Vapor Degreasing
Vapor Degreasing is probably the most effective method for cleaning grease, and oils off of all types of metals. Vapor degreasing basically works by vaporizing a chlorinated solvent by a heat source, and condensing it over cold oily metal. As the solvent cools, it washes all oils off the metal surface. Our degreasing unit is a 5' x 12' x 16' deep rectangular tank. A two ton capacity hoist is used to lower the metal basket into the vapor zone.
There are 3 standard chlorinated degreaser type solvents: trichloroethylene, methylene chloride and perchloroethylene. We use perchloroethylene (perc). The perc is in a reservoir at the bottom on the degreasing tank and is brought to a boil at 240 degrees, causing it to vaporise. The cleaning space, or vapor zone, is just above the boiling solvent.
To confine solvent vapor to the tank and prevent vapor loss to the atmosphere, a refrigerant or water cooled external jacket or internal coils are located above the vapor zone. Clean vapor condensate is collected in a trough, passed through a water separator to remove excess moisture, and returned to the boiling sump.
A metal basket filled with dirty parts is lowered in the vapor degreasing zone. The parts are not immersed in solvent. Instead the vapor made by the boiling solvent encompasses the parts completely and removes the oils. The oils, now diluted into the condensing liquid, will drip back into the boiling solvent below. There is a manual spray wand, which is sprayed under the cooling coils, directly on hard-to-remove oil.
Near the top of the either type of degreaser is a set of cooling coils that catches the vapor before it escapes from the unit. It cools and condenses it back to its liquid form and flows it back to a clean condensate tank and finally it goes back to the boil sump or the rinse tank. Since oil and grease boil at a higher temperature than for chlorinated solvents, the vapor caused by the now oil mixed solvent, only vaporizes the clean chlorinated solvent not the dirty oil, if the temperature settings are correctly set. Therefore only clean vapor is used to clean and degrease parts.
Contact us for more information about our degreasing services today!