A dry ice cleaning machine does exactly what you’d think it does: cleans using dry ice. The dry ice pellets are sprayed at the contaminant surface and you get a two-fold cleaning solution. Not only does the pressure of the dry ice help eliminate contaminants, but the temperature exchange helps break up what the pressure could not.
There are many other fun facts about dry ice and dry ice blasting, so keep reading to learn more.
- Dry ice is actually solid carbon dioxide at a temperature of -79 degrees Celsius. That temperature difference between the media and surface is what helps “shock” the contaminants away when using a dry ice cleaning machine
- The first person to publish his observations of dry ice was Charles Thilorier in 1835. Thilorier was a French chemist who witnessed dry ice being created when he opened a container of liquid carbon dioxide.
- Even though the term “dry ice” gives you the impression that the media will melt when warmed, the solid CO2 doesn’t have an intermediate liquid state. Upon contact with a surface during dry ice blasting or when placed at a warmer temperature, the dry ice will sublimate, which means it will turn into a gaseous state.
- Dry ice has a heavier density and gravity than water. When placed in a glass of water, the dry ice will sink to the bottom.
- The white fog you see when dry ice sublimates, particularly when used in special effects applications, is only partly gaseous CO2. It’s composed of mostly water fog which occurs when the CO2 condenses the water in the air.
- It’s recommended that you handle dry ice in a well-ventilated area due to the increased presence of CO2. However, only some of the CO2 gas will mix with the ambient air. The rest will sink to the ground.
- The only way to liquefy carbon dioxide is to place it under high amounts of pressure.
- Dry ice blasting is a non-abrasive cleaning method, meaning that there won’t be any damage to the machinery or equipment surfaces during the cleaning process.
Dry ice is used in many applications because of its versatility, particularly as an industrial cleaning solution. The industries that produce tangible goods would benefit immensely from using dry ice cleaning machines