24 food & Beverage
specifying pump systems for food and beverage applications flow spoke to a cross-section of BPMA member companies to identify some of the challenges facing the food and beverage production industry, and to gather some advice on pump system specification for this sector.
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t goes without saying that hygiene is a paramount consideration when specifying any systems for food and beverage production, but it would appear that a need for reliability comes a very close second – stoppages on food production lines can result not just in lost productivity, it can also lead to costly product losses. Picking up on the issue of reliability, Stuart Foster, Sales Manager for ABB’s UK drives, points out that a pump system will only ever be as reliable as the motor that drives it. He advocates the use of variable speed drives (VSDs) as a solution to provide efficient control of the motor to ensure optimum pump system operation. The use of VSDs and motors can offer energy savings and reduce production downtimes. “A VSD can help save energy because it allows for pump speed adjustment to match flow to the needs of the process. If your pump uses throttling to control flow rates, you will save energy by upgrading to VSDs,” said Stuart. “The software functionality of today’s VSDs also makes them ‘pump and pipe friendly’. They can help combat cavitation to extend pump lifetimes and help avoid pressure peaks in pipes by building up the flow in a controlled way. Stuart advises that, when specifying a VSD for use in food and beverage pumps systems, users should consider the availability of the following: • Safe torque off (STO) function to maximise the safety of personnel, production process and equipment. • Compact size for easy installation, commissioning, and maintenance. • Fieldbus adapters to ensure connectivity with all major automation networks. • Remote monitoring service for drives (and motors) to help reduce unplanned downtime. Stuart goes on to point out that digital technologies hold the key to minimising downtimes and maximising productivity in food production. He said: “Smart sensor technology, for example, can offer an affordable way to convert traditional pumps into smart, wirelessly connected devices.” Smart sensors can measure vibration and temperature from the surface of the pump, and this data can be used to gain meaningful information relating to the condition and performance of the pump. Smart sensors can also use measurements to calculate health indicators for detecting common problems in pumps, such as cavitation, bearing failure, blade problems, looseness, unbalance and overheating. Bob Nash, Managing Director at T-T Pumps, also highlights reliability as being a critical requirement when
Quarter 4 2020
it comes to equipment specification for food processing applications. He said: “We deal with some big food processing organisations and for all of them equipment reliability is paramount because downtime is so costly in a manufacturing sector that is generally producing highquantity, low-cost items.” Pump control solutions can help ensure reliable pump system operation, highlighting any potential problems in a timely way. “We are seeing a growing interest in automated condition monitoring solutions – due, in part to the often low-skills levels of operators on food production lines,” continued Bob. T-T Service provides 24/7, 365 days a year monitoring of pump systems, utilising the Seer monitoring system which employs cloud-based technology to allow continual monitoring of pump system reliability – including flow monitoring, flow rates, heads etc. It can offer many channels of information relating to pump system reliability, and this data can be translated into actionable information which can be displayed on a dashboard and viewed from the control room or remotely. “It offers an important tool in the food processors armoury to help minimise unnecessary production line downtimes. Because it is a cloud-based system, it can help reduce maintenance costs as unnecessary site visits are eliminated. It is also possible to undertake data analysis and performance trending to allow for early intervention to prevent system failure,” said Bob. MATERIAL CHOICES Turning to the choice of materials for a food pump system, Paul Green, UK Sales Manager at AESSEAL, points out the importance of ensuring that all materials www.bpma.org.uk
