Dry Ice Blasting
Today's enterprises need to be efficient in order to conduct business, which is why clients looking to improve their bottom line use dry ice blasting to effectively reduce the cost and time associated with surface cleaning projects. BlasTek is a Small Business that specializes in that type of work.
What is Dry Ice Blasting?
Dry Ice Blasting uses the solid form of carbon dioxide to safely remove surface contaminants without causing harm to the substrate. The process itself is somewhat similar to other types of abrasive blasting, in that media is propelled towards a surface, but that is where the similarity stops. Read more to learn more about dry ice blasting and why it might be the perfect solution for your next surface cleaning challenge
How Dry Ice Cleans
Carbon dioxide naturally exists as a solid or as a gas (it needs to be pressurized to exist in liquid form). In it's solid-state, carbon dioxide can be pelletized into tiny rice size pieces, which is more commonly referred to as "dry ice". So similar to how other types of media blasting work, dry ice blasting involves the acceleration of pelletized pieces of carbon dioxide for the purpose of cleaning a surface. The dry ice pellet is approximately -110 degrees Fahrenheit when it hits the surface. At the point of impact, this creates a concentrated force of energy in the form of heat transfer, which forces most surface contaminants to freeze and lose their adhesive qualities, thereby freeing the contaminant from the surface. Essentially, dry ice blasting harnesses the power of heat transfer and kinetic energy to effectively remove contaminants.
Advantages of Dry Ice
When it comes to dry ice blasting, there are several advantages associated with a technology that safely removes contaminants without causing harm to the underlying substrate. For example:
Non-Abrasive
It's not so much the impact of the dry ice that cleans a surface, but rather, the kinetic energy released from the heat transfer upon impact. The impacted surface is literally frozen by the dry ice pellets which, in turn, causes the weakened contaminants to lose their adhesiveness and break free from the substrate during dry ice blasting.
No Residual Media
Since dry ice goes directly from a solid to a gas upon impact, there is no secondary cleanup with dry ice blasting beyond the contaminants being removed. Normally the coatings or contaminants can be swept or vacuumed from the floor beneath the treated object. Whereas chemicals and solvents create environmental concerns, and water carries with it the risk of bacteria growth, dry ice blasting produces zero secondary waste.
No Disassembly
Dry ice blasting is such a delicate process that equipment need not be disassembled during cleaning. Unlike media blasting and water blasting, there is no waste material produced by CO2 blasting. That means equipment can be cleaned in place, which should reduce plant downtime. In fact, if proper safety procedures are followed, most equipment can be cleaned 'online' to increase the amount of heat transfer during cleaning and maximize end results.
Environmentally Friendly
Dry ice blasting is an EPA, USDA, and FDA approved cleaning process, making it the perfect solution for most industrial and commercial surface decontamination projects.