Feb
21, 2002 17:14 ET
"Green"
Industrial Cleanser Developed by Gage Products
FERNDALE,
Mich., Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- A strong, but environmentally
friendly cleansing solution for industrial heat-exchange systems
has been developed by research scientists at Gage Products
Co. in Ferndale, Michigan.
Originally developed for use in the company’s
own solvent-refining operations, Gage’s R-300 cleanser is
environmentally safer to use than traditional cleaning formulas
that rely on hydrochloric, nitric or sulfuric acids.
Gage sees an almost unlimited market for
its new cleaning solution, which goes on sale during the first
quarter of 2003 and promises to save users thousands of dollars
in annual operating and maintenance costs.
U.S. manufacturers have billions of dollars
invested in heat-exchange equipment that plays a vital role
in a variety of industrial processes, including paint manufacturing
and food processing, a Gage spokesperson notes.
“A single heat-exchange system can cost several
million dollars to install,” a Gage spokesperson says. “Proper maintenance
is required to reduce energy costs, extend equipment life
and lower service costs.”
R-300 was first developed by Gage to clean
a thin-film evaporation system at the heart of the company’s
solvent-refining process. “It was so effective, we knew others
could make use of it as well,” says Bob Scruggs, a senior
systems specialist at Gage. “We later test-marketed R-300
with several customers whose production processes depend on
heat-exchange equipment, and the results were incredibly good.”
Scruggs explains that heat exchangers that use processed and
heated water typically suffer from a build-up of calcium carbonate,
metal oxides, silt and other materials that can dramatically
reduce the equipment’s effectiveness and thermal efficiency.
The system itself is used primarily to transfer heat from
one medium to another, while maintaining proper liquid-viscosity
levels.
“To remove harmful build-up, facility managers traditionally
have used cleaners based on nitric, hydrochloric or sulfuric
acids,” Scruggs points out. “Unfortunately, these products
can’t be used on components that might be harmed or destroyed
by high-acid content cleansers. These same products also can
be dangerous to workers and toxic to the environment.”
Because conventional cleansers are not able
to thoroughly clean certain types of equipment, an entire
system often must be disassembled and taken offsite for additional
maintenance and service.
“R-300 relies on a new formula of acids, surfactants,
wetting agents and other ingredients that can be used to thoroughly
and safely clean heat exchangers on-site,” Scruggs says.
According to Gage, its new product can:
• Extend the life of heat-exchange equipment,
• Clean “soft” metal components often damaged by other cleansers,
• Lower service and maintenance costs,
• Reduce or eliminate system downtime,
• Improve overall operating efficiency, and
• Cut energy costs.
“As a company, we are dedicated to improving
the environment,” a Gage spokesperson concluded. “Equally important to us
is the fact that this new product is environmentally safer
than previous acid-based formulas. It represents a non-chlorinated
cleaning solution that also is both people and equipment friendly.”
Headquartered in Ferndale, Michigan, Gage also has operations
in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium,
Brazil and Mexico. The company is a leader in the field of
sustainable manufacturing and solvent remanufacturing systems.
Its paint-system solvent-recovery processes are used in a
majority of North America’s automotive assembly plants and
have attracted the attention of European and Asia-Pacific
manufacturers as well. Additional information on Gage is available
on the Internet at www.gageproducts.com.
Source:
Gage Products Company
CONTACT:
Company Contact: Tom Murray of Gage Products Company, Phone: 248-691-6737, Email: tmurray@gageproducts.com; or Media Contact: Larry Weis
of AutoCom Associates, +1-248-647-8621, E-Mail: lweis@usautocom.com
, for Gage
Products Company
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