Letter 38064

Drying metal pipes wetted with Hydrocarbon [Thailand] 

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We have metal pipes of sizes smaller than a fist degreased with unheated Hydrocarbon before plating.
Would either a hot air blower or vacuum drying alone make the parts touch dry inside and out quickly? Hopefully within 5 minutes.
Could anyone suggest a faster drying method?

The parts are racked to have good drainage, and the Boiling Point of Hydrocarbon is >150degC (>300degF).
Thank you.

Eisuke Kitahara
Fine Solutions Co., Ltd - Ultrasonic washer distributor - Bangplee, Samutprakarn, Thailand

Hi Eisuke !

Re 'evaporating' your hydrocarbons ... well, here's one idea filched from Blackstone Industries in Stratford, Ontario.... which got it from a Swedish Company called Olstrom, if I remember correctly.

They 'dry' ... or try to dry .... autpmobile radiators prior to them entering an oven and getting fluxed.

What they do is to use ordinary, ambient air, not heated at all. They 'hit' the radiators with a high velocity air stream of around 6,000 fpm. Because of a fair amount of moisture in the radiator cores, they do have a capture hood.

The airflow from the hood is recirculated back into the fan... in other words this is a l00% air recycle system. However, unlike you apparently, they also have a l2 micron mist eliminator before the fan to remove liquid droplets to around l2 microns. This is a horizontal unit using PVC sine curved blades ... but for you it's nbg as the solvent would attack it ... maybe PP is OK but why even consider such an eliminator. However, to get rid of or reduce any hydrocarbons, you'd need to vent to atmosphere about min. l0% of the airflow. On the fan discharge line, add on a small but dampered vent outlet.

Food for thought .... and at General Motors in Ottowa they do something similar using VERY noisy fans ... well, the airflows demand high velocity and generate high decibles of sound.

Food for thought ... & I hope of some use, too.

Freeman Newton
- White Rock, B.C. Canada

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