Industrial Cleaning Services

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Developing a proof of cleaning concept for a heat exchanger manufacturer

Business Need

We were approached by Alfa Laval, a leading provider of products used in heat transfer, separation and fluid handling to conduct a trial cleaning of its brazed plate heat exchangers.

The company often works collaboratively with many industries to optimise efficiency, reduce emissions and increase yields and has a strong ethos to reshaping the energy landscape and create a more sustainable value chain.

The objective of the project was to determine if Alfa Laval’s stainless-steel brazed heat exchangers could be cleaned of contamination.

Our Role

We hosted a representative from Alfa Laval at our site for a week whilst the testing was carried out, and a cleaning methodology was considered.

Applying our decades of experience in a range of cleaning solutions, and knowing that the contaminate could be oil, scale or carbonised material causing either a partial or full blockage, we set about devising a robust solution.

We developed proprietary flushing technology using a closed circuit of chemicals. For the scale contaminate this was an acid solution whilst for oil we used CB100, an aqueous eco-friendly industrial cleaner and degreaser, which required a pneumatic pump to flush the chemical through.

The Outcome

Through our extensive testing and cleaning expertise we developed a flushing methodology to first remove lose contamination and break blockages.

Despite this cleaning process not being conducted previously, we were able to demonstrate that the Alfa Laval heat exchangers could be cleaned, rather than buying new. At a cost of £20,000 to £50,000 to purchase, we were also able to deliver significant cost savings to companies utilising these heat exchangers.

Following the creation of the proof of cleaning concept with the manufacturer we’ve been commissioned to clean a number of these heat exchangers for a range of companies and testers.

If you have a part that is difficult to source or expensive to replace contact our team to discuss our proof of cleaning concept capabilities or explore the services and cleaning solutions we already provide.

Ultrasonic cleaning 500 hydrocyclones from an offshore platform in the Norwegian North Sea

Business Need

Our customer, NOV, delivers technology-driven solutions that are critical to the safe, efficient and reliable operation of the global energy industry.

This project involved the cleaning of hydrocyclones that are used to separate oil from water, within a produced water treatment system, on an offshore platform in the Norwegian North Sea.

To replace each hydrocyclone would cost between £1,000 – £2,000 each and include a lengthy procurement and delivery cycle. Given that the platform only had a tight 13-day window for shipping, cleaning and restoring, the project required a partner that could act quickly to meet strict timeframes. And at a cost of around £100 for us to clean each hydrocyclone, there were huge cost efficiencies to be had, especially when they had 500 parts.

Our Role

The client sent 500 hydrocyclones at a time that were contaminated with oil through the separation process. If there is built up oil or excessive oil slugs within the deoiling hydrocyclone this can reduce the efficiency of the separation process and lead to oil being carried over to the clean water stream.

Our role was to remove this built-up oil and restore the high function of the part. As the parts are incredibly fragile, the cleaning process used a combination of neutral chemicals and ultrasonic cleaning. Special care and individual attention was delivered to ensure that no damage was caused. Ultrasonics, a manual rinse and a final rinse in demineralised water was completed before each part was hand dried with compressed air to ensure the delicate parts were protected and no contamination was introduced.

The Outcome

We were able to restore the parts to precision working conditions within the 13-day period, which included port collection and delivery.

The client was pleased with the process as it was conducted within the designated shipping dates, at a significantly reduced cost to replacing the parts and all without any damage to the hydrocyclones.

So, before you look to replace whole parts talk to our team to see if we can save time, cost and the environment through our industrial cleaning solutions.

Berry BPI Group

Annual Savings of at least £75,328

How we saved Simon £75,328 – Simon’s calculations were based on the following;

An average 13 filters a month were cleaned in 2019. Erema laser discs in Simon’s case, but this process also applies to Ettlinger, MAS or other hot melt filters.
Our multi-stage cleaning process means that each filter now lasts at least twice as long as they would’ve done otherwise
Any hot melt filter costs well in excess of £1,000
Total cost of cleaning, carriage, packing etc.. costs in the region of £100 per filter.

Simon’s conservative calculation of an annual saving of £75,328 was based purely on replacement costs. He also benefited from higher throughput, longer runtime and less downtime.

“All in all a massive win for us, reducing costs and increasing revenue simultaneously in a very competitive market.”

Simon – Engineering Support Manager
Berry BPI Group

Exciter Gearbox Cleaned, Dried & Wrapped

Business Need

We recently received an enquiry regarding a specialist gearbox from an exciter unit. These units are heavy-duty mechanical machines designed to vibrate and shake equipment such as filters or feeders.

The gearbox is the core component of the exciter unit, housing the shafts and gears that enable its operation. Due to the number of moving parts, these gearboxes rely heavily on grease and lubrication to function smoothly. Over time and throughout the unit’s lifecycle, grease accumulates and thickens at the base of the housing and within internal channels.

The customer required the gearboxes to be thoroughly cleaned, with all grease pools removed, so that they could be returned clean and completely dry, free from lubricants. This would allow the units to be safely stored and transported, wrapped in VCI paper to prevent corrosion prior to refurbishment.

Our Role

The gearboxes measured approximately 900 × 540 × 380 mm and weighed around 400 kg each, making them challenging components to handle and clean.

To remove the bulk of the oil and grease buildup, we began with a high-pressure jet wash. This initial step helped to break down the heavier contamination and thin the grease pools, reducing adhesion to the base and internal surfaces.

Once the worst contamination had been removed, the unit was transferred using a crane, into one of our larger ultrasonic tanks. The gearbox was submerged for several hours under powerful ultrasonic agitation, combined with heat and our in-house degreasing chemical, CB100. This process allowed the ultrasonic energy and chemistry to penetrate internal channels and cavities that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Following ultrasonic cleaning, a thorough rinse was required to remove any residual chemical. Due to the size of the component, this was carried out using a final jet wash. As the unit could not be re-oiled, it was essential that it was dried immediately. We used compressed air to hand-dry the gearbox before promptly wrapping it in VCI paper to prevent corrosion.

The Outcome

The gearbox was returned in a spotless condition and fully dried before any surface corrosion could occur. The customer was extremely pleased with the results and confirmed that the trial was successful.

As a result, the customer has since advised that there are six to eight additional gearboxes requiring the same process. The cleaned units are now ready to be restored, repaired, and fitted with new gears and shafts, extending their service life and reducing replacement costs.