Electrical Equipment & Power Plants
Dry ice blasting is an ideal process for cleaning all types of electrical and electric power generation equipment.
Electric Motors
Dry ice blast cleaning a rotor winding
Dry ice blast cleaned stator winding
Cleaning with dry ice allows electric motors to be cleaned in place, saving time and money through reduced labor and equipment downtime. The dry process means no secondary media waste and minimal clean up. The non-abrasive nature of dry ice cleaning means no damage to small parts.
Generators
Dry ice blasting cleans electrical generating equipment, reducing downtime from overheating. Dry ice blasting also allows the units to be cleaned in place without damage to cables and insulation.
Turbines
Dry ice blast cleaning is perfect for turbines. Dry ice blasting is non-abrasive allowing the cleaning of deposits and other foreign materials without distorting the blade.
Small Components
Dry ice blasting requires no solvents to remove surface residue material from small components as they move along the assembly line. The non-abrasive nature of dry ice blasting means no damage to plated surfaces. Dry ice blasting also removes masking wax used in specialized plating processes.
Insulators & Switches
Dry and non-conductive, dry ice blasting uses very dry compressed air and "hot stick" dry ice blasting nozzles to clean energized switch gear. Arc-over-causing dirt is removed with no equipment downtime. Dirt-laden cable trays can be cleaned with dry ice blasting without worrying about solvent fallout or cable damage from cleaning tools.
Cable Ways & Trays
Dry ice blasting is the simplest and quickest way to clean cable trays and ways. Cleaning with dry ice removes accumulated dirt, grit and other foreign materials without damaging the cable insulation or shielding.
Power Plants & Substations
During summer peak electric power loads, power plant operators need all generators working at peak efficiency. Dry ice blasting allows power generation equipment to work at optimal efficiency, potentially preventing catastrophic failure such as flashovers.
Dry ice blasting cleans electrical equipment in place, reducing equipment downtime and the labor cost of disassembling equipment, while minimizing the potential for damage. Since dry ice sublimates, secondary waste clean up is minimized and no solvent disposal or drying-time is needed.
Postponing more time consuming cleaning methods is tempting when counting the kilowatts. With dry ice blasting, time and expense are reduced while increasing electric service up time.
Decontaminate a "Semi-Hot" Cell
There are a number of old reactors and other nuclear facilities that are either being actively dismantled or are candidates for decommissioning. Dry ice blasting can be used for decontamination of a "semi-hot" (i.e. hot cell containing lower levels of radioactivity) cell. Cleaning with dry ice can also be used for decontaminating building surfaces and removal of contaminated coatings.*
*Source: International Atomic Energy Agency's report, "Innovative and Adaptive Technologies in Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities"