Badger Meter Positive Displacement - Manual (Page 10)

10
TYPICAL AUTOMATED CLEANING CYCLE
At the beginning of the cleaning cycle, clean with DI water for a
significant period of time before introducing any air at all into the
system. For example, the first thing the meter should see after
push out is a relatively long blast of solvent or DI water for at
least 3 seconds or more depending on the coating. In the middle
of the cleaning cycle, short (0.5 sec) air blasts will maximize the
scrubbing effect. At the end of the cleaning cycle, finish with
solvent or DI water instead of air. The intention is to put enough
purge fluid into the system at this time to have the meter soaking
in clean flush fluid at the end of the cycle. When there are gaps
in the line or when line stops occur after a color change,
following this procedure will keep the meter from potentially
freezing up. In general, the meter should never see air for more
than a few seconds and should never be run dry. Note: If new
paint and purge fluid mixing is a problem, the fill cycle can start
with a short 1 second shot of air to separate the purge fluid and
the paint.
During line shutdowns, such as overnight and over weekends,
meters should be flushed and left filled with solvent, under
pressure, to allow any residue that may have built up to soak and
dissolve.
Filtration is recommended to prevent contaminants from entering
the meter. Should the meter become plugged, a reduced flow will
still be observed from the nozzle or outlet as fluid pressure will
squeeze fluid through the meter. Should this occur, review the
cleaning and maintenance procedures in the following sections.