What builds up, and why it matters
On this kind of work the problem is oil, carbon, scale and hydrocarbon residue on generation and process equipment. Energy equipment is large, awkward to access and costly to take out of service, so cleaning in place during an outage is worth far more than a faster method that requires teardown.
Work is planned around outages and turnaround schedules. The people who call us about pipeline equipment are usually operations and maintenance planners, and the thing they are actually worried about is extending an outage that was already tightly planned.
The method
Why dry ice and not the alternatives
- Non-abrasive
Cold does most of the work here. The contaminant shrinks and lets go, and the surface below it is left as it was.
- Low moisture
No standing water in a harness, a bearing or a cabinet, and no dry time before the equipment goes back into service.
- No secondary waste
No secondary waste stream. Nothing is left from the blasting itself, and the contaminant that comes off gets contained and cleaned up by us.
- Often no teardown
Panels, guards and assemblies can often stay put. The nozzle reaches into recesses, so the hours normally spent stripping a machine down go back to production.
More energy work
Related jobs we get called for
Questions we get asked first
Will it damage the surface underneath?
On most substrates, no. The pellet is soft and sublimates on impact, so it does thermal work rather than mechanical work. We still test an inconspicuous spot first on anything unusual.
Do you have to take the equipment apart for pipeline equipment?
In a lot of cases, no. The pellets get into corners and recesses that a brush or scraper cannot reach, so most of the cleaning happens with everything still bolted together.
How much mess does it make?
Most of the mess is the buildup coming off in flakes and dust. We contain it while we work and clean it up before we leave.
Do you come to us?
We do. Everything runs out of our truck, so you never haul anything to us. We work from Miami across South Florida, out to about a hundred miles.
What does a job cost?
We do not publish prices, and that is deliberate. The contaminant, how hard it is to reach and whether we need to contain the work all change the time involved. Describe the job and you will get a straight number.
How soon can you look at it?
The first answer comes quickly even when it is a no. If dry ice is the wrong fit for your job, we will tell you on that first call so you are not waiting on us for nothing.
The comparison
How this compares to the usual methods
- Pressure washing
Water gets into everything and has to come out again before the equipment runs. Around electrics it is off the table entirely.
- Solvent and degreaser
It dissolves the deposit and often the finish underneath, then leaves a film behind either way.
- Hand scraping
Slow, inconsistent, and the tool marks the surface. Fine for a small area, unworkable across a machine.
- Media blasting
It takes the top off whatever it touches. That is the point on rusted plate and the problem everywhere else.
- Dry ice
It is the only one on this list where the media stops existing the moment it has worked.
What comes off
What dry ice actually removes
The rule of thumb is simple: anything stuck on rather than built in. These are the deposits we see most.
- Carbon and soot
Heat-bonded black deposit. Because heat put it there, a sudden cold front is what breaks its grip.
- Adhesive and sealant
Whatever the last repair left stuck to the mating face: gasket, sealant, deadener or adhesive.
- Resin and mold release
Texture and polish on a mold surface carry straight into the part. Dry ice clears the residue and leaves that finish alone.
- Paint and coatings
Selective removal, layer by layer, on parts where media blasting would cut into the substrate.
- Salt and corrosion product
Salt deposit and the oxidation it starts. Anything abrasive removes the protection along with the salt.
- Ink and printing residue
Ink and coating on anilox and press rollers, surfaces where changing the texture changes the print.
- Food residue
Carbonized product build-up in a plant where neither standing water nor a chemical film is acceptable.
How a job runs
How a job actually runs
If this is your first time hiring dry ice blasting, the steps below are what to expect. Nothing happens on the day that we have not talked through.
- We test a small area
Settings get proven somewhere nobody looks before they get used somewhere everybody does. What is correct on cast iron will mark aluminum, so the test is not a formality.
- We blast, then clean up
The ice is gone on impact. What is on the floor afterward came off your machine, and clearing it is ours to do.
- You look before we pack up
We would rather you find the missed spot while we are standing there than a week later. Another pass on the day is the cheapest fix available.
- You describe the job
What the equipment is, what is on it, where it lives, and whether it can be shut down. Photos tell us more than a paragraph. If dry ice is the wrong tool we say so on that call rather than after taking your money.
- We look at access and containment
Hose run, compressor position, what needs masking, and where the contaminant is collected. For food and electrical jobs the containment plan takes longer to settle than the blasting does.
What the job is like to stand next to
The part will be cold when we finish. Sometimes that means a short wait before handling; sometimes it means a film of condensation as it warms back up.
The truck carries its own compressor. Nothing on your property has to be plugged in or handed over to us.
Masking happens first. Whatever is adjacent and vulnerable gets covered before the hose is picked up.
People ask whether dry ice is safe to have indoors. It is non-toxic and leaves no residue. The care point is a confined space, where the gas replaces oxygen, so we set up ventilation before the work begins rather than partway through.
Send us the job.
Tell us what you have and where it is. If you can snap a picture, send it. Giancarlo or Kenny will be the one who calls.