blowdown

1. (countable, uncountable)The removal of liquid and solid hydrocarbons from a refinery vessel by the use of pressure.

2. (countable, uncountable)Cooling fluid discharged from a plant at the end of its cycle.

3. (countable, uncountable)Uprooting, overtopping, or bole breakage of trees by the wind; windthrow and windsnap.

4. (countable, uncountable)The action of aerodynamic forces to tend to cause a deflected control surface to return to its neutral position, or prevent the surface from deflecting past a certain point.

   At higher airspeeds, the 737's maximum rudder deflection is limited by blowdown, helping to prevent flight-control inputs from overstressing the aircraft's vertical stabilizer.

5. (countable, informal, uncountable)An instance of blowing down with compressed air.

   Give these parts a blowdown with your air hose before you put them in the ultrasonic cleaning tank.

regular