TechNotes

Q. Did you know there are nine different factors that determine successful cleaning? A. “BATHOCARD” a phrase coined by Alconox technical team.

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A non-free rinsing cleaner might contain fragrances that were designed to deposit and leave a fresh scent, or it might contain corrosion inhibitors that are designed to deposit and leave behind an anti-corrosion film.

Alconox, Inc, cleaners are free rinsing detergents and do not leave deposits on substrates after rinsing.

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Q. How to clean installed solar panels using minimum amounts of water.

A. For field cleaning of solar modules I recommend using Liquinox detergent. This is a concentrate that would be used at a 1% solution (1.25 oz/gal, or 10 mL/L). Liquinox is not harmful to discharge onto the ground in an agricultural setting.

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Q. What Alconox brands are EC 648/2004 compliant?
A. Alconox, Alcotabs, Citrajet, Detojet, Tergajet, Tergazyme. For more information about any one of our Alconox Cleaners, consult the specific technical bulletin for each product HERE. Or click here to access each of our detergent’s Material Data Safety Sheets. You can also request a free sample by completing the questionnaire at Get Sample.

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What detergent would you recommend for solar panel maintenance cleaning? For best efficiency solar panels should be cleaned by spraying on 0.5% Liquinox.

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Q. I am getting foaming and poor finger print removal I have examined Detergent 8 and Liquinox. Do you have other suggestions? A. Both Liquinox and Detergent 8 can effectively remove fingerprint residues. Unless you otherwise have a need for an ion-free detergent because you are cleaning off electronic or semiconductor ion sensitive substrates, I would recommend using Liquinox because it is more economical. Note that sometimes on polished metal surfaces or other …

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Q. We manufacture solar modules for building components. During the manufacturing process we are required to perform a “Wet Hi Pot Test.” The modules are immersed in a solution and tested. The manufacturer of the test equipment said that some of his customers are using the Liquinox® detergent in a 300 to 1 ratio for the solution. Would this give us the required: 0.03 N/m surface tension 35 ohms/m resistance? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Q: We are looking to hire someone to design and implement a turnkey cleaning process for our Photovoltaic manufacturing application. Do you provide this service?

A: Yes. We do this type of work often. With increased governmental commitments to support renewable energy initiatives, winners and losers in solar module fabrication will be determined more quickly and by a variety of factors. One factor will be the elimination of defects to increase yields in the manufacturing process. Critical cleaning of substrates and superstrates is an essential component in achieving an optimal solar module fabrication process which reduces the cost per watt.

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Q: We need to clean stainless steel substrates prior to PV film deposition. What detergent should we use and in what amount and by what process?

A: If the process is batch ultrasonic cleaning, use a 2% CITRANOX® solution at 60°C for 5 minutes of dwell time in the tank. This approach can also be used when cleaning copper substrates.

If using a conveyorized horizontal washer where oily residues are a particular concern, use a 1% SOLUJET® solution at 60°C at line rates of 1.5 meters per minute, for a total contact time of roughly 30 seconds prior to the rinse station.

Following these initial trials …

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Q. We are building a new manufacturing line and need to scale up. Want to talk with experts on glass cleaning in PV. You have very large product line and seem to have PV. Please have the correct person contact me so that we a)use the correct detergent and b) use it correctly.

A. The correct detergent for cleaning glass in a large scale glass cleaner is Detojet. Click for the complete answer.

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