Netherlands Concrete: Acid Cleaning Eliminated

Concrete plant acid cleaning eliminated

Concrete plant acid cleaning was needed twice a year at a plant in the Netherlands, where the process pipeline scaled up and both the pump and the pipeline had to be acid cleaned. Each clean meant downtime that a continuous production plant could not absorb comfortably, and flow performance fell between cleans. In December 2014 one HydroFLOW® P60 was fitted to protect the pump and one i100 to protect the main process pipeline. The twice-yearly scaling stopped, flow held and the acid cleans were eliminated, taking their downtime with them. Acid handling has been removed from the site.

The Challenges

• Concrete plant acid cleaning was needed twice a year as the pipeline scaled up
• Both the pump and the pipeline needed acid cleaning
• Cleaning downtime was affecting continuous production
• Scale was reducing flow performance between cleans
• The plant wanted to remove acid handling from the site

The Solution

• Units installed: one HydroFLOW® P60 and one i100
• Installation point: P60 on the pump, i100 on the main process pipeline
• Installed: December 2014
• Previous treatment: acid cleaning of the pump and pipeline twice a year

Scale was building in two places, so each got its own unit: the P60 on the pump and the i100 on the main process pipeline. The signal disrupts the conditions that bond scale to surfaces, so flow holds between what used to be cleaning intervals. Since December 2014 concrete plant acid cleaning has not been scheduled on the process line.