The Versaline VCP pump range from HpE Process is designed to offer competitive installation costs without the sacrifice of lower hygiene.
Hygienic centrifugal pumps play an important role in the beer, dairy and soft drinks industries.
A hygienic pump needs to be of stainless construction, says the company, but it also needs to have mechanical seals and O-rings that are both food grade and easy to clean. The pump needs to be constructed in order that a CIP (clean-in-place) flow can get to all surfaces.
Many small brewers use industrial stainless pumps, and while offering a lower initial cost and in some cases better efficiencies, they often prove to be more costly in the longer term, suggests HpE.
For hygiene, the company believes that shaft seals need to be in the main product flow, not set back out of the way where they cannot be effectively cleaned. Casing seals need to be in the product flow, not set back in a groove that can harbour bacteria. Impellers need large, open flow paths to avoid blockages with hop seeds/leaves.
In addition to breweries, dairies must have a cleanable pump, and the VCP is constructed in a way to allow all areas, including the mechanical seal housing, to be fully flushed during CIP.
In a market sector that is under cost pressure from supermarkets, HpE says it provides a cost-effective solution to the transfer of dairy products.
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