Our Hadrian manufacturing facilities prepare parts for coating by cleaning them in natural-gas-heated wash tanks. In 2022, we completed a project to reduce the amount of natural gas needed to operate those tanks. The chemicals used in our wash solution can operate over a wide temperature range, so each facility began reducing the solution temperature by 5°F per week.
After each wash, our team inspected the parts coming out of the tanks to ensure there was no impact on quality. When this process ultimately reached a point where the lower temperature affected quality, we raised the temperature slightly, creating a new baseline operating temperature.
This diligent approach allowed our facilities to reduce wash tank temperatures by 26% on average, reducing natural gas usage by 2,019 MWh annually.