Processing, February 2018

Cover Series Food Beverage I m p r o v e c l e a n i n g e f f i c i e n cy w i t h dry ice blasting Food processors can save costs improve productivity and extend equipment life with this cleaning method By Tyson Marlowe Cold Jet ry ice cleaning is similar in concept to sand bead and soda blasting in that it cleans surfaces using a media accelerated in a pressurized air stream However dry ice cleaning uses solid CO2 pellets or microparticles accelerated to high velocities to impinge on the surface and clean it The particles sublimate upon impact lifting dirt and contaminants off the underlying substrate without damaging equipment Traditional cleaning methods are time consuming labor intensive and costly Manual scraping or scrubbing with wire brushes and water or chemicals can consume many hours and result in extended downtime and can cause damage to equipment shortening asset life and or making it less productive Dry ice cleaning makes cleaning easier more complete and enables food processing facilities to quickly and easily clean a number of different surfaces and get them back into production immediately The unique characteristics of dry ice make it an attractive solution for a food processors cleaning challenges No secondary waste Cleaning with dry ice enhances sustainability efforts It sublimates turns from solid to gas upon impact with the surface being cleaned which means no secondary waste no residue and no moisture is generated This eliminates the added costs of extra cleanup disposing of secondary waste streams and additional cleaning preparation such as masking delicate sensors or wrapping electronic components prior to cleaning The cleaning process does not use water which allows equipment to be cleaned while online and still operating Because it is nonconductive dry ice cleaning allows for electrical equipment to be safely cleaned Nonabrasive Dry ice is a soft media and can clean sensitive electronic equipment such as printed circuit boards without etching profiling or changing surface dimensions Nontoxic Dry ice is a food grade media and is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency Food and Drug Administration and U S Department of Agriculture for use around food processing It is colorless tasteless odorless and non toxic It allows for the elimination of environmentally harmful cleaning chemicals and eliminates worker exposure to hazardous cleaning agents It also does not produce any toxic waste that must be disposed of Utilizing dry ice cleaning can result in cost savings improved productivity the extension of equipment life and improved worker safety Reduces costs Dry ice cleaning reduces labor costs because it can be done in significantly less time than conventional manual labor This enables a cleaner clean even in situations that are difficult or unpopular to clean by hand with conventional methods Improves productivity Dry ice cleaning helps to reduce shutdown times as equipment can be cleaned while hot and online By cleaning equipment in less time facilities can get more production cycles from existing equipment Preventive maintenance or spot cleaning can also be done more frequently without impacting production Prolongs life of equipment Dry ice cleaning is a dry process that is nonabrasive and nonconductive meaning it wont damage equipment and is safe for most surfaces including electrical components Improves worker safety Dry ice cleaning eliminates exposure to toxic cleaning materials The process also eliminates repetitive motions of hand cleaning or scrubbing chiseling or activities that require pounding sanding or scraping Dry ice cleaning in action A Texas bakery was seeking a solution to its cleaning problem In the companys 125000 square foot baking facility there are many issues for its quality assurance QA manager to worry about from general maintenance and equipment repair to shelf life D 14 Processing FEBRUARY 2018 Dry ice cleaning gently cleans sensitive parts without damaging them All images courtesy of Cold Jet