DRY ICE SCOTLAND CASE STUDY: CLEANING OF CEMENT SCALE AND DUST, DUNBAR CEMENT WORKS

LOCATION DUNBAR CEMENT WORKS

SUBSTRATE ROLL CRUSHERS, HYDRAULICS, MOTORS, GENERAL PROCESS EQUIPMENT

CONTAMINANT CEMENT DUST AND SCALE, CONGEALED HYDRAULIC OIL

PROJECT DURATION 20 HOURS (2 SEPARATE SHIFTS)

Dry Ice Scotland were asked to clean various pieces of equipment at the Dunbar Works site. The contaminant was

largely comprised of cement dust scale, which has built up over time and hardened. Additionally, some of this was

congealed with hydraulic oil around the Roll Crusher area. Photos of the work areas are included below, with

“before” shown on the left and “after” shown on the right.

For further information, please contact Ed Nimmons ed@dryicescotland.com 07855812673

Areas were blasted using regulated pres-

sures and specialist Dry Ice Scotland

equipment designed for blasting deli-

cate areas. These control measures en-

sured that no equipment was damaged

during the project.

Blasting areas were cordoned off with a

3m exclusion zone, and hazard/warning

signs made visible.

Contaminant was collected using vacu-

um and manual means and handed to

the site for disposal.

The first shift was dedicated to the hy-

draulic roll crusher area (pictured left),

cleaning a mixture of hardened cement-

powder and congealed hydraulic oil.

Care was taken to avoid any possible

damage to valves and electrical compo-

nents.

While the job was completed with the

rollers shut down, it is anticipated that

future work could be completed while in

full operation, with due safety precau-

tions.

BEFORE AFTER

The second shift consisted of general cleaning around the

site, targeted on selected areas (pictured left). In this case,

contaminant consisted of hardened cement powder.

As can be seen from the photographs, the team were able

to blast the hardened contaminant whilst mitigating any

possible damage to the coating or underlying surface. This

is due to the highly controllable nature of dry ice cleaning.

Clean-up of the contaminant was conducted at regular in-

tervals over the course of the two shifts. During blasting,

the dry ice pellets sublimate into a gas on impact. As such,

there is minimal residual waste and only the existing con-

taminant needs to be collected. This saves considerable

time during the clean-up period.

In addition, the lack of additional mess means that there is

minimal disruption to the ongoing operations on the site.

While the immediate blasting area was cordoned off, other

operations were able to carry on as normal.

Dry Ice is also non-conductive and safe to be used to clean

electrical components.

As a long term solution, Dry Ice Scotland suggest that a sin-

gle team would be dedicated to the Dunbar site either on

an “on-call” basis (subject to a specified volume of work) or

as part of a planned, regular cleaning schedule.

DRY ICE SCOTLAND CASE STUDY: CLEANING OF CEMENT SCALE AND DUST, DUNBAR CEMENT WORKS

The conclusion of this case study has

shown dry ice cleaning to be highly

effective in the blasting and cleaning

of hardened cement powder. A regular

dry ice cleaning schedule allows for

more effective inspection activities to

take place and reduces the risk of pos-

sible operational downtime due to

contamination.

For further information, please contact Ed Nimmons ed@dryicescotland.com 07855812673

BEFORE AFTER

ON-SITE CLEANING OF EQUIPMENT AND PROCESS

Specialist dry ice cleaning removes contaminants without producing any form of media waste. This non-abrasive

technique is a revolutionary method for cleaning without operational down time or damage.

Dry Ice cleans in 3 revolutionary ways:

Kinetic energy caused by speed of compressed air

Thermal effect (-78.5˚C) loosens scale/contaminate

Expansion to its gaseous state, up to 800 times its original size.

Dry Ice Scotland are UK leaders in providing dry ice cleaning. Based in the Northeast of Scotland, our in -house

manufacturing facility utilises the latest cutting edge technology in the production of dry ice using recycled CO2,

producing the densest dry ice available globally. Through our in-house workshop we are UK leaders in the develop-

ment of specialist dry ice application equipment.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DRY ICE CLEANING

For general equipment cleaning purposes, we use 3mm pellets of frozen CO2

These pellets are completely non-abrasive, with a Mineral Hardness Scale between 1 (Talc) and 2 (Gypsum)

Kills bacteria—particularly important when used in cleaning of organic material

Non-conductive—safe to be used around electrical components

Recommended for light rust removal by the British Stainless Steel Association

For further information, please contact Ed Nimmons ed@dryicescotland.com 07855812673

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF DRY ICE CLEANING

On-site cleaning—reduces transportation carbon footprint

Dry Ice manufactured from recycled CO2—minimal media carbon footprint

Non-toxic and environmentally safe—no chemicals or solvents

Zero residual waste—minimal waste generation and disposal

OPERATIONAL BENEFITS OF DRY ICE CLEANING

Cleaning can be carried out in-situ by mobile team, no transportation/removal needed

Non-abrasive, no risk of damage to delicate components

Dry and with zero residual waste—no drying time, minimal waste disposal and collection

For further information, please contact Ed Nimmons ed@dryicescotland.com 07855812673

Depth of Probe 5 secs. (Celsius) 10 secs. (Celsius) 15 secs. (Celsius) 20 secs. (Celsius)

0.5mm -0.2 -4 -7 -9

1.0mm 0 -0.5 -7 -8

1.5mm 0 -0.2 -4 -5

2.0mm 0 -0.2 -3 -4

Dry ice cleaning has minimal temperature effects on the substrate, even during unnaturally prolonged cleaning.

TABLE SHOWING TEMPERATURE EFFECTS OF DRY ICE CLEANING STAINLESS STEEL BEYOND SURFACE LEVEL

Issues Traditional Dry Ice

Equipment downtime Removal to dedicated cleaning area

Drying and clean up time In-situ cleaning No drying time

Hazardous materials/ waste

Personnel exposure to hazardous Cleaning media must be contained

No exposure to chemicals Zero residual waste

Equipment damage Grit abrasions/contamination

Movement of equipment

Zero abrasion Allows for regular preventative

maintenance

Safety Water hazards around electrical equipment Higher Pressures - HP units are 1000+ bar

Safe around electrical equipment Lower Pressures – typically less

than 20 bar

TABLE SHOWING COMPARISON BETWEEN TRADITIONAL CLEANING AND DRY ICE CLEANING

As seen in this actual demonstration, dry ice

cleaning is powerful enough to remove

contaminants, yet gentle enough to avoid

damaging even the most gentle surface.