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Q.  What Is a Vapor Degreaser? Why Would I Want One?

Vapor degreasers actually are pretty simple. They use a simple thermomechanical process -- boiling and condensing -- in conjunction with special low-boiling solvents to clean quickly, easily and inexpensively. A degreaser is basically a distillation unit -- it boils the solvent, creates vapors in which to clean, and then recondenses those vapors back into liquid and recycles them through the machine.

Of course, it's always more complex than it sounds. In the simplest form, the degreaser simply boils a solvent into vapors and fumes. The fumes try to rise out of the machine but are trapped by a refrigeration system which creates a temperature inversion at the top of the machine. This traps the vapors inside the system. The vapors are condensed back into liquid form and returned to the cleaning machine to be re-used.

As the schematic below shows, there always is fresh solvent in the rinse sump. As more freshly-distilled solvent is returned from the colling coils back into the system, it always is returned to the rinse sump. This gradually overflows and replenishes the boil sump, which is where the heaviest cleaning is performed and where the contamination becomes concentrated.

It's important to note that "boiling" does not imply a lot of heat. Most of the Vertrel® solvents boil just barely above room temperature, say about 42°C/100°F. The Bromothane™ solvents boil at 70 C/170 F. Under most circumstances, the operating temperatures are so low a person could safely put their hand into a working vapor degreaser filled with Vertrel solvents (although this is not a recommended procedure!). Low temperatures are a nice boost for worker safety, and it also keep energy costs down. In fact, most vapor degreasers operate on 25 amps or less.

As you might expect, there are dozens of variations and improvements on this very simple process, such as adding ultrasonics, but all of those enhancements are merely upgrades to these basic three steps. It's fast, simple, fool-proof, and safe cleaning design.

For more details about the actual design of a real system, visit the Bromothane web site or VertrelSolvents.com.

There are many additional features and accesories which are available from the various equipment manufacturers. Savvy engineers will review their options to insure they get the machine which will provide optimal performance at the lowest total cost.  There's an interesting case study available on this website about a midwest company that is saving thousands of dollars each month by retiring their old, aqueous cleaners and switching to vapor degreasing.

Vapor degreasing -- especially when you use MicroCare®, Vertrel® or Bromothane™ solvents -- delivers the highest quality of cleaning in the shortest possible time, with the least risk of damage to the components. In short, wherever there are demanding specifications or challenging environmental issues, the Vertrel® solvents in a vapor degreaser are the ideal choice. These are great replacements for ozone-depleting solvents such as CFC-113, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, HCFC-141b, n-propyl bromide (nPB), HFE solvents and HCFC-225, as well as high-global-warming solvents such as perfluorocarbons (PFCs).


Published 9-16-2008