Ultrasonic cleaning of control valves + manifolds

Bifold Fluidpower, a world leading manufacturer of stainless steel control valves, solenoids and filter regulators, has installed a Kerry Microsolve M250/2M mono-solvent ultrasonic cleaning system

The Bifold Fluidpower products demand a critical high-quality level of cleaning as many are being used in hazardous environments in the oil and gas industry.

The Microsolve cleaning system is installed for the removal and precision stain free cleaning of oils and lapping residues from stainless steel, brass and monel valve components.

Many of these hydraulic and pneumatic components have numerous internal galleries, screw threads and internal holes that could trap small manufacturing particulates.

But with the use of ultrasonics in the cleaning process agitation can be affected deep inside these complex components and they are able to be thoroughly cleaned.

The PLC-controlled cleaning process has two stages; the stainless steel mesh component baskets are first lowered into unit one by an Autotrans single-axis transporter.

This is designed to provide a controlled lift of the parts to be cleaned in and out of the cleaning tanks with the minimum of disturbance of the solvent vapour, thereby minimising expensive solvent losses and high concentrations of vapour emissions, cutting any OEL (Occupational Exposure Limits) for operators.

Ultrasonic cleaning is carried out in the stage one tank, which is fitted with base mounted ultrasonic transducers powered by a Pulsatron series 300 generator operating at 38 kHz.

Stage one also has electric solution heating with electronic temperature control digital indication and a pumping and filtration system.

The second stage is electrically heated, allowing the solvent to boil.

The resulting vapour rinses the components, which are then dried by a dwell in the freeboard zone.

The solvent vapours are condensed by the primary reflux cooling coils and collected in the integral distillate trough.

The solvent then passes through a dual purpose gravity or molecular sieve type water separator and returns to the stage one ultrasonic tank, displacing contaminated solvent into the boiling sump.

Distillation, together with filtration of the solvent, ensures that the ultrasonic tank is maintained at a controlled level of cleanliness.

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