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Dr. Goodarz Ahmadi
Director, TMFL
Clarkson U.
Potsdam, NY 13699
315-268-2322
ahmadi@clarkson.edu


 Research Projects
Aerosol Wind Tunnel | Boiler | Charged Fibers | Charged Particles | CMP | CO2 Sequestration | Coal Ash Deposition | CRCD | Cryogenic Surface Cleaning | DNS | Fractured Rocks | Gas Hydrates | Glass Furnaces | Hot Gas Filtration | Indoor Air | Lung | Nano Aerosols | Outdoor Air | Particle Resuspension | Powder Dispersion | Bauxite Residue | Sediment Transport | Slurry Reactors | Sprays | Supersonic Impactors | Vibration Control | Reduced Order Modeling |

Cryogenic Surface Cleaning

With the numerous problems associated with the wet cleaning (such as ineffectiveness for submicron particles, environmental disposal regulation and etc.), the use of cryogenic aerosols has attracted considerable attention. The use of CO2 dry ice and cryogenic argon aerosols surface cleaning procedure was described in the references. In this approach a high speed jet of gas (CO2 or nitrogen) which contains cryogenic solid aerosols (CO2 snow flakes or solid argon) is directed toward the surfaces which are to be cleaned or decontaminated. The argon and the CO2 aerosols offer several advantages. In addition to being non-toxic, non-pollutant and nonflammable, they are relatively inexpensive and simple to use. While the dry ice blasting has been used in several areas (e.g., cleaning lenses and mirrors), its use in the microelectronic industries has been limited. The cryogenic argon aerosol in nitrogen gas seems to be more effective, since it is possible to produce ultra-pure argon. While most authors believes that the impact of solid CO2 or argon pellets on the particles causes them to be removed, the exact mechanisms is not known. For example, the rapid evaporation of CO2 snow flakes or argon aerosols when they reach the surface may contribute significantly to particle detachment.

We are working on an accurate model for predicting particle detachment rate (in the size range of 0.01 to 10 microns) under an argon or CO2 snow flake jet. The mechanisms of argon/CO2 pellets impact and/or rapid evaporation removal will be carefully analyzed and the effectiveness of oscillating cryogenic jets for detaching deposited particle will be studied. Numerical simulation and experimental techniques will be used for this purpose. A laboratory-scale cryogenic argon/CO2 oscillating jet experimental cleaning device is also being used to test the critical cleaning performance.

Funded by NANO-CLEAN

Questions or Comments should be addressed to the Lab Director, Dr. Goodarz Ahmadi

Dr. Goodarz Ahmadi | Turbulence & Multiphase Fluid Flow Laboratory | Department of Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering
Copyright © 2000-2006 Dr. Goodarz Ahmadi. All rights reserved.
Potsdam, New York, 13699
ahmadi@clarkson.edu