Dry Ice Blasting Benefits

Dry Ice Blasting | Benefits | Uses | Other Applications | 

Dry ice blasting benefits can be broken down into seven general areas. They are as follows:

Benefit #1 - Decreased Downtime through Cleaning In-Place

Typical cleaning procedures require that equipment be disassembled and moved to an assigned area for proper cleaning. That is not the case with dry ice blasting. Equipment can be cleaned in-place and hot in most situations. Because of that, many time-consuming, labor-intensive steps that were required with other methods such as sand blasting can be eliminated including:

• Cool down
• Disassembly
• Transport of the equipment to and from a dedicated cleaning area
• Reassembly
• Reheating time

Dry ice blasting can shorten the downtime for cleaning from days down to hours.

Benefit #2 - Faster and More Thorough Cleaning

With dry ice blast cleaning, a superior clean can be achieved while reducing hours when compared to scrubbing with abrasive pads or wire brushes. A tremendous labour savings is accomplished. In addition, the CO₂ blast method cleans in crevices that can't be reached by hand. As a result, equipment runs more efficiently and potential leaks are revealed possibly preventing major system failures.

Benefit #3 - Elimination of Equipment Damage

Dry ice blasting often eliminates equipment damage. Cleaning methods such as sandblasting leave an aggressive and abrasive effect on the surface. They can actually remove part of the surface, changing the surface structure considerably. Dry ice is non-abrasive to surfaces and does not change a surface's structure. It lifts the contaminants away. Secondly, because equipment can now be cleaned in place, potential damage from moving equipment to and from a dedicated cleaning area is also eliminated.

Benefit #4 - Reduction or Elimination of Solvents

Dry ice blasting uses no solvents, but instead uses harmless CO₂ pellets. This can be a critical need for certain companies in order to comply with environmental regulations or to improve worker safety. There are no issues pertaining to toxicity.

Benefit #5 - Reductions in Waste Disposal

With other cleaning methods, whether solvents, sand blasting or some other means, the cleaning agent becomes a secondary contaminant and must be disposed of as toxic waste along with the primary contaminant. However, with dry ice blast cleaning because the CO₂ pellet vaporizes upon contact, the only waste created is the contaminant itself. This alone can result in significant waste reduction.

Benefit #6 - Increased Safety

Dry ice blasting pellet is non-toxic, non-hazardous creating advantages to the environment, your employees, and production facility:

• No secondary waste
• Safe for the environment
• Safe for employees
• Safe for end products
• Safe for equipment

Benefit #7 - Inhibits bacteria & mold growth

Dry ice is a natural bacterial and fungal growth inhibitor because it's low temperature of   -78.5 °c kills bacteria and mold [fungi] upon contact. When you clean with dry ice blasting, you're also disinfecting.

Cleaning Method Comparison