Industrial parts washing systems for post 1995 use

Cleaning and degreasing are important industrial processes. Selection of these processes is necessary to meet current and future needs and is a significant industrial activity; these activity also has important environmental consequences. The 1990 Clean Air Act and the Montreal Protocol have abruptly changed the type of industrial cleaning agents that are appropriate and available for use. A number of factors are usually taken into consideration when selecting an industrial cleaning process; the required capital investment and the annual cost of operation are two important criteria in this selection process. The availability of reasonably accurate methods of estimating these costs has greatly aided process selection in many industries and is expected to expedite the consideration of environmentally acceptable alternatives in industrial cleaning. Such estimating procedures are especially useful at the preliminary design level where technology directions are established. These technology directions in industrial cleaning/degreasing are reasonably well established when the appropriate washing solutions are selected or determined; the industrial washing solutions have been be categorized as aqueous, semi-aqueous, hydrocarbon (including those with various non halogenated functional groups), and various halogenated solvents.

The objective of this thesis is to examine the development and application of an algorithm for selecting appropriate industrial cleaning solutions and associated preliminary conceptual equipment design so that estimates of input and output streams, required capital investment and annual operating costs may be made. Such an algorithm was developed in this thesis, based on literature sources and discussion with knowledgeable individuals. This algorithm begins with the input of basic cleaning parameters concerning the parts to be cleaned and the desired process outcome; selection of appropriate washing solution may be done utilizing output from EPA's SAGE program, laboratory results or preference. This algorithm was used to provide a preliminary design and associated cost estimates for the redesign of a cleaning system for automotive steering units for the Parker-Hannifin Company in Greenville, Tennessee. The production rate of these 6.5" x 3.25" x 3.25" steering units is 300 units/hour. Each steering unit is fabricated from low-carbon steel components. Parker-Hannifin participated as a partner in this activity, providing input on their needs and expectations for this study, as well as prototype parts for testing.

The algorithm developed in this activity was used to configure a five-stage washing system from both information provided and from test results. The stages include washing, rinsing, phosphate treatment, drying and application of rust inhibitor. The currently used equipment for transporting of parts through the system was assumed to be available for continued use. The estimates of all the system inputs and outputs, as well as required fixed capital investment and annual operating costs are provided. The estimated fixed capital investment is $112,500 and the estimated annual operating cost is $283,000, both in 1995 dollars. It is anticipated that the results of this study may be used for computer-aided preliminary design and cost estimation for industrial washing systems.