Did you know that cleaning a single fouled heat exchanger and its related components with hydroblasting uses between 1 and 5 million litres (250,000 to 1,250,000 gallons) of clean water?

Multiply that by dozens of exchangers for a typical turnaround and it's clear that hydroblasting is an egregious consumer of water. 

All of the water used on the washpad is drawn from the local watershed, and the wastewater is treated to varying extents (based on company and jurisdiction) and returned to those natural sources. Wastewater from the washpad often contaminates ground water and local ecosystems, adding risk to your projects, and the environment. 

The traditional hydroblasting washpad is carbon intensive, running large diesel pumps around the clock for the duration of a turnaround. A moderately-sized washpad, fully equipped for a three-week turnaround, can be expected to emit between 500 and 1000 tons of greenhouse gas.

That's the equivalent of over 100 years of driving for a typical pickup truck! 

The negative impact of washpad hydroblasting doesn't end when the turnaround is finished. Incomplete cleaning of heat exchangers has the largest environmental impact after the turnaround, when bundles are restored into service at less than 100% of their clean performance levels. The reduced heat transfer capacity and increased pumping and downstream cooling requirements increase the plants carbon footprint. For fouling service bundles that are cleaned regularly with hydroblasting, the emissions cost of incomplete cleaning can be as high as 20%, and the cost plant-wide is an increase in greenhouse gas emissions by millions of tons. 

Accepting anything less than perfect cleaning results, has a direct impact on the ability to meet sustainability and GHG reduction targets.