Dry Ice Blasting HRSG

An Interview with Bobbi Monacelli of
UScleanblast in NJ

HRSG Before & After
heat recovery steam generator – before & after

Marisa Clare: What exactly is HRSG?

Bobbi Monacelli: HRSG, which stands for a heat recovery steam generator, is an energy recovery heat exchanger . It makes steam that can be utilized in a process or used to drive a steam turbine. It also recovers heat from a hot gas stream.

Marisa Clare: Why is it important to keep the HRSG clean?

Bobbi Monacelli: It is crucial in the operation of a HRSG to keep efficiency at a maximum.The fins on the tube function to conduct heat, whether it is in or out of the tube. The contamination resists the transfer of heat, even when conditions are partially contaminated. A loss of efficiency is the result. A greater amount of efficiency is lost if contamination blocks the flow of gas across the fins, when plugged. When there is a case of severe blockage the control unit senses back pressure and slows the turbine. Still more efficiency is lost.

Marisa Clare: What parts do you clean?

Bobbi Monacelli:  We clean just aboout everything from stators, rotors, boilers,  HRSGs,  turbines,  motors, compressors, surface coatings, exciters, boilers.  If it resided in a power or steam generation facility we can clean it.

Marisa Clare: Why choose dry ice blasting?

Bobbi Monacelli:  HRSG ice blasting is  fast, non-abrasive and cost-effective. Dirty finned-tube bundles in HRSGs can cause you to lose thousands – of dollars each year, grossly  impacting your bottom line. Dry ice blast cleaning is ideal for cleaning HRSGs.  HRSG’s are large heat exchangers that recover extreme heat from hot gas streams and create steam that can be used to power a steam turbine. There are many benefits to dry ice blasting HRSG’s. First, with dry ice blasting, there is no secondary waste stream or foreign product introduced since, upon impact, the frozen CO2 (dry ice) sublimates to a gas. Therefore, the only residue to clean up is the debris and contaminants that were cleaned from the surface, minimizing the cost and time of the process.

Marisa Clare: What about other methods?

Bobbi Monacelli: Well, high pressure water blasting could work, but…

  • The secondary waste stream contributes to the amount of waste.
  • The electrolyte needed to form corrosion becomes water.
  • Water, carrying contaminates with it, flows into drains and the ground if it is not contained

When hazardous materials are present, containment, handling and disposal expenses come about.

And, soda blasting might work, but..

  • The secondary waste stream adds to the volume of waste.
  • It is very difficult to clean up residual soda.
  • When hazardous materials are present, handling and disposal fees are charged and are very costly.

But, sandblasting will not work because…

  • The sand’s abrasive action causes permanent damage because it erodes fin and tube metal
  • The secondary waste stream produces more volume of waste.
  • When hazardous materials are present, handling and disposal fees are charged and are very costly.
  • Most importantly, it is a federal offense to shoot silica sand

With Dry Ice Blasting:

  • there is no secondary waste stream
  • the volume of waste is less
  • no corrosion is promoted
  • you get a non abrasive process
  • disposal and handling costs are minimized
  • there is no liquid state that carries contaminates into drains or the ground
  • there is approval from the EPA, USDA and FDA
  • you get an environmentally friendly process

Marisa Clare: Why choose your company?

Bobbi Monacelli: I have ran this company for 20+ years. Safety and experience are very important to our company Our employees have extensive training. We are ISN safety certified and All employees have safety training on all our manuals and have completed a 10 hour OSHA course. All our training includes CO2 blasting, CPR, First Aid, Fork Lift, Aerial Lift training.and more. Our employees are very experienced working with containment and at elevations. Our well trained employees insure that the job is being done correctly and safely. We have been performing ice blasting on hundreds of large and small projects. We are proud to say we have a perfect safety record.

We are proud to be a WBE company, where safety is our priority while completing a professional job for all our customers.
Please call at 1-888-498-7949

Read about how we use dry ice blasting in the Electric & Power Generation Industry

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