Dry Ice Blasting for Power Plants
The Fastest, Safest, Most Environmentally Friendly Way to Clean Equipment, Prevent Damage & Increase Megawatt Output
Because carbon buildup, dirt, fly ash, fouling, and other adherents can be challenging to remove on power generation equipment, dry ice blasting has become a compelling industrial cleaning alternative for gas turbines, HRSGs, SCRs, substations, electrical equipment, and more.
Hydroblasting and other abrasive methods often cannot be used for cleaning in place or during shutdowns because of their introduction of water, chemicals and residual debris that can introduce a variety of challenging new problems. With the exception of steam turbines, which typically do require more aggressive abrasive blasting, dry ice blasting prevents collateral damage to equipment and reduces overall cleaning time with less clean-up required.
With hundreds of successfully completed projects for our Power Generation clients, Polar Clean can help you identify the right blasting method for whatever equipment you have, followed by reliable and expedient execution to get the job done on time.
A Few Polar Clean Power Generation Clients
Dry Ice Blasting Applications
Natural Gas Turbines
Natural Gas Turbines
Whether cleaned in place or during shutdowns, dry ice blasting effectively eliminates carbon without damaging turbine components – in a few hours vs. days. Doing so can reduce planned outage time by 60-90%.
Steam Turbines
Steam Turbines
Aluminum oxide (ALOX) blasting is the preferred abrasive blasting method for steam turbines, and sponge blasting can be used when better dust control and/or somewhat less abrasive media is required.
HRSGs
HRSGs
Dry ice blasting effectively clears out ammonia salts, sulfur, insulation, iron oxide, corrosion, and debris from tubes with no equipment damage so you can maximize unit output.
SCRs
SCRs
Dry ice blasting thoroughly removes hardened fly ash from honeycomb catalyst in coal-fired SCR units in record time without needing vacuuming or hand cleaning, to achieve maximum efficiency.
Substations
Substations
Prevent flashovers, fires, explosions, and outages using dry ice blasting to remove dirt and even fire damage from substation equipment. Doing so will increase megawatt output and could save you millions.
Electrical
Electrical
Dry ice blasting is delicate but effective for cleaning circuitry, electrical motors, generator windings, switch gears, transformers, and wiring to prevent equipment damage, shorts and fires.
Additional Applications:
- Circuit breakers
- CO catalysts
- Compressors
- Field frames
- Hammer mills
- ID fans
- Inlet cooling houses
- Insulators
- Rotating equipment
- Rotors
- Silos
- Stators
- Thermal oxidizers
Dry Ice Blasting Benefits
- No secondary contaminants
- Chemical-free process
- Clean in place
- Enhanced worker safety
- Environmentally responsible
- Harmless to humans, animals, marine life, and vegetation
- Increased polarization indices
- Increased productivity
- Improved megaohm readings
- Improved thermal dissipation
- Non-abrasive
- No secondary waste stream
- Non-conductive
- Non-flammable
- Reduced catastrophic failure
- Reduced cleaning time
- Reduced exposure to hazardous cleaning chemicals
- Reduced labor requirements
- Reduced scrap
- Reduced water and sanitation costs
- Safe to use around electrical equipment
Why Use Dry Ice Blasting in Power Generation?
In this guide, learn about the pros and cons of each blasting method used in cleaning power generation equipment so you can choose which is best for your application.
The Polar Clean Difference
Polar Clean maintains scrupulous safety practices and participates in tailored safety programs through a variety of elite safety networks:
- ISNetworld® Prequalification and Monitoring
- Avetta® Compliance Certified
- First, Verify® Vendor Prequalification
- ComplyWorks Risk Management
- DISA Drug, Alcohol and Safety Compliance Solutions
Additional differences:
- Qualified for nationwide emergency response
- Hundreds of successful power generation projects
- Tenured and highly-skilled technicians
- Mastery of process includes numerous proprietary solutions
- Fully equipped service vehicles utilized onsite
- Experience and certifications for work at heights, in confined spaces, and with the use of respiratory equipment
- Full containment and control of air flow to limit or stop the release of pollutants into the air and surrounding environment