Applications by Industry

Petro Chemical

Dry ice blasting is environmentally friendly because it virtually eliminates clean-up and waste disposal. Typically acid and/or other chemicals have been used to clean equipment in the Petro Chemical industry.

Benefits

  • Reduces waste disposal
  • Does not peen welds similar to wire wheel grinding (is non-abrasive)
  • Eliminates the potential for sand and other grit media to enter process equipment
  • Reduces equipment downtime
  • Eliminates the need for masking and tarping other equipment

Equipment

  • Heat exchangers / Radiators / fin-fan coolers
  • Boilers, de aerators and other process water related equipment
  • Preparation of welds on process vessels prior to non-destructive testing
  • Vessel internals and tube sheets
  • Polyethylene removal from extruders, hoppers and molds
  • Removes biological material from process equipment prior to start-up

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Gas Processing/Oil Refining

Similar to other industries, this industry strives to reduce down time. Dry ice blasting can help make your facility more efficient and improve productivity. Our environmentally friendly, clean in place process will reduce downtime to your operation.

Benefits

  • Can effectively remove heavy oils, bitumen, corrosion inhibitor chemicals etc. from piping, valves, wellheads and other related equipment. This can be done hot, online. As these contaminates can become literally “baked on” over time, dry ice blasting is one of the only options.
  • Reduces the need for chemicals
  • Costs associated with waste collection and containment are eliminated
  • Can effectively clean “dirty” vessel interiors (strippers, contactors, de-cokers etc). Dry ice blasting is far superior to other cleaning methods such as steamers as there is no “dry time” or secondary contaminant to deal with.
  • Eliminates the potential for sand and other grit media to enter process equipment
  • Reduces equipment downtime
  • Eliminates the need for masking and tarping other equipment

Equipment

  • Heat exchangers / radiators / fin-fan coolers
  • Preparation of welds on process vessels prior to non-destructive testing
  • Vessel internals and tube sheets
  • Boilers, de aerators and other process water related equipment
  • Engines and engine parts
  • Valves, piping and other related equipment

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Printing and Packaging

Dry ice blasting replaces the use of hazardous chemicals and tedious manual cleaning methods on printing equipment. Most solvents used to clean equipment in this industry are hazardous and/or flammable with highly regulated and very costly disposal.

Benefits

  • Eliminates solvents
  • Improves worker safety
  • Downtime is greatly reduced because equipment does not need to be disassembled before cleaning
  • Provides a more thorough cleaning
  • Does not wear equipment like manual cleaning
  • Increases equipment life
  • Increases equipment resale value

Equipment

  • Printing presses (gears, decks and guides)
  • Dryers and drums
  • Conveyors
  • Gripper bars
  • Gluers
  • Feeders

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Electrical

Since dry ice blasting provides a non-conductive moisture free cleaning, it has tremendous advantages when servicing electrical equipment. Electrical equipment can be cleaned online without costly downtime. Preventative maintenance schedules can also be set up to improve system reliability.

Benefits

  • Reduces down time
  • Eliminates disassembly
  • Eliminates hazardous solvents and associated wastes

Equipment

  • Motors – windings, armatures
  • Switch gear
  • Transformers
  • Substations

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Wood Processing

Dry ice blasting offers several advantages in the wood processing industry. Clean equipment is critical in this industry to increase product quality and reduce the risk of fire.

Benefits

  • Reduced down time (cool time not required)
  • Decreased waste disposal
  • Reduced fire hazards
  • Significant savings in labour
  • Reduced chemical use
  • No disassembly required

Equipment

  • Board presses
  • Dryers
  • Crowns
  • Vents
  • Conveyors
  • Stackers
  • Lathes

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General Maintenance

Dry ice blasting is used in a variety of general maintenance applications. Equipment can be cleaned in preparation for service work, prior to painting, to reduce operating temperatures and to eliminate fire hazards. Graffiti can successfully be removed from a variety of surfaces including ornamental brickwork and masonry.

Benefits

  • Significant labour savings
  • Improved production run time
  • Reduction in chemical use
  • Extended equipment life
  • Replaces labour-intensive hand cleaning
  • Can get into the “nooks and crannies” where hand scrubbing is virtually ineffective
  • Shines copper, brass, silver, aluminum etc. similar to hand polishing with a major reduction of time

Equipment

  • Commercial equipment
  • Engines, radiators
  • Production equipment
  • Paint booths
  • Concrete surfaces
  • Log house stripping
  • Monuments/statues made out of metals/masonry
  • Overpass, underpass and train trestles

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Foundries

Dry ice blasting is used to remove release agents from molds and core boxes. The mold surfaces must be cleaned periodically to prevent parts from sticking inside the mold cavity. This system of cleaning replaces the old method of hand cleaning with hazardous chemicals. With dry ice blasting there is no need to have molds cool down, thus reducing downtime.

Benefits

  • Reduced downtime
  • Reduction or elimination of chemicals
  • Improved worker safety
  • Improved maintenance
  • Reduced equipment damage
  • Does not remove any of the mold surface (non-abrasive)

Equipment

  • Core boxes
  • Screens
  • Permanent molds
  • Electrical equipment

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Disaster Recovery

Commonly used in residential applications but most often commercial and industrial, soot and smoke damage can easily be removed from most surfaces using dry ice blasting. It is also being recognized as a natural fit in mold remediation, predominantly as a labour saving tool. In the removal of carpet adhesives and mastics that are impacted by mould, dry ice blasting replaces scrapers, heat guns and chemical applications. With structural wood ablation where the outermost layer of wood is to be removed, dry ice blasting is faster than sanding and is far superior at getting into corners, joints and gaps in the wood. This is not only a very attractive option to property owners but also generates a lot of interest from insurance companies.

Benefits

  • Black mould can be removed from wooden surfaces
  • Removes soot and smoke damage
  • Restores a clean appearance
  • Doesn’t create “another mess” (no secondary contaminant)

Equipment

  • Steel rafters
  • Various wall surfaces
  • Stainless steel equipment in kitchens
  • Tile and masonry flooring
  • Adjoining building exterior surfaces (fires)
  • Carpet adhesive, wood layers and duct liners

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Food Manufacturing

Dry ice blasting plays a major role in the food industry. It sanitizes equipment far superior than traditional cleaning methods in a fraction of the time. It successfully removes baked on residues in ovens as well as uncooked product from mixing equipment.

Benefits

  • Allergen contamination is eliminated
  • Surfaces are sterilized
  • Effective on hot or cold surfaces
  • Eliminates risk of contamination (wire bristles)
  • Reduced downtime
  • Elimination of harsh chemicals
  • Can safely and effectively be used where water blasting can cause problems (dry process)
  • Very effective in thoroughly cleaning all types of slaughter plants

Equipment

  • Waffle and cereal molds
  • Ovens
  • Conveyors
  • Mixers
  • Blenders
  • Stainless equipment, floors and walls
  • Sterilizers
  • Saws, knives and other meat cutting equipment
  • Packaging equipment

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Plastic Manufacturing

CO2 blasting is suitable for “cleaning in place” because the dry ice particles sublimate upon impact with the targeted surface. Cleaning in place eliminates many of the steps necessary in traditional blast cleaning processes. This includes cool down, disassembly, and transport to and from a dedicated cleaning area, inspection for grit entrapment, re-installation and reheating. With clean molds being imperative this can lead to substantial reductions in downtime and labour with major financial gains.

Benefits

  • Reduction or elimination of hand scrubbing
  • Can clean while hot or cold
  • Reduction or elimination of hazardous chemicals and associated waste disposal
  • Dry ice blasting is non-abrasive and will not alter the targeted surfaces which are extremely important for molds and other related equipment
  • Solvent elimination means improved worker safety
  • Decreased downtime and increased cost savings

Equipment

  • Molds/presses
  • Gluers and glue heads
  • Extruder screws
  • Packaging equipment
  • Adhesive, resins and polymer removal
  • Will clean entire blow and injection mold cavities completely and effectively

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