outlet openings of the first row is a distance being less than 2.5 inches away from the top edge of the outlet plate.
9. The cleaning tank of claim 8 , wherein the distance is approximately 1.5 inches.
10. The cleaning tank of claim 1 , wherein all of the outlet openings of the first row are larger than the outlet openings of the second row.
11. The cleaning tank of claim 1 , wherein the first row has four outlet openings, each being larger than the outlet openings in other ones of the plurality of rows.
12. The cleaning tank of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the outlet openings of the first row has an area larger than approximately 1.77 square inches (in 2 ).