How to Prepare a Pre-Treatment Solution for Industrial Equipment Cleaning?

In some industrial facilities, contamination and soil-like solidifications occur on hard surfaces such as heat exchangers, steam boilers, and tanks due to the presence of carbohydrates, proteins, and divalent metals. Contamination in industrial equipment can originate from both liquid and solid substances.

What are the Substances that Cause Contamination?

• Cellulosic substances
• Polysaccharides
• Monosaccharides
• Disaccharides
• Oligosaccharides
• Starches
• Gums (Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum etc.)

When carbohydrate-type substances such as these combine with Alkaline Earth Metals (such as Ca, Mg), they form very hard dirt that is difficult to remove from where it adheres. Removing such dirt from industrial equipment often becomes a very difficult process.

What Industrial Equipment is Subject to Cleaning?

Concentration equipment in industrial facilities is as follows.

• Falling film evaporators
• Plate-type evaporators
• Fluidized bed evaporators
• Circulation evaporators
• Counter-flow evaporators
• Rising film evaporators
• Agitated-type evaporators

There are many types of evaporator equipment available.

In addition to evaporator equipment, there are other types of equipment.

These are;

• Heat exchangers
• Preheaters
• Heaters
• Condensers
• Pumps
• Air removal equipment
• Vacuum equipment
• Cleaning Equipment
• Steam scrubbers

All equipment included in the evaporation system must be cleaned.

Why Should Industrial Equipment Be Cleaned?

Due to the passage of food and beverages through the evaporation system, accumulations occur on the heat transfer surface over time. Each time, more substance accumulates, which makes it harder to remove those substances.

The resulting deposits form an insulating layer on the heat transfer surfaces. This reduces the efficiency of the heat transfer surface. If the heat transfer surface were clean, less energy would be required to perform the same heating process.

In cases where the heat exchange surfaces are evaporators, the difference in the amount of energy required for a clean surface versus a dirty surface can amount to millions of dollars. At the same time, due to the protection of natural resources and increased awareness, appropriate cleaning agents must be used to achieve a clean heat exchange surface.

With this cleaning method, there is no need to disassemble any component in or on the system. In this method, the process is carried out by passing the cleaning solution through the system.

What Substances are Used in Cleaning Industrial Equipment?

When cleaning equipment, a pre-treatment solution must be used. This pre-treatment solution contains the following substances.

• 0.25% - 1.50% by weight Acid
• 0.01% - 1.00% by weight Oxidant
• 0.40% - 10.00% by weight Butyl Glycol (Penetrating agent)
• Hydrogen Peroxide (To provide disinfecting properties)

The cleaning solution contains no less than 10% and no more than 15% active matter. The active matter content in the most preferred cleaning solution is between 1% and 10%.

Within acidic and Alkaline solutions, alkaline solutions contain the following substances.

• Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH)
• Potassium Hydroxide (KOH)
• Triethanolamine (TEA)
• Diethanolamine (DEA)
• Monoethanolamine (MEA)
• Sodium Carbonate (Na₂CO₃)
• Sodium Metasilicate
• Potassium Silicate

Are included.

Suitable acidic sources are as follows.

Mineral acid sources;

• Sulfuric Acid (H₂SO₄)
• Phosphoric Acid (H₃PO₄)
• Nitric Acid (HNO₃)

Organic Acid sources;

• Lactic Acid
• Acetic Acid
• Citric Acid

Ethoxylated alcohols can be found as the preferred penetrant class. Also, the fatty acid class can be used as a penetrant.

Dipropylene Glycol Methyl Ether can be used as a solvent.

The solution contains builders. These substances are selected from the following groups.

• Phosphonic Acid (Phosphorous Acid)
• Phosphates and Phosphonates (Example; HEDP)
• Pyrophosphates
• Polyphosphates
• Ethylene Diamine and Ethylene Triamine derivatives
• Mono, Di and Tri Carboxylates
• EDTA
• HEDTA

Preferred builders consist of water-soluble substances.

These are;

• EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid)
• TKPP (Tetrapotassium Pyrophosphate)

Which Chemicals are Present in the Pre-Treatment Solution for Industrial Equipment Cleaning?

Sodium hydroxide, Hydrogen peroxide, Alkyl benzene sulfonate, Zinc phosphate, Isopropyl alcohol, Sodium hypochlorite