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. 7)

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Sprays

Spray rinsing can be compared to a series of counterflowing rinses. The dilution ratio of a fresh-water spray increases with the length of time the water impinges on the work. Therefore, a fresh water spray can be an efficient rinse if all the spray water hits the work. Almost all work can be spray rinsed. Some work presents a greater challenge than others. Racked work should be positioned so that none of the parts "shadow" those behind them. The secret is to concentrate on effectively reaching all work surfaces with the smallest amount of water, rather than flooding the work with high flow rates in the hope of doing an adequate job.

Work that is processed in rotating barrels can be spray rinsed in two ways. After any of the processing cycles. Barrels can be stopped, opened and manually sprayed. Or, at the end of a processing cycle, barrel contents can be spilled onto a tray and sprayed with fresh water. The tray can be the loading chute for a spin drier or the spin drier basket itself. This water is then collected and sent to the last counterflowing rinse station.

Regardless of the load configuration, process barrels, tubular furniture, hollow doorknobs or work containing blind holes, all can benefit from a final fresh-water spray over the last immersion rinse. The sprayed water may not reach the inside of the work, but it will go a long way in cleaning the outside and reducing carry-over to the next process. Spraying the outside of a rotating process barrel with a flat, fan spray not only cleans the outside but removes most of the contaminated water from the barrel's perforations.

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