Cleaning procedure for TMA-34N with SRV and SRD : Rheonics Support

TMA-34N SRV and SRD Assembly for slurry and open tanks

What products are involved?
TMA-34N, SRV-X1-34N Inline Viscometer, and SRD-X1-34N Inline Density and Viscosity mete

What is the purpose of this article?
Explain how to clean the TMA-34N when is installed with the SRV or SRD probes

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
Why is TMA Cleaning needed?
How to clean the TMA-34N and Sensor Probe?
Next some cleaning options are detailed
Cleaning TMA-34N demonstrative video
Reference

Introduction

TMA-34N is a tank mount adapter used for Rheonics SRV inline viscometer and SRD inline density and viscosity meter probes, that protects the probe from unwanted collisions and uses a custom 3/4” NPT back tube to vary the insertion length in a tank. See the guidelines for installation in the TMA-34N article.

A common use of the TMA-34N with the SRV or SRD is in open tanks or containers to measure slurries or other kinds of fluids. These processes can be quite messy and dirty for the sensors, especially in certain applications where the materials being mixed or transported involve particles, dust, powders, paints, etc.

Some applications examples where the TMA-34N may be used are:

Construction Sites: Slurry used for cement, concrete, or grout work can splatter and spread, creating a dirty environment with wet cement or dust particles.
Mining Operations: Mining slurries often contain fine particles of rock, soil, or other extracted materials, which can generate a lot of mud and debris around the equipment and transport systems.
Drilling Operations: Drilling mud (a type of slurry) often becomes a messy mixture of water, clay, chemicals, and drill cuttings. It can spill and create a muddy environment around the drill site.
Environmental Cleanup: Slurries used in dredging or soil stabilization often involve muddy water and sediment, which can be quite dirty.
Paper and carton production: Mixtures like cooked starch can get dried during the process affecting the equipment if not cleaned properly in time.
Paint: Paint water-based or solvent-based production is also another example of production that can be a bit messy because it can generate dried layers in the equipment or lines.

Why is TMA Cleaning needed?

The assembly, TMA and SRV or SRD sensor probe, is designed for operation in harsh conditions. Sensors can even operate with layers of fluids, which are inevitable in some applications like paint or inks. However, proper cleaning of the assembly will eventually be required with a cleaning frequency dependent on the process.

Some reasons as to why cleaning is required are:
Wear of Stainless Steel material.
Layers block the sensor probe's sensing element, leading to viscosity and or/ density inaccuracies.
Solidification of material, which can be very hard to remove if not done in time.
Cross-contamination between fluids, etc.

Figure 1 shows an example where the TMA and an SRV are used in a slurry application, this can potentially suffer from deposits or layers if not cleaned properly over a certain time, dependent on fluid characteristics.

Dirty TMA-34N SRV and SRD

Figure 1. TMA-34N and SRV after being used in a Slurry process

How to clean the TMA-34N and Sensor Probe?

As mentioned before in the article, the cleaning procedure is a key aspect to have in mind to ensure that the sensor works properly and measurements are not affected by layers, fouling, or dirt.

Since all the parts of the sensor probes and TMA accessory are made of Stainless Steel 316L they can be easily cleaned following these considerations:

Users can clean the TMA and SRV or SRD assembly without the need of dismantling (removing the probe from the TMA). If disassembly is required, user should follow the steps shown in the section below.
Water is enough in most cases to clean the fouling. Solvents can be used as long as they are compatible with SS 316L. More information here.
If the sensor probe was removed from the TMA-34N ensure that the water or cleaning fluid does not come in contact with the sensor probe’s M12 connector. Users should use the M12 cap protection that comes with the sensor.
Users can also use a wipe to dry the assembly after cleaning or to remove some stuck layers.
Not recommended: Ultrasonic or pressurized cleaning, because they can damage the sensor probe or pins connectors.

Next some cleaning options are detailed

1. Cleaning by hose or sink

One of the options is to use a hose or sink to wash the entire assembly and remove accumulated fluid or layers, open the tap, and let the water and its force clean the probe off, just normal pressure is fine, meaning that no pressurized cleaning is needed.

Figure 2. TMA-34N Cleaning by hose or Sink

2. Cleaning in bucket

Another option is to fill out a bucket with water or the solvent fluid, immerse the complete assembly there, and gently shake it to remove all the stuck slurry or fluid, the user can also use their hands to help remove the dry layer or fluid in the TMA-34N.

Figure 3. TMA-34N Cleaning in a bucket

3. Complete cleaning (Dissasembly)

If the fluid is too hard to remove while the sensor is completely assembled or if some layers are generated between the sensor probe and the TMA-34N and the cleaning procedures shown above don’t work, the user can disassemble the unit, removing the probe from the TMA, that way an individual cleaning can be done.

With this procedure, user can verify if the state of the TMA-34N O-ring seal is in good condition or if a replacement is needed.

Guidelines:

It is not required to remove the probe in all cases, if this is needed proper Teflon should be used in the NPT thread to reassemble it.
When the sensor probe is dismantled from the TMA and the back tube, the back-end M12 connector will be exposed. The user must be cautious and avoid any leaking fluid from coming in contact with the M12 back connector.
When you remove the probe make sure to protective cap for the M12 connector and the protector sleeve for the tip of the probe to avoid unexpected damage to the probe (See Video 1).

Figure 4. TMA-34N Complete cleaning (Dissasembly)