Patent ID: 7171721

Claim:
A cleaning apparatus for dispensing a heated cleaning fluid comprising: a fluid dispensing tank which dispenses a cleaning fluid; a heat exchanger coupled in downstream fluid flowing relation relative to the fluid dispensing tank; a source of a combustible fluid fuel; a source of air; a catalytic heater positioned in heat transferring relation relative to the heat exchanger, and which further is coupled in fluid flowing relation relative to the source of combustible fluid fuel, and wherein the catalytic heater catalytically combusts a substantially nonflammable mixture of the source of combustible fluid fuel and air to produce heat energy which heats the cleaning fluid dispensed from the fluid dispensing tank, and wherein the mixture of the source of combustible fluid fuel and air has a stoichiometry which is defined, in part, by a lower explosive limit, and wherein the nonflammable mixture of the combustible fluid fuel and air has a stoichiometry of less than about one-half of the lower explosive limit during normal operation; and a fluid dispenser coupled in downstream fluid flowing relation relative to the fluid dispensing tank, and which is operable to dispense the heated cleaning fluid on an object of interest.