Clear Water Rinse for Cargo, Tankers, Subchasers, Bombers and Fighter

kc 135 clear water rinse

Clear Water Rinse Keeps Your Squadron Free of Corrosion.

Clear water rinse is critical after every flight. In the past, aircraft maintenance crews would complete mandatory clear water rinses with a hose or water buffalo. This manual process could take up to an hour per aircraft rinse, requires two operators, and uses a high volume of freshwater. Now, there’s a better solution … the Riveer BirdBath Clear Water Rinse Systems.

Riveer BirdBath is an automatic clear water rinse system (CWRS) which allows the pilot to taxi through the system before returning to the flight line. The CWRS process takes between 30 seconds and 2 minutes to complete, then the wash water is reclaimed, filtered and reused in future rinses.

According to U.S. defense requirements, all aircraft stationed near salt water shall be clear water rinsed at least once every 15 days. Furthermore, all aircraft flown at low level (under 3000 ft.) over salt water require a CWR after the last flight of the day.

spraying off aircraft
spraying off aircraft
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Clear water rinse does not satisfy all aircraft washing requirements, it does assist in controlling corrosion susceptibility by removing corrosion-causing agents if used on a frequent basis between scheduled wash cycles, even if aircraft are not exposed to a salt environment. BirdBath CWRS can be installed in-ground

Automatic Operation

The BirdBath is intended for taxi-through application of clear water for the purpose of rinsing corrosive agents from the surfaces of aircraft. This system removes dust, salt and other corrosion causing contaminates from the entire outer structure of the aircraft in less than one minute and can be configured to process almost any number of aircraft per day. The system can be triggered for automatic operation when an aircraft crosses the BirdBath ramp threshold, or it can be manually operated by a single attendant.

as integral part of the tarmac or above-ground, which requires less infrastructure modification and associated site engineering/ environmental considerations. Both systems have their advantages according to site location. The above-ground system features steel pads placed on existing concrete area, taxiway, or flight-line.

Clear Water Rinse System Benefits

  • The first line of corrosion prevention is a clear water rinse system
  • Helps prevent the build-up of corrosive elements on the outer surface of the aircraft & saves the operator time and money spent on corrosion repair & maintenance
  • Capable of providing CWR in less than one minute
  • Reduces the amount of corrosive build-up between mandatory wash intervals, thus reducing the number of work-hours required to complete a scheduled wash
water spraying aircraft
close-up automatic clear water rinse system
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water spraying up from clearwater rinse system
military aircraft out on landing strip
computer screen of flight line
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f18 clearwater rinse
computer screen of flight line

Clear Water Rinse Taxi-Through

Constructed of heavy steel (galvanized for shore line deployment) or concrete, the taxi-on rinse deck area is sized to fit the aircraft to be rinsed; from small 27′ x 80′ x 4″ pads for small helicopters to 80′ x 120′ x 4″ for midsize fixed wing aircraft.

On a steel rack, approach and departure ramps are sized for the aircraft its designed for and has ultra low, 1.9° compound-angles to allow sufficient ground clearance for aircraft with center-line tanks installed. The highest obstruction is a mere 3/8″ ridge at the entry to the BirdBath rinse deck area.

Steel or concrete, the collection pad design traps water run-off and drainage for subsequent pumping into a filtration system for reuse.

Clear Water Rinse Features

  • The pre-engineered, one-vendor clear water rinse system is flexible in its placement; reduces initial start-up time, and allows for virtually immediate operation of the system
  • Automatic intelligent operation: little or no ground crew required, adjusts to type of aircraft and weather conditions (see top photo on the left – technology is patent pending)
  • Utilizes multiple corner-mounted, automatic, oscillating, high-flow monitors with patented spray and flow trajectories and multiple lower deck nozzles ensure a thorough and efficient rinse of all surfaces.
  • The Riveer BirdBath can be configured to match the requirements of any size aircraft from small trainers to the largest cargo transports.
  • Faster cycle time for thorough rinse in under one minute
  • The standard CWRS footprint for fighters, other small fixed wing aircraft and rotary wing aircraft is 60′L x 60′W x 4″H.
  • Turnkey system with testead electronics, plumbing, and related systems delivered and installed by Riveer crew (professionals)
  • Saves water: BirdBath reclaims, filters and recycles up to 80% of the fresh water
  • Undercarriage rinse is made up of FOD-proof (Foreign Object Debris) nozzles which offer pattern and flow adjustment capabilities. To learn more about these “APAFN’s,” (Adjustable Pattern Adjustable Flow Nozzles – Patent Pending) click here.

Water Filtration/Recycling Features

    • CWRS utilizes a high-pressure water filtration & recycling unit
    • Water utilized to rinse the aircraft is recaptured & monitored for Total Dissolved Solids (salts)
    • When water TDS reaches a prescribed high limit, it’s discharged into a waste tank
  • Up to 80% of the water used in an aircraft rinse operation can be recycled; saving roughly 4,000 gallons per rinse or 4,000,000 gallons of water per year (based on 4 aircraft per day, 250 days a year).
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