Coolant foam

[geirsj]

Hi.

We are using a hydracell pump as internal coolant on the milling machines, its high pressure pump on the machines up to 1000 psi or 65-70 bar, and stocked with one inline filter of 60 micron and one with 25 micron, had two 60 before and larger size on the cartridge but tried only one and smaller now when cleaning the tanks for summer. The inline has always had both 60 and 25 now and can also change to 10 micron filter if needed.

I have experienced foam in the machine long time now,and use antifoam, but its not seem to be any success, still foam. The water here is classified as soft, (i.e: no need for extra salt in dishwasher). The coolant is semi synthetic and our company import it, we have some different ones and tried others, but this was the most universal. 

Operations include gun drill with internal high pressure, and the flow is not a problem, but when the machine runs in cycle and the coolant start to foam the floor gets it and i would like to hear if someone has some advice on the foaming, not the cleaning of floor...

The mix is about 5-10%, maybe it should be cranked up to more to see what way the solution works best in respect of foaming.

Do you have some magic trick or advice up  your sleeve you can share in this matter i would be grateful.

Tnx, Geir

[Guest]

Hard water.....

Try adding Calcium to the coolant.....

Can be bought at any pool supply store.....add  a cup at a time until it subsides

[jeff]

+1 to calcium

[geirsj]

Hi!, thank you for answer, I have tried some  with no luck so far, guess it was not so potent the brand i was trying.

Do  you have a name of the calcium, is it like the tablets you put in the swimming pool?, we do not have so many pool suppliers up here in the cold north! lol

the supplier in the town half an hour away has something called SpaCare Calcium Up, maybe that can be used!.

I suspect maybe to much air too in system, but one step at a time i guess...

[Guest]

How's your coolant tank level? I try to run a little on the high side to prevent the pumps from cavitating.

[geirsj]

23 hours ago, Foghorn Leghorn said:

How's your coolant tank level? I try to run a little on the high side to prevent the pumps from cavitating.

Hi!, tank is over from half full to 3/4 up to full all the time, the pump is a Wanner G10 up to 30 Liter/minute or 8.1 gallon /minute max.

Tank is around 400 liters, I make sure to not starve the pump of coolant, the pump is designed to go without fluid awhile, but i

have not any trouble of the pump, other than it can suck some air in the inline filter if coolant is low in tank and both this and the outer coolant

pump of 30 bar is running at the same time, usually just one of the pumps operates at a time.

 

Calcium that was suggested i have searched a little on, and its calcium chloride, and its used here as salt on roads wintertime.

In our company we sell magnesium chloride for dust reducer and snow melting, which also is used as salt on roads, so i tried that as a start, and the foam was reduced and my floor today was free from foam so i guess it works, anyway thanks for inputs!

 

G.

[BrianP.]

On 8/9/2017 at 1:00 PM, geirsj said:

....and i would like to hear if someone has some advice on the foaming, not the cleaning of floor...

Only 25 posts and boy does he know the clowns on here.

[Leon82]

We get this stuff from our coolant distributor that is supposedly 1500 a gallon and you only put about 1ml in the tank at a time. 

[geirsj]

19 hours ago, BrianP. said:

Only 25 posts and boy does he know the clowns on here.

Hi, I have been here lurking in the forum some years and I guess i have read some posts, that is perhaps a reason for asking specific :-)

That said, In general I feel it is a lot of help on the forum if you clearly state what you want help with, then it's most likely chance to not get wrong response back that goes off topic from the original question i guess, as this i now write will be, oh the irony... well, anyway, i hope to learn more and get more tips, it is so many users on here with great experience and some of them are like when they post their knowledge, i feel i am in a classroom again being teached a great lesson i can use to be better in the daily work. The post processor forum has helping me with a lot of info, so if we all have fun at posting and help others, or as the forum rules states that you are encouraged to post a reply, if the posts then are fun or clean i do not mind, but ugly posts i will not hesitate to report... i have posted some replies, not all hit the target i guess, but the later responses in those threads teached me more info, so, if i do not write understandable english all the time, its because english is not my native.

Have fun and remember to smile!

so, now the clowns maybe get on here???

[geirsj]

15 hours ago, Leon82 said:

We get this stuff from our coolant distributor that is supposedly 1500 a gallon and you only put about 1ml in the tank at a time. 

Hi, thanks for answer.

I used to have an Antifoam in the coolant, like you have here, just about that amount every time, but it is silicone based and it was not effective over time now than it was at the first.

I tried some new approach thursday, and called my chemical help guy on friday to discuss if the mix i did was an alright approach. he had never heard of my solution, and called their specialist to get more indepth info and help.

Basically, if you have one chemical solution, the coolant and add water, you get a mix, that is the anticipated result, when you then add one more chemical, the mix can evolve into another chemical solution and maybe cause unforeseen result, like allergies and damage to equipment.

I now plan to see if the mix should be higher in concentration, as it seems that it for now a little thin, and maybe see if the foaming then reduces before i add more additives to the mix.

G.

[BrianP.]

22 hours ago, geirsj said:

Hi, I have been here lurking in the forum some years and I guess i have read some posts, that is perhaps a reason for asking specific :-)

That said, In general I feel it is a lot of help on the forum if you clearly state what you want help with, then it's most likely chance to not get wrong response back that goes off topic from the original question i guess, as this i now write will be, oh the irony... well, anyway, i hope to learn more and get more tips, it is so many users on here with great experience and some of them are like when they post their knowledge, i feel i am in a classroom again being teached a great lesson i can use to be better in the daily work. The post processor forum has helping me with a lot of info, so if we all have fun at posting and help others, or as the forum rules states that you are encouraged to post a reply, if the posts then are fun or clean i do not mind, but ugly posts i will not hesitate to report... i have posted some replies, not all hit the target i guess, but the later responses in those threads teached me more info, so, if i do not write understandable english all the time, its because english is not my native.

Have fun and remember to smile!

so, now the clowns maybe get on here???

 

+1

Definitely one the best places for information on programming and machining. Some very smart people on here who's knowledge far exceeds mine. They are always willing to share and help out. I am always amazed that people at my level, a machinist who has learned to program, have no idea of the mountain of information that can be found here. I am usually asked many questions about programming in Mastercam it it never ceases to amaze me how many people have failed to learn anything beyond the most very basics.

( But we don't want their heads to get to big so shhhhhh   )

[Leon82]

Higher concentration may help.  Throughout the day the temperature of the coolant will climb, especially if the chassis wash and high pressure coolant run for a long period of time. I don't know if it will affect the foaming point but it could

[geirsj]

5 minutes ago, Leon82 said:

Higher concentration may help.  Throughout the day the temperature of the coolant will climb, especially if the chassis wash and high pressure coolant run for a long period of time. I don't know if it will affect the foaming point but it could

Thanks for input, i try tomorrow again when returning to work place and see if it helps!

[Sticky]

How soft is your water? Most coolants are formulated to perform around 1000PPM. If you are running 10 micron filters you will strip the hardness out so you will need to continually add calcium acetate.

We run large 10 micron bag filters and in a few days of running the water will be down below 100ppm. We add calcium acetate until the foam goes away and then rinse and repeat.