When installing new stainless steel production equipment or expanding existing facilities, residues such as grease, oil, dust, chips, and other contaminants inevitably accumulate on the surface.
These must be completely removed before commissioning so that the surface can be chemically contacted and thus passivated. To enable complete passivation, processes such as blowout (filtered compressed air), flushing (ultrapure water), impulse flushing (air/ultrapure water mixture) and chemical degreasing (alkaline) followed by chemical passivation (acidic/neutral) and optional drying used.
In modern construction projects, residues from the manufacturing and installation process increasingly remain on the surfaces of production facilities and must be safely removed before commissioning. In particular, chips, migrating rust particles, and scale residues on weld seams, as well as dust, prevent chemical contact with the surface and promote corrosive mechanisms. Liquid residues from greases, oils, adhesives, and solvents, among other things, are also frequently found, which cause a chemically inert state. Combined chemical and mechanical cleaning processes enable efficient removal. Plant designs that are not designed for flushing can also be taken into account here.
During blowout Systems are pressurized with filtered compressed air, and particles are expelled and collected.
Through flushing Particles are flushed out and collected using ultrapure water.
During impulsive flushing the first two methods are combined, whereby the liquid medium can also be an acidic chemical for removing rust or dissolving deposits. The combination of mechanical shear forces, turbulent flow, and chemical reaction increases efficiency.
The chemical degreasing usually removes liquid residues such as grease and oil from the surface and enables chemical contact with other chemicals.
The chemical passivation ensures rapid and optimal formation of the passive layer of the stainless steel, thereby providing the desired corrosion resistance.
Finally can initially cleaned and passivated systems optionally controlled of external equipment dried be.For critical systems (explosive media, gases), it is recommended to monitor particle quantities and process parameters in order to document their purity.
• Processes are carried out at ambient temperature
• Use of minimal volumes of chemicals; containers and systems do not need to be flooded
• Can be performed in circulation or using a one-way procedure
• Use of filters for performance monitoring
• Chemicals compatible with all common plastics
• Chemicals/rinse water can optionally be disposed of on site.
• Proof of purity level possible through particle measurement
• Can be carried out “on greenfield sites” using our mobile equipment
When constructing or converting stainless steel production facilities, it is essential to carry out a initial chemical cleaning and passivation as their installation cannot be carried out without leaving residues.
Chemically or physically coated surfaces cannot be partially passivated. Local roughening occurs, creating micro-edges and crevices that allow corrosive or microbial deposits to form.
The more regulated the production environment is, the more likely process deviations are to occur and, in the worst case, production stoppages.
