Pickling and Passivation

Astro Pak performs pickling (non-selective removal of surface contaminates or "etching") and passivation (selective removal of surface iron) using citric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, sulfamic acid and hydrofluoric acid on various stainless steel alloys following the methods and chemistries defined in ASTM A380, ASTM A967 and QQP-35-D. It is necessary to passivate stainless steel utilized in corrosive or reactive environments prior to operational use to ensure long term service. Astro Pak has 45 years of experience providing pickling and passivation services to the Aerospace, Petroleum, Petrochemical, Pharmaceutical and Biotech, Power Generation, Hydraulic, and Water and Wastewater Treatment Industries. In addition to our pickling and passivation services, our on-going R&D program continually formulates and tests new chemistries to achieve better chromium to iron ratios in stainless steel, thus improving its corrosion resistance.

Astro Pak also provides pickling and passivation of systems fabricated of carbon steel. In reactive environments such as those present in liquid and gaseous chlorine and oxygen, it is imperative that weld slag and other contaminates formed during cutting and welding are removed prior to operational use. As the leading service provider, Astro Pak not only provides pickling and passivation services, but also performs chemical cleaning services to achieve the desired clean and passive surfaces in carbon steel systems. We utilize various acids and other chemical cleaning processes with their respective Rodine inhibitors including citric acid, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid and sulfamic acid as required by our customer's specifications.

In addition to our California facilities in Downey, San Diego and Livermore, Astro Pak operates facilities in Chesapeake, Virginia, Cape Canaveral, Florida, Indianapolis, Indiana and Denver, Colorado. Each of these facilities has the equipment and personnel to apply these chemistries to your stainless or carbon steel equipment and piping systems. These facilities offer an environmentally controlled and secure environment, thus removing many of the hazards in handling chemicals at your site. You deliver it, we process it, and the mess stays in our facility, not yours. Call us today to clean and passivate your equipment.

What is passivation?
Passivation is the chemical treatment process by which the electrochemical condition of passivity is obtained on the surface of metal alloys. Passivity as it relates to austenitic stainless steel is the state in which chemical reactivity is minimized under special environmental conditions, such that the metal exhibits a very low corrosion rate.

Types of Systems Serviced

High-purity Gas -
Breathing Air
Fuel Hydrogen
Inert Gas Argon Helium Nitrogen
Oxidizer Chlorine Fluorine Oxygen Ozone
High-purity Liquid -
Fuel RP-1 Hydrazine Liquid Hydrogen (cryogenic)
Hydraulic fluid
Lubricating oil
Cryogenic Liquid -
Fuel Hydrogen
Inert Helium Nitrogen
Oxidizer Chlorine Oxygen

Applicable Standards