Overview
![](/assets/images/picto-drapeau-france-3a76576a5d60a512053b4612ab58dae5.png)
ABSTRACT
In the surface treatment industry, and more specifically in surface treatment in aqueous media, rinsing operations had long been considered as a burden, until in the 1980s the situation changed owing to (i) the ever-increasing number of European Commission rules that have to be obeyed, and (ii) the growing awareness of the economic and technical parts played by rinsing. This article is illustrated by practical applications designed by the authors and implemented on production lines of various sizes.
Read this article from a comprehensive knowledge base, updated and supplemented with articles reviewed by scientific committees.
Read the articleAUTHORS
-
Jean-Claude CATONNÉ: Engineer-Doctor of Physical Sciences - Honorary Professor at the CNAM (Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Paris, France), surface treatment consultant
-
Martine DEPÉTRIS-WERY: Doctor of Chemistry-Physics - Professor at Université Paris Sud, Orsay, France
INTRODUCTION
In modern plants, rinsing operations are designed, organized and operated in the same way as unit operations in chemical engineering, and can thus be referred to as "rinsing functions" (FR). In a wet processing line, when these rinsing functions are installed between two "sequences" of unit operations (surface preparation sequence and electrolytic coating sequence, for example), they act as a barrier to pollution of the downstream sequence by entrainments from the upstream sequence, and are typically governed by dilution processes between two liquids of different kinematic viscosity. On the other hand, when a rinsing function is implemented at the line outlet, its role is mainly anti-corrosion, or even adhesion-promoting; its effect is either immediate (cathodic polarization rinsing) or delayed (passivating rinsing). Rinsing operations can therefore be divided into two categories: i) "dilution" rinses with an immediate effect, as an anti-pollution barrier between two sequences, and ii) "reaction" rinses with a functional character, whose activity is electrochemical in origin.
Good rinse management is a response to two main constraints: one administrative, the other economic.
The administrative constraint aims to reduce, as far as possible, the consumption of rinse water to comply with the ministerial decree of June 30, 2006, which limits, in the majority of cases, to 8 L.m -2 the maximum quantity of water discharged as effluent in a rinsing function. As we shall see later, one of the practical consequences of this administrative constraint is to offer original solutions in terms of rinsing structures on TSVH lines.
The economic constraint is linked to i) compliance with environmental standards through pollution abatement by optimizing rinsing structures, and ii) improving the economic performance of TSVHs through financial gains generated by judicious coupling between rinsing structures and recycling, recovery or regeneration processes, or even reclamation of electrolytes previously considered as waste effluents.
In this article, using concrete industrial examples, we show that a rinsing operation is not as trivial as it seems, and that mastering it requires a scientific approach based on process engineering.
A glossary of terms and a table of acronyms and symbols are provided at the end of the article.
Exclusive to subscribers. 97% yet to be discovered!
You do not have access to this resource.
Click here to request your free trial access!
Already subscribed? Log in!
![](/assets/images/logo-eti-286623ed91fa802ce039246e516e5852.png)
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
KEYWORDS
diluting rinsing | reactive rinsing | surface treatment in aqueous media | counter-flow rinsing
This article is included in
Metal treatments
This offer includes:
Knowledge Base
Updated and enriched with articles validated by our scientific committees
Services
A set of exclusive tools to complement the resources
Practical Path
Operational and didactic, to guarantee the acquisition of transversal skills
Doc & Quiz
Interactive articles with quizzes, for constructive reading
Purpose and management of surface rinses
Bibliography
Websites
Legifrance
Ademe
Water Agency
Regulations
Arrêté du 30 juin 2006 relatif aux installations de traitements de surfaces soumises à autorisation au titre de la rubrique 2565 de la nomenclature des installations classées (JO n° 205 du 05/09/06).
European RoHS Directive (2002/95/EC) of 27/01/03 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (JOCE n° 37 of 13/02/13) – Text repealed by article...
Exclusive to subscribers. 97% yet to be discovered!
You do not have access to this resource.
Click here to request your free trial access!
Already subscribed? Log in!
![](/assets/images/logo-eti-286623ed91fa802ce039246e516e5852.png)
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference