ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews cleaning processes and cleaning chemicals that can be used to remove lubricants from surfaces. It presents a broad view of the cleaning agents and points out a variety of conditions that one must be aware of in making a satisfactory selection including the effects of changes to the lubricants themselves. Cleaning efficiency is only one aspect of the cleaning problem. Worker safety, regulatory compliance, and cost-effective performance must all be taken into consideration. Critical cleaning of parts contaminated with lubricants or other functional fluids is an essential part of many technologically advanced processes. Hydrocarbons and oxygenated hydrocarbons became readily available with the advent of petroleum refining in the mid-nineteenth century. They are very effective for the removal of hydrocarbon-based mineral oils, and they have the obvious historical advantage of low cost.
