GENERAL PERFORMANCE CAPABILITY and CHARACTERISTICS OF MART vs PROCECO: The overall dimensions of the MART HURRICANE 60 Wheel Washer and Proceco Wheel Washer are approximately the same. The Proceco will clean one wheel half per cycle while the MART cleans four wheel halves. Cycle time for the Proceco is 15 minutes vs 12 minutes in the MART for wash and rinse. The Proceco uses rotating brushes to remove tire bead that is embedded in the wheel rim, whereas MART utilizes a mild wash solution blasted at high impact pressure to strip the bead. The MART will also blast off embedded carbon dust. The Proceco cannot not remove the carbon.
HISTORY and MARKETS: MART invented Power Washing in 1971. Over the past 37 years more than 8,100 MART Power Washers have been built and installed, and are operating throughout the U.S. and in 43 other countries. Most of the machines built by MART are still in daily service.
Power Washers are rugged and capable of high output, continuous operation and maximum uptime. MART mainly services customers with toughest cleaning requirements such as (1) difficult soil removal whether readily accessible or embedded (carbon, scale, paint, baked-on sludge, and graphite stain), (2) highest cleaning standards (including need to pass Millipore standards and mil specs), (3) high volume production (without compromising cleaning quality), (4) automated hands-free operation, and (5) minimum maintenance requirements.
AIRCRAFT WHEEL, BRAKE and BEARING WASHING: Finding solutions to difficult cleaning problems is what drives the MART Research and Development Programs. In 2000 MART learned that the Proceco Jet Spray washers that were installed in Aircraft Wheel and Brake shops (1) could not meet the cleaning standards required by the aircraft industry, (2) could not keep up with the daily volume in most shops, (3) needed constant (and costly) maintenance and repair, and (4) were expensive to operate.
To develop its aircraft wheel washers, MART worked with Northwest Airlines and, soon after, Goodrich Aerospace. Two Wheel Power Washers were installed in Northwest Airline shops. They were closely monitored by our engineers and service department for performance and reliability. Within months and after much redesign, a third MART was installed in the Northwest Airline Detroit facility. When the cleaning and reliability of the third Power Washer was proven, MART modified and upgraded first two Systems.
Goodrich conducted an extremely thorough study that included ongoing testing at the MART plant. As a result of this study Goodrich decided to install MART Systems, not only for its aircraft wheels, but for brakes and bearings as well. The Goodrich operations are showcases and are visited by industry members worldwide.
Three years ago Cee Bee Chemical, manufacturer of Super Bee 300LF chemical that is in common use worldwide to clean aircraft wheels, brakes and bearings, began recommending that aircraft R&O shops install MART Power Wash Systems. To use Super Bee 300LF reliably in MART machines, we developed a special Pump upgrade.
COMPARATIVE SPEC DETAILS: Two MART technologies that provide superior cleaning are (1) our Pump Systems and (2) our oscillating Power Blast Manifolds that reach into all the crevices and blind surfaces for the most thorough cleaning possible. These technologies provide cycling speed and soil removal that is unmatched by any other washing machine, regardless of manufacturer or country of origin. Proceco claims "me too" when confronted by MART performance, but it is interesting that they do not claim to outperform a MART. The reality is that their equipment cannot meet our specs and does not perform to MART standards.
PROCECO JET SPRAY MACHINES
PROCECO PUMPS: All Proceco pumps, even those over 40 horsepower, have open impellers and are single stage. Their pump performance diminishes as the pump sizes increase. A Proceco machine with a 50 horsepower pump, for example, might only deliver 20 horsepower of energy at the nozzle tips. A 75 horsepower Proceco simplex delivers less than 38 horsepower of energy at the nozzles. The reasons for these performance losses will be explained in detail later in this Report.
PROCECO OPERATES ON THE JET SPRAY PRINCIPLE: Jet Spray refers to the fact that this process cleans by flooding the wheels, brakes or bearings with a high concentration of aggressive chemical in hot solution. Impact pressure for soil removal is not a factor in the Jet Spray process. Because their spray manifolds are stationary and each nozzle is aimed at a single point and angle, Proceco washers rely on the cascading of solution to reach the inner surfaces of wheels and other parts. Note that Proceco also claims to clean with impact pressure but, as will be explained, this is not the case. As a result, the pump energy of a Proceco is not sufficient to remove rubber bead or carbon dust. Nor will it clean inner surfaces such as the heat shield and bead seat area. This is why Proceco washers have heavy brushes to remove the rubber bead. The results are marginal at best. Again, no provision is made to remove the embedded carbon dust.
MART overcomes these problems with High Energy Pump Systems and its patented (oscillating) Power Blast Manifold that delivers solution under pressure into all the nooks and crannies for the most thorough soil removal possible.
MART POWER WASHERS
MART PUMP TECHNOLOGY: MART Pumps are the highest quality and most reliable in the industry. Pumps to 40 horsepower are simplex style. MART developed its Duplex (turbo) Pumps for Systems larger than 40 horsepower. This was a pioneering R&D effort that evolved to its present technology since we first began engineering the system in 1979. Our larger Pump systems – 55 to 175 horsepower – are Duplex (turbo) Style, and our 110 horsepower and 140 horsepower Pumps are Quadroplexes. MART Pump efficiencies, measured at the nozzles, are between 78% and 86%. This means that the energy available at the nozzle tips from a 70 horsepower MART Duplex will be up to 60.2% greater than the 75 horsepower Proceco pump. Our highest performing Pump systems, which are too powerful aircraft cleaning applications, blast over 640 GPM at 600 PSI impact pressure. The energy available for soil removal explains the difference between the MART Power Wash Process and the Proceco Jet Spray method.
MART POWER WASHING PRINCIPLE: The MART Power Washer System cleans primarily with impact pressure, which means the hydraulic force that is produced by high efficiency pump systems. Soil removal is augmented by heat and chemical which are not the primary constituents of the Power Washing Process. The MART will clean with half the chemical charge of the Proceco, yet the wheels and other components come cleaner in faster wash cycles.
HOW THE MART DUPLEX PUMP SYSTEM WORKS: The MART Duplex has a low speed, high flow Suction Pump that feeds the suction side of a high speed, high pressure Wash Pump. This turbo configuration produces higher energy and greater impact pressure, at operating parameters that make MART Pumps the best-engineered and most reliable pump systems in the industry.
Proceco builds its own pumps. Their pumps are sturdy and reliable, but have open impellers. This in part is why their flow and pressure losses are in the range of 50% at the discharge head. The losses are even greater when performance measurements are taken at the discharge nozzles.
MART engineered its Pump Systems and the Carver Pump Company builds the pumps. Carver's primary business is manufacturing high tech pump systems for harsh and critical environments such as aerospace, nuclear submarine, oil fields and irrigation. When a MART Duplex Pump is operated at a temperature that is 10 degrees F. below the boiling point of water at the installation site, the Pump will not flash, cavitate or pulsate, or create foam from pump-related causes.
MART-designed Pumps are vertically mounted, heavy duty industrial type, seal-less design, enclosed impeller centrifugal and rated for continuous duty, with no metal-to-metal contact in the wet ends.
Pump-to-motor mountings are barrel-type to ensure positive coupling alignment without periodic adjustment and, for safety and reliability, the Power Frames are rated for 3 times the Pump horsepower. The Pump Shafts have hardened machined aircraft grade stainless steel sleeves with hardened-machined steel throttling bushings in lieu of mechanical seals or packing glands. The intermediate bearings are
B-10 rated for 50,000 hours of service duty. MART Pump systems eliminate the major weaknesses inherent in other make wash pumps.
MART Pumps are capable of passing 1/2-inch solids without plugging and are dynamically balanced to within 0.0074 inch-ounces/ounce for extended life and quiet operation. The Pump wet ends are all cast iron or stainless steel. Each Pump is furnished with a Safety Coupling Guard with observation holes that comply with Federal OSHA regulations.
METHOD OF REPORTING PUMP OPERATING SPECIFICATIONS: MART vs PROCECO: All MART Pump performance data are taken at the nozzle tips. This represents the actual energy that is available for soil removal. The pump performance reported by Proceco is the data that is copied from pump curves and also from bench test results under ideal controlled test conditions (pumps are submerged and run in a tank of clear water at 40 degrees C, and the measurements are taken at the pump inlet and discharge). The performance of Proceco pumps is much reduced by suction and discharge losses, which Proceco does NOT report. The actual energy available for parts washing in a Proceco is at least 25% lower than the flows, pressures and velocities stated in their literature.
PUMP FLOW AND PRESSURE: The limitation of a centrifugal pump is that it can be installed to maximize either flow or pressure, but not both flow and pressure at the same time. The effect of the high operating pressure reported by Proceco is the reverse of what is desired. By increasing the pump operating pressure, the flow and impact pressure of a Proceco is reduced, with corresponding reductions in cleaning performance. For a comprehensive review of pump technology, go to the Pump Technology article.
MART Duplex (turbo) Pumps overcome this limitation by simultaneously boosting pressure and velocity, AND increasing flow to produce up to 100 times more impact pressure than the Proceco or Hanson. Further, the MART Duplex Pump system provides a level of reliability not possible from a single stage pump. The operating efficiency of the Proceco simplex pump at the nozzle tips is 50% or less, compared to 78% to 86% for the MART.
PUMP VELOCITY: The operating pressure of a pump system, measured at the nozzles, determines the velocity of the solution at the nozzles. Since Proceco does not publish its velocities, and the velocities cannot be calculated from the specifications they do report, we must estimate (with reasonable accuracy) the velocity and other performance characteristics of the solution discharge from their nozzles, and the impact pressure they produce.
We do know that the velocity of the solution spray of a Proceco is in the general range of 90.0 to 118.0 ft/sec. By comparison, MART velocities range from 105.0 ft/sec (our smallest Pump) to 204.0 ft/sec for the 175 Horsepower Duplex. Further, the tighter the nozzle spray pattern, the better it holds its velocity and maintains its impact pressure. The wider the spray pattern the greater the drag on the spray from friction. This can be easily demonstrated by folding a sheet of paper to create a variety of angles. MART, therefore, installs “0” degree, 15 degree and 25 degree nozzles, while Proceco uses 50 degree spray pattern nozzles. It is easy to see why the MART, using a combination of high solution flow and pressure at the nozzles, coupled with a tighter spray pattern and the oscillating Power Blast Manifold, can provide enough impact pressure to thoroughly clean aircraft wheels without brushes.
PUMP NPSH REQUIRED: The Net Positive Suction Head calculation states the atmospheric pressure required to charge a pump impeller with solution (prevents pump starvation, flashing, cavitating and pulsating). The NPSH required rises with increased pump flow, and also because suspended solids raise the viscosity of the solution.
Further diminishing pump performance, in any washing machine, is the fact that the NPSH available is reduced because of the severe operating environment of the pump in a wash cabinet. To boost pump pressure and overcome the limitations of the operating environment, the flow of larger simplex pump systems must be restricted. This applies especially to Proceco pumps that are larger than 50 horsepower.
The MART Duplex Pump system eliminates these shortcomings by simultaneously boosting pressure AND increasing flow to produce, as previously stated, up to 100 times more impact pressure than the Proceco. MART does this by dedicating the Suction Pump exclusively to the highest possible flow at low pressure, and the high speed Wash Pump, since it is force fed by the Booster and has no suction losses, to maximizing the operating pressure so that each pump performs only one function. Further, the MART Duplex provides a level of reliability not possible from a simplex pump. As already explained, the operating efficiency of a Proceco at the nozzles is 50% or less, compared to 78% to 86% for the MART.
PUMP MOTORS. The Pump Motors furnished by MART are high efficiency, energy efficient industrial grade rated for continuous duty, and capable of 20 starts per hour without overheating, Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled (TEFC), 1.15 to 1.25 Service Factor, TC frame, and NEMA design B with Class F insulation. Proceco does not install the expensive industrial grade motors. MART furnishes these motors to ensure reliability and long service life in the harsh operating environment of its Washing Machines. The Service Factor enables a MART Power Washer, as the viscosity of the solution increases due to the accumulation of suspended soils, to reliably pump solution without overloading the motors.
MART (oscillating) POWER BLAST MANIFOLD (PBM) - The Manifold system every washer maker would provide if MART did not hold the U.S. Patents. The only surfaces that come clean in a washing process are those that are actually hit by solution under pressure. Spots that are missed remain soiled. Proceco manifolds are stationary so that the nozzles hit the same spots, from a single angle of impingement, with each rotation of the turntable. As explained above, this is why Proceco relies on cascading solution to reach the inner hidden surfaces.
The MART PBM is mounted on a swivel and pivots reciprocally on its vertical axis. Every ten seconds, while the wash load rotates on the turntable, the manifold makes a 46 degree arc and quick return. The manifold movement is not synchronized to the rotational speed of the turntable so the wheels and other wash loads are blasted from a different angle with each pass at the nozzles.
The PBM forces wash solution into all the nooks and crannies, and hidden recesses so that all surfaces come clean. The logic behind the PBM is that, if you can't hit a surface, you can't clean it. View a short video of the PBM in operation here.
Proceco tells its customers that their machines will hit as many angles as MART because of the placement of their nozzles. The evidence that this is not true is that they set each nozzle in a pipe and dual elbow system that allows twisting and repositioning of the nozzles to hit surfaces that were missed. By twisting a nozzle to hit a different surface, the surface that was is now missed.
To show how a MART hits all the angles, I will use, as an example, the HURRICANE 60 Aircraft Wheel Washer to demonstrate whether the Proceco claim is possible: In 12 minutes the MART Power Blast Manifold will complete 72 cycles, the Table will rotate 24 times, and the 20 nozzles hit the surfaces of the wheels 34,560 times, each time from a different angle of impingement. In 15 minutes the Proceco might hit the wheel surfaces 1,200 times, each time from the same angle of impingement.
AUTOMATIC FRESH WATER RINSE/AUTO STEAM EXHAUST (ARC/ASE): Another MART exclusive is its patent Fresh Hot Water Auto Rinse System. Even when fitted with this Rinse, the MART is still Closed Loop and Zero Discharge to complete with federal and state environmental regulations for emission control.
The MART ARC/ASE works like this: During the wash cycle a venturi exhaust system purges the Cabinet of steam and evaporation. Fresh water for makeup is locked out during the wash cycle so that the liquid level of the solution lowers. Water for the fresh water rinse, which is preheated in its own heat exchanger submerged in the solution reservoir, rinses the load and becomes makeup to replenish the solution that was lost through steam and evaporation. There is never a discharge outside the MART cabinet for treatment or disposal.
Proceco, by contrast, uses a fresh water rinse-to-drain that discharges the rinse water outside the wash cabinet, or a recirculating rinse that continuously reuses the same rinse water. After several rinses, the rinse water is no longer clean but, rather, contaminated with chemical and soil from previous washings. Note that Proceco also offers a rinse-to-makeup, but its method is ineffective unless augmented by another rinse system.
Note also that the MART Venturi Steam Exhaust System modulates to maintain 0.3 WCI negative pressure within the cabinet. This prevents the discharge of excess steam and holds the heat loss to a minimum, thus conserving heat energy and lowering heating costs.
MART CONSTRUCTION ISSUES: MART uses 7 ga and ¼ inch sheet steel and stainless steel for its cabinet shell, and ¼ inch to ¾ inch wall for structural members. As regards welding, only MART conforms to AWS A5.20 wire flux core standards.
SYSTEM COMPONENTS AND DESIGN: MART provides more rugged components and system designs. One such example is that Proceco rotates its turntables with a bicycle chain wrapped around the table, and provides a shear pin for overload protection of its drive motor. By contrast, MART has an extremely reliable Sprocket/Gear Table Drive System with Clutch Overload protection. The bike chain and shear pin on the Proceco reduces manufacturing costs by $300+ per machine, but the design creates unnecessary service/repair points for the plant maintenance staff. The Proceco turntable can slip while loading, which presents a hazard for the operator. The MART Turntable locks into place when the Loading Door is open, and can only be rotated by a Jog Button no the main Electrical Panel. Proceco and MART both provide a locking mechanism that stabilizes the loading door when opened, but the MART design offers a second locking position to hold the table fully out of the way for servicing and maintenance. Another example of improved MART engineering is that the Proceco gas heat system wastes energy. This is easily noted by their exhaust stack temperatures that can run 900 to 1,000 degrees and higher, compared to MART systems with stack temperatures in the range of 550 to 600 degrees. MART accomplishes its energy savings with
gas-flue heat transfer efficiencies of 78% or higher, or about one-third more energy efficient than the Proceco.
SAFETY, SERVICE & RELIABILITY ISSUES
MART (patented) STEEL COMPRESSION SEALS PREVENT STEAM DISCHARGE INTO PLANT: MART and Proceco provide steel labyrinth seals to prevent solution from splashing outside the cabinet. In addition, MART Power Washers have steel-to-steel compression seals that prevent steam from discharging into the general plant area. The Proceco will dump steam and vapor into the plant while operating whereas steam discharge from the MART Power Washer, if any, is nominal.
OPERATING MANUAL AND WARRANTY: MART has the most complete Operating Manual and most liberal Warranty in the industry. The Manual can be reviewed here.
If a MART owner agrees to follow the simple maintenance procedure set down in the MART Manual, MART extends its Warranty to Two Full Years at no added cost.
Prospective owners are encouraged to study the Operating Manuals and Warranties of MART and Proceco. A manual cuts through the sales rhetoric of what the machine can do and the maintenance required. The warranty also indicates the confidence the manufacturer has in its own equipment. At MART, comparing manuals and warranties is our last step before purchasing equipment for our own use.
The MART Warranty policy is to send repair parts immediately when a problem is identified. By contrast, the published Proceco warranty requires that failed parts must be returned to Proceco for inspection before repair parts will be sent. Consider the downtime while Proceco decides whether a failed part is covered by warranty. Also note the Proceco published 90-day warranty on electric motors and electric components, and no warranty at all on electric heater elements. If pressed, Proceco will sometimes ease its warranty, but our view is that no company should offer such a limited warranty in the first place.
A paragraph in the published Proceco Warranty, titled PROCECO LIMITATION OF LIABILITY, states:
“Proceco disclaims all warranties, representations and statements, expressed or implied, statutory or otherwise, including (without limitation) any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.”
What this means is that Proceco does not warrant that its washing machines will (1) wash parts or that (2) the washed parts will meet an intended cleaning standard. In other words, Proceco rejects merchantability warranties that are both implied and implicit in the purchase of their washing machines, including (statutory) warranties that are provided under the law.
For a complete analysis of the Proceco Warranty, refer to the MART Report dated 8 January 2006 titled: COMPARING PROCECO and MART WARRANTIES - TERMS AND CONDITIONS
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND EXPERTISE: The MART Tech Services Department is unique in the industry. MART owners of long standing complement us on our knowledge and skill, and our ability to service any issue. The Department Manager and staff are trained in all aspects of Power Washing and the cleaning process, and routinely provide service for the oldest MART machines. To ensure maximum uptime, MART maintains a complete inventory of spare parts that goes back 37 years to the first Power Washers ever built.
MART also has a Chemical Group to handle chemical and waste disposal issues, and we have chemicals specially formulated that maximize the performance of our machines. The manager of the Chemical Group is a Chemical Engineer and EPA/OSHA Trainer and Inspector, and is available to answer customers’ specific questions and industry problems. This is all part of the package for the companies that choose MART. |
