TPT May 2013

Washing & cleaning technology

Washing and cleaning technology

Photo: Plasmait GmbH, Austria

Whether chemical, mechanical, or thermal; single- or multi-stage; off- or on-line, the methods employed in cleaning tube and pipe face a variety of challenges. Oil is famously the enemy of clean surfaces, and lubricant is central to the tube making enterprise. The workpiece must be protected or salvaged even as corrosion and toxicity are met and mastered. Quantities of flushing liquids create problems with disposal.

Fouling. Calcification. Layers. Deposits. These must all be made to yield – but only to cleaning processes that are neutral as well as effective. Fortunately, doing no harm is built into the basic commitment of the professionals whose products and services are reviewed here.