Descaling
It's very well known fact that as scale buildup increases inside pipes, the percentage of energy required to heat or cool water increases linearly. Narrowing of the diameter of the pipes due to scaling increases the pumping power required for moving water through the pipes. Scaling also increases the thermal resistance of the pipe, causing it to take more heat to boil water or more cooling to reduce the temperature of water. The effect of scaling is to increase energy costs due to reduced efficiencies.
One way to save on energy costs is to make sure boiler and cooling systems used in industrial applications are running efficiently.
Descaling from the inside of pipes is a difficult, labor intensive, and expensive process. Treating water to prevent scale buildup is more cost effective than trying to remove scale after it has been deposited.
It involves the removal of thick layers of oxides formed on metals at elevated temperatures.
Descaling is needed when a heat exchanger accumulates a significant thickness of calcium on its surface, enough to insulate the water from the heat source and impair performance.
Periodic descaling of industrial heat exchangers' tubes is necessary to inhibit corrosion and improve efficiency.
Descaling safely and effectively removes:
- Limescale
- Calcium
- Rust
- Water scale buildup
- Mud
- Other non-soluble deposit
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The various methods of descaling are:
Mechanical Cleaning
For metals that react with chemical, the metal is descaled by physical means. Oxide scale deposits can be removed by using wire brushes and scraping devices like wool pads. Abrasive blasting methods and waterjet spraying can also be used for descaling.
Aqueous Alkaline Cleaning
Mild alkaline solutions such as sodium hydroxide, sodium phosphate, sodium metasilicate and sodium carbonate can be used for cleaning the metal surface and removing the oxide scales. The stronger the concentration of alkali, the faster the cleaning process. This cleaning method is often followed by mechanical cleaning methods.
Acid Cleaning (Pickling)
Acid cleaning, also known as pickling, is yet another process used for removing oxide scale deposits from a metal surface. It is also used to neutralize any remaining alkalis from the previous cleaning process.This method of cleaning is suitable for ferrous, aluminum and copper alloys. An acid solution, called the pickle liquor, is used for descaling the metal surface. The waste product formed from the pickling of metals is known as pickling sludge.