First , however , the majority of any remaining product residues must be removed or - less resource-friendly - rinsed out each time .
At the heart of product recovery systems is the so-called pig or scraper , a movable plug whose principle is derived from monitoring technology for oil and gas pipelines . The pig , equipped with sensors for control measurements , is moved through the pipeline to the control section to be examined . This is done by a propellant medium such as air , water , carbon dioxide or nitrogen . The pig is made of various elastic plastics that seal the pipe well . The fact that this additional step means that much less rinsing water is required for subsequent cleaning is proving to be an important step forward for ecologically sustainable water use .
GEA VARICOVER ® reduces water consumption sustainably and minimizes product losses .
Like the product flow and the pipe cleaning , the intermediate pigging process should also run without interfering with the closed piping system . For this purpose , modern recovery systems have an automatically operating pig launching station attached to the pipe at the beginning of each pipe section . It receives the pig as long as product , rinsing water or cleaning media flow through the pipe . In GEA systems , the pig housing is extended in diameter and is equipped with special grippers and springs . The pig is continuously surrounded by the flowing media with a defined range of motion and thus remains hygienically clean . If the pig is subsequently used , a pig catching station awaits it at the end of the pipe section and the return to the sending station . Two valves each control the required inflow and outflow of the motive medium .
POSSIBILITIES OF RECOVERY SYSTEMS ARE FAR FROM EXHAUSTED Depending on how advanced a plant is in carrying out these and other processes , there are great differences in water consumption from plant to plant . The possibilities of recovery systems are far from exhausted , but the optimization potential varies depending on the product and plant structure . “ The more viscous the product , for example yogurt , and the longer the piggable pipe section , the more recovery and the greater the savings in water consumption ,” is the formula used by Christian Blecken , responsible for System and Application Support at GEA ’ s Competence Center for Hygienic Recovery Technology in Büchen . The frequency of batch changes , for which the pig can be used , also plays a role .
The investment in pigging technology can pay off in new construction , but also when retrofitting plants . Christian Blecken enumerates the prerequisites : “ It is only important that the pipe section has a constant diameter and does not have any internals so that the pig does not get stuck or lose its sealing effect ”. In contrast , ordinary pipe bends and T-connections are no problem for the pig , especially not in the one-piece doublesphere shape preferred by GEA : “ This smart shape has the advantage that the pig does not even have to bend in the bend ”, Christian Blecken is pleased to say . Quite a few companies use the advantages of the recovery technology in all process stages , from raw material reception to transport to process and storage tanks to filling . Here too , there is a guiding principle for the optimization potential : “ The closer to the filling process , the nobler the product to be recovered ,” explains Pascal Baer , the senior GEA product manager responsible for aseptic components in Kirchberg , Switzerland . These are necessary when processing flow media in the more contaminationsensitive hygiene classes UltraClean and Aseptic , such as UHT milk products . In aseptic pigging systems , for example , all built-in valve rods are additionally sealed against the atmosphere .
Pigging systems are also available in explosion-proof versions , for example for alcoholic products . Due to the wide range of solutions , the recovery technology can be used for almost any type of flow product . There are no limits for companies and plants .
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