Dry Ice Blasting
Dry
ice blasting is a relatively new cleaning process using solid CO2
pellets (known as dry ice). It is primarily used for industrial
use in a variety of applications. The pellets sublimate (convert
directly from a solid blast pellet to a vapor (CO2) leaving no residue.
The dry ice blasting process is superior to blasting with sand or
glass bead and other types of cleaning methods for numerous reasons
(see Dry
Ice Blasting Comparison Chart.
Today,
the dry ice cleaning method is quickly becoming favored for environmental
as well as production reasons. Because of tremendous environmental
regulations, industry has needed to minimize wastes. Also, there
is a growing consciousness that many are placing now on the global
environmental impact of their production practices. However, these
benefits are accentuated due to the tremendous performance gains
through dry ice blasting -- little or no production downtime, quality
of clean and minimized damaged to equipment.
What Is Dry Ice
Dry
ice pellets are made by taking liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) from
a pressurized storage tank and expanding it at ambient pressure
to produce snow. The snow is then compressed through a die to make
hard pellets.
What Is Dry Ice Blasting
It
is a process in which dry ice particles are propelled to supersonic
speed, to impact and clean a surface. The particles are accelerated
by compressed air, just as with other blasting systems.
The
micro-thermal shock (caused by the dry ice temperature of -79º C),
the kinetic energy of dry ice pellets and the air pressure break
the bond between the coating and the substrate. It pops off the
coating from inside out and the air stream removes it from the surface.
Industries
can utilize the dry ice blasting cleaning method through equipment
that fires the pellets through a blasting gun. Upon impact the dry
ice sublimates (vaporizes). There are many major benefits to this
cleaning process. To read of them in detail, see our Dry
Ice Blasting Benefits page.
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