During industrial production processes, various types of fouling, such as coking, oil residues, scale, sediments, and corrosive deposits, accumulate in the equipment and pipelines of production systems. These deposits often lead to equipment and pipeline failures, reduced efficiency of production systems, increased energy consumption, and in severe cases, even safety incidents.
In recent years, with the rapid development of new synthetic industries, novel industrial fouling has continuously emerged, and its molecular structures have become increasingly complex. Additionally, the adhesion mechanisms and forms between industrial fouling and different cleaning targets often depend on the type of fouling as well as the structural composition and surface physicochemical properties of the objects being cleaned. Due to environmental protection requirements, there is an increasing demand for the biodegradability and non-toxicity of chemical agents, which continuously poses new challenges to chemical cleaning technologies.
Chemical cleaning is a comprehensive technology involving the study of fouling formation and properties, the selection and formulation of cleaning agents and additives, the choice of corrosion inhibitors, cleaning process techniques, the development and utilization of cleaning equipment, monitoring technologies during cleaning, and wastewater treatment, among others. Among these, the selection of cleaning agents is a critical factor determining the success of cleaning operations, as it directly affects the cleaning efficiency, descaling rate, corrosion rate, and economic benefits of the equipment.
Cleaning agents primarily consist of three main components: the primary cleaning agent, corrosion inhibitors, and surfactants. Due to their molecular structure, which contains both hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups, surfactants play roles in adsorption, penetration, emulsification, dissolution, and washing during chemical cleaning. They are not only used as auxiliary agents but are also widely regarded as key components, particularly in processes such as acid cleaning, alkaline cleaning, corrosion inhibition, degreasing, and sterilization, where they are increasingly demonstrating their significant impact.
The primary cleaning agent, corrosion inhibitors, and surfactants are the three major components of chemical cleaning solutions. The unique chemical structure of surfactants ensures that, when dissolved in a liquid solution, they significantly reduce the surface tension of the solution, thereby enhancing its wetting capability. Especially when the concentration of surfactants in the solution reaches the critical micelle concentration (CMC), notable changes occur in the solution’s surface tension, osmotic pressure, viscosity, and optical properties.
The wetting, penetrating, dispersing, emulsifying, and solubilizing effects of surfactants in chemical cleaning processes achieve twice the result with half the effort. In summary, surfactants in chemical cleaning primarily serve two functions: first, they enhance the apparent concentration of poorly soluble organic pollutants through the solubilizing action of micelles, known as the solubilization effect; second, due to their amphiphilic groups, surfactants adsorb or accumulate at the interface between the oil and water phases, reducing interfacial tension.
When selecting surfactants, special attention should be paid to the properties of the cleaning agent, corrosion inhibitors, and surfactants, as well as the compatibility of their interactions.
Post time: Aug-28-2025