7 minute read
Food & Beverage
Specifying pump systems for food and beverage applications
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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.
It 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 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 high quantity, 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
used in construction comply with EU regulations. These include Regulation EC1935/2004 on materials and articles intended to come into contact with food (FCM Regulation) and Regulation EC2023/2006 on good manufacturing practices (GMP) for materials and articles intended to come into contact with food.
“Adherence to these regulations should extend to every component – including the mechanical seals,” said Paul. “Seals which do not come with proven traceability could contain inappropriate carbons and carry a significant risk of contamination. Mechanical seals which comply with industry standards will come with certified material traceability clearly evidenced on the packaging.”
Paul goes on to highlight several specification considerations which can maximise pump reliability and minimise the risk of unscheduled downtimes. “I strongly advise the specification of advanced non-contacting bearing isolators in place of traditional lip seals – as these are a common cause of bearings failure.” Explaining further, he said: “Lip seals have surface contact with the rotating shaft, which means they start to deteriorate almost immediately after installation, allowing particle and fluid ingress into the bearings chamber, contaminating the lubrication oil and causing corrosion. Bearings failure leads to unscheduled downtime and added maintenance and repair costs.
The use of bearing isolators can eliminate external contamination ingress and lubrication egress, which accounts for 52% of bearing failures. They are noncontacting so, unlike traditional lip seals, they do not contribute to shaft wear, while their non-contact design reduces friction, which can result in energy savings.
“Non-contacting bearing isolators can better protect bearings from water, process or particle ingress, extending the bearings’ lifespan, improving pump reliability and reducing the risk of contamination,” continued Paul.
When it comes to food industry applications, we see the word ‘reliability’ being used again and again. Choosing the right sealing solution provides yet another tool to help food processors achieve the reliability they need. Paul said: “A number of sealing solutions can be specified which will achieve long-term gains including improved pump reliability, reduced downtime and quantifiable savings in terms of energy use and water management and treatment costs. They also support adherence to extremely high standards of hygiene.”
The choice of seals can affect the other critical food processing challenge – the need for hygienic solutions. Paul points out that the use of standard sealed vessels limits access to the interior of the vessel, which makes the clean-in-place (CIP) process challenging. The risk of bacteria growth leading to product contamination is high. AESSEAL’s EasyClean water vessel is designed to meet stringent hygiene standards and alleviate this risk. A selffilling unit, it incorporates internal filler welds to eliminate bug traps and has a detachable lower section with a quick-release clamp. Easy visibility into the interior means residue can be captured before it can become a breeding ground for bacteria, and cleaning is both more efficient and more effective.
SELF-LUBRICATING COMPONENTS
Morgan Advanced Materials provides a range of self-lubricating bearing and seal components for use in pump systems, using a variety of carbon/graphite, silicon carbide, alumina and zirconia materials to engineer lightweight, low-friction bearings and seals.
Valentina Anzoletti, Product Manager at Morgan Advanced Materials, explained that the company is able to combine critical materials in powder form that can then be compacted and furnaced in order to create customer-specific components. In the food and beverage industry, these components could be used to create the vanes, bearings and internal chambers of a rotary vane pump. “We collaborate closely with our pump manufacturer customers to help them find solutions to improve their pump system performance, reduce wear rates and improve pump efficiency. This ensures a reliable and efficient pump solution for the end-user of the pump. For applications in food production, we can also ensure that only food-safe materials are used.”
The materials can help overcome a variety of challenging pump system applications, such as handing abrasive products or aggressive cleaning chemicals which are often required in food industry applications. Essentially, carbon graphite does not require the use of external lubricants and can be submerged in the medium so it can be used in direct contact with food products.
“We call it a solid lubricant material,” continued Valentina. “The need for lubricant is eliminated as the material is lubricated by the fluid in the system. Our carbon graphite materials also have NSF, WRAS and FDA approvals, for direct contact use with food. The materials are approved for USP Class VI chapter 87 & Chapter 88 applications – while hygiene specification requirements will usually come from the pump manufacturer, we can help them to ensure that the finished product will meet requirements, for example those set out by the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG).”
CONCLUSION
There are many elements to consider when specifying pump systems – the pumps themselves, the drive mechanism, the control solution and the materials of choice for the components. All of these elements can affect the suitability of the pump system for its task. In the food industry, in particular, it is vital to do your research and make the right choices. chevron-
