Dry ice blasting
Cleaning with Dry Ice Blasting
A common problem during the production process is the depositions and crusts, on the surfaces of the installations which lead to their deterioration. For that reason, it is appropriate at regular time intervals to be cleaned, without this having any effect to the surface or in the production process due to the frequent interruptions for maintenance. It is the only method of cleaning without leaving any secondary waste and on top of that without causing fundamental damages on the surface. The dry ice blasting is a drained, non-conductive, non-toxic, non-abrasive cleaning method. Cleaning with dry ice significantly lowers the cost of cleaning in comparison with the conventional means and is widely used in the developing industries worldwide for cleaning every kind of residue such as: dust, oils, greases, oxidation, plasters, mold, moss, smoot, chemicals, adhesives, resins, silicones, paints, graphite, varnishes, toxic substances, sulphides etc. removing them from any surface, such as all metals, plastics, glass, rubber, glass wool, brick, stone, marble, wood, ceramics, composites, electronic components etc.
This revolutionary method of cleaning is technologically recognized as applicable in all industries and more, such as: Food Industry - Aviation Industry - Petrochemical Industry - Quarries, Mines, Pits - Archaeology, Maintenances of Buildings - Shipyards - Airports – Automotive industry – Electricity generating Stations - Various Substations (Electric Boards, Transformers) - Wind Turbines - Petroleum Industry - Tobacco Industry – Dairy industry- Pharmaceutical industry - Plastics industry - Printers – Packaging plants - Paper processing industry - Wood processing industry - Railway stations - Recycling industry – Iron and aluminum processing industry etc. foundries -Wine-making – Flour milling industry.
How is the dry ice blasting conducted
The operation of dry ice blasting is similar to the common methods of blasting with air burst and an abrasive media. A necessary condition for the proper operation of dry ice blasting is the air supply through a constant air compressor. The air compressor supply air through an air hose to the dry ice blasting machine where the dry ice through the air stream is projected onto the surface for cleaning and creates a cold shock between the pollutant and the surface. The impact of dry ice causes instantaneous freezing resulting, due to its extremely low temperature (-78.50C), to the breaking of the bonds between the pollutant and the surface. The sudden change of temperature through a freezing shock results in the detachment of any pollutant with the contribution of air burst leaving the surface clean, dry and untouched. By “hitting” the surface, the dry ice sublimates in the environment and is not liquefied, thus leaving no secondary waste. Because it is instantaneous, the sudden change of temperature on the surface has no effect on any substrate.
The instant sublimation of dry ice by the impact process on the surface, causes a small explosion due to the temperature difference and the gas inflates the object volume approximately 800 times in milliseconds by breaking the solid pollutant into pieces. When the pollutant is wet as oil, the operator directs the wet pollutant to the point that he desires for its gathering. Unlike other abrasive scraping materials, dry ice is a scraper of low hardness 1.5 to 2 Mohs pellets (3mm) and 0.5 Mohs in powder form in order to be used on more sensitive surfaces such as electrical panels, insulators and generators. Its temperature is at -78.50C, without this meaning that the use of dry ice blasting alters or changes the dimension of any surface due to low temperature, the “freezing” of the surface is instant and depends on the amount of dry ice that we use per hour, density of the surface material, the temprature of the surface to be cleaned, time of blast on the same spot and finally the operator’s knowledge in similar applications.
Advantages of dry ice blasting
- It can be applied to every surface material eliminating almost every type of pollutant rapidly and efficiently without causing secondary residues due to the fact that dry ice is sublimated when impacted on the surface.
- Dry ice is of low hardness (1.5-2 Mohs) and does not scrap at all the surface. There is the possibility of using dry ice in powder form of lower hardness (0,5 Mohs) for application on surfaces such as electrical boards, insulators and generators with the use of a shredder (Scrambler) of dry ice that is adaptable to the machine.
- The method of dry ice blasting is approved by EPA, FDA and USDA as environmentally friendly, non-dangerous, non-toxic, non-polluting and non-flammable. The carbon dioxide CO2 that we use for the production of dry ice is being channeled through dry ice blasting back into the atmosphere without any interim chemical processing, only a mechanical one. In that way it’s a totally ecological and safe cleaning process.
- It can be applied during production process, without having to shut down the operation of production line (downtime) and provides a valuable help towards productivity.
- There is a possibility of choosing among multifarious air nozzles and nozzles, each of them designed for separate use, according to the intended application.
- There is no danger for the health of the operator or the people who are there whatsoever, since it is not a toxic process.
- During its application, multiple workshops can take place at the same time within a 5-meter radius from the operator, provided that they wear earplugs and safety goggles without the need to shut down the application area.
- For cleaning in electrical installations (electrical panels, generators, transformers, substations), dry ice blasting is the ideal method, because it does not add any moisture and leaves the surfaces clean dry and ready for operation. For safety measures, this method is not used in under voltage power substations under no circumstances without stopping their operation during cleaning.
- One of the greatest privileges of dry ice blasting cleaning is the possibility of immediate reuse of the equipment after cleaning, minimizing in that regard the waiting time since there is no longer needed a cleaning of the blasting material, as is the case with the most common standard cleaning methods.
- It has a bacteriostatic character due to its low temperature (-78.50C) and is an ideal method of cleaning in food industries. Dry ice blasting lets the surfaces dry and thus the environment is not suitable for the growth of microbial load since the water activity in the foods that come in contact with the cleaned surfaces is not augmented.
- Regarding cavity surfaces that can hardly be cleaned manually with the effect that pollutants are trapped in inaccessible areas, which are difficult to be dismantled or carried, the method of dry ice blasting is applied on-site rapidly and dryly without waiting and effortlessly, contributing to the reuse of the equipment.
