A parts washer is a device commonly found in engine and machine repair shops, which is used to remove grease, dirt, and debris from engine and machine components that have been used for an extended period of time in dirty and/or greasy environments.
Ben Palmer invented a solvent style Parts Washer in 1954. The parts washer was a success from the start, and he decided in the early 1960s not to sell his machine, but to lease it to the customer and service it by removing and replenishing the used solvent.
A typical parts washer may be aqueous based or use a solvent. Since the early 1990's there has been a significant shift towards aqueous based systems due to the environmental and safety hazards associated with solvent systems. In 1971, Gary Minkin invented a parts washer for degreasing automobile parts. The Minkin invention used the force of hydraulic impact pressure to significantly improve the cleaning power of the aqueous parts washer.
A solvent style parts washer is filled with several gallons of solvent that is stored in a settling pan at the bottom of the washer. A small flame-tight electric liquid pump is immersed in the solvent and skims clean solvent from near the top of the settling tank, and pumps it at low pressure through a stiff flexible nozzle onto a metal grating above the liquid where the metal components rest. Dirt and dissolved heavy greases fall into the bottom and settle to the bottom of the tank.
An aqueous based parts washer is much like a large dish washer. It uses water and detergent combined with heat and mechanical energy to provide the cleaning action. There are two main process styles of aqueous parts washers, the jet spray process and the power wash process. In a cabinet parts washer, the parts are placed on a turntable and the door is closed. During the cleaning cycle hot solution is flooded or blasted on the parts as the turntable rotates. Many systems have a wash, rinse and dry cycle. When the cycle is complete the door is opened and the parts removed.
There are four primary factors that affect the cleaning results in an aqueous parts washer. These factors are mechanical energy, thermal energy, detergent and time. Adjusting any one of these factors in a cleaning cycle changes the cleaning results. A parts washer with large amounts of mechanical energy and thermal energy delivers shorter cleaning cycles and uses less cleaning detergent. Mechanical energy is provided by the pump drive system. Most aqueous parts washers use an electric motor to drive a centrifugal pump. The mechanical energy delivered to the wash load is what defines the mechanical energy for cleaning and not the horsepower of the pump. Efficient use of the pump motor energy through a well designed centrifugal pump and attention to details of piping design and nozzle types are critical to put the most mechanical energy into the cleaning process.
Beside high mechanical energy, higher cleaning temperatures are one of the most effective methods of improving the cleaning results in a parts washer. In general, a 10 to 15 degree Fahrenheit rise doubles the chemical reaction of the detergent. The increased chemical reaction between the greases and oils and the detergent delivers faster cleaning cycles and cleaner parts. Additionally, all greases and oils exhibit a lower viscosity at higher temperatures. When the melting point is reach they flow like water and are easily washed off the parts. Temperatures of 170 degrees F and above of the cleaning solution softens or melts most oils and greases causing them to melt and flow like water again delivering faster cleaning cycles and cleaner parts. Many parts washers are not capable of maintaining this operating temperature as careful design is required to allow the pumping system to pull in and deliver cleaning solution at temperatures that approach boiling in the parts washer. All centrifugal pumps require a net positive suction head (NPSHr) in order to be able to pump water. As the temperature of the water approaches the NPSHr, the pump stops pumping water because the cleaning solution flashes to steam in the pump intake. Careful design of the pump is required to minimize NPSHr and allow pumping of high temperature cleaning solution.
Originally oil distillates such as gasoline and kerosene were used for solvent based washing machine to clean parts, but these are highly volatile and can ignite easily, potentially leading to an explosion and severe burns to the workers.
Modern degreasers are much safer to use and pose fewer health hazards to the workers, however there is still a risk of the fluid catching fire. For this reason the solvent based parts washer typically has a large cover that is propped open by a lead fusible link. In the event of a fire, the lead will melt and the cover will slam shut to snuff out the fire before it can cause further damage to the building.
Aqueous based parts washers use alkaline detergents mixed with water to clean parts. This solution is safer than solvent based systems because the risk of the cleaning solution catching fire is eliminated.
Jet Spray vs Power Wash Processes for Aqueous Parts Washers
A jet spray washer cleans by flooding the parts with hot chemical solution depending on the heat and high chemical concentration to clean the parts. In the power wash process the parts are blasted with hot chemical solution utilizing the hydraulic impact force of the cleaning solution as the primary cleaning mechanism. A parts washer utilizing the power washer process operates at a very low concentration of cleaning detergent. The lower concentration causes the cleaning solution to last longer before it becomes supersaturated and requires disposal. Additionally, a low concentration of cleaning chemicals allows for easier rinsing of the detergent from the parts thereby minimizing rinse cycle requirements thus saving water and cycle time. A final factor used in the power wash process is an oscillating manifold system that is non-synchronous to the rotation of the turntable. This system assures that the blasted solution reaches all areas of the parts load that are otherwise blinded by the stationary manifolds used in the jet spray process. All things considered the power wash process is superior to the jet spray process for faster more through parts cleaning cycles while minimizes detergent use and waste generation.
References
- ^ http://www.safety-kleen.com/aboutus/pages/ourstory.aspx
- ^ http://www.martwash.com/html/about/historyofmart.htm History of the MART Corporation Parts Washer
- ^ Treppler, Marc (2000), What You Should Know About Pump Systems in Laymen's Terms , p. 8 , http://www.martwash.com/html/seminars_articles/pumptech.htm
External links
- A Gasoline Sprayer for Cleaning Engine Parts , Popular Science monthly, February 1919, page 127, Scanned by Google Books: http://books.google.com/books?id=7igDAAAAMBAJ&
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