Pipeline and Parts Cleaning

Charles W. (Bill) Nuttall - TIS/GC

 Cleanliness - “The quality or
state of being free from dirt or
filth”
The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary
 Outline of the Presentation
• Historical
• The soils to be removed
• Aims of Cleaning
• Methods of cleaning
• Aqueous
• Organic Solvents
• Test Methods
 Historical
• Mechanical - Wipe, Scrape, Brush etc.
• Water
• Water plus chemicals (e.g.Fuller’s earth)
• Water plus soap (e.g. sodium stearate)
• Water plus detergents
• Organic solvents
• Bake out
• Electrical discharge
 Verification of cleanliness
• Water Break and Atomiser
• Oil soluble fluorescence
• Extraction and analysis
• Oil evaporation on watch-glass
• Weighing
• Surface energy-droplet size-contact angle
• X-ray fluorescence
• Auger analysis
• Indium adhesion test
 Information Sources

• Experience
• “A survey of contamination (Its nature, detection and
control)” Sandia laboratories - USA
• “Critical Process Cleaning & Cleaning Validation” -
CFPA, 3 day course
• “The Aqueous Cleaning Handbook” , Maclaughlin &
Zisman, Morris-Lee publishing group, 1998 ISBN 0-
9645356-7-X
• “General and Inorganic Chemistry” J. R. Partington,
Macmillan, London 1954
• Branson Web pages
 The Main Stages in a Cleaning Process

• Preparation
• Cleaning
• Rinsing
• Drying
• Packaging
• Storage
• Use
 Contamination Sources - The Nature of
Contaminant
“When a few dust particles or an invisible film of
organic material can cause the best designed
components and systems to fail, the word “clean”
takes on a new significance. The chief parameters
of concern in the assembly of clean, reliable
components are the assembly area, the personnel,
the equipment, the assembly process and the
storage of piece parts and subassemblies”
Where does contamination come
from?

• Pre-cleaning
• In-cleaning
• Post cleaning
 Pre cleaning

• Manufacturing contamination
• Assembly area
• Personnel
• Environment
• Equipment and machines
• Storage
• Transport
 In -cleaning

• Dirty solvents or detergent baths

• Inadequate rinsing
• Contact with other materials
• Handling
• Lint from wipers or cloths
• Clothes
• Food and drink
 Post cleaning

• Clothes and handling

• Inadequate packaging
• Inadequate storage
• Inadequate transport
• Inadequate un-packaging
• Dirty assembly procedures
• AND
 Contamination generated by materials
used to build systems
• Polymers and elastomers
 Depolymerisation
 Plasticisers
 Catalysts, hardeners, accelerators etc
 Poor moulding techniques
 Machining moulded articles increases outgassing
 Fillers
 Poor selection of epoxies and compounding errors
 Anaerobic polymers (e.g. Loctite) in air
 Oils and greases, solid film lubricants
 Co-deposited polymers in plating processes
 Where are these compounds

• Detector frames
• Tubes
• Printed circuit boards
• Diaphragms
• Joints and O-rings
• Instruments
• Films and sheets
• Etc., etc..
 Process Sensitivities

• Thoroughly assess the contamination effect of each single

process and possible effects of process interactions
• Establish appropriate and adequate process controls in the
light of this assessment
• Monitor processes to detect and avoid process variations
• The processing of plastics, adhesives and sealants is a
major problem area. These products must be properly
cured, and all contain volatile constituents which may
outgas at elevated temperatures.
 Where Silicon lurks
 Silicone oils and greases
 Silicone polymers and elastomers
 Silicone potting and encapsulation compounds
 Silicone mastics
 Silicone fire stops
 Silicone release agents and papers
 Silicone adhesives
 Silicone anti foam agents etc., etc., etc.
 Sodium metasilicate from detergent residues
 Silica gel in driers
 AND
 Glass and related products

 ALL glasses contain silicates

• Normal glass contains calcium and sodium silicates etc
• Pyrex is rich in SiO2 and with boron trioxide
• Glass fibres used for reinforcing resins
• Powdered slate (an aluminium silicate) has been used as a
cheap filler in resin formulations
• Clay (an aluminosilicate) is present in ordinary airborne
dust
 Stages in Cleaning Process

• Identify soils
• Choose and validate cleaning agent
• Choose and validate cleaning process
• Choose and validate rinsing process
• Choose and validate drying process
• Choose and validate packaging, storage and transport
processes
• Identify and treat safety, environmental and waste product
concerns
 Ultrasonic cleaning

• The most practical and most effective cleaning technique,

when properly used is ultrasonic cleaning
• It has limitations, it will not remove attached burrs or
hardened epoxy resins
 Parameters for effective ultrasonic
cleaning:
• Tank size
• Fill level (at least 20mm above top piece)
• Generator power
• Frequency
• Containers and parts must not touch tank surface
• Basket aperture size
• Arrangement of piece(s) in basket
• Avoid “shadowing”
• Change of cleaning fluid. Remove items from bath while
still operating
• Blow off all adhering cleaning solution. NEVER let it dry
 Other Cleaning Techniques

• Soaking
• Mechanical methods by hand or machine
• Abrasive cleaning
• Spray cleaning
• Vapour degreasers
• Through flow methods (especially for tubes)
 The need for training

The work discipline for cleaning and clean assembly is

sufficiently unique and demanding that training for such
work is mandatory. Each person associated with the
engineering or production of high reliability components or
systems should have sound understanding of clean
assembly practices and how they affect the manufacturing
process or product.
 Objectives of training

• To develop awareness of the serious effects of

contamination on the ultimate quality and reliability of the
product
• To demonstrate step by step definition of the assembly task
• To motivate employees toward proper work habits
 Who should receive training?

Personnel may be divided into three general groups requiring

different degrees of education and understanding

• Higher management and administrative support personnel

• Engineering and Supervisory personnel
• Personnel in production and associated operations
 Where and when should training be
given?
• In classroom using lectures, films, tapes, videocassettes,
mock-ups, demonstrations etc..
• Individual on the job training with emphasis on what not to
do and not forgetting the minor details
• Reinforcement and refresher training should be scheduled
when needed, with visual aids and posters in the work
place
• Although assignment to a high reliability product does not
necessarily bring a higher salary, pride in individual and
collective workmanship and association with an important
programme can bring great rewards.
 The whole system must be addressed

• Pipelines
• Fittings
• Instruments
• Installation
• Use
 A possible mechanism for Silica
deposition on the wires
• Fluorinated hydrocarbon (e.g. CF4) is hydrolysed by the
water vapour present (e.g. diffusion through plastic pipes)
• HF formed reacts with glass to form gaseous silicon
fluorides
• Silicon Fluoride is hydrolised by water vapour to form
gelatinous silica
• These reactions are possibly accelerated in the electrical
field around the anodes
• The gelatinous silica deposits on the anodes
What you don’t have can’t
pollute
 Safety and Environmental
Considerations
• Organic Solvents
• Toxic
• VOC
• Ozone depletion potential
• Global warming potential
• Aqueous Systems
• Pollute water courses
• Toxic
• Corrosive to human skin and eyes
 Rinsing

• Use same method as for cleaning

• Use a different method
• Remove adhering cleaning fluid with dry nitrogen (air
knife) and NEVER allow it to dry on
• First rinse with towns water (gives better rinsing)
• Blow off with dry nitrogen and don’t allow to dry
• Rinse with high purity demineralised water until specified
parameters (e.g. conductivity) are met
• Blow off with dry nitrogen and pass to dryer
• After drying pass to correct packaging and storage
“Cleanliness is, indeed, next to
godliness”
John Wesley 1703 - 1791