ASTM A 380/A 380M

This practice covers the standard recommendations and precautions for cleaning, descaling, and passivating of new stainless steel parts, assemblies, equipment, and installed systems. Consideration shall be given in the design of parts, equipment, and systems that will require cleaning to minimize the presence of areas in which dirt, or cleaning solutions might become trapped, and to provide for effective circulation and removal of cleaning solutions. Materials shall be precleaned. Scales shall be removed through chemical descaling, acid pickling, and mechanical descaling. Degreasing and general cleaning shall be accomplished by immersion in, swabbing with, or spraying with alkaline, emulsion, chelate, acid, solvent, or detergent cleaners or a combination of these; by vapor degreasing; by ultrasonics using various cleaners; by steam, with or without a cleaner; or by high-pressure water-jetting. Recommended cleaning practices shall be followed for welds and weld-joint areas, specially critical applications, installed systems and post-erections. The following shall be used as the basis for cleanness acceptability: Visual inspection; wipe tests; residual pattern; water-break test; free iron test such as water-wetting or drying; high-humidity test; and copper sulfate test. Precision inspection shall be performed by solvent-ring test, black light inspection, atomizer test, and ferroxyl test. Precaution shall always be practiced to minimize iron contamination, in reuse of cleaning and pickling solution, in water rinsing, in circulation of cleaning solutions and rinse water, in protection of cleaned surfaces, for safety, and disposal of used solutions and water.