Oxygen Service Cleaning for Industrial Gas Suppliers and Air Separation Units

The short answer: Every component that touches oxygen in an air separation unit, a merchant oxygen pipeline, a cylinder-fill plant or a customer's bulk tank system has to be cleaned for oxygen service to CGA G-4.1 and verified to a cleanliness level from ASTM G93 — because a trace of hydrocarbon or a stray metal particle in high-pressure oxygen is an ignition source. The Houston Ship Channel and the Texas–Louisiana Gulf Coast carry the densest concentration of industrial gas production and pipeline in North America, and Harrison has cleaned oxygen-service equipment for that market from Houston since 1980.

What we clean

Valves, regulators, check valves and relief devices · piping spools, manifolds and fittings · vaporizers and heat-exchanger components · cryogenic transfer lines and LOX equipment · cylinder-fill and trailer components · instrumentation and gauge hardware · stainless, nickel-alloy, copper and brass parts, in new condition or returned from service for re-cleaning.

Stainless components are often pickled or passivated first, or electropolished, because a smooth, iron-free surface is easier to clean and easier to verify. See the oxygen cleaning service page and our plain-language guide to ASTM G93 and CGA G-4.1.

The process

Receipt and photographed inspection; disassembly where required; removal of gross contamination and, if present, scale or free iron; aqueous detergent precision cleaning with deionized-water rinse; verification by the CGA G-4.1 methods appropriate to the specified ASTM G93 level — white-light and ultraviolet inspection and wipe testing through quantitative NVR and particle verification where the level requires it; drying with filtered oil-free gas; capping, double-bagging and labeling for oxygen service in our Class 1000 cleanroom; and a certificate of conformance stating the standard, the level and the verification method.

Why industrial gas companies use Harrison

Capacity for the large parts an ASU or pipeline project produces: a 25,000 sq ft facility, four overhead cranes and 15,000 lb material handling. Electropolishing, pickling and passivation under the same roof, so a stainless component that needs a surface restored before cleaning doesn't go to a second vendor. ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 registration with traceability from receipt to release. Field crews for installed equipment in the Houston area and along the Gulf Coast. And a location that puts Baytown, La Porte, Deer Park, Pasadena, Texas City, Freeport and the Beaumont–Port Arthur corridor within a short drive.

Representative project

A Gulf Coast industrial gas supplier commissioning a new oxygen distribution header needed several dozen stainless valves, strainers and fabricated spools cleaned for oxygen service on a schedule tied to a plant turnaround. The fabricated spools arrived with weld heat tint. Harrison pickled and passivated the spools, cleaned and verified every component to the ASTM G93 level on the specification, packaged them in the cleanroom with capped ends and oxygen-service labels, and delivered them in tagged batches with a certificate of conformance per line item ahead of the turnaround window.

Request an oxygen cleaning quote

Send the component list, material, quantity, the cleanliness level your specification calls for, and whether the parts also need pickling, passivation or electropolishing. We'll quote within one business day; expedited service is available and lead times vary with shop load.

Request a Quote · Call 800-245-5707