Cleaning cycle
Dense Fluid Degreasing machines are optimized to recycle the CO2 consumed during a cycle to minimize the amount of CO2 used.
The supercritical CO2 cleaning cycle
A cycle consists of a pressure build-up, a plateau of exposure of the parts to CO2 SC and then a decompression phase to return to atmospheric pressure.
During the entire cleaning phase, the CO2 SC is automatically purified and recycled.
The Dense Fluid Degerasing process recycles between 80% and 90% of the supercritical CO2 consumed during the cycle.
Safety and regulations
DFD machines are equipped with CO2 detectors in accordance with current regulations. All machines are designed and approved in accordance with the European Pressure Equipment Directive (Directive 2014/68/EU of 15 May 2014).
Read more about it…
Dense Fluid Degreasing machine operating cycle
1. Power supply
The machine is supplied from a liquid CO2 source in the form of a tank outside the building or stored indoors in cylinders in partnership with Air Liquide or any other gas supplier.
2. Loading the autoclave
The parts baskets are loaded into the cleaning autoclave on a rotating basket. Loading can be done manually or by a robot.
3. Gas heating and compression
The machine heats and compresses the gas and then injects it in a supercritical state into the autoclave to fully immerse the parts to be treated.
4. Core cleaning
The parts are thoroughly cleaned by supercritical CO2. The addition of a stirring by oscillations and/or rotations and of ultrasounds, makes it possible to obtain a result of cleanliness and departiculation in conformity with the specifications.
5. Gas decompression
The pollutant-laden supercritical CO2 flow extracted from the autoclave is decompressed back into the gaseous state. It then loses all solvent power.
6. Gravity separation
The machine separates the liquid pollutants from the gaseous CO2 by gravity. Liquid contaminants are discharged to a container outside the machine.
7. CO2 recycling
The machine recycles the gas continuously. It passes through the liquid phase and then the supercritical phase to be returned to the autoclave as many times as necessary during the cleaning phase.
8. End of cycle
The machine recycles 80 to 90% of the CO2 used, which is returned to an internal reserve. The remaining purified gas is vented to the outside.
Discover the Dense Fluid Degreasing machine that suits your needs
Perfectly suited for use in a workshop, grey room or clean room, the autoclaves and machine bodies can be designed separately or as a single unit.
With a range of machines dedicated to the different applications of supercritical CO2 cleaning, the Dense Fluid Degreasing teams are able to adapt the capacity of the machines according to your specific products and the desired production rates.