Spray balls are commonly seen as the preferred choice for cleaning small tanks with lighter residue.
They are an inexpensive way to clean tanks and other similar storage vessels, but one criticism levered against them by the Spray Nozzle People Group is that spray balls are water inefficient.
This is important in an industry focused on energy-efficiency and whole-life costs.
The company believe that the continued popularity of spray balls is in part due to the logic that more expensive, powerful tank cleaners, such as impingement cleaners, are overkill and therefore not justified for less challenging tank cleaning applications.
One alternative to this is fast cycle impingement cleaners (FCIC) such as the Orbtior Eco from the Spray Nozzle People Group.
The Orbitor Eco models are impingement cleaners but rather than being geared for maximum power, they are instead configured for maximum speed and water efficiency.
The new machines can complete a cleaning cycle in under two minutes with flow rates as low as 45 litres per minute. There are some sacrifices in jet length and cleaning strength.
As well as increased speed, the Orbitor Eco has a bigger range of cleaning (up to 10 meters diameter) and reduces water consumption per cycle by up to 95%
It also has a reduced cleaning cycle time – a five minute eco-cycle, compared to a typical 30 min spray ball cycle (depending on the residue) and the ability to operate at similar pressures (2-3bar).
The process of installing them to replace existing old style spray balls is relatively simple. The Orbitor Eco will fit through a 100 mm opening and can operate at pressures as low as 2-3 bar with flow rates as low as 45 litres per minute.
Pumps and pipework may not need to be changed significantly, as the product has a range of universal fittings, connectors, threads and where required, adaptors.
