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US 5,634,979 AGranted
Composition and method for degreasing metal surfaces
AssigneeHenkel Corporation
InventorsLawrence R. Carlson, Philip M. Johnson, Dennis A. Kent
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention is a cleaning solution for degreasing metal articles which contains at least one chlorine-free nonionic surfactant with an HLB in the range of 6.5 to 9.5; a second chlorine-free nonionic surfactant with an HLB in the range of above 9.5 to about 14; a chlorinated nonionic surfactant, and an alkalinizing agent and optionally also one or more of anionic or amphoteric surfactant; hydrotroping agents; solubilizers; organic builders, and corrosion inhibitors. The preferred composition of the invention can replace a vapor degreasing process for cleaning oil, grease, and waxy-type contaminants from metal articles to the level of cleanliness required in the aerospace industry.
Claims20
An aqueous liquid composition of matter suitable for degreasing metal surfaces, said composition consisting essentially of water and the following dissolved, stably dispersed, or both dissolved and stably dispersed components:
- (A) from about 1.8 to about 7% of a component of substantially chlorine free nonionic surfactant molecules conforming to the general formula:
- H.sub.2a+1-b) F.sub.b C.sub.A --O--(C.sub.m H.sub.2m O).sub.p --H
- wherein a represents a positive integer that is at least 10, b represents 0 or a positive integer that is not more than (2a+1), m represents a positive integer that is at least 2 and is not more than 4, and p represents a positive integer chosen so that the component has an average hydrophile-lipophile balance ("HLB") value from about 6.0 to 9.5;
- (B) from about 0.6 to about 2.5% of a component of substantially chlorine free non-ionic surfactant molecules conforming to the general formula:
- H.sub.(2a+1-b) F.sub.b C.sub.a --O--(C.sub.m H.sub.2m O).sub.q --H
- wherein a represents a positive integer that is at least 10, b represents 0 or a positive integer that is not more than (2a+1), m represents a positive integer that is at least 2 and is not more than 4, and p represents a positive integer chosen so that the component has an average HLB value from above 9.5 to 16;
- (C) from about 0.6 to about 2.5% of a component of nonionic surfactant that has a polyoxyalkylene chemical structure, except for being chlorine-capped on one or both ends and optionally including total or partial fluorine substitution for hydrogen in the alkylene units;
- (D.1) from about 5 to about 40% of a component of organic compounds selected from the group consisting of ethylene, propylene, and butylene glycols;
- (D.2) from about 2.0 to about 11% of a component of organic compounds that are liquid at 25.degree. C., and are selected from the group consisting of molecules conforming to the general formula:
- H.sub.(2c+1-d)F.sub.d C.sub.c --O--(C.sub.k H.sub.2k O)--(C.sub.j H.sub.2j O)--H
- wherein;
- c represents a positive integer:
- d represents a positive integer that is not more than (2c+1) and is not more than 8;
- each of j and k, which may be the same or different, represents a positive integer that is at least 2 and is not more than 4;
- and c, j, and k have a sum that is not more than 10;
- (D.3) from about 1.0 to about 6.8% of a component that is liquid at 25.degree. C. and is constituted of molecules selected from the group consisting of organic molecules that include a moiety corresponding to general chemical formula I:
- ##STR4## where R represents a monovalent aliphatic moiety with the chemical formula C.sub.n H.sub.(2n+1-y) F.sub.y, wherein n is an integer from 6 to 22, and y is an integer from 0 to (2n+1);
- (E) a component of alkalinizing agent including from about 0.40 to about 1.4M/kg of a component of alkali metal hydroxide;
- (F) from about 0.30 to about 3.5% of a component selected from the group consisting of anionic surfactants and amphoteric surfactants which act effectively as anionic surfactants at the pH of the composition;
- (H) from about 0.13 to about 2.5% of a component selected from the group consisting of aromatic triazoles and their salts;
- (J.1) from about 2 to about 26% of a component selected from the group consisting of polycarboxylate copolymers;
- and
- (J.2) from about 0.7 to about 6% of a component selected from the group consisting of organic acids, and salts of organic acids, that contain at least two--OH moieties which are separated from each other by at least two other atoms in each molecule of the organic acid or salt thereof:
- and, optionally,
- (G) a component of hydrotroping agents.
22 more elements
An aqueous liquid composition of matter suitable for degreasing metal surfaces, said composition consisting essentially of water and the following dissolved, stably dispersed, or both dissolved and stably dispersed components:
- (A) from about 1.8 to about 7% of a component of substantially chlorine free nonionic surfactant molecules conforming to the general formula:
- H.sub.(2a+1-b) F.sub.b C.sub.a --O--(C.sub.m H.sub.2m O).sub.p --H
- wherein a represents a positive integer that is at least 10, b represents 0 or a positive integer that is not more than (2a+1), m represents a positive integer that is at least 2 and is not more than 4, and p represents a positive integer chosen so that the component has an average hydrophile-lipophile balance ("HLB") value from about 6.0 to 9.5;
- (B) from about 0.6 to about 2.5% of a component of substantially chlorine free nonionic surfactant molecules conforming to the general formula:
- H.sub.(2a+1-b) F.sub.b C.sub.a --O--(C.sub.m H.sub.2m O).sub.q --H
- wherein a represents a positive integer that is at least 10, b represents 0 or a positive integer that is not more than (2a+1), m represents a positive integer that is at least 2 and is not more than 4, and p represents a positive integer chosen so that the component has an average HLB value from above 9.5 to 16;
- (C) from about 0.9 to about 3.7% of a component of nonionic surfactant that has a polyoxyalkylene chemical structure, except for being chlorine-capped on one or both ends and optionally including total or partial fluorine substitution for hydrogen in the alkylene units;
- (D.1) from about 1.0 to about 8.9% of a component of organic compounds selected from the group consisting of ethylene, propylene, and butylene glycols;
- (D.2) from about 2.4 to about 9.0% of a component of organic compounds that are liquid at 25.degree. C. and are selected from the group consisting of molecules conforming to the general formula:
- H.sub.(2c+1-d) F.sub.d C.sub.c --O--(C.sub.k H.sub.2k O)--(C.sub.j H.sub.2j O)--H
- wherein c represents a positive integer;
- d represents a positive integer that is not more than (2c+1) and it not more than 8;
- each of j and k, which may be the same or different, represents a positive integer that is at least 2 and is not more than 4;
- and c, j, and k have a sum that is not more than 10;
- (E.1) from about 0.42 to about 1.2M/kg of alkali metal hydroxide;
- (E.2) from about 0.04 to about 0.45M/kg of alkali metal salts of polyfunctional inorganic acids;
- (F) from about 0.54 to about 7.0% of a component selected from the group consisting of anionic surfactants and amphoteric surfactants which act effectively as anionic surfactants at the pH of the composition;
- (G.1) from about 1.3 to about 12% of a component selected from the group consisting of organic phosphate esters;
- (G.2) from about 0.7 to about 6.8% of a component selected from the group consisting of alkyl- and alkenyl-substituted cyclic acid anhydrides;
- (H) from about 0.027 to about 0.5% of a component selected from the group consisting of aromatic triazoles and their salts;
- and
- (J) from about 1.0 to about 13% of a component selected from the group consisting of polycarboxylate copolymers.
19 more elements
An aqueous liquid composition of matter suitable for degreasing metal surfaces, said composition having a pH from about 7.4 to about 11.0 and consisting essentially of water and the following dissolved, stably dispersed, or both dissolved and stably dispersed components:
- (A) from about 2.0 to about 60 g/L of a component of nonionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of molecules conforming to the general formula:
- H.sub.(2a+1-b) F.sub.b C.sub.a --O--(C.sub.m H.sub.2m O).sub.p --H
- wherein a represents a positive integer from 10 to about 20;
- b is either 0 or 1;
- m is 2 or 3;
- and p represents a positive integer chosen so that, in the average for the component, the HLB value is from about 7.0 to about 8.9;
- (B) from about 0.70 to about 2.4 g/L of a component of nonionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of molecules conforming to the general formula:
- H.sub.(2a+1-b) F.sub.b C.sub.a --O--(C.sub.m H.sub.2m O).sub.q --H
- wherein a represents a positive integer from about 12 to about 20;
- b is 0 or 1;
- m is 2 or 3;
- and q represents a positive integer chosen so that, in the average for the component, the HLB value is from about 10.8 to about 12.8;
- (C) from about 0.4 to about 4.0 g/L of a component of chlorine-capped polyoxyalkylene nonionic surfactant having an HLB value from about 10.9 to about 13.7;
- (D) organic compounds that are liquid at 25.degree. C. and that include at least one of (i) from 2.0 to 20 g/L of molecules selected from the group consisting of ethylene, propylene, and butylene glycols;
- (ii) from 5.0-9.0 g/L of molecules conforming to the general formula:
- H.sub.(2c+1) C.sub.c --O--(C.sub.k H.sub.2k O)--(C.sub.j H.sub.2j O)--H,
- wherein c represents a positive integer;
- each of j and k, which may be the same or different, represents a positive integer that is 2 or 3;
- and the sum c+j+k is from 7 to 10;
- and (iii) from 20 to 3.2 g/L of N-alkyl-2-pyrrolidones with an alkyl group having from about 7 to about 9 carbon atoms;
- (F) from about 0.80 to about 3.7 g/L of a component selected from the group consisting of anionic surfactants and amphoteric surfactants which act effectively as anionic surfactants at the pH of the composition, including at least one of (i) N-alkyl-amino carboxylic acids and their salts and (ii) anionic surfactants including a polyoxyethylene block in their molecular structure;
- (G) up to about 70 g/L of a component of hydrotroping agent;
- (H) from about 0.40 to about 2.4 g/L of a component of organic corrosion inhibitors;
- and
- (J) from about 2.5 to about 16 g/L of a component of sequestering agents, including at least 2.8 g/L of polycarboxylate copolymer.
22 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.