CO2 Blasting vs Other Methods
Safety
Traditional: Traditional cleaning methods involving chemical and abrasive media pose safety concerns for both workers and customers. These risks may persist even after work has ceased. Hazards such as chemical contact and abrasive dust can result in health risks if proper mitigation procedures are not followed.
CO2Blast: Dry ice blasting carries minimal risks. The primary concerns involve compressed air and the cold temperatures of dry ice, both of which are easily controlled. Once an area or piece of equipment has been cleaned, there are no lingering risks; the carbon dioxide has sublimated, and no secondary waste has been generated.
Verdict: Dry ice blasting is the ideal choice if your top priorities are the safety of your workers and the environment. Dry ice blasting significantly reduces safety and health risks for employees and others in the vicinity. The elimination of the need for expensive and cumbersome safety measures enhances cost-efficiency, provides greater flexibility in choosing work locations, and reduces deployment time.
Equipment downtime
Traditional: Cleaning necessitates a dedicated cleaning area and disassembly of equipment.
CO2Blast: Equipment is cleaned in place with minimal or no disassembly required.
Verdict: When considering overall project cost and time, dry ice blasting proves to be significantly superior to other cleaning methods. The ability to clean electrical windings without the need for days of equipment baking is a game-changing advantage. The cost of media is outweighed by the reduction in turnaround time, labor savings, and process simplification.
Hazardous Waste Creation and Disposal
Traditional: The media or agent used for substrate cleaning becomes a secondary waste stream, necessitating containment or disposal. This not only adds to the cost but also increases the customer’s ecological footprint.
CO2Blast: Dry ice is inert and sublimates upon contact with the surface to be cleaned. These properties enable us to generate no additional waste. The only waste to manage is what is already present.
Verdict: The presence of a secondary waste stream and the utilization of increasingly scarce and valuable resources (such as water) are rendering traditional methods not only economically unviable but also environmentally undesirable. Facilities that invest significant resources in reducing their environmental impact do not wish to negate those efforts by resorting to outdated and harmful cleaning methods.
Equipment reliability
Traditional: Inherent risks in traditional maintenance methods include abrasion, grit contamination, moisture intrusion, and the handling of equipment.
CO2Blast: Apart from the primary advantage of dry ice blasting (being non-abrasive), this process offers the benefit of not introducing foreign materials into equipment cavities, seals, and bearings, thus preventing damage.
Verdict: Once again, dry ice blasting stands head and shoulders above other cleaning methods in this regard. Dry ice blasting’s non-abrasive nature ensures that old compressors with fits that millwrights have honed for decades will not lose any more material when removing gaskets.
THE BEST PERFORMING BLASTING METHOD AVAILABLE
See how dry ice blasting compares to other methods
