New Total Process Approach Profits Shipyard Businesses

Comprehensive reliability studies have shown that human intervention is a key factor in over 80% of failures. Simplifying a process has a huge impact to the profitability and reputations of ship-servicing businesses.For example, offshore equipment deployment of complex cleaning and surface systems that contain multiple valves necessitate businesses carry two or even three sets of blast machinery because of reliability issues.

Moreover, most marine applications call for high levels of abrasiveness, which although useful for external surfaces like decks and hull sides, but are less suitable for internal blasting, such as the interior surfaces of ballast tanks. To cover all bases, additional equipment must be brought in.

Then there are the unique challenges that come with working in a coastal environment that provides optimal conditions for proliferation of microbes that cause microbially influenced corrosion (MIC). MIC leads to rapid development of pitting in ballast tanks, fuel and oil tanks, cargo tanks, stern tube systems and bilges, sea chests, seawater pipes, crossover sections and filters, heat exchangers, thrusters and compulsion system parts. with consequent serious implications for vessel operations, safety and class compliance.

Work done that must be performed in a shop, such as overhaul of refrigeration compressors, can also benefit from streamlines surface preparation. As such overhauls involves complete strip-down of the compressor, cleaning and chemical dipping to remove rust and dirt, before replacing bearings and seals with genuine or OEM spares parts, and comprehensive repainting, minimizing surface preparation time allows businesses to schedule more jobs annually for increased overall profit.

Finally, it is worth noting that comprehensive reliability studies have shown that human intervention is a key factor in over 80% of failures. Simplifying ship service processes logically has a huge impact to the profitability and reputations of ship-servicing businesses.

According to a recent study:

“Advantages of using additives in tandem with wet abrasive blasting allows for both the removal of salts from the steel and preventing flash rust, ultimately extending the blast profile life. Some would argue that wet abrasive blasting is inefficient in terms of coatings removal and creating a blast profile. This study shows that when wet abrasive blasting is used in tandem with additives you are able to prevent flash rust, and by doing so you provide a security blanket to the job in case of delays. This coupled with the reduced amount of media used in the blasting process, less airborne particles and the ability to wet abrasive blast in areas normally not accessible clearly outweighs the efficiency of dry abrasive blasting.” (Bell, April 2020).[i]

A new Total Process Approach proposed by combining CleanerBlast, 10X and Corr-Ze products does this and more: Wins More Bids

• Lower cost

• Less consumables: media, waste, water, energy, labor, peripheral equipment

• Built tough, inside and out, for years of heavy-duty industrial use

• Minimizes labor; keep shifts blasting without a pot tender

• Media is recyclable and reusable (even when wet)

• Greater efficiency

• 90% less media than dry blast, 60% less water than UHP wet jetting

• Far less energy consumption

• Minimal shrouding and PPE

• Cuts cleanup time in half (compared to dry blasting, UHP and/or slurry blasting)

• Shorter downtime

• Consistently meets or exceeds expected job completion date

• Minimal maintenance, ten minutes or less

• Extends service life of valves, hoses and critical components up to 20x (compared to competitor machines)

Increases job opportunities

• Broader scope of work

• Steel, copper, plastic, fiberglass, aluminum, glass, wood, concrete and more

• Versatile: does everything from sweep blasting to removing heavy, thick layers

• Clean off rust, soil, grease, grime, mill scale, biofilm, efflorescence

• Prepares weld sites quickly and efficiently

• Greater productivity

• Compact, self-contained, footprint perfect for Clean-in-Place, enclosed spaces

• Cuts filling/reload time in half or more (compared to competitor machines)

• Switch between rapid response rinse and blast functions right while your work – in seconds – without stopping, purging hose, or returning to the machine to switch controls.

• Tighter scheduling

• Fast, easy setup and take-down

• Will not impede proximal activities, sensors or sensitive equipment

• Completely unaffected by high humidity

Ensures Compliance

• Fewer complications

• Better results (no rework); finer finish, extended time between blast and priming; improves coating adhesion

• Hydraulic-based process: pressure settings more precise and remain consistent throughout the job - until you intentionally reset them – shift after shift, day after day – regardless of hose length

• Scours U-bends completely and evenly throughout the diameter (not affected by centrifugal force)

• Removes soluble ion/hygroscopic contaminants such as chlorides, nitrates, oxides, hydroxides sulfides and microbial byproducts (MIC)

• The lowest equipment breakdown rate and shortest learning curve in the industry.

• Increased safety

• Reduces spark and static risks; no media or debris impregnation in surfaces

• Greater visibility; no face shield etching

• No free silicates, no beryllium, no ferrous contaminants; ultra-low dust

• Biodegradable, nonhazardous chemical treatment

• Lighter weight, less risk of vibration, operator fatigue and stress injuries

• Prevents high-pressure injuries particle embedment and lacerations

• Decreased barriers

• Will not impede proximal activities, sensors or sensitive equipment

• Compact, self-contained; fits in enclose spaces and clean-in-place nooks

• Completely unaffected by high humidity

• Use to clean vertically and overhead

• Cool process won’t create HAZ (heat affected zones)

Working the Process Couldn’t Be Easier

• Step 1: add Corr-Ze to the water supply tank on the self-contained CleanerBlast machine.

• Step 2: use the convenient built-in hopper tray to load 10X into the CleanerBlast hopper so you won’t lose a spec of media.

• Step 3: operate the CleanerBlast machine to clean, decontaminate, rinse and passivate metal using one machine, one process. The switch to rinse feature integrated into the machine’s deadman remote control makes it possible to switch back and forth between vapor abrasive blasting and rinsing modes in order to apply the respectively optimal processing option to the surface being worked on.

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[i] “Wet Abrasive Blasting: the Future of Surface Preparation and the Effects it has on Steel” By Joshua Bell, and Casey McCartney, Tnemec Company, Inc., Kansas City, Missouri. Presented at Coatings+ 2020 February 3–February 6, 2020 Long Beach, CA.[i]