Trial Purpose:
To evaluate selected cleaners for removing quench oil from steel parts using immersion cleaning.
Date Run:
09/11/2006Experiment Procedure:
Six alternative products were selected from the lab's database of testing results based on supplied client information. Products were selected based on oil removal potential and compatibility with brass, steel and stainless-steel metal substrate. Each product was diluted to 5% in 250 ml beakers using DI water and heated to 130 F on a hot plate.
Eighteen preweighed coupons were coated with the supplied quench oil using a handheld swab after. Coupons were weighed a second time to determine the amount of oil added. Three coupons were cleaned in each solution for five minutes using minimal stir bar agitation. Coupons were rinsed for 15 seconds in a tap water bath at 120 F and dried using a dry compressed air for 30 seconds. Once dry coupons were weighed a final time and product efficiencies were calculated.
Trial Results:
All six products removed over 95% of the quench oil within 5 minutes of immersion cleaning. Three of these products removed over 99.5%. The following table lists the amount of buffing compound applied, the amount remaining and the efficiency for each coupon cleaned.
| Cleaner | Initial wt | Final wt | % Removed |
| Aquavantage 1400 | 0.1591 | 0.0027 | 98.30 |
| 0.1252 | 0.0089 | 92.89 | |
| 0.2027 | 0.0071 | 96.50 | |
| Surface Cleanse 930 | 0.1523 | 0.0087 | 94.29 |
| 0.2291 | 0.0060 | 97.38 | |
| 0.2147 | 0.0054 | 97.48 | |
| SeaWash Blue | 0.2132 | -0.0001 | 100.05 |
| 0.2622 | 0.0001 | 99.96 | |
| 0.2490 | 0.0010 | 99.60 | |
| Inproclean 3800 | 0.2440 | 0.0008 | 99.67 |
| 0.2161 | 0.0012 | 99.44 | |
| 0.2616 | 0.0011 | 99.58 | |
| Polyspray Jet 790 XS | 0.2134 | 0.0007 | 99.67 |
| 0.2992 | 0.0000 | 100.00 | |
| 0.2703 | 0.0007 | 99.74 | |
| Daraclean 283 | 0.2960 | -0.0003 | 100.10 |
| 0.1962 | 0.0025 | 98.73 | |
| 0.3180 | 0.0099 | 96.89 |
Success Rating:
Results successful using TACT (time, agitation, concentration, and temperature, as well as rinsing and drying) and/or other cleaning chemistries examined.Conclusion:
All six products were found to work on the supplied quench oil. Cleaning with ultrasonic energy will increase the effectiveness of the products especially when dealing with intricate parts. Having found products successful on the quench oil, the next step will be to evaluate these cleaners on supplied parts at or after workshop.
