©AIRBUS INQUSTRIE

PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

PROCESS SPECIFICATION

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DEGREASING USING CHLORINATED

SOLVENTS IN VAPOUR PHASE

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 ©AIRBUS INDUSTRIE
PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

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PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

LIST OF EFFE CTIVE PAGES

SUBJECT PAGE DATE

RECORD OF REVISION 1 Feb 01/94

LIST OF EFFECTIVE PAGES 1 Feb 01/94

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Feb 01/94

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 ©AIRBUS IHDUSTRIE
PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SUBJECT PAGE

1. GENERAL 1

1 .1 Scope 1
1 .2 Liminations of use 1
1 .3 Health and safety statment 1

2. EQUIPMENT, MATERIALS, PERSONNEL 1

2 .1 Equipment 1
2 .2 Materials 2

3. PROCESS 2

3 .1 Preparation of parts 2
3 .2 Degreasing 3

4. QUALITY REQUIREMENTS 4

5. REFERENCED DOCUMENTS 4

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PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

1 . GENERAL

This Document shall not be used as a basis for manufacture and supply of
original and replacement parts to AIRBUS INDUSTRIE unless specifically
required in a contract or purchase agreement .

1 .1 Scope

The specfication defines the procedure for vapour degreasing with organic
solvents .

1 .2 Limitations of use

This procedure may be used for all ferrous and non-ferrous metals and is
applicable to components (detail parts or elementary sub assemblies)
whose configurations does not retain solvent and to components protected
by electro chemical plating, anodizing or chemical conversion .

This process could only be used for Titanium and Titanium alloys when
specifically requested by the relevant Design Authoritys .

Unless otherwise specified, this procedure is not to be used on parts

coated with paint, adhesive, sealing compound or mastic .

1 .3 Health and safety statement

This specification does not necessarily detail the precautions necessary

to meet the requirements of health and safety .

It is the responsability of the user of this specification to consult

and establish appropriate health and safety precautions and the method
should be operated only by trained personnel .

2. EQUIPMENT_, MATERIALS

2 .1 Equipment

2 .1 .1 All solvents shall be used in appropriate plants .

These degreasing units are generally composed of a stainless steel or

galvanized tank fitted with heating elements at the bottom to vaporize
the solvent, and with cooling coils in the sides for condensation .

2 .1 .2 The level of solvent in the tank should always be over the heating
elements, and the tank must be equipped with temperature control .

2 .1 .3 The equipment shall also be fitted with a pressurized cleaning system

with clean solvent consisting of a spraying gun with a nozzle of
sufficient length to operate at 20 cm below the vapour-free surface .

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PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

2 .2 Materials

The material to be used shall be one of the following :

Trichloroethylene colorless very fluid non-flammable liquid, boiling

point : 87° C .

Vapours are heavy (4 .5 times heavier than air) . Breaks down at high
temperature to produce hydrochloric acid and phosgene .

Perch loroethylene colorless very fluid non flammable liquid, boiling

point : 121 ° C .

Vapours are heavy (5 .3 times heavier than air) . More stable than
trichloroethylene but oxidizes slowly in cold or under the action of
light .

1 .1 .1 trichloroethane (methyl chloroform) colorless non-flammable liquid

with characteristic smell, boiling point : 74° C .

Vapours are heavy (4 .6 times heavier than air) .

At high temperature (T > 260 ° ) it breaks down to produce hydrochloric
acid and phosgene .
Recommended for cleaning oxygen systems and equipment .

Trichlorotrifluoroethane (1 .1 .2 trichloro 1 .2 .2 trifluoroethane) . Boiling

point : 55 ° C .

The actions of the light and the temperature under working, as well as
the impurities and metal chips inserted together with the parts during
the degreasing process, also tend to cause its decomposition .

Solvents must be stored in a cool, dark and dry environment .

In order to avoid the decomposition it is required to use corrective and

stabilizing agents, such as certain amines (triethyl or diisopropyl
amine) . The deposition of anhydric calcium carbonate on the bottom of
the degreasing tanks is a normal practice in order to neutralize the
hydrochloric acid produced by the decomposition of the solvent .

3. PROCESS

When starting up the degreasing unit, first switch on the cooling coils and
then the heating elements .

3 .1 Preparation of parts

Very dirty and greasy parts should first be cleaned using a clean cloth
and solvent . Parts to be placed in solvent vapour must be completely dry
and at room temperature .

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PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

3 .2 Degreasing

3 .2 .1 Level of boiling solvent should always be at least 40 mm above the

heating elements .

3 .2 .2 Put the parts on hangers so that a good circulation of the vapour is

assured around the parts, as well as the good draining of the condensed
solvent .

3 .2 .3 Slowly lower the parts into the tank .

3 .2 .4 Keep the parts in the vapour until solvent no larger condenses on them .

3 .2 .5 Slowly remove the parts, shaking lightly to help drainage .

3 .2 .6 Allow parts to cool for at least 30 seconds (time varies with size of
parts) .

3 .2 .7 Process the parts as many times as necessary .

NOTE : In the case of grease deposits difficult to remove, use a spray

gun (para . 2 .1 .3) and spray only inside the vapour zone around the
parts .

3 .2 .8 When work is finished, stop the heating and leave the cooling coils in
operation until no vapour remains in tank .

3 .2 .9 Solvent boiling temperature must be monitored as it increases due to the

accumulation of grease, also the pH values must be monitored .

3 .2 .9 .1 When the trichloroethylene boiling temperature reaches 91 ° C, the

perch loroethylene boiling temperature reaches 127°C or the 1 .1 .1
trichloroethane boiling temperature reaches 80°C all of them measured
at 760 mm Hg, the solvent of the boiling chamber will approximately
contain 30% of mineral oils and at this point it should be considered
as saturated, the solvent must then be replaced .

3 .2 .9 .2 When the pH of the solvents, reaches values lower than those

established below, they shall be rejected, the equipment must be
cleaned and all its solvent content be renewed .

Solvents pH values

- Trichloroethylene 6 .5

- Perchloroethylene 7 .0

- 1 .1 .1 Trichloroethane 4 .0

Nevertheless, the solvents in this condition may be corrected,

temporally by means of additions of stabilizing amines at the rate of
250 cm 3 of amine per 1000 liters of solvents, checking the pH again
after this operation .

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 ©AIRBUS INDUSTRIE
PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

4. QUALITY R EQUIREMENTS

Quality Assurance will determine the control periocity of the facilities

and equipment and confirm the compliance with the requirements established
by this specification, paying special attention to the following points .

4 .1 Acidity shall remain within limits defined in para . 3 .2 .9 .2

4 .2 Boiling point of solvents shall be lower than values defined in

para . 3 .2 .9 .1

4 .3 Level of solvent shall remain within limit defined in para . 3 .2 .1

5. REFERENC ED DOCUMENTS

N/A

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