passivation - Astro Pak Names Ronald Pentecost EH&S Director

Astro Pak Corporation, the leading provider of passivation, precision, high purity and chemical & oxygen cleaning, today announced the appointment of Ronald Pentecost as Director of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S). Mr. Pentecost will be responsible for overseeing and ensuring organizational compliance with current safety regulations and promoting the protection of all project personnel, including customers. You want more details about oxygen cleaning Visit Here:http://www.astropak.com/oxygen-cleaning-service.php

Mr. Pentecost brings over 25 years of experience in EH&S spanning across various industries such as aerospace/aviation, oil and gas, and power generation. Prior to joining Astro Pak, he has served as site, regional and corporate EH&S manager for several companies located throughout the United States.

“Ron Pentecost exemplifies a strong combination of skills and experience that will continue to strengthen Astro Pak’s commitment to safety,” said Erik Frankl, Astro Pak’s Chief Operating Officer. “Providing environmental health and safety guidance is a challenging responsibility that requires meticulous attention to detail and a passion for promoting ongoing safety training. Ron’s excellent track record and commitment to safety proves he is the man for the job. I am excited that he has joined the Astro Pak family.”

Mr. Pentecost is a mechanical engineer retired from the United States Navy where he served as the assistant safety officer for a US Navy ship repair facility. He has received several decorations for his engineering and safety vocations. Ron lives in Southern California with his wife and has three grown daughters.

About Astro Pak

Since its inception in 1959, Astro Pak has become the largest provider of precision cleaning and passivation services in North America. Its expertise and technologies extend across myriad industries, among them: biotechnology, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, aerospace and defense, semiconductor, and power generation. Astro Pak is privately held with headquarters in Costa Mesa, CA. ASTROPAK.COM

About SixLog Corporation

As a subsidiary of Astro Pak, SixLog provides on-site biological decontamination and sterilization for equipment, rooms and entire facilities. Its proprietary iHP™ (ionized Hydrogen Peroxide) decontamination technology is utilized across a variety of industries including life sciences, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, healthcare, first responders, and transportation. SixLog is privately held with headquarters in Santa Ana, CA.

Citric Passivation – Passivation and Derouging of Stainless Steel

Stainless steel doesn’t rust because of a process that leaves a very thin coat of chromium or other corrosion resistant surface. The process is called passivation. Passivation is accomplished by depositing a layer of oxide on the surface of the stainless steel. This layer is only a few nanometers thick and protects the metal from any corrosion. The process may also include the removal of all free iron on the surface to prevent any weak spots for corrosion may develop. Citric passivation uses citric acid to remove free iron. It has been used successfully and is not harmful to the environment or to humans.

Passivation is a precision cleaning of sorts. It is used on very large surfaces to remove very small contaminants. It is also used on very small stainless steel parts to ensure that there will be no corrosion especially in a tough environment. Stents that are used in angiography are finished in this way. It is very important that the stainless steel used for medical purposes like in heart surgery or pins for broken bones can withstand moist and chemically tough environments like the interior of the human body.

Derouging is another similar process to passivation. Roughing is a type of corrosion that is found only on stainless steel. Metal that has experienced this type of corrosion can be corrected. Roughing may occur when there is a high incidence of iron on the surface of the metal. Or it may also be the result of temporary support welding jobs that leave a spot of low chromium when the supports are welded off. The correction must be made chemically. The chemicals will not harm the stainless steel, but do remove the rouge. After the chemical cleaning, the surfaces of the stainless steel are repassivated to protect them from further problems.

The whole process is actually quite safe and is mostly pH neutral and uses chemicals that do not cause harm. To passivate stainless steel is necessary for medical instruments or even for use inside the body. To have iron oxide buildup on stainless steel inside the body could become a big problem. But chemically treated metals inside the body could be a problem too. That, however, is not a problem with passivation. These methods and chemicals are completely safe. Citric passivation is a newer process and has proven even safer than traditional methods.

passivation – Pigging Your Pipes

When there is a need for deep chemical cleaning, there are various processes that one can use. However, it is important to ensure that you are properly trained before performing any of the following techniques. When cleaning with chemicals, there are multiple risks involved. On the other hand, when it is done properly, there will be a nice clean surface that will not need to be replaced due to grime and build up. Let’s take a look at a few different ways to clean with chemicals that will successfully renew the area being cleaned.

Passivation is a treatment that is used to dissolve iron that has built up on the surface of machinery. If the iron is not removed, the machinery will look like it is rusty due to corroding. This treatment is done by submerging the components into citric acid or nitric acid. If done correctly and without the use of oxidizing salts, the iron will successfully dissolve. Also, an oxide film that is transparent will form on the surface to protect it from any more iron build up.
Passivation of stainless steel will not work if it has a nitride surface or carbonized surface. This is because the component’s size will be reduced when the nitric acid dissolves the surface. When you are finding a company to complete passivation for you, it is highly important to let them know the exact type of stainless steel that you need cleaned. Once your product is successfully cleaned, there will be a new sheen to it and if it is done properly there will not be a reason to have it cleaned again for quite some time.

When talking about cleaning metal with chemicals, one might be interested in knowing more about pipeline pigging. This is the process in which a pipeline inspection gauge (pig) is used to clean the pipes without stopping the flow of fluids through the pipe. When the pig is placed into the funnel at the end of the pipe, the pipe is closed off. Once the pipe is closed, the pressure of the liquid running through the pipe will push the pig all the way through the piping until it reaches the end and all of the gunk will come along with it. This is a very effective way to clean out piping and will not stop the flow of what is coming through the pipe. This way, daily occurrences will not be disrupted.