A new Sanitary Barrel Pump Kit for decanting bulk quantities of vinegar from containers
In today ’ s case study , we ’ re drilling down into a project we worked on for an overseas wine manufacturer . As well as making a range of wines , the company turned some of its product into vinegar to create another regular income stream .
They contacted North Ridge Pumps looking for a proven and effective way to decant intermediate bulk containers ( IBC ) containing vinegar with an acidic content up to 8 %. The company wanted an all-inone pump kit designed to quickly transfer the vinegar from the container .
How is vinegar made from wine ?
Turning good wine into great vinegar is surprisingly easy . In fact , you may have accidentally made wine vinegar in the past by leaving out an opened bottle of wine too long .
Wine can be left in a warm place for two weeks allowing the natural oxidation process to undertake the rest . Too much alcohol will hamper the growth of the bacteria that turn the wine into vinegar . Too little alcohol and the vinegar won ’ t keep very well .
To make large quantities of wine vinegar , a ‘ mother ’ vinegar is needed . This is fermenting bacteria culture which turns alcohol into acetic acid working in combination with oxygen . It can be bought as ‘ live ’ or ‘ mother ’ vinegar , or simply as an unpasteurised vinegar . Mother vinegar can also be made by combining wine and vinegar and leaving it to ferment .
Transferring vinegar in bulk
As part of this client ’ s production process , bulk deliveries of vinegar were being made and had to be transferred into drums on site . To do this , a pump was needed .
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Barrel or drum pumps are usually chosen for applications like this . They provide an easy and safe way to transfer or dispense virtually any fluid or chemical from containers like barrels , tanks , IBCs and drums . In addition , many different models , lengths , tubes and accessories are available to meet the demands of a variety of different sectors .
This particular application was just right for a sanitary barrel pump , also known as a drum pump . But which one to specify ?
Here are 7 factors we look at when specifying a barrel pump for a client :
1 . Cost of liquid Barrel pumps don ’ t usually decant all of the contents from a container , and sometimes leave as much as 5 % of the fluid at the bottom .
If this fluid is expensive , this level of waste can add up to tens of thousands of pounds worth of lost product and profit every year . On the flip side , significant savings can be made by taking out all of the contents of every container .
That ’ s why special types of pumps have been developed to totally remove these contents , and one specifically designed to do this is the North Ridge Pumps 99.98 % Barrel Emptying Kit .
2 . Type of fluid Obviously , fluids come in a wide variety of viscosities , from some similar to water to others which have the consistency of a paste or sludge . The properties of the liquid also need to be taken into account such as whether it is rheopectic or thixotropic .