Clean-in-place capable pump systems by Kelair Pumps Australia

Companies regularly approach Kelair for pumps that are clean-in-place (CIP) capable, and can deliver continuous reliable pressure and flow for spray bar applications. The applications discussed usually involve a continuous process line with viscous liquids such as food oils. This year, a biscuit manufacturer approached Kelair for a suitable pump to supply a spray bar for a baking operation.

A Kelair Sales Engineer visited the customer and worked through the system design with the customer's engineers. They stressed that the flow rate to the spray nozzles was critical and that the pump should be CIP capable and suitable for seven day operations. With these factors in mind, Kelair's engineers selected a Wright Flow (formerly Johnson Pump UK) Classic Plus lobe pump for the customer's application.

Kelair's engineers recommended the Classic Plus for CIP duty with confidence, knowing the attention to detail when designing the pump to conform fully to 3A Standards extended right through to the design of the crevice-free front cover and flush-fitting rotor retainers, which are milled, not slotted, avoiding sharp corners where bacteria can propagate.

The Classic Plus, like all positive displacement pumps, has a fixed volume per revolution. Combined with a correctly selected geared motor, the Classic Plus delivered the precise flow rate required. The Classic Plus is ideal for the customer's arduous continuous operation as the pump has been rigorously designed for long operation between scheduled preventative maintenance periods.

As Kelair demonstrated to the customer during the consultation, the pump is designed to comfortably handle overhang loads, by incorporating double taper roller bearings and exceptionally large diameter shafts forward of the bearings. The gearbox of the Classic Plus uses helical cut, rather than straight cut, teeth on its timing gears. Helical gears are designed to have more than one tooth engaged, so the torque carrying ability of the Classic Plus gearbox is larger than that of an identical gearbox fitted with straight cut teeth.

The Classic Plus has universal mounting feet, which allows the pump to be installed in one of four positions over 360 degrees. Given this flexibility, Kelair's customer elected to install the Classic Plus with the inlet and outlet ports in a vertical configuration to allow liquid to drain out of the pump during the CIP process. Innovative cutaways in the internal profile of the pump casing ensure that the pump drains completely, with no liquid retained. The pump was able to be plumbed into the line using the customer's specified connections without modification, as the Classic Plus can be factory-fitted with one of over thirty different connection types, or even fitted with custom connections if desired.

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