Soo-Soft® Water Treatment for Plastic Injection Molding
- Improves product throughput with better water and hydraulic oil cooling
- Extends life of plumbing – cooling towers – heat exchangers – pumps
- Improves circulation in cooling galleries for faster die cool down
- Removes scale from dies- heating elements – heat exchangers
- Improved product consistency from more uniform cooling
- Energy savings scale removal and improved heat transfer
Prevents return of scale deposits in system
Calcium will precipitate from the water whenever changes in pressure or temperature occur. Due to the electrical charge present on calcium ions, it is naturally attracted to all of the parts of the system and forms hard scale. These hard deposits foul pumps, pipes, filters, and reduce the heat transfer potential of the system. This increases the energy required for system operation.
Traditional methods of maintenance use acid washes on a regular basis to remove calcium deposits. This is expensive in terms of the procedures, the production lost, and the required repetition of the procedure. These methods offer no permanent on-going solution for calcium accumulation. They are used only after significant accumulation has occurred and do not prevent the formation of new deposits.
The Soo-Soft® system treats the water as it is circulated in the system and alters the physical and electrical characteristics of the calcium ions. Instead of large, hard scale deposition, calcium forms in small snowflake-like structures. This keeps deposits from forming and keeps the system operating at its maximum potential. Soo-Soft® systems will create a healthy return on investment from increased energy savings, reduced equipment failures, and increased throughput.
Physical Water Chemistry
Water transformed by digital treatment is a better solvent, due to the increased space created between molecular structures. The treated water has a reduced surface tension, is "wetter" and an improved solvent. The increased solubility gives the treated water the ability to dissolve existing hard calcite deposits in the system and prevent them from reforming.
The physical changes created by the Soo-Soft® system effect a permanent change to all process applications that use water at high pressures and temperatures up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit. The changes in crystallization of calcium from the Soo-Soft® treatment forms a stable suspension of smaller (2-4-Micron) particles and prevents their return to calcite at temperatures lower than 700 degrees. The hard calcite form is no longer precipitated from the water. A softer aragonite form will precipitate in its place. The aragonite form is not "sticky" and will flush from the system without the use of chemicals.
Process Valves & Sensors
Temperature sensors with calcium deposits are prone to malfunction. The sensor is thermally insulated from the water, masking the actual water temperature. This causes the control system to demand more heat from the element. Many sensors have a heating element included with a sensor. Calcium deposits will cause these elements and the heating elements they control to fail quickly. The Soo-Soft® treatment breaks down the calcium deposits on these sensors increasing their reliability and life span.
Immersion Heaters
Calcium builds up on the outside of the heating element. Calcium deposits are heated first, and the calcium then heats the water. The electrical heating element is then forced to work at a much higher temperature than its design parameters. It fails long before its time. In water that is high in calcium, heating elements will create an inch of hardened scale in just a few months.
Corrosion
Calcium deposits are also a major factor in corrosion. The corrosive contaminates become trapped by the calcium and allow them to dissolve pipes, tanks, valves, heat exchangers, boilers and water jackets of equipment. This corrosion further reduces the life expectancy of all components and vessels that use water. As the Soo-Soft® system dissolves these deposits, the corrosive elements remain in solution and are picked up by filters or wash away with flushing.
Plumbing & Pumps
Lime scale also collects inside of pipes, pumps and vessels, causing a greater resistance to the flow of water through the system. This added resistance forces the pump to work harder in order to maintain water flow. The end result is higher consumption of energy and a shortened life span for the pump.
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