Patent ID: 7435396
Filing Date: 2008-10-14
Classification: G05D,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A high-pressure processing apparatus in which a mixture of a high-pressure fluid and a chemical agent is brought as a processing fluid into contact with a surface of an article-to-be-processed and the surface of said article-to-be-processed is subjected to a predetermined surface treatment, comprising: a pressure vessel which internally includes a processing chamber which is for executing said surface treatment; a high-pressure fluid supplier which pressure-feeds said high-pressure fluid towards said pressure vessel; a mixing bath which internally includes a reservoir space in a part of which said chemical agent is held; a chemical agent supplier which supplies said chemical agent to said mixing bath; a reservoir which communicates with said pressure vessel and to which the processing fluid inside said pressure vessel is discharged; a first pipe which connects said high-pressure fluid supplier with said mixing bath; a second pipe which connects said mixing bath with said pressure vessel, the second pipe being connected to said mixing bath such that an empty reservoir area of said reservoir space in which said chemical agent is not present is communicated with said pressure vessel; a third pipe which communicates said mixing bath with said reservoir and in which a pressure relief valve is interposed; and a channel control system which controls a channel of said high-pressure fluid pressure-fed from said high-pressure fluid supplier toward said pressure vessel, wherein said channel control system guides said high-pressure fluid pressure-fed from said high-pressure fluid supplier to said mixing bath which holds said chemical agent supplied from said chemical agent supplier via said first pipe, thereby creating said mixture inside said mixing bath, and said channel control system guides said mixture from said mixing bath to said pressure vessel via said second pipe.