Trial Purpose:
The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effectiveness of alternatives in removing oil at an increased temperature.
Date Run:
07/27/2021Experiment Procedure:
Cleaners were prepared to the following concentrations: Citranox 2%, Mirachem 500 20%, Water Works 7:1, SC Aircraft & Metal 20%, Auqaease 732 5%, Aquavantage 3800 GD 5%. All cleaners were heated to 110°F. Three stainless steel coupons were obtained and weighed for each of the cleaners being tested. Coupons were soiled with a company provided oil and a dirty weight was recorded. Once solutions reached the proper temperature, coupons were submerged into their respective cleaners for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes had passed, coupons cleaned with SC Aircraft & Metal were rinsed in a deionized water bath also at 110°F for 5 minutes. All coupons were then allowed to dry in air for 24 hours. Following the drying period, coupons were weighed again and a clean weight was recorded. Visible residue was still present after the cleaning process, so all coupons were placed into a heated rinse at 110°F for 5 minutes to determine if an additional rinse could remove the soil.
Trial Results:
| Cleaner | Initial wt of cont. | Final wt of cont. | %Cont Removed | % AVG |
| Citranox | 0.0714 | 0.0124 | 82.63 | 86.47 |
| 0.1523 | 0.0125 | 91.79 | ||
| 0.0899 | 0.0135 | 84.98 | ||
| Mirachem 500 | 0.1303 | 0.0126 | 90.33 | 90.67 |
| 0.1600 | 0.0117 | 92.69 | ||
| 0.1327 | 0.0146 | 89.00 | ||
| Water Works | 0.0980 | 0.0108 | 88.98 | 91.26 |
| 0.1932 | 0.0126 | 93.48 | ||
| 0.1245 | 0.0108 | 91.33 | ||
| SC Aircraft & Metal | 0.1142 | 0.0098 | 91.42 | 91.00 |
| 0.1122 | 0.0127 | 88.68 | ||
| 0.1704 | 0.0121 | 92.90 | ||
| Aquaease 732 | 0.1553 | 0.0074 | 95.24 | 92.80 |
| 0.1194 | 0.0118 | 90.12 | ||
| 0.2443 | 0.0170 | 93.04 | ||
| Aquavantage 3800 GD | 0.0933 | 0.0099 | 89.39 | 91.61 |
| 0.1384 | 0.0099 | 92.85 | ||
| 0.1363 | 0.0101 | 92.59 |
Aquaease 732 was the most effective cleaner removing an average of 92.80% of oil from stainless steel substrates. However, after the cleaning process there was still visible oil residue on all coupons. A secondary rinse step was performed, but was ineffective at removing the residue. Next steps would be to add agitation to the cleaning process and maintain the increased temperature.
Success Rating:
Results successful using TACT (time, agitation, concentration, and temperature, as well as rinsing and drying) and/or other cleaning chemistries examined.Conclusion:
Upon completion of testing, it was determined that Aquaease 732 was the most effective cleaner removing an average of 92.80% of soil from stainless steel substrates. All cleaners showed improvement under increased temperature. However, lingering residue is still present after cleaning. Next steps would be to incorporate agitation into the cleaning process to remove the residue.
