Surface World March 2019 SW_March_2019_LR | Page 38
PRE-TREATMENT, SURFACE PREPARATION, DEGREASING & CLEANING
Next generation cleaning
technologies are out of this world
Graham Fraser,
MD of Fraser
Technologies,
discusses the
next generation
of cleaning
technologies
and how they’re
revolutionising
environmental
impact To the Moon and Back
When considering how to clean or degrease products or components,
businesses will find they are faced with a choice between water-based
aqueous cleaning and using solvents. While many people have an
instant reaction to steer clear of solvents due to their controversial
history, there is an impressive new wave of cleaning technologies that
should not be ignored. It was designed to be safe for the operators and for the environment,
and replaces many of the high cost HFE materials as well as nPB,
HFC-365 blends and other hazardous chlorinated solvents, such as
Trike, Methylene Chloride and Perk. It is also a safe, viable alternative
to fast evaporating flammable materials such as IPA, Acetone,
Thinners and MEK, typically used in hand cleaning applications.
There’s no denying that in the past, many solvents were detrimental to
health and the environment, and the majority of people probably
believe that this is still the case. However, the solvents of the 80s and
90s have been left in the past, and the current generation of
chemicals are just as safe as the aqueous solutions people have
become accustomed to. SF79 is usually used as a replacement for either hazardous or
high-cost cleaning solvents for the removal of oils, flux, liquors, paint,
machining or sanding particulate. It has a very high wetting index (low
surface tension, viscosity and density) and can remove particulate
down to submicron levels without leaving residues.
Along with low GWP, solvents also offer speed and efficiency, which
shorten lead times and reduce costs. There are lower capital
equipment costs than with comparable water-based systems, so there
is a low cost of ownership and a smaller equipment footprint. Plus,
they are extremely easy and safe to use. These benefits combined with
extremely high precision cleaning, make solvents a very attractive
option for many businesses.
One of our most popular products is Opteon™ SF79; a non-
flammable, fast drying cleaning solvent from Chemours™, which is
designed to clean a wide range of soils from mechanical
components, electronics, optics, military hardware, etc. both in
existing solvent cleaning systems, and cold cleaning applications. It is
ideally suited for vapour degreasing, precision cleaning and removal
of greases and oils.
While there are instances where aqueous cleaning provides the best
results, many applications are best suited to solvent cleaning. Plus, as
solvents can be considered a ‘dry’ cleaning option, this process is
ideal for water-sensitive or difficult to dry components.
With the introduction of solvents such as the Opteon™ range from
Chemours™, solvent cleaning has once again become a viable, safe
and cost-effective option, and it is fast becoming a favoured choice. It
is a simple process that can be very effective and easy to manage.
With the use of low boiling point, non-flammable products,
components can be cleaned to an exceptionally high standard with
minimal cost and capital investment.
These cleaning solvents use eco-friendly chemistries, which offer a
superior cleaning performance. They are low in cost and provide a
genuine alternative to the old hazardous solvents which have now
been banned or restricted. The Chemours™ range of safe,
environmentally friendly solvents have become widely accepted as
best in class, next generation fluids and are approved for use in a
large range of standard cleaning systems.
Solvents can now boast low global warming potential (GWP). GWP is
a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s
atmosphere, generally attributed to the greenhouse effect, caused by
increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants. GWP
is used to represent the equivalent of Co2 being released into the
atmosphere. So 1kg of CO2 = a GWP of 1.
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MARCH 2019
Chemours™ has recently launched a re-modified version of SF79,
helpfully named SF80, which offers all of the benefits of SF79, but
with an even lower GWP. While SF79 has an impressive GWP of less
than 15, SF80 has a GWP of less than 2. On average, competitors’
products have a GWP of around 40, and until now, SF79 was the
lowest GWP of any fluorinated solvent on the market by a significant
margin. SF80 offers real standout for businesses looking to improve
their environmental credentials.
The impact of this change is remarkable, and can be demonstrated
by a project we have undertaken with one of our customers, which
asked us to look at an alternative to the high-GWP solvent they were
using. At the time, the customer – a prominent aerospace
manufacturer - was using 7 Metric Tonnes of product per year. We
worked with them to approve SF79 and subsequently SF80 and once
on site, we assisted in optimising their processes to reduce solvent
consumption. We also introduced a solvent recovery process to allow
them to further reduce waste and reuse the recovered solvent. This
has taken the customer’s overall usage of solvent down by 28%.
While the existing product was less expensive than SF79, the
reduction in solvent usage has shown a significant cost reduction of
around £30,000 per year as well as a significant reduction in CO2
equivalent emissions.
With a GWP of 990, the CO2 emissions created by the customer
when using the alternative product were equal to the emissions of
driving 143 times around the world - or 7.5 times to the moon and
read online: www.surfaceworld.com