Associations:
Employee and customer safety is our number one goal in any chemical cleaning exercise & we know that all injuries are preventable. We continually train all Supervisors & Technicians to ensure a safe work environment each and every job.
Industrial pipework carries a variety of materials:
Waste Water
Figure 1 – WW carrying lime solution to single depurator, lines plug periodically and require clearing with inhibited hydrochloric acid.
Figure 2 - Typical dose facility, clean solution directed down one pipe, returning to balance tank fire pipe 2, air pump used on this occasion.
Figure 3 - Lime deposits typically 20mm thick initially, after cleaning, pipework returned to full ID allowing design flow. Oxygen
Figure 1 – Carbon Steel for pure oxygen service – cleaned & exported to Eastern Europe.
Figure 4 – Condition of pipe work “before” cleaning. 
Figure 5 – Condition of pipework “after” cleaning. Clean process was alkaline detergents/Citric Acid/Ammonia/Nitrite.Oil/Gas transfer lines (Oil Refinery) –
Figure 1 – Alkylate/Gas transfer lines plugged with Iron Fluorides across 3 areas oil refinery.
Figure 2 – Clean solution pushed backwards & forwards across refinery process areas, Alky plant to Gas plant & return – Alky end set up.
Figure 3 – Gas plant end set up – clean process was inhibited Hydrochloric/neutralisation/passivation. Heavy emphasis on PPE as HF thought to be present.High Quality lubricant supply/recirculation –
Figure – 1 Barrier fluid lubricants are recirculated to the glands of acid transfer pumps, these lines are degreased/corrosion product if any removed/passivated/dried before being returned to service with a fresh charge of oil.
Figure 2 - Set up in industrial plants can be quite complex with numerous flows and returns, in the case above, and calculation plant, eight flows and eight returns to manage.
Figure 3 - Final quality of metal surface after cleaning and passivation process. Carbon steel surface passivated using blended Pyro phosphates.Sterilised water pharmaceutical plants -
Figure 1 – SS water reticulation lines are cleaned and passivated when added or changes made to the system pharmaceutical plants.
Figure 2 - Cleaning and passivation solutions are either Citric acid or Nitric acid.
Figure 3 - Strong focus on PPE due to the chemicals used in the passivation process.Once the work to be completed is understood & all necessary risk assessments & preparation completed, manpower, chemicals and equipment are mobilised to sites where the clean & passivation process begins. This involves however is not limited to:
- the use of specialised pumps/tanks/hoses
- site preparation of cleaning/passivation solutions as required
- testing & recording cleaning/passivation solutions to ensure correct qualities maintained at all times
- thorough washing/flushing of circuits as required
- collecting and correct disposal of cleaning solution to comply with site waste plans
