Chemical tube cleaning is understood to be the use of cleaning liquids or chemicals for removing layers and deposits. A typical example is the deliming of a coffee maker where scale is removed by means of acetic acid or citric acid. Depending on the field of application and tube material, special cleaning liquids may be used which also require a multi-stage treatment:
* chemical activation
* cleaning
* rinsing
This method of cleaning calls for a shutdown of the relevant system which causes undesired standstill periods. To safeguard a continuous production operation it may be necessary to install several systems. Another disadvantage: in the field of large-scale technology (reactor, heat exchanger, condenser, etc.), huge quantities of cleaning liquids would be required which would cause major disposal problems. A further problem occurs in the food industry through the possible toxicity of the cleaning liquid. Only the strict observance of rinsing instructions and an exact control of the admissible residue tolerances can remedy things here. This in turn requires expensive detection methods. Generally the process of chemical tube cleaning is applicable for any diameter, however practical limits of use ensue from the volume of a pipeline.