Article Contents

1. Introduction
2. Example 1
3. Examples 2 and 3
4. Lessons Learned
5. Other Improvements
6. Dragout Tank
7. Sprays
8. Counterflowing Sprays
9. The Bottom Line

Ten Minutes to Better Rinsing
(p. 5)

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When there is a lack of space for extra rinses, there may be other ways of using the rinse-water stream more efficiently.

• To gain more immersion rinse tanks you may be able to partition large rinse tanks into two or more smaller sections.
• Counterflowing rinses do not have to be next to each other. An unused tank in another part of the processing line can be used to increase rinsing efficiency.
• Proper racking techniques insure quick runoff and reduce the amount of dragout from the processing tank.
• When possible, dwell over the process tank to allow the work to drain more completely.
• Using a fog spray while work dwells over the process tank dilutes dragout. A well-designed fog spray can decrease the concentration by 90 percent, while recovering 90 percent of dragout. Use small amounts of fresh water in each fog spray. Using contaminated water from the first rinse tank for spraying may overspray the work and land on the floor, rack hooks and bus bars. Naturally, the total spray volume must be limited to the amount that will be evaporated from the process tank.
• Another way to improve rinsing and save water is to add a spray rinse above the last immersion rinse tank. A fresh-water spray in this location can provide all the water for the counterflowing tanks. And it rinses the work with fresh, uncontaminated water.

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