Products Engineered to Reduce Climate Change Impact

As the impact of greenhouse gases on the global climate becomes more apparent, companies are seeking to reduce the carbon footprint of their operations. In anticipation of this, the Chemtronics R&D team has been hard at work developing new products with much lower Global Warming Potential (GWP), and all the performance advantages you come to expect from our products.

What Does Global Warming Have To Do With Cleaning Chemistries?

As explained by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):

“Greenhouse gases (GHGs) warm the Earth by absorbing energy and slowing the rate at which the energy escapes to space; they act like a blanket insulating the Earth. Different GHGs can have different effects on the Earth's warming. Two key ways in which these gases differ from each other are their ability to absorb energy (their ‘radiative efficiency’), and how long they stay in the atmosphere (also known as their ’lifetime’).”

GWP is a method of providing a relative comparison between various gases. It measures how much energy 1 ton of gas will absorb over 100 years compared to carbon dioxide (CO₂). So CO₂ is the baseline, so has a GWP of 1. If a chemical’s emissions has double the global warming impact of CO₂, it would have a rating of 2.

Source: EPA, Understanding Global Warming Potentials, https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/understanding-global-warming-potentials

To put this into perspective, 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane (CAS #811-97-2), commonly called HFC-134a, has a GWP of 1,300, so 1,300 times the global warming potential of CO₂. HFC-134a is often used as a propellant for aerosol products because it is nonflammable, so safer than some of the other alternatives when there is potential for sparks or flames, like if used on live circuitry.

1,1-Difluoroethane (CAS #75-37-6), also called HFC-152a, is another common aerosol propellant, and has a much lower GWP of 140. At almost 1/10^th the GWP of HFC-134a, it has been one option a company could use to reduce their negative environmental impact. One disadvantages of HFC-152, however, has been its flammability, making it a riskier choice, especially around hot surfaces, flames, and energized circuits.

HFO-1234ze (trans- 1,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene, CAS #29118-24-9) has been introduced as a more environmentally friendly alternative because it has a very low GWP of less than 1, so below the global warming impact of CO₂. This is far below HFC-134a and HFC-152a, and still has the advantage of being nonflammable* and VOC-free.

So why aren’t we all using HFO-1234ze in dusters and other aerosol products? Because it is newer technology that has not been widely adopted by larger volume applications like air conditioning, it is relatively expensive compared to the other alternatives. As usage increases, and regulations force the issue, prices are expected to decrease.

Chemtronics has developed several lower GWP cleaners and chemical products…

Aerosol Duster

Chemtronics offers Typhoon Blast 70 Duster, which contains HFO-1234ze. HFO-1234ze is nonflammable* and has a very low GWP of less than 1, so below the global warming impact of CO₂. This is far below HFC-134a and HFC-152a, and still has the advantage of being nonflammable* and VOC-free.

Chemtronics aerosol dusters (commonly called "canned air") are made of highly filtered, oil and moisture free propellant developed for applications where safe, ultra-pure cleaning is required. Compact and portable, Chemtronics dusters deliver powerful jet action to instantly remove particles from even the most inaccessible areas. Typhoon Blast 70 Duster economize solvent usage by removing layers of dry particulate allowing the solvent to work immediately on encrusted soils. They also accelerate surface drying when using slow evaporating cleaners to remove damaging oil and residue.

https://www.chemtronics.com/typhoon-blast-70-duster

Freeze Spray

Chemtronics’ Arctic Freeze Spray product line all contain HFO-1234ze, which is nonflammable* and has a very low GWP of less than 1. This is far below the most common freeze spray refrigerant, HFC-134a, and still has the advantage of being nonflammable* and VOC-free.

Arctic Blast and Arctic Blast Antistat Freeze Spray products offer pinpoint application precision and cool components down to -49 °F/-45 °C. Arctic Blast Antistat has the added advantage of an antistatic formulation that is ideal for use on static sensitive components.

Arctic Storm has the same environmentally friendly advantages of Arctic Blast Freeze Spray, but with a trigger sprayer designed to cool larger areas at one time.

Chemtronics line of freeze spray is exceptionally pure, nonflammable, and provides instantaneous freezing action while leaving no residue. Conveniently packaged and designed for either pinpoint or full board application, these non-reactive circuit refrigerants evaporate instantly while cooling targeted areas.

Degreasers and Precision Cleaners

Electro-Wash® Delta Cleaner Degreaser is an extra strength,  electronics cleaner and degreaser. This high pressure aerosol cleaning agent quickly removes all contaminants – evaporating quickly without leaving residue.

https://www.chemtronics.com/electro-wash-delta-2

Electro-Wash QD Precision Cleaner is a plastic safe, nonflammable cleaner formulated for cleaning electronic components and assemblies, and minimizing production downtime. It contains no chlorinated compounds. This precision cleaner is fast drying and has good solvency for oil, handling soils, dirt, and light residues. QD is available with the all-Way Spray Valve, to spray in any direction, and with a BrushClean attachment for extra cleaning action. Electro-Wash® Delta Cleaner Degreaser is an extra strength, nonflammable electronics cleaner and degreaser. This high pressure aerosol cleaning agent quickly removes all contaminants – evaporating quickly without leaving residue.

https://www.chemtronics.com/electro-wash-qd-2

Flux Removers

Flux-Off® Delta™ Flux Remover is an extra strength nonflammable solvent that removes heavy and encrusted flux deposits. Penetrates residues quickly to remove all types of flux, production contaminants, dust, and oil, then evaporates quickly leaving no residues.

Flux-Off® Delta Flux Remover has been engineered with Delta chemistry - new powerful  precision cleaning solutions that are ideal replacements for AK225 and other chemicals. New environmental restrictions have forced facilities to search for and evaluate new cleaning products. It is also available with The BrushClean™ System, which provides the gentle scrubbing action of a brush combined with high performance flux remover.

https://www.chemtronics.com/flux-off-delta-2

Flux-Off® Aqueous is an extra-strength water based cleaner for flux removal in ultrasonic cleaning as well as batch and in-line cleaning systems. It is an excellent cleaner for the removal of all rosin and no clean flux types from electronic sub-assemblies, printed circuit boards and all other electronic components. This concentrated formula can be diluted 1:10 with deionized water for handling all cleaning applications. Flux-Off® Aqueous will effectively remove other contaminants such as dirt, grease, handling soils and molding compounds.

https://www.chemtronics.com/flux-off-aqueous

Contact Cleaners

Pow-R-Wash™ Delta electronics contact cleaner is a highly effective solvent cleaner for electrical and electronic components and assemblies. Nonflammable, and compatible with most metals and plastics found in electronic assemblies, it is safe on energized equipment, fast drying and has excellent solvency for oil, grease, dirt.

Contact cleaners restore electrical continuity to all electronic and electrical contacts by penetrating and removing insulating oil & grease, conductive carbon soil, and isolative oxides from contact surfaces. By restoring full circuit continuity, Chemtronics contact cleaners improve the performance of electronic equipment that relies on electrical contacts.

https://www.chemtronics.com/pow-r-wash-delta-2

Our technical assistance staff will be happy to discuss the products with you and answer any of our concerns or technical questions. For samples or technical help, email to [email protected] or call 770-424-4888.

* under ambient conditions