THE FACILITY SITUATION
Manufacturers and service providers feel the effect of today’s energy expense and price increases. Most decision makers believe the solution to the problem is to find the lowest available energy prices.
Electric motors waste up to 50% of electric energy due to inefficient motor optimization.
Some reasons for inefficiency at a facility include: high ambient temperatures, unbalanced voltage, improper loading, inadequate ventilation, misalignment, vibrations, improper lubrication, and most importantly, contamination.
Contamination is a surface coating that causes electric motors to run hotter than normal. By design, electric motors have cooling fans that draw air over the external shell. If not properly cleaned, contamination will build up over time and clog and defect the motor’s ability to cool itself and run at ambient temperature. Hot, contaminated motors running in these conditions increase the amount of energy and thus, increase the cost the motor needs to operate.
THE PROBLEM
The most common way to clean electric motors is to take them out of service and clean manually with rags and industrial solvents. To avoid this interruption in production, cleaning is often delayed extensively, which leads to an inefficient motor and/or eventual motor failure. Most of the industrial solvents used have a very low flash point, creating a fire hazard and possible outages. They also emit unhealthy fumes and the manual application of the solvents leaves secondary debris such as lint and cloth on the motor surfaces.
Additional methods of motor cleaning include soda blasting, walnut shell blasting and pressure washing or steam cleaning. Soda and shell blasting can be too abrasive for the motors and require a system shutdown. Pressure washing or steam cleaning the electrical system of a hot, running motor can create a highly dangerous situation.
THE SOLUTION
Reduce facility cleaning time and production line interruptions with Carmad’s dry ice blasting solutions.
At Carmad Industrial, we specialize in cleaning and restoring facilities, factories, plants and equipment. Dirt, grime, grease and oil buildup in production facilities may cause equipment to function improperly and can cause an unsafe working environment. Effective dry ice cleaning extends the life of electric motors, reducing or eliminating costly repairs, replacement or rental programs. However, manual cleaning is often delayed to prevent facility production line shutdown. Dry ice cleaning provides a quick, safe and economical solution that allows equipment to be cleaned in-place without disassembly or cool down.
This “anonymous company” was the first to recommend Carmad’s Cold Jet dry ice blasting for motors. They have discovered an overall cost savings – with both electricity usage and man hours – when using dry ice versus alternative methods.
Carmad’s dry ice cleaning provides a quick, safe, non-toxic and economical cleaning solution for facilities, industrial equipment, machinery, machine tools and assembly line equipment. It has met the Electrical Industry’s challenge of operating efficiency and uptime because dry ice cleaning can restore both rotating and stationary electrical equipment to peak performance with dramatically shorter outages. Dry ice cleaning cleans in-place without major disassembly or cool down and is non-abrasive, non-conductive and non-corrosive. It is a completely dry and clean process as it does not use water. The cleaning media, dry ice, sublimates upon impact, disappearing without adding secondary waste. The only waste is the material being removed. The Carmad Dry Ice equipment can clean on and around hydraulic power units and electrical power and distribution components and minimize the disposal of hazardous wastes. When pertaining to general maintenance and facilities cleaning, cleaning time can be reduced up to 80% with Cold Jet dry ice cleaning.
This innovative approach not only enhances operational efficiency but also significantly lowers energy consumption. By utilizing dry ice blasting, facilities can achieve energy savings of 20-30%, contributing to both environmental sustainability and reduced operational costs. The advanced technology employed by Carmad ensures that maintenance processes are streamlined, allowing for a rapid return to full operational capacity. As a result, this method positions organizations to achieve both productivity gains and financial benefits in their maintenance routines.