Batch pickling or a pickle line also awards the flexibility to handle different forms and sizes of product, degrees of scaling and metallurgy, by adjusting the pickling time and or conditions - alternative systems can NOT offer this.

CLEVELAND METAL CLEANING'S method or technique for BATCH PICKLING of steel sheets and plate is as follows;

Sheets or plates are loaded individually by hand onto custom, fabricated steel racks and may be loaded up to ten thousand (5 TON) pounds per rack. The sheets must be separated with copper "pins" in order to allow the acid solution to completely surround and cover the steel sheets. When the rack is sufficiently loaded, it is the moved by overhead crane to the pickling tank and lowered into the bath.

Unlike most pickle lines which use Hydrochloric Acid, we utilize Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4) 66 degrees strength in an 8,000 gallon tank, heated to between 150 to 180 degrees. The pickle bath is maintained to between 12% to 15% acid. One benefit of batch pickling is that we may raise the loaded rack in order to make an actual visual inspection and determine the complete removal of both scale and rust. (After nine years of intense experience, I have gained an accurate ability of predicting when the steel may or should be completely pickled.)

We do utilize acid additives to achieve maximum quality and success. WIM 2X is a balanced formulation of inhibitors, foaming agents, and surface conditioning chemicals, or depolarizers. The depolarizing feature is a chemical compound that provides accelerated rates of scale removal, while the inhibitor protects the steel from overpickling. We add WIM 2X when we visually observe an overactive reaction between the steel and the acid. The other additive we use is WIM 67. It is a clear liquid additive used as an accelerator for pickling solutions. The WIM 67 acts to give the steel as white of a finish as is possible.

Once the steel is determined to be pickled, we raise the rack, allow it to partially drain excess acid, and move it into a heated rinse tank. Here the acid and any loose scale may "fall" free from the steel into the tank. We maintain the rinse tank to at least 150 degrees and are able to raise the temperature as high as 180 degrees for DRY pickling. The rinse water must be neutralized with both sodium hydroxide beads and or a 50% liquid caustic soda (sodium hydroxide solution). An AP additive (Chem Quip) is added to the tank as a rinse aid and prevents redeposition of damaging salts and reduces or eliminates rinse or pickle stain that may form as the steel is transported between the acid and rinse tanks. Because batch pickling is NOT a closed system, as are most pickle lines, the task of reducing stain is always a challenge we must meet. (The stain is purely cosmetic in nature and should have no negative effect on the steel's final application. The fact is often difficult to convince both our customer as well as their customers.)

The pickled and rinsed steel is finally moved into a heated oil and water tank where an oil, rust prevention coat is applied. The "oil" tank is heated to between 150 and 180 degrees and is maintained to between 20 and 30% water and oil solution. We use both Truck World T/W Soluble Oil B and Thermisol AQ Blucoat. Each oil acts as a general purpose, water-emulsifiable machining fluid with anti-rust properties suitable for both dip tank and pressure washer applications. The advantage of both oils are that they both emulsify readily in most waters and form stable solutions which provides excellent in-process protection for ferrous alloys. they are blended with a combination of extreme pressure agents to produce immediate and controlled response as heat, pressure and abrasion levels raise at the metalworking interface. They also provide improved, highly uniform micro-finish. Chip welding is prevented while diamond dressing tool life is maximized.

As in the pickling process, we do a visual inspection of the oiled steel in order to determine the degree and complete coating of the finished sheets. We acknowledge all of our customer's individual oiling requirements and DO attempt to meet all of their needs, but accept that 100% satisfaction is something that may never be met. Because we rely on constant changing in heat and percentages of oil, combined with GRAVITY, the oiling process is NOT a constant, predictable process. We must always observe and be prepared to alter the oiling process in order to achieve the consistent and optimum results.

When the three pickling steps are completed, the finished rack is moved to the unloading station where each sheet is individually unloaded and inspected as they are dropped into a "new" bundle. We maintain the full capacity to return the finished sheets or plate into any weight or piece requirement of the individual customer, as well as most packaging and loading or unloading requirements. (We require some wood or supply from a customer when special packing is needed.

We may also offer PICKLE DRY to any customer upon request - NO OIL COAT IS APPLIED. This process is priced exactly the same as oiling - we must still provide the identical amount of labor in order to process the steel as we do if we had oiled - thus no price change.