Ed Kanegsberg

November 2020

Stuck At The Edge; The boundary layer

Cleaning requires dislodging a soil and carrying it away from a surface. For this to happen, the cleaning or rinse fluid must energetically access the surface. However, a boundary layer of liquid with reduced flow velocities can impede cleaning. A similar effect occurs in flowing waterways, like a river or […]
September 2019

Soprano or Bass—What Ultrasonic Frequency to Use? Part 2: Being TACTful

As a professional in product cleaning, you probably have encountered the acronym TACT. The letters represent four key facets for effective cleaning, Temperature, Action, Chemistry, and Time. Action is the facet usually associated with ultrasonics. In Part 1, we focused on cleaning action and the relationship to frequency. However, ultrasonic […]
July 2019

Soprano or Bass—What Ultrasonic Frequency to Use? Part 1

You are in charge of improving the cleaning of your company’s product. You think ultrasonic cleaning is needed but need to know which frequency is best. In this two-part article, we will explore aspects of ultrasonic cleaning to make it easier to choose; in some cases, a system with more […]
October 2014

Solvency —The Physics of Cleaning, Part 11

A cleaning chemistry is effective due to physical and chemical properties.  In the last issue of Clean Source (1), we discussed wetting of surfaces and explained that for a fluid to wet a substrate surface, the surface energy of the substrate needs to be greater than the surface tension of […]
September 2014

Wetting Surfaces—The Physics of Cleaning, Part 10

Summer may be almost over, but there’s still time for a splash in the pool or at the beach. Afterwards, jump into the shower to rinse off the salt, sand or pool chlorine. For the shower to do its job, however, it needs to wet your skin. This brings to […]
April 2014

Defeating Raoul—Azeotropes, The Physics of Cleaning Part 9

Blends have proven useful in improving cleaning efficacy while at the same time reducing concerns of worker exposure, environmental damage or flammability. However, in most situations, the constituents of a blend volatilize or boil at different rates; the blend changes over time. This means that cleaning performance, materials compatibility, and […]
January 2014

EPA Changes Direction—Again

Sometimes, a change of direction is a good thing. The phaseout of HCFC-225 is set for January 1, 2015.  Restrictions will impact manufacturing because either you or someone in your supply chain may use HCFC-225 for critical cleaning. In a move that gives manufacturers just a little relief, the EPA […]
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