12 minute read
GEA
GEA doubles flow rates of the GEA Hilge CONTRA multistage centrifugal pump range
With the introduction of a third size in the GEA Hilge CONTRA range, GEA is expanding the performance spectrum of its centrifugal pumps to a flow rate of 100 cubic meters per hour. The new GEA Hilge CONTRA III meets the general requirements of the dairy, beverage and food industries. It is particularly well suited for demanding pharmaceutical applications in which sterile, no-cast materials in CIP- and SIP-capable specialized pumps are a critical factor in the manufacture of life science products.
FLOW RATES DOUBLED
The GEA Hilge CONTRA III multistage centrifugal pump in the CONTRA range is designed according to the Hygienic Design guidelines and has a decadeslong track record in sterile applications thanks to its electropolished surfaces, high-quality sealing materials and versatile designs. “Centrifugal pumps are, so to speak, the workhorses of the process engineering industry. They are the most widely used pumps in the pharmaceutical industry because their design ensures the necessary hygienic, reproducible production,” explains Martin Zickler, Product Manager for hygienic centrifugal pumps at GEA.
By introducing the new size with increased drive power, GEA has doubled the maximum flow rate to 100 cubic meters per hour compared to the previously available range. “Our target for the GEA Hilge pump range is to cover as large performance spectrum as possible with just a few sizes,” says Zickler. “This reduces spare parts inventory costs for plant operators. The greater the number of individual pump sizes in a process line, the wider the range of mechanical seals and O-ring sets are required to be kept in stock.”
MITIGATING THE RISK OF CONTAMINATION
In both the food and pharmaceutical industries, the requirements for purity and reproducible quality of raw materials, active ingredients and end products are particularly high. In pharma applications, the water typically transferred by pumps is of WFI (water for injection), PW (purified water) and AP (aqua purificata) quality. Other media to be transferred are infusion solutions, suspensions, nutrient solutions, alcoholic solutions, vaccines or blood plasma. The plant components installed directly in the production area must not contaminate circulating media (highpurity water) or products (cell cultures, solutions from the fermenter) – neither by the penetration of undesirable substances from outside, nor by the materials used.
PROCESS-RELIABLE, FAIL-SAFE, EASY TO CLEAN
GEA has designed the CONTRA pump range to meet the highest process reliability, material and failure safety requirements. “When CIP cycles are not perfectly carried out, production downtime costs increase. This is why we design plant components such as our GEA Hilge CONTRA III to be both hygienic and easy to maintain so as to improve plant availability,” says Zickler. This not only contributes to product safety, but also to gentle product handling and plant efficiency. CIP and sanitizing cycle times can be reduced, which in turn saves water and cleaning agents as well as the energy required to heat the cleaning media. Servicefriendly patented Adapta design of the CONTRA III allows the pump to remain
in the pipeline in the event of a motor change. The system does not need to be revalidated for pharmaceutical applications, thus minimizing maintenance requirements.
TOTAL DRAINAGE THROUGH ECCENTRIC DISCHARGE PORT AND INCLINED SURFACES
Criteria for the cleanability of pumps are primarily the absence of dead spaces and a cavitation-free design of all media contacting parts. This applies, among other things, to the installation space of the mechanical seal and the arrangement and dimensioning of the drainage system, which is essential to avoid any contamination. The fluid can already drain off completely with a surface inclination angle of 3°. If GEA Hilge CONTRA pumps are installed vertically, this can be achieved even without the need for a drain valve.
NO-CAST COMPONENTS ARE EASY TO CLEAN
Material selection plays an equally important role for quality and safety in process control. Manufacturers therefore prefer high-quality stainless steels, which ensures hygiene, corrosion resistance and a long service life. In order to facilitate cleanability in hygienically sensitive applications, GEA relies on forged, deep-drawn and milled components instead of castings for media-contacting parts. Zickler: “Because they are prone to cavitation, cast parts are particularly undesirable in the pharmaceutical industry. Their reduced cleanability makes reproducible, easy-to-clean production difficult.” However, both aspects were important parameters for GEA in the development of the pump. All materials have therefore been carefully selected for their use in hygienic processes. The casings are made of deep-drawn rolled or forged steel of grade 316L (1.4404 or 1.4435). The non-porous and cavitation-free surface enables different sterilization standards with surface roughness from Ra ≤ 0.8 µm to Ra ≤ 0.4 µm.
VERSATILE CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS
The entire CONTRA range is characterized by a wide range of configuration options, allowing plant operators to use the pumps in a variety of applications. Whether installed horizontally or vertically, the GEA Hilge CONTRA III achieves a very high efficiency thanks to the precise operating point design and various impeller geometries. For pumps that are to be used in explosive atmospheres, the CONTRA is available in the Adapta variant. This design has EC conformity approval according to ATEX Directive 2014/34/E. FREQUENCY CONVERTER FOR VERSATILITY
Increasing the versatility of the GEA Hilge CONTRA III, frequency converters are also an integral part of the hygienic concept. Pharmaceutical companies that also operate their plants under partial load and on weekends particularly benefit from speed control, as the water distribution system must be kept in motion continuously in order to prevent contamination, regardless of the actual operating phase. Frequency converters have a significantly lower heat effect on the pumped media compared to throttled centrifugal pumps. Less cooling is required as a result and energy costs are reduced. The sensitive media is protected from thermal damage.
More information can be found online at gea.com.
Ergonomic handling solutions
The Covid pandemic has brought new challenges to industries all over the world. Due to the dramatically increasing number of online orders and growth of e-commerce, and the pressures associated with staff health and safety, goods must now be picked and packaged more safely and efficiently than ever before.
No matter which industry you work in, our range of ergonomic handling solutions can improve productivity levels and health & safety at the same time. Turn two person lifts to one person lifts by allowing the operator to lift upto 250kg at just the push of the button. Our vacuum lifters remove 100% of the weight of the goods from the operator allowing them to move quickly and with precision. Other solutions such as trolleys, and chain and wire hoists solve a multitude of manual handling issues; the versatile range of equipment on offer allows you to lift nearly anything with TAWI. We offer both stationary and mobile solutions, customisable solutions, and also stainless steel and ATEX rated solutions. TAWI’s Mobile Order Picker (MOP) allows one person to do the job of two while protecting them from injuries caused by lifting heavy objects. The MOP is compatible with any forklift or pallet jack, making it a highly versatile piece of equipment. With its adjustable tower height, operators can reach into pallet racks and other low headroom spaces giving them the ability to access otherwise hard to reach areas.
Our trolleys are built with a modular design, so parts and attachments are interchangeable, making them highly adaptable to your needs. Lift, tilt, and rotate reels with ease, and grip them from either the core or the outside to reduce damage to your goods. Our lifting trolleys are perfect for lifting reels of film and packaging and are available in stainless steel, making them suitable for the food and beverage industry.
Make sure to look out for TAWI at The PPMA Show to see a demonstration of our equipment, or to have a chat with one of the technical team! – 28th-30th September (Stand number C34)
Brewery has no regrets following rebellious move from steam to thermal
In 2015, with business improving but original process equipment reaching endof-life, Rebellion Beer Company bucked the trend and, with impartial advice from heat transfer specialist Fulton, replaced its ageing steam boiler for a thermal fluid system. Now, six years on, we approached Rebellion’s Mark Gloyens to update us on how brewery life has coped with the switch.
Anyone running a brewery will tell you just how critical the boil phase of the brewing process is; and when Rebellion set out on its journey from steam to thermal, they were warned that they’d never succeed in getting that clean flavour achieved from a steam-driven rolling boil. 44 FDPP - www.fdpp.co.uk
“The move from steam to thermal was a leap of faith on our part, but the warnings received from other breweries have been proven to be incorrect!” says Rebellion Beer Company’s Mark Gloyens. “Product quality has improved because we now have more control over temperature for the wort boiling process than ever before. We’re getting a very good quality boil that is controllable and we have achieved everything we wanted from the move from steam to thermal fluid”.
Thanks to the control and flexibility that the thermal system affords Rebellion, the brewery has had the ability to achieve various size batches as and when required. Until recently, this has enabled them to process research and development batches and has been especially useful throughout the pandemic when, at the beginning, throughput was decimated because pubs were forced to close. However, as lockdowns came and went, Rebellion successfully pivoted its business and started selling direct to the consumer via a home delivery service, which meant throughput very quickly returned to prepandemic levels, currently two to three batches per day, with each boil lasting up to 90 minutes.
“The beauty of the thermal fluid installation is its flexibility and ability to very easily adapt our changing brewing strategies.” says Mark.
“Historically we would have been doing two brews per day to achieve maximum output, but because of its flexibility, we are now able to shut the thermal fluid heater down for a day per week to deep clean the brewhouse and increase output to three brews per day for the remainder of the week. Something that would have been very difficult to achieve with steam.”
Beyond the control and flexibility, there are many other factors that have had a positive impact on Rebellion Beer Company, as Mark explains: “A steam boiler is essentially a pressure vessel and regulations state that pressurised systems must undergo an annual insurance inspection. This inspection would often take the steam boiler offline and mean our brewing processes were down for a day or more, with disruption from the downtime potentially being felt for several days after. Additionally, with even the best water treatment programme in place, steam at pressure can be very corrosive, leading to problems with steam traps, flanges and pipework, which we always seemed to be maintaining and was always therefore another potential for process downtime. savings made compared to maintaining the old steam system – and despite the thermal fluid installation being a more expensive capital outlay initially – has certainly contributed significantly to the return on investment, with the investment now fully paid for.
Expanding on the flexibilities of the thermal fluid system, Mark has also announced that Rebellion is about to tap into the existing brewhouse line to create a small-batch development brewery and yeast propagation plant on the site. “It’s been such an easy expansion to achieve. We’ve just been able to tap into the existing thermal fluid line and use the system for another duty without impacting on everything else.” says Mark.
The new development line is capable of brewing five hectolitre (500 litre) batches and will enable development or commercial batches – such as strong beers or one-off batches that may not appeal to the wider consumer – to be processed without having to invest in a full 4,000 litre brew.
Summarising, Mark Gloyens says that whenever he’s asked if Rebellion is happy with the thermal fluid installation from Fulton, he simply tells them to come and take a look because it speaks for itself. “It’s just a neat, compact installation that’s relatively maintenance free and extremely flexible!”.
And when asked about his advice to anyone considering a new brewhouse or complete overhaul of existing plant; and perhaps sitting on the fence when it comes to considering steam versus thermal? “You obviously need to consult the experts as we did when we approached Fulton over six years ago. They were completely unbiased because they manufacture both steam and thermal fluid solutions.”. says Mark. “But for Rebellion Beer Company, a thermal fluid solution was a no brainer. It’s more cost-effective, more reliable, relatively maintenance free and a much neater, more compact system that still provides the quality of heating needed for brewing. It’s just a better way of doing it!”
“With thermal being more of a closed loop system, we’ve not experienced the same issues with leaking gaskets, flanges, etc., making the whole installation not only look but also feel so much more reliable than steam!”.
In putting a figure on the annual cost savings of maintaining a steam system – including servicing, water treatment, chemical dosing, etc. – compared to thermal fluid, Mark Gloyens estimates that the thermal fluid system is much lower and could be at least half that of the previous steam boiler installation. And six years on, Mark estimates that the For further information on its range of steam- and thermal-based heat transfer solutions for brewing processes and brewhouses, visit www.fulton.co.uk, email sales@fulton.co.uk or call the office on +44 (0)117 972 3322.
