Ultrasonic Cleaner Degas: Why it's Important

Getting the best results from your ultrasonic cleaner requires more than turning it on and immersing parts in the cleaning solution.  Whether using a fresh cleaning solution or one that has been idle for a period of time, an ultrasonic cleaner degassing procedure yields improved cleaning results.  Here we explain why and how the degas procedure is important.   

What is Ultrasonic Cleaner Degassing?

In a sentence, it is getting the air (a gas) out of your ultrasonic cleaning solution.

And why is that important?

Let's start with a simple illustration. In the morning, the glass of water you placed on your night stand the night before (but did not drink) has bubbles adhering to the glass. That demonstrates that water, a liquid, contains air.

The same applies to ultrasonic cleaning solution formulations, especially but not exclusively those you dilute with water. Examples include cleaning solution chemicals.

Air can also be introduced as bubbles clinging to objects immersed in the ultrasonic bath.  Examples of those object may include parts spray washed to remove loose contaminants before being lowered into your ultrasonic cleaner.

Degassing Ultrasonic Cleaning Solutions: Why Get the Air Out?

An article in Science Direct noted that a "study proved that degassing process can improve the cavitation effect dramatically both in intensity and scope."

Stated otherwise, air and other gases contained in a freshly filled ultrasonic cleaning bath (or one remaining idle for a period of time) interfere with the performance and efficiency of your ultrasonic cleaner.

As explained in our post how ultrasonic cleaners work, ultrasonic cleaning is accomplished by the energy released from the violent and rapid formation and implosion of microscopic vacuum bubbles. The process is called ultrasonic cavitation.

These mighty bubbles blast loose and carry away the contaminants attached to the products you are cleaning.

So???

Bubbles and dissolved air in the cleaning liquid absorb ultrasonic energy and inhibit the implosion of these cavitation bubbles. This significantly reduces cleaning efficiency with its attendant impact on cleaning line throughput. And the impact on efficiency increases with the size of an ultrasonic cleaning tank.

Ultrasonic Cleaner Degas: How to Get the Air Out.

There are options on degassing an ultrasonic cleaning solution.

If you have an inexpensive benchtop ultrasonic cleaner used on an occasional basis, an ultrasonic cleaner degas can be accomplished relatively easily. Simply prepare your cleaning solution in your ultrasonic cleaner tank following dilution instructions. Turn on your unit and operate it for about 20 minutes without a load.

A more practical and energy-efficient solution is to use an ultrasonic cleaner equipped with a degas mode and carry out the process in advance of the cleaning operations.

A degas mode accelerates the removal of air contained in cleaning solutions by introducing short breaks in the ultrasonic operating cycle. This allows coalesced gas bubbles to rise to the surface and burst.

For units that do not have a degas mode, choose a high intensity mode such as dynamic mode to accomplish degassing.

Equipment Examples Performing Ultrasonic Cleaner Degas

As suggested above, some low cost ultrasonic cleaners, perhaps used by hobbyists, may be operated by a simple on-off switch.

But where ultrasonic cleaning, or using ultrasonic energy for operations such as mixing and sample prep in the lab, units offering a degas function plus a dynamic or pulse mode should be considered.

Ultrasonic cleaners such as the benchtop Elmasonic P series and Elmasonic Select series offer a degas mode as well as pulse and/or dynamic mode.

The cylindrical Elmasonic Easy 50R is the ideal choice to rapidly degas large sample vessels or solvent flasks. The 9.4-inch diameter tank can accommodate up to 5-liter flasks supported with the optional integrated rod with flask clamp.

Check our ultrasonic cleaners page for further details on these and other benchtop and industrial ultrasonic cleaners.

Degassing Summary

Degassing a fresh ultrasonic cleaning solution before initiating a cleaning cycle will greatly improve the efficiency of your operations.

It can be accomplished two ways: Operating your unit without a load for a period of time, the length of which depends on the volume of your cleaning tank.

And this easily avoided loss to productive cleaning time is repeated each time you replace spent ultrasonic cleaning solution.

A faster and more efficient method is using an ultrasonic cleaner equipped with a degas mode.

Contact the scientists at Tovatech for expert advice on selecting the best ultrasonic cleaner for your requirements . Rely on them also for tips on selecting the right cleaning solution chemicals to get the best performance from your equipment.