Hydro blasting, also written hydroblasting, is industrial cleaning with pump-driven water at thousands of psi, commonly from 5,000 up to 40,000 psi, that cuts scale, coke, polymer, old coatings and hardened product off tube bundles, tanks, pipes and steel surfaces, and Paul Industries performs it nationwide along with the mechanical work on both sides of the clean. Most buyers arrive with a fouled bundle, a tank due for inspection or a coating that has to come off inside a fixed outage. The sections below cover pressure, equipment, permits, waste water, scheduling and cost, so a maintenance planner can scope the job with real numbers. Choosing among exchanger methods as a whole is covered on our heat exchanger repair page; this page goes deep on the water itself.
What is hydroblasting?
Hydroblasting is the removal of deposits or coatings by the impact of a high-velocity water jet, with no abrasive in the stream and usually no chemical added. A positive-displacement pump raises the pressure, a rated hose carries the water to a gun or lance, and a small orifice converts that pressure into speed. The orifice can hold the flow in a tight water beam that cuts a narrow path through hard scale, or spread it into a fan that sweeps softer material off a wide area.
Plant people use several names for the same physics: water blasting, hydroblast, high-pressure water cleaning and waterjetting. Coating standards say waterjetting, sewer contractors say hydro jetting, and turnaround crews say hydroblast. The name matters less than the numbers on the work order: pressure, flow, tool, target and cleanliness criteria.
Speed is what does the work. From Bernoulli’s equation, the theoretical velocity of water leaving a nozzle is about 1,200 feet per second at 10,000 psi, 1,700 at 20,000 psi and 2,400 at 40,000 psi, before losses. Those are calculated ideal values, useful for showing why a pinhole jet can cut material that an ordinary washer only rinses.
How hydro blasting works: pressure, flow and reaction force
Hydro blasting works by trading pressure for velocity at the nozzle, so pressure sets how hard the jet strikes while flow sets how much area it covers and how well it carries debris away. Brittle scale often responds to pressure, while soft, thick sludge responds better to volume. Published safety guidance puts the rule simply: run the minimum pressure that removes the material without harming the substrate.
| Band (coating industry usage) | Pressure | Typical plant use |
|---|---|---|
| Low-pressure water cleaning, also called pressure washing | Below 5,000 psi | Rinsing, loose dirt, wash-down after other methods |
| High-pressure water cleaning | 5,000 to 10,000 psi | Heavier soils, loose paint and rust, soft deposits |
| High-pressure waterjetting | 10,000 to 30,000 psi | Hard process deposits, tube lancing, coating removal |
| Ultra-high-pressure waterjetting (UHP) | Above 30,000 psi | Tough coatings, tightly adhered scale, low-flow precise cutting |
Definitions vary between sources, so a contract should state a number instead of relying on the words “high pressure.” Two calculations are worth doing before the unit arrives. Pump power follows a standard manufacturer formula, brake horsepower equals gpm times psi divided by 1,715, so 10 gpm at 20,000 psi needs about 117 BHP before drive losses. Reaction force grows with flow and with the square root of pressure, and published tables put theoretical thrust near 75 pounds-force at those same conditions. Holding that load by hand tires an operator quickly, which is why flow, tool and operator rotation have to be decided together.
Hydro blasting vs pressure washing, hydro jetting and sandblasting
Hydro blasting differs from its neighbors by pressure, by what is in the stream and by the surface it leaves, and those three facts usually settle the choice of method. The table compares the options a planner will weigh.
| Method | What hits the surface | Strength | Plan for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydro blasting | Water only, up to 40,000 psi | Removes hard deposits and coatings with no spent grit or dust | Leaves any existing profile as found; contaminated water to collect |
| Pressure washing | Water, below 5,000 psi; home units near 1,500 psi | Fast rinse for loose soil | Little effect on adherent scale |
| Hydro jetting (drain and sewer) | Water at high flow; one published equipment list shows 2,500 psi at 60 to 85 gpm | Clears soft blockages along a long run | Pipe condition and access points |
| Sandblasting (dry abrasive) | Grit in compressed air | Cuts a new anchor profile on steel | Dust control, spent media, protecting nearby running equipment |
| Wet abrasive blasting | Water, air and abrasive | Profile similar to dry blasting with dust held down | Rinse, flash rust control, wet grit disposal |
| Chemical circulation | Dissolving solution | Reaches surfaces a lance cannot see, with no bundle pull | Piping connections, metallurgy, spent solution |
Is hydro blasting better than sandblasting? The answer turns on the coating specification. Water will expose an existing profile and flush away water-soluble contaminants, but AMPP is explicit that it will not create an anchor pattern, so a spec that calls for new profile on bare steel needs an abrasive step. Hydroblasting vs sandblasting is therefore often a sequence: blast once to establish the profile on new steel, then use water on later maintenance recoats where the profile survives.
Industrial hydroblasting applications
Industrial hydroblasting serves any plant equipment where a deposit is too hard to flush and the part can tolerate the jet, which takes in exchangers, vessels, process lines, structures and some concrete. The tool changes more than the principle.
Heat exchanger tube bundles
Tube bundles are cleaned on the inside by lancing each tube and on the outside by jetting across the tube rows, usually on a contained wash pad. A 2024 peer-reviewed conference paper notes that the tube side of some exchangers can be cleaned in place, while shell-side work requires pulling the bundle. The same paper reports results from 65 to 95 percent of clean performance, depending on the foulant, shell-side access, U-bends, time spent and pressure. Square-pitch layouts and removable bundles help; our shell and tube heat exchanger guide explains the construction. Gasketed plate packs are a gentler job, opened and washed plate by plate, as described on our plate heat exchanger page.
Tanks, vessels and reactors
Vessel work combines rotating tank heads, lowered from a nozzle with no one inside, and hand-held tools for what the head leaves behind. Automated heads shrink the time anyone spends in a permit space, so they belong in the plan first. Our industrial tank cleaning page covers the wider job of emptying, ventilating and cleaning, and clean surfaces then allow a real inspection of process tanks and pressure vessels, including welds and linings.
Process pipe and sewers
Pipe cleaning uses self-propelled rotating heads on flexible hose, with rear-facing jets that pull the tool forward and carry debris back to an opening. Clearance around the hose and nozzle matters, because water and debris need a path out. A line with no return path has to be opened at a second point before anyone pressurizes it.
Steel and concrete surfaces
Coating removal on tanks, structural steel and platforms is specified by cleanliness grade. The joint NACE and SSPC waterjet standards run from WJ-1 (bare substrate) through WJ-2 (very thorough) and WJ-3 (thorough) to WJ-4 (light). Concrete removal by water is called hydrodemolition; Iowa DOT specifications, for example, call for 13,000 to 20,000 psi with daily calibration so that sound concrete is not over-removed, and ACI’s repair guidance notes the process does not induce the microcracking that impact tools can leave.
Hydroblasting equipment: machines, guns, lances and nozzles
Hydroblasting equipment is a pressure chain made up of the pump unit, filtration, hoses, control valves, the tool and the nozzle, and the whole chain is only as safe as its lowest-rated part. Hose assemblies alone are sold for working pressures from 5,000 to 55,000 psi, so every item has to be checked for size, thread and pressure rating against the pump setting.
Hydro blasting machine: the pump unit
A hydro blasting machine is a diesel or electric plunger pump on a skid or trailer, with a water supply, a filter set and a pressure relief. Water blasting machines are often convertible: one pump frame can take different fluid ends and plungers to run high flow at low pressure or low flow at high pressure. Manufacturer data shows how sharply the trade-off runs, with one 200 hp pump delivering 7.6 gpm at 40,000 psi and larger frames reaching hundreds of gpm at far lower pressure.
For a hydroblasting machine, 40,000 psi suits coating removal and tightly adhered scale, yet the low flow at that pressure moves debris slowly, so thick sludge gets a higher-flow setup first. Clean, filtered feed water protects plungers, valves and small orifices, because grit that passes the filter ends up scoring pump parts or blocking a nozzle. Before picking a water blasting machine, write down the deposit, the tool, the number of operators running at once and the outage hours available.
Hydro blasting gun and shotgun lance
A hydro blasting gun, often called a shotgun, is a hand-held tool with a trigger that dumps pressure when released, used for open surfaces and external bundle work. Recoil tires the operator, which is why operators rotate on a set schedule. One major oil company’s start-work checklist calls for a 48-inch shotgun with a dual or interlocked trigger and a trigger guard.
Hydroblasting lance: rigid and flexible
A hydroblasting lance is the tube or hose that puts the nozzle inside a tube, pipe or vessel, and the choice between rigid and flexible governs both power and risk. Rigid lances deliver more forward jet power; flexible lances follow bends and go where a rigid lance cannot. A flexible hose can turn back toward the operator during insertion, so a rigid stinger at least as long as the tube diameter sits behind the nozzle, and an anti-withdrawal device stops the hose from leaving the tube under pressure. Automated lancing machines move this work away from people, and one contractor reports camera-guided units cleaning two tubes at once while the operator stays outside the space.
Hydro blasting nozzles
Hydro blasting nozzles decide what all the pump power actually does, since orifice size sets flow at a given pressure and jet pattern sets how that flow lands.
| Nozzle or head | Pattern | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Zero-degree, carbide or sapphire orifice | Straight, coherent jet | Cutting hard scale, plugged tubes, UHP work |
| Fan, such as 15 degrees | Flat spray | Sweeping surfaces, loose coatings, bundle exteriors |
| Forward and rear jet tube tip | Forward cut plus rearward flush | Tube lancing, moving debris out of the bore |
| Rotating head | Spinning jets | Even coverage on pipe walls and larger tubes |
| Three-dimensional tank head | Indexed coverage of the whole shell | Vessels and tanks, cleaned with no entry |
Water blasting media: when water alone falls short
Water blasting media means anything added to the water stream, usually a non-metallic abrasive such as garnet or slag, and it is added when the job needs a surface profile or a harder cut than water delivers. Wet abrasive systems feed the abrasive into pumped water or add water to an air-and-grit stream. Expect a rinse afterward to remove leftover abrasive, plus a plan for collecting wet grit.
Water bead blasting carries rounded glass beads in water and is a finishing process for parts: it cleans and lightly peens with little material removal, but the beads are too soft for thick rust or stubborn coatings. In a plant it fits valve bodies, machined components and stainless parts on a bench, and heavy fouling stays with the jet.
Hydroblasting procedure, step by step
A hydroblasting procedure moves through permitting, isolation, setup, a function test, the clean, verification and closeout, and the order matters because most of the serious risks are settled before the trigger is pulled. The sequence below is a working checklist for planning the job.
| Step | What happens | Proof before moving on |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Identify the deposit | Sample, safety data for what the equipment held, metallurgy check | Hazard review and PPE list |
| 2. Isolate | Lockout, blinds, drain and depressure, permit-space evaluation | Signed permits |
| 3. Set the zone | Barricades, signs, deflector plates, electrical items de-energized and shielded | Exclusion zone walked |
| 4. Rig the pressure chain | Ratings matched, hoses inspected, whip checks sized to each connection | Rating check recorded |
| 5. Function test | Emergency stop, dump valve and depressurizing tested before full pressure | Operator confirms dump control |
| 6. Clean | Minimum effective pressure, set rotation, debris collected | Tube count or area log |
| 7. Verify | Borescope, drift gauge, visual standard or tube inspection | Result against the written criteria |
| 8. Close out | Waste profiled and manifested, gaskets and bolting, pressure test where required | Turnover record |
Hydroblasting injuries and accidents: the hazard in plain terms
Hydroblasting injuries are dangerous because a jet can pierce skin through a tiny entry wound with no exit, driving water, debris and bacteria deep into tissue while the surface looks like a small cut. The Water Jetting Association’s published guidelines say to treat these as contaminated wounds and surgical emergencies, with a period of observation, even when the wound looks minor. Many of its members carry a medical card that tells emergency staff what they are dealing with, and physicians need to know what was in the water. Injection is possible far below blasting pressures; the same guidance mentions about 40 bar, or 580 psi, for hydraulic fluid.
Hydroblasting accidents tend to share a few causes: the wrong person holding the dump, a hose failure at a fitting, a lance backing out of a tube, or someone wandering into the zone. One trade article singles out the first one, reporting that many injuries and most fatalities occurred when the worker nearest the nozzle did not control the dump valve. Published controls include a dead-man trigger or foot valve, a rated shroud over fittings and hoses, and a mark near the nozzle end of the lance so the operator knows when to stop. The same oil company’s rigid-lance check calls for a lance at least 6 feet long, marked 2 feet from the nozzle.
OSHA regulations for hydroblasting
OSHA regulations for hydroblasting come from general-industry standards and the General Duty Clause, since trade reporting describes no standard dedicated to waterjetting, and the WaterJet Technology Association’s manual, Industry Best Practices for the Use of High Pressure Waterjetting Equipment, supplies the operating detail. Manufacturers refer users to that manual, and WJTA also publishes a pocket-sized Orange Book for hydroblasters in the field. State-plan states can add their own rules.
| Rule | What it governs on a hydroblast job |
|---|---|
| OSH Act Section 5(a)(1), General Duty Clause | Protecting workers from recognized hazards, including those industry guidance describes |
| 29 CFR 1910.132 and 1910.133 | PPE hazard assessment, eye and face protection |
| 29 CFR 1910.95 | Occupational noise exposure and hearing conservation |
| 29 CFR 1910.146 | Permit-required confined spaces, such as vessels and tanks |
| 29 CFR 1910.147 | Lockout and tagout of the equipment being cleaned |
| 29 CFR 1910.244(b) | Manually held operating valve on abrasive blast cleaning nozzles, relevant where grit is in use |
Waste water and residue from hydro blasting
Waste water from hydro blasting carries whatever the equipment contained, so collection and characterization are planned before the job and not after the sump fills. A 20 gpm unit puts out 1,200 gallons an hour, which adds up quickly on a multi-shift clean. The water is generally collected on a curbed pad or in a sump, the solids settled, the oil skimmed and the water sent to an approved outlet under the plant’s permit, and Paul handles that work along with the blasting; an oil water separator is often part of that train.
Residue can be regulated in its own right. EPA lists heat exchanger bundle cleaning sludge from the petroleum refining industry as hazardous waste K050 under 40 CFR 261.32, and solids from other services need a waste determination based on what the process held. Keeping the sampling results, manifest details and final volumes with the job file saves work at the next audit.
Scheduling hydroblasting services in a shutdown
Hydroblasting services fit a shutdown best when the bundle list, pull sequence, wash pad capacity and inspection dates are fixed weeks ahead, because a late bundle stalls every trade waiting behind it. Tube inspection is the usual pacing item, since eddy current and IRIS need a minimum tube cleanliness to give reliable readings. The 2024 paper’s authors, who sell ultrasonic cleaning, report that 20 to 50 percent of pad-cleaned bundles missed inspection targets on the first attempt, so build a re-clean allowance into the schedule and write the acceptance criteria down early.
Prefabricating blinds, gaskets and bolting lets the crew reassemble as soon as a bundle clears. Our shutdown and turnaround services page explains how this work sits inside the wider outage. Utility cleans such as condensers, jacket water sections and cooling tower cleaning can often share the same setup, so the same isolations pay for more than one clean.
How much does hydro blasting cost?
Hydro blasting cost is set by crew and pump hours, tool choice, access, waste handling and the outage window, and it is normally priced by the hour, by the shift or per bundle against a defined scope. Reliable public dollar figures for industrial work are scarce, so a meaningful number comes from a scoped quote.
| Cost driver | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|
| Deposit hardness and thickness | Sets pressure, flow, passes and hours per tube |
| Tube count, length, U-bends and pitch | Decides lance type, setup and how much surface can be reached |
| Bundle pull and transport | Adds rigging, gaskets, bolting and pad time |
| Permit space entry | Adds attendants, air monitoring and rescue planning |
| Waste water and sludge | Hazardous residue can outweigh the cleaning itself |
| Shift pattern | Round-the-clock outages add crew rotations and standby |
| Inspection criteria | A stricter tube standard means more passes and possible re-cleans |
Compared with chemical cleaning, the 2024 fouling paper states that a high-end circulation can total two to three times a single hydroblast, though it may clean two or three exchangers at once, which brings the per-exchanger costs close together.
What to ask a hydro blasting company before the job
A hydro blasting company should be able to answer in writing how it will control the jet, the deposit, the waste and the schedule, and those answers separate hydroblasting companies far better than a day rate does.
- Which pressure, flow and tool are proposed for each item, and why?
- Who holds the dump at each position, and how are hydroblasters rotated?
- Which tasks can be automated so that nobody stands near the nozzle?
- What is the written acceptance criterion, and who signs it?
- Where does the water go, and who characterizes the residue?
- Can the same crew handle the bundle pull, gaskets, bolting and pressure test?
The last question matters more than it seems. Hydro blasting companies that only clean leave the plant managing the seam between trades, while a single contractor owns the bundle from isolation to turnover.
Hydroblasting problems and what usually causes them
Hydroblasting problems usually trace back to a mismatch between tool and deposit, or to pressure lost somewhere between the pump and the nozzle, and most can be diagnosed from the pump gauge and the first few tubes.
| Symptom | Likely cause | First response |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure at the pump is low | Worn or oversized nozzle, worn plungers or valves, starved inlet | Inspect the nozzle, then check feed water and the fluid end |
| Pressure is high and flow has fallen | Plugged orifice or clogged high-pressure filter | Depressurize, clear the orifice, change the filter element |
| Lance stalls in the tube | Plug is too hard, or the jet is too narrow | Change the tip pattern or switch from flexible to rigid |
| Tubes pass visually but fail inspection | Film left on the wall, no sizing pass | Add a rotating or scraping pass and retest |
| Thermal duty stays low after cleaning | Shell-side fouling not reached, U-bends uncleaned | Review layout, consider chemical or combined cleaning |
| Coating lifts unevenly | Standoff, traverse speed or pressure off | Run a test patch against the visual standard |
Who performs hydro blasting services in industrial plants?
Paul Industries performs hydro blasting services for pharmaceutical, biotech, food and beverage, dairy, data center, oil and gas and general industrial plants in all 50 states, with same-day emergency response through our emergency repair service. Planned cleans can run on a preventive maintenance interval or under one of our service contracts. Plants that clean bundles repeatedly can also take a permanent wash pad with curbing, a sump, separation and utility tie-ins, offered supply-only, design-build or as a complete installation.
What Paul Industries does around the jet
Paul Industries isolates the equipment, pulls and transports bundles, opens vessels, runs the pump and tooling, cleans tubes, shells, tanks, pipe and steel, collects and handles the water and residue, inspects the result, repairs what the clean exposes, reassembles, tests and returns the unit to service. That full scope is part of our industrial maintenance services and our work as an industrial mechanical contractor, so one team answers for the whole job. Send the equipment list, what it has been running and your outage dates, and request a quote for the work.
Standards referenced: WJTA Industry Best Practices for the Use of High Pressure Waterjetting Equipment · NACE WJ-1/SSPC-SP WJ-1 · NACE WJ-2/SSPC-SP WJ-2 · NACE WJ-3/SSPC-SP WJ-3 · NACE WJ-4/SSPC-SP WJ-4 · ASTM D5367 · OSHA 29 CFR 1910.132 · OSHA 29 CFR 1910.133 · OSHA 29 CFR 1910.95 · OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146 · OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147 · OSHA 29 CFR 1910.244 · OSH Act General Duty Clause · EPA 40 CFR 261.32 · ICRI Technical Guideline 310.3 · ACI RAP-14
Frequently asked questions
How does water blasting work?
Water blasting works by forcing pumped water through a very small opening, which turns pressure into a fast jet. On impact the jet fractures brittle deposits and gets underneath adhered layers, and the spent water carries the pieces away. Results come from matching orifice, standoff and traverse speed to the material.
Is hydroblasting dangerous?
Hydroblasting is a high-hazard task that can be run safely with trained operators, a controlled zone and tested dump valves. The jet can penetrate skin, hoses can whip and flying debris can strike nearby workers. A job safety analysis written for that specific equipment and position is the starting point for control.
Is eye protection necessary during high pressure water cleaning?
Eye protection is necessary during high pressure water cleaning, normally properly fitted goggles or safety glasses under a full-face shield. Rebound water and chips travel unpredictably and can come back around a shield edge. Head and hearing protection, waterproof outerwear and metatarsal guards complete a typical kit, chosen by hazard assessment.
What is UHP water blasting?
UHP water blasting is waterjetting above 30,000 psi, at low flow, used mainly on tough coatings and tightly adhered deposits. Low flow means less water to collect, though the debris moves slowly and rates vary with the material. Sapphire or similar hard orifices are typical at these pressures because they resist wear.
Is water blasting the same as pressure washing?
Water blasting and pressure washing use the same basic idea at very different energy levels. The usual dividing line is about 5,000 psi, with pressure washing below it and blasting tools above. Above that line the equipment, hose ratings, PPE and permit requirements change, and so do the training expectations for the crew.
What is wet blasting, and how does it differ from dry blasting?
Wet blasting is abrasive blasting with water in the stream, which holds down dust and cushions the media compared with dry grit. Slurry, vapor and water-and-air systems are the main versions. Results depend on the abrasive chosen, and carbon steel generally needs a flash rust plan because the wet surface can rust as it dries.
What surface does water blasting leave on carbon steel?
Water blasting leaves carbon steel cleaned down to whatever profile already exists, and it may develop flash rust as the wet surface dries. The coating manufacturer sets how much flash rust is acceptable. Inhibitors can delay it, and ASTM D5367 addresses evaluating coatings applied over surfaces treated that way.
Can you water blast concrete?
Concrete can be water blasted, from light surface cleaning up to full hydrodemolition of damaged sections. Lighter passes clean or roughen; heavier ones remove material down to a set depth and leave reinforcing steel in place. ACI repair guidance points to ICRI Technical Guideline 310.3 for preparing surfaces this way.
Does water blasting damage concrete?
Water blasting can erode concrete if pressure and dwell are too high, particularly at weak paste and existing defects. That is the reason specifications call for test areas and calibration. Used under control, it takes out deteriorated material preferentially and does not hammer the surrounding concrete the way an impact tool does.
Can hydro jetting damage pipes?
Hydro jetting can damage pipes that are brittle, thin, badly corroded or lined, particularly when a stationary jet dwells on one spot. An inspection camera run beforehand shows the condition, and pressure and nozzle are then set for the weakest section. Moving the head steadily also limits local wear on the pipe wall.
What is the difference between hydro jetting and water jetting?
Hydro jetting and water jetting describe the same mechanism, with the words following the trade that uses them. Plumbing and sewer work tends to say hydro jetting and favors high flow, while coating and industrial work tends to say waterjetting and quotes pressure. Ask for the psi and gpm whichever word appears on a quote.
How much water does water blasting use?
Water use equals pump flow times trigger time, so a 40,000 psi unit near 8 gpm uses about 480 gallons per running hour and a 20 gpm unit uses 1,200. Actual use falls with idle periods. Confirm the supply can sustain the demand at the pump's inlet condition, or add a break tank.
Is hydroblasting a trade?
Hydroblasting is a skilled industrial trade, learned through supervised field work and formal instruction on pressure systems, tools and emergency response. Industry training programs for operators exist, including hydroblaster training offered by WJTA together with the safety council HASC. Plant owners generally want to see documented training and a record of supervised hours.
How do hydroblasting companies price a job?
Hydroblasting companies usually price by crew and unit per shift, or by the piece for repeat items such as bundles of known size. Waste handling, standby and permit attendants are often separate lines on a hydroblasting quote. Comparing quotes means putting them on the same basis, including what happens when a bundle needs a second pass.
Can tubes be blasted without pulling the bundle?
Tubes can be blasted without pulling the bundle on many exchangers once the channel head or bonnet is off and the tubesheet is accessible. Good clearance at the tubesheet is the deciding factor, along with lance stroke. Shell-side fouling remains in place during this work, so it suits tube-side foulants.
Who provides water blasting services for food and pharmaceutical plants?
Paul Industries provides water blasting services for food, dairy, pharmaceutical and biotech plants, with the hygienic reassembly those systems need afterward. Those plants need water quality, drainage, passivation of stainless surfaces and documentation addressed in the job plan, so the line returns to production ready for its normal sanitation or cleaning cycle.
What should happen right after a water jet injection?
A water jet injection calls for stopping work, depressurizing the system and getting the person to emergency care at once, however small the wound looks. Tell staff the pressure, what the water contained and when it happened. A wound that looks minor can still become serious, so observation at the hospital matters.
How often should a plant schedule hydroblasting?
A plant should schedule hydroblasting from measured performance and inspection dates instead of a fixed calendar. Rising pressure drop or falling heat duty on an exchanger is the usual trigger, and a record of the deposit found each time helps set the next interval. Coordinating with planned outages keeps isolation costs down.
Can hydroblasting damage tubes or thin metal?
Hydroblasting can damage thin metal, soft alloys and tube ends when pressure is too high or a jet dwells in one place. Copper alloys, thin stainless and fin tubes deserve particular care. A test on a sample area, a lower starting pressure and steady movement protect the part while still removing the deposit.
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