Wet blasting with induction nozzle

Wet abrasive blasting incorporates water into the air and abrasive stream. In the case of the induction nozzle, water is induced by suction inside the nozzle itself, just before the outlet, without altering the working pressure of the equipment. The abrasive keeps the impact energy of dry blasting — the nozzle is not meant to soften the blow, but to wrap the stream in water to suppress dust and eliminate sparks. The result is the same cleaning effectiveness as conventional blasting, but without the two conditions that make it dangerous in certain environments.

Dry blasting generates two risks that restrict its use. The first is airborne dust: the mixture of pulverized abrasive and detached contaminants pollutes the work environment and requires collectors and special precautions. The second, more critical, are the sparks produced by the impact of the abrasive against the steel. In distilleries, hydrocarbon tanks, silos, petrochemical plants and any potentially explosive atmosphere, those sparks represent an unacceptable ignition risk — which is why dry blasting is restricted or outright prohibited in those environments.

By incorporating water into the stream, wet blasting eliminates both risks at the root. The water knocks down dust at the point of impact, preventing material from remaining airborne. And it suppresses sparks, enabling surface preparation in environments where dry blasting cannot operate. As an added benefit, the water immediately washes away the detached contaminants achieving a deeper cleaning, and prevents abrasive particles from becoming embedded in the surface causing premature corrosion or adhesion problems with the subsequent coating.

There are two ways to do wet blasting. The first is to acquire a dedicated wet blasting unit, a significant investment in a single-purpose machine. The second —far more accessible— is to add a water induction nozzle to the standard pressure blasting equipment the company already owns. With that single investment, the existing equipment starts doing wet blasting without modifications to the installation. And thanks to the nozzle's ON/OFF valve, the operator chooses on the spot how to work: with the water open it does wet blasting; with the water closed, the nozzle works as a conventional dry blast. One accessory, two processes, according to what each task requires.

The CYM induction nozzle uses a venturi design that induces water by suction inside the nozzle itself, mixing it with air and abrasive to achieve optimal atomization at the outlet. The core is tungsten carbide —a material of high wear resistance— with an aluminum protector. It connects to any standard pressure blasting equipment without modifications, and includes the water hose with the ON/OFF valve that allows switching between wet and dry. Models range from #4 to #8 according to the throat diameter and the required water flow, covering everything from detail work to extensive surfaces.

Wet blasting works with low-cost abrasives such as sand, garnet or other disposable minerals. The reason is economic and defines the process: unlike turbine wheel blasting, where the metallic shot is recovered and recycled in a closed circuit, in wet blasting the abrasive is discarded along with the water after a single use. That is why economical single-cycle abrasives are used, and never metallic shot — using an expensive abrasive that is discarded in one pass would make no operational sense.