The Best Rotating Cleaning Nozzles for Penetrating Your Most Difficult Soils

Selecting the proper cleaning nozzle for a specific application is crucial to industries with large equipment and tanks. In the food and beverage or chemical and petrochemical industries, persistent, difficult soiling is a common occurrence. With over 140 years of engineering experience, our cleaning nozzles maintain a reputation of excellence and are designed to penetrate difficult soils every time. Below, we provide a guide to finding the best rotating cleaning nozzles for taking care of your most persistent soils.

Selecting the Best Nozzle

Selecting the best nozzle for your application involves an ideal cohesion of four fundamental cleaning factors. Once you understand the principles, a balance of each will inform your nozzle decision. These factors include chemistry, time, temperature, and mechanical action.

Four Tank Cleaning Principles

Chemistry: choose the best solvent for your cleaning goals. Selecting the proper chemical – alkaline detergents, acidic cleaners, or disinfectants – is the first step. Using the proper amount during cleaning follows.

Time: maintaining consistency across the time it takes to clean a tank depends on a clear understanding of tank type, soil concentration, and cleaning method. A Clean in Place (CIP) system helps keep preparation and time consistent across every clean.

Temperature: you have selected the proper solvent and included the right amount for your application. Pay attention to the recommended temperatures chemical providers offer regarding their solvent. The wrong temperature can induce chemical reactions or simply prohibit full cleaning potential. Equipment cleaning nozzles have maximum temperatures – pay attention to this when considering proper cleaning equipment for your industry or application.

Mechanical Action: of course, mechanical action involves the chosen nozzle. Static sprays are entirely different from rotational sprays. The system reliable for reducing water, chemical, and time consumption all depends on mechanical action.

Impact, Flow Rate, and Pressure

Impact, flow rate, and pressure play equally important roles in selecting the best mechanical nozzle system for your application.

Impact: simply put, impact refers to the rate at which a solvent droplet strikes the wall of the tank. Nozzles are categorized as high or low impact, depending upon the rate at which their droplets strike.

Flow Rate: impact and flow rate are directly correlated – increased flow rate increases impact, as long as additional outside factors remain stagnant.

Pressure: operating pressure influences droplet size and impact of the solvent against the tank wall. At Lechler, we always recommend using the proper operating pressure for individual nozzles to work efficiently with our design.

As experts in the field, with a solid understanding of every tank cleaning characteristic and consideration, we hope to determine the best nozzle for penetrating difficult, challenging soils – guiding petrochemical, food and beverage, and paper industry leaders to an informed cleaning equipment decision.

Rotating Nozzles

While rotating nozzles generally require less liquid than static spray balls, not every rotating nozzle is created equal. At Lechler, we differentiate our rotating nozzles based on design, each suited for varying tank sizes and soil classifications. In the content below, we explore each rotating nozzle design, emphasizing the final and most powerful as an excellent solution for tanks with the extremely difficult soiling.

Free Spinning

Free spinning rotating nozzles are controlled by the pressure of the cleaning fluid. Your selected cleaning fluid turns the spray head via specially positioned nozzles. The nozzles are designed to provide rapid-repetition impact, loosening dirt and washing it off the tank surface. Free spinning nozzles operate at low pressures in small to medium-sized tanks and compact spaces. These nozzles are best utilized for light soiling jobs.

Controlled Rotation

Like free spinning nozzles, controlled rotation spray heads are driven by the selected cleaning fluid. The rotation is controlled, however, via a turbine wheel with an internal gear. Thus, even while operating at higher pressures, the nozzle will rotate at the proper speed and range. Droplets produced by controlled rotation nozzles are larger, striking the sides of the tank at higher speeds and higher impact. Controlled rotation nozzles are often used for more challenging soiling jobs in medium to larger tanks.

Gear Controlled

Persistent, difficult soils require unique measures. Gear-controlled, high impact tank cleaning nozzles are built with high-grade gear units, working with measurably controlled rotation. Gear controlled nozzle heads are extremely effective in challenging industries relying on powerful cleaning equipment to remove even the most stubborn soils. One such nozzle, powerful and reliable is our Series 5TM, often referred to as a high-impact tank cleaning machine.

High-Impact Tank Cleaning Machine: Series 5TM

For large tank cleaning applications, the Series 5TM rotating cleaning nozzle is an ideal instrument. The Series 5TM nozzle is noted for robust, proven construction, effective solid jets, and gear-controlled rotation. As previously discussed, gear-controlled rotating nozzles are effective for your most difficult soils. The unit operates on low pressures while consistently providing excellent cleaning. Below, we list Series 5TM specifications:

Max. tank diameter: nearly 50 feet, perfect for medium to large tanks

Materials: Stainless steel 316L, 304 SS, 302 SS, PTFE, and PEEK

Max. temperature: 203 degrees Fahrenheit

Recommended operating pressure: 75 psi

Installation: once installed properly, the Series 5TM can operate in every direction

Filtration: line strainer with a mesh size of 0.2 mm/80 Mesh

Bearing: ball bearing

Weight: 16.5 pounds

Sensor: the 5TM is compatible with the rotation monitoring sensor

At Lechler, we offer a special mounting attachment for long, horizontal tanks or tankers that require increased spray volume. The attachment allows the 5TM nozzle to double in volume at the bulk ends of the tank. Furthermore, for those with multiple tanks to clean, we provide a portable cart for easy, smooth transportation of the nozzle between tanks. For a quick overview of the product, with a live demonstration, you can view our operating mode video!

Lechler: Your Tank Cleaning Solution

At Lechler, we provide custom engineered spray solutions to a variety of industries with unique sanitation challenges. Each spray solution has been tested for excellence in our state of the art fabrication and refurbishment programs. We serve multiple markets, including food and beverage, chemical and petrochemical, steel and power generation, and paper.

Do not hesitate to reach out at (800) 777-2926 or via our online contact form!