Oxygen is a natural element, but it is used in many industrial and production sectors, both as a raw material and as a primary element for the production of more complex molecules.
From fuels to welding and steel production, oxygen is also and above all used in the medical field.
In all these cases, oxygen needs to be properly stored before it can be transported and then used.
Oxygen, which can be in liquid or gaseous form, travels through tanks, pipes, valves and then can reach compressors or reactors for applications in various sectors including the medical, chemical and steel industries: this is where Bama comes in, with its special degreasing treatments for components for oxygen use.
Degreasing oxygen hoses with Bama Technologies
In our Turbigo facility, we carry out this type of treatment in accordance with the strictest international standards for oxygen service cleaning. Specific treatments can also be carried out at the customer’s premises if the products cannot be transported or the transport costs are too high.
Oxygen and its applications
We have said that oxygen is used in many contexts: consequently, there are many industries and facilities that use it and therefore need facilities for its transport and storage.
For example, oxygen is used in hospitals, for oxygen therapy and hyperbaric chambers, in aeroplanes and on climbs as an oxygen reserve, and in liquid form it is used to propel certain engines. Oxygen is also used in the steel industry, such as in steelworks where it is compressed and sent to blast furnaces for steel processing.
It goes without saying that safety is paramount in all of these cases, so all equipment used for transport and storage must be absolutely free from contamination of any kind.
What treatments can be carried out on pipes, valves, tanks, compressors, exchangers?
All metal surfaces need to undergo certain treatments in order to be used at their best and for a long time. The most important of these treatments, which we carry out here at Bama, are:
Obviously, not all metals have to undergo all procedures.
One procedure that is common to every type of metal or metal alloy and is necessary for the subsequent treatments mentioned above, is degreasing.
What is degreasing?
By this term we mean an extremely thorough cleaning process. It is not simply a matter of cleaning, but of destroying any oily molecules that may be present on the surface.
Typically, these molecules are the consequence of some previous operation, such as welding or stamping.
Degreasing removes contamination of organic origin such as oil, grease and sludge. Degreasing or preventive cleaning in general can be carried out using steam, neutral, basic or acidic detergents or, in more delicate cases, with the aid of solvents.
Failure to eliminate organic residues can compromise the success of subsequent treatments. Preventive degreasing is required in all cleaning specifications as it “prepares” the surface for pickling, passivation and electropolishing treatments.
In fact, without preventive degreasing, subsequent treatments would not be as effective in preventing corrosion.
This is why degreasing pipes and other oxygen components is of crucial importance!
Maintenance
An important aspect is the maintenance of existing oxygen plants.
Periodically it is advisable to re-treat the pipes and all related components to avoid corrosion or to restore optimum surface conditions. BAMA has specialised teams capable of carrying out oxygen treatments both “on site” and at our production units in Turbigo and Piacenza.
BAMA has often found itself carrying out oxygen treatments on compressors located at the most important steelworks in Italy and abroad.
How to do it
Degreasing of pipes and all oxygen components is carried out chemically. The choice of the right methodology depends on a number of factors, such as the shape and size of the part to be cleaned, as well as its accessibility.
Bama has at its disposal the best technologies to proceed to a complete and deep cleaning,
The techniques are of various types and always comply with international standards.
Finally, the place where these treatments take place is very important. BAMA has a dedicated area for oxygen processing where a very high standard of quality is guaranteed.
The checks carried out on the pipes, valves, tanks, compressors and exchangers that perform their function in the oxygen service are very strict and accurate, the most common being the “wipe test”, “wood lamp control” and “solvent extraction test”.
Among the products we use for this work are cleaning and degreasing solutions which, with formulations produced by our in-house laboratory, guarantee excellent results while seeking to have the least possible impact on the environment.
