Scale and rust can build up over time in heat exchangers, chillers, cooling towers, and other circulating water systems when not properly treated. Failing to prevent scale buildup is said to lead to the need to either chemically or mechanically remove scale to maximise designed heat transfer efficiency, good pipe flow, and equipment integrity. Corrosion solutions company Cortec’s EcoClean biodegradable scale and rust remover by Nano-VpCI, a US Department of Agriculture (USDA)-certified biobased product is a way to treat it.
Scale buildup insulates metal surfaces and clogs piping which makes equipment work harder to transfer heat and pump the water through the system. In extreme situations, this can lead to equipment downtime and failures. Rust has similar effects, signalling the loss of metal and the potential for leakage and shortened service life. The situation is said to worsen the longer it is neglected.
Cortec offers a heavy-duty product that works quickly to dissolve heavy scale and oxides rust and corrosion off metals. Unlike products that cannot be used on aluminium or stainless steel, Cortec added it is safe to use on multiple metal types, making it flexible for different materials encountered in water treatment applications such as carbon steel, stainless steel, copper and aluminium,
The product is recommended to be used regularly to avoid problems in heat exchange systems. It comes in three forms: liquid, powder, and water-soluble pouch. The liquid version should be added to water at a 1:2 ratio and, can be sprayed inside open tube bundles. The powder version can be added to water at 7% by weight and used in the same manner as the liquid. The pouch version —convenient for circulating systems — can be tossed, dissolved and circulated in water for a few minutes without dismantling the equipment. Leaving the product to sit for 20-30mins thereafter to give the product time to dissolve existing rust before flushing out the system. Its use should be followed by neutralisation with an alkaline cleaner such as those that provide flash rust protection, such as its own VpCI-41x series.
