However, manual cleaning is often delayed to prevent shutdown of production lines, and standard media blasting services create more issues than they solve. Hughes Environmental uses Cold Jet dry ice blasting technology to provide a quick, safe and economical CO2 cleaning solution that allows equipment to be cleaned in-place without disassembly or cool down.

Dry ice blast cleaning uses solid Carbon Dioxide (CO2), a non-abrasive media that won’t damage surfaces or equipment when used as the blast media. The accelerated, super-cooled dry ice pellets or particles are blasted at supersonic speeds and sublimate on impact resulting in the surface being cleaned, lifting dirt and contaminants off the underlying substrate.

Dry ice blasting utilizes a unique combination of forces to powerfully lift surface contaminates without causing damage or creating harmful secondary waste. Similar to sand blasting, bead blasting, and soda blasting, dry ice cleaning prepares and cleans surfaces using a medium accelerated in a pressurized air stream. But that’s where the similarity ends.

Abrasive blasting, such as sandblasting, can damage surfaces and requires a significant amount of time for cleanup. Power washing spreads dirty water everywhere, and can damage equipment and electronics. Dry ice blast cleaning creates no secondary waste because the CO2 blast media sublimates on impact, and it is safe to use on most electronics. CO2 cleaning is also a form of non-abrasive cleaning, which will keep the surfaces being cleaned from getting damaged during the cleaning process.