I have talked about cavitation extensively in previous blogs. But what I have neglected to address through an omission on my part is the fact that all cavitation does not produce the effect needed to enhance cleaning – namely, the catastrophic collapse of the cavitation bubble in implosion. Before reading further, please take a minute … Continued
This discussion is a bit anecdotal in nature because my attempts to demonstrate the effects I describe in the following in the laboratory have been less than conclusive. But, the fact that I have seen them occur on several occasions over a period of more than 50 years gives it a degree of credence. By this time the … Continued
In 2010, a patent was issued to Kaijo Corporation (US 7,726,325) for a method to efficiently and rapidly “degas” liquids. In short, the process involves passing a liquid through a restriction such as the narrowing of a pipe at a sufficient velocity that rarefication downstream from the restriction (ala Bernoulli’s principle) creates negative pressure to draw … Continued
A preceding blog discussed the possible effect of too many available sites for the formation of cavitation bubbles to the point that there isn’t enough energy available to grow a significant enough portion of them to sufficient size to implode. This leads to the question that the reverse may be possible as well. In short, … Continued
Automatic chemical addition and makeup is an attractive on feature on today’s sophisticated cleaning machines. Who wouldn’t appreciate eliminating the drudgery of taking samples, titrating, refractometer readings, or whatever and adding chemistry to a cleaning or rinsing bath manually? The trouble is that automatic chemical makeup is just not possible or applicable in all cases. Although there are … Continued
The tests described in the last couple of blogs are rudimentary ways to assess the surface activity of the surface being tested. In fact, they are all based on the concept of contact angle. A drop of water resting at equilibrium on a surface will intersect that surface at a measurable angle called the contact angle. The … Continued
While ultrasonic cleaning is highly effective, the issue of ultrasonic shadowing can impair the thoroughness of this type of cleaning.
In a recent blog, I touched on the fact that there is a limit to how long a cleaning solution will continue to produce clean parts as it becomes increasingly contaminated from use. Chemistry and disposing of spent chemistry are both expensive. Changing a bath usually results in a gap in production as the tank(s) … Continued
I admit, I stole that title from my grandma Bertha. But even in this day, the concept is applicable. Cleaning one thing is one thing, cleaning thousands of things is another. Let’s think about that. Cleaning, as we have discussed before, really amounts to moving contaminants from the surfaces being cleaned and sequestering them in another … Continued
When particles are the enemy, my general rule is filter, filter, filter! The cost of filtration is small compared to the overall benefit even if it is only “insurance.” There is, of course, the initial cost of installation (filter housings, pumps, plumbing, etc.) but the cost after that is going to be pretty much fixed provided … Continued
