Detergent aircraft washing.
Saving the Aviation Industry Billions.
Since its origins dating back to early pioneers of flight such as Leonardo Da Vinci and the Wright brothers, the aviation industry has become known for its pivotal role in connecting the world. Every moment of the day there are commercial airline pilots flying passengers across oceans to visit their loved ones or expand business to new horizons, cargo planes delivering valuable air-freight, recreational pilots embracing the freedom of a solo voyage and search and rescue teams saving lives and delivering specialised medical care to remote areas.
With Australia’s rich multicultural population and the increased accessibility to air travel worldwide, the commercial aviation industry is quickly expanding. By 2030, it is predicted that domestic and international travel through Australia’s major airports will have doubled. With greater service demand, increasing the operational efficiency, longevity and uptime of aircraft is essential. This is where we come in.
Solidus Industries – Protecting aircraft from corrosion since 1993
It is no secret that one of the greatest challenges to the profitability of the aviation industry is corrosion. Between maintenance costs and loss of productivity due to aircraft downtime, it has been estimated that corrosion costs the aviation industry in the USA over $2 billion each year alone.
Whether you’re the owner of a light aircraft for general aviation, or in charge of a large commercial fleet of Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier or Embraer aircraft, preventing airframe corrosion is not only a vital safety measure, it is also good business sense.
A proactive approach to preventing corrosion will not only extend the lifespan of an aircraft well beyond its intended design goals, it can save a large fleet operator billions of dollars in the long term. Smaller scale aircraft owners and managers can save tens of thousands.
Solidus Industries Zi-400 HD Aircraft Cleaner is a revolutionary cleaning product that has been scientifically proven to inhibit corrosion while cleaning. Fully approved for exterior and interior use, Zi-400 HD has been the trusted cleaning product of choice for the Royal Australian Air Force since 1993, and actively protects aircraft from corrosion across the globe in Flight Training Schools, Commercial Airlines, Charter Services, Search and Rescue, Medivac, Aerial Application and General Aviation.
We are also the Oceania distributors of ZOK products, a range of powerful corrosion inhibiting gas turbine engine cleaners that protect aircraft engines against corrosion while maximising performance, fuel efficiency and reliability.
For windscreens and canopies, Solidus Industries Cleen Screen provides a crystal-clear finish that is completely free of distortion and halo effect. This advanced multi-purpose window cleaner is also great for sunglasses, helmet visors and electronic touch screens.
Advanced Cleaning Solutions for the Aviation Industry
Solidus Industries Cleaning Products: Made for Aviation
Zi-400 HD Aircraft Cleaner
Gas Turbine Compressor Cleaner
Originally formulated for the UK Ministry of Defence, this powerful water based Gas Turbine Compressor Cleaner is officially certified by the world leading manufacturers to the Power Generation industry including Siemens, General Electric, Mitsubishi, Pratt & Whitney, Solar Turbines and Kawasaki.
Zok 27
Gas Turbine Compressor Cleaner
This environmentally friendly solvent based cleaner is formulated with plant based surfactants, meeting the gold standard for ecological sustainability for use in the North Sea as outlined in the OSPAR convention. A powerful water based Gas Turbine Compressor Cleaner specially designed to create as little ecological impact as possible.
ZOK 27 Gold Standard
Corrosion Inhibiting Multi Purpose Industrial Cleaner
Zi-400 is a cutting edge colloidal cleaner that is water based, non-hazardous and highly effective at removing the toughest of residue build ups. It is also scientifically proven to inhibit corrosion, making it the ideal cleaning product for wind turbine blades, solar panels, heat exchangers and fuel pipelines.
Cleen Screen
Aviation Windscreen and Canopy Cleaner
Originally formulated for the UK Ministry of Defence, this powerful water based Gas Turbine Compressor Cleaner is officially certified by the world leading manufacturers to the Power Generation industry including Siemens, General Electric, Mitsubishi, Pratt & Whitney, Solar Turbines and Kawasaki.
1.5 Litre Foamer
Gas Turbine Compressor Cleaner
This environmentally friendly solvent based cleaner is formulated with plant based surfactants, meeting the gold standard for ecological sustainability for use in the North Sea as outlined in the OSPAR convention. A powerful water based Gas Turbine Compressor Cleaner specially designed to create as little ecological impact as possible.
Solidus Wash Kits
Corrosion Inhibiting Multi Purpose Industrial Cleaner
Originally formulated for the UK Ministry of Defence, this powerful water based Gas Turbine Compressor Cleaner is officially certified by the world leading manufacturers to the Power Generation industry including Siemens, General Electric, Mitsubishi, Pratt & Whitney, Solar Turbines and Kawasaki.
Airframe Cleaning Products
Corrosion is a challenge that all aircraft owners/operators face. Aircraft are often exposed to highly corrosive environments, from salty coastal locations, air pollution from industrialised areas, windborne dust and sand, high humidity, ultraviolet light and volcanic ash. Add to this the risk of corrosion from direct contact with engine exhaust particles, oils and fuels, hydraulic fluid and acidic leaks from galleys and lavs.
While corrosion prevention methods in the design and manufacture of aircraft have advanced considerably in the past 30 years, over time, exposure to these environments inevitably cause protective paint coatings to harden, become brittle and crack. Original metal primers break down leaving the alloys beneath vulnerable to the natural corrosion process.
While corrosion is typically associated with ageing aircraft, the reality is that the risk of corrosion begins from day one. A prime example was the experience of the Australian Defence Force’s Blackhawks. Entering service as a brand new fleet of over 30 helicopters in 1988, within four years the number of corrosion-related maintenance jobs on the fleet had escalated to over 200, and by 1994 this figure had increased to over 500 per year. The ADF engaged the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DST) to develop a smarter approach to preventing corrosion in aircraft and arresting corrosion rates where it had started to occur. The corrosion prevention and control program combined regular aircraft detergent washing with Solidus Industries Zi-400 Aircraft Cleaner, the use of corrosion inhibiting compounds, dehumidification and advanced corrosion detection tools to catch signs of corrosion early.
The program was a huge success, with corrosion related maintenance jobs reduced to less than 100 by the year 2005; a remarkable result considering the aircraft had also clocked up another 10 years of service during that time.
Prevent Corrosion with regular detergent washes with Zi-400 HD
Solidus Industries Zi-400 HD Aircraft Cleaner is a fully approved airframe cleaner with a powerful corrosion inhibiting formula. Safe and easy to use, regular detergent washing with Zi-400 HD is an inexpensive way to protect aircraft from costly and potentially dangerous corrosion damage.
With each clean Zi-400 HD works its way into seals, cracks in the paint work and around rivets and fasteners, displacing moisture, dirt and salts from hard to reach areas that are highly susceptible to corrosion. In situations where corrosion has already set in, Zi-400 HD can swiftly reduce the rate of corrosion to almost zero.
Additionally, Zi-400 HD is a robust airframe cleaner. It successfully removes the most stubborn aircraft fouling from carbon deposits, exhaust stains, oils, grease, tyre rubber, hydraulic fluid and environmental contaminants such as salts, dust, bird poo and atmospheric pollution.
The combined cleaning and corrosion inhibiting abilities of Zi-400 have made it the market leader and industry benchmark throughout the entire aviation sector from ultra-lights and recreational aircraft to the heaviest military and commercial airliners, even the space shuttle.
Approvals and certifications as an exterior aircraft cleaner include:
- Boeing D6-17487 REVISION P (Exterior)
- AMS 1526B, Exterior Cleaner (Accepted by AIRBUS Industries)
- MIL-C-87936A TYPE 1 SPECIFICATIONS
- DEF (AUST) 5570A
- Textron Aviation
- Bombardier
- McDonnell Douglas CSD #1
- Lockheed-Georgia Co. STM32-302
- Lockheed Martin (Vought Systems)
- British Aerospace Co T.O.R. 241
- United Space Alliance
- Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority Approval REF.DR 95/176/EI1
- United Kingdom Civil Aviation Approval DAI/9386/92
Interior Aircraft Cleaning
Zi-400 HD Aircraft Cleaner has been tested and conforms to Boeing and AMS interior specifications. It can be used for all aspects of interior cleaning, from cockpit, to cabin, to galley, to cargo hold.
An outstanding multi-purpose cleaner, Zi-400 HD is highly effective on a wide range of surfaces including carpet, upholstery, leather, rubber, plastics, acrylic windows and lavatories.
As an interior cleaner, Zi-400 HD is easy and safe to use. It is classified as non-hazardous and non-dangerous according to WHS Regulations and the ADG Code.
Zi-400 HD has been the trusted interior cleaner of choice for major international and domestic airlines for over 20 years.
Aircraft Window Cleaning
For glass surfaces and mirrors Solidus Industries’ Cleen Screen Windscreen and Canopy Cleaner provides a crystal-clear finish that is completely free of distortion, halo effect and helps to reduce fogging.
Highly effective on EFIS screens, in-flight entertainment units and instruments, Clean Screen also slows down the accumulation of finger-prints, other oils and grime on electronic touch screens.
With its water based colloidal formulation, Clean Screen is non-harmful and simple to apply both in its standard application or as a spot cleaner on any hard surface.
Simply spray on, buff off.
Aircraft Engine Cleaning
A concept that is not widely recognised in the commercial Aviation sector is how much money could be saved by the regular detergent washing of gas turbine engines, a practice that has long been the standard in the Military, Marine, Power Generation and Oil and Gas industries.
A saving of more than 1 million dollars a day?
A study showed that if a major airline were to routinely clean their engines with a water based compressor wash detergent, they could save up to 1 Million USD per day in fuel consumption.
This is why Solidus Industries are the Oceania distributors of ZOK 27, a revolutionary gas turbine compressor cleaner that was originally developed for the UK Ministry of Defence specifically to protect and extend the life of their aircraft engines.
Case Study – Professor Hinton Synopsis
A combined cycle power station operated by Sithe Sterling Energy in upstate New York was responsible for providing electricity to a nearby Oneida manufacturing plant.
With an integrated fitout of a GE Frame 6B gas turbine compressor engine, Zurn HRSG and extraction steam turbine, Sithe estimated that to successfully meet their supply demands they would need to maintain an availability rate of 95.6% and reliability factor of 97.0% of their gas turbine compressor engines.
Thanks to a regular cleaning program using ZOK, their actual results were significantly higher.
| Actual Availability Rate | Actual Reliability Factor | |
| 98.5% | 99% | Year 1 |
| 96.5% | 98% | Year 2 |
| 99.3% | 99.9% | Year 3 |
The Power of Preventative Maintenance
Sithe attributed this success to a consistent routine of washing their gas turbine compressor engine to ensure peak performance. An on-line water wash was performed each day the engine was in operation, with ZOK 27 detergent used on alternate days. For on-line hot washes, ZOK would be used for the first 3 minutes of the water wash, followed by a 17 minute rinse. In addition to daily hot washes, Sithe performed a quarterly off-line cold wash with ZOK.
The balance of consistent on-line and off-line washes is the key to success. Sithe experienced this first hand during a period when they ran their gas turbine compressor engine for 201 consecutive days without an off-line wash. Their calculations showed that the gas turbine output had fallen by 5.6% and the heat rate by 2.4%. Following an off-line wash with ZOK 27, the engine’s performance was restored to its original levels.
Thanks to Sithe’s consistent routine of on-line and off-line washing with ZOK 27, readings between quarterly off-line cleans showed only a minimal reduction of output performance (0.4%) and minimal heat rate increases (0.3%).
Our Aviation Clients
