Method of chemically cleaning pipework systems
OwnerDavid Sevierinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for chemical cleaning and corrosion inhibition of pipework, typically in closed loop systems, that avoids or significantly minimises the requirement for wastewater discharge where the system is first acidified using a mixture of cleaning agents capable of dissolving metal oxides. The method then precipitates any dissolved contaminants and separates the precipitate from the carrying fluid. Further elements of a combined corrosion inhibitor package are then added to any cleaning agent ions that remain in solution to develop a fully functional corrosion inhibition package to protect the metals of the system.
Claims14
A method of chemically cleaning pipework systems that comprises the following steps in order:
- A) cleaning the metal surfaces using a water-based acidic cleaning fluid that includes a source of one or more of the following ions:
- phosphate, pyrophosphate, metaphosphate, polyphosphate to produce dissolved metal ions;
- B) raising the pH using an alkali metal salt hydroxide/oxide/carbonate to cause precipitation of the dissolved metal ions;
- C) separating insoluble minerals and suspended debris by passing at least a part of the cleaning fluid through at least one filter or separator to produce filtered cleaning fluid, wherein the filtered cleaning fluid contains non-metal dissolved ions;
- D) adding chemical compounds and/or elements to the non-metal dissolved ions that remain in the filtered cleaning fluid to assemble a corrosion inhibitor package to protect the metal surfaces from corrosion;
- and
- E) retaining the filtered cleaning fluid and corrosion inhibitor package in the pipework system as a heat transfer fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.