Tech Sonic has been building industrial-scale ultrasonic baths for over 20 years. Our patented equipment is tough - built to withstand the harshest washpad environments and deliver reliable cleaning for heat exchangers and parts. 

Built with superior materials and finishes, our systems are designed for both mobile and permanent deployment, offering a better, faster, safer, and more environmentally sustainable method of cleaning when compared with traditional hydroblasting alone. 

Features:

• All wetted parts are stainless steel
• High-power ultrasonic resonating rod transducers
• Exchanger rotation, when coupled with our exchanger cradles
• All-in-one construction - plug in and go
• Folding stainless steel catwalks on both sides
• Sliding bath covers
• 115% secondary containment
• HMI computer control of all functions
• Remote cloud-based monitoring and support
• Full integration with the Washpad Management Software platform
• Built-in cooling for electronics
• Thermal management of bath operating temperature

Standard bath sizes are available in 3.3m, 7.7m, and 9.8m lengths, but can be customized to meet your exact cleaning requirements. 

Ultrasonic cleaning works by loosening or dissolving fouling in the bath, allowing for easy removal with hydroblasting. By simultaneously affecting the fouling on all surfaces of a part, this method allows rapid, complete cleaning of almost any part - from large shell and tube exchangers to compact exchanger designs, to small, fine, or fragile parts like filters and demister pads. 

Ultrasonic energy is directed into the bath from resonating rods, penetrating the parts being cleaned by travelling through the surrounding, warm, aqueous chemistry solution. As the sound waves travel through the liquid, cavitation bubbles are formed during the rarefaction (localized pressure drop during the negative pressure phase of the sound waves). These bubbles then collapse on the subsequent compression phased of the sound waves, releasing energy at the fouling surfaces in the form of a microscopic reentrant jet at extremely high temperature and pressure on a microscopic scale. These forces, combined with microscopic shear forces at the fouling-substrate interface, acoustic shock waves, and disruption of the diffusion boundary layer at the surface, combine to help loosen or dissolve the fouling, disrupting its bond to the part surface.

The video shows the growth and collapse of a microscopic cavitation bubble. The bubble grows during rarefaction, and collapses during compression, releasing energy. Millions of these bubbles form throughout the bath, attacking the fouling on the surfaces, while being gentle enough not to have any effect on the underlying metal.

Video credit: The inner world of a collapsing bubble, Supponen, Kobel & Farhat, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, 2014 - https://gfm.aps.org/meetings/dfd-2014/5417591d69702d585c660300

Tech Sonic’s 3‑Stage Approach to Better Cleaning

STEP 1: Precision Pre‑Rinse – A quick, high‑flow rinse blasts away loose debris, exposes the true condition of every bundle, and helps to preserve the life of our ultrasonic chemistries. Think of it as rolling out the red carpet for the real cleaning action.

STEP 2: Deep Hydrocarbon Lift – Bundles are processed in our cavitation‑powered surfactant bath, where ultrasonic waves strip out stubborn oils and loosen tough organics quickly. After a swift rinse, the process is repeated as needed, and after one or two cycles, most parts are already 95 % clean and inspection-ready.

STEP 3: Scale‑Polishing Acid Finish – A special organic‑acid bath chemistry erases the hidden film of scale and corrosion, the hydrocarbons left behind, followed by a neutralizing rinse. Surfaces emerge bright, bare metal—primed for flawless NDE and a full 100 % return to clean‑as‑new performance.

Bottom line: Faster turnarounds, peak heat‑exchange efficiency, and corrosion protection—all delivered quickly, safely and without the risks of traditional hydroblasting.