Abstract
The emptying of product from process plant is a significant multiphase flow problem in food and personal care industries, controlling both product recovery, and cleaning time. Product and operational losses can be significant, especially with viscous products. It is necessary to maximize product recovery while minimizing cleaning time and effluent volume. The removal of a range of products from fully filled pipework using water has been characterized and monitored by weighing pipes at intervals and by inline turbidity probe. Data is presented for a range of products (toothpaste, hand cream, apple sauce, yoghurt, and shower gel) that have been cleaned from two pipe systems. The data can be fitted by a linear relationship between a dimensionless cleaning time, and the ratio of the product yield stress to the surface shear stress. The effect of pipe fittings is to reduce cleaning times, reflecting increased shear/energy dissipation in the pipe. © 2018 The Authors AIChE Journal published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 64: 1517–1527, 2018
Highlights
IntroductionFouling of processing equipment is a severe industrial problem
Cleaning problems in industryFouling of processing equipment is a severe industrial problem
The effect of deposit rheology on the cleaning behavior of deposits has been compared for three materials with three different rheologies: shampoo, glucose syrup (Newtonian), and 70% diluted toothpaste (Herschel-Bulkley)
Summary
Fouling of processing equipment is a severe industrial problem. Cleaning is necessary to ensure process efficiency and equipment hygiene, and at plant changeover to remove one product before processing of another starts. The fastmoving consumer goods (FMCG) industry (including pharmaceutical, food, and personal products) operates cleaning-inplace (CIP) processes; these are automated systems that rinse and recirculate cleaning fluids through the equipment.[1] In these industries frequent cleaning is needed, so the economic impact of cleaning can be major in terms of energy used and production time lost. There is a need to minimize waste and energy during cleaning, reflecting the requirement to minimize the environmental impact of processes; this will require efficient ways of quantifying and controlling cleaning.[2] For plants in which multiple products are made, significant losses can result at changeover; product that fills tanks and pipework has to be removed, and little can be reused as product
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