The Bottom-Line Benefits of Product Recovery

Related Vendors

Italvacuum, Srl

TRM Filter d.o.o.

ProMinent GmbH

MOUVEX

Pumping Air when No Fluid Is Present

Most important for product-recovery considerations, Mouvex eccentric disc pumps are so efficient that they can pump air when no fluid is present. This creates a vacuum effect on the pump’s suction side and a compressor effect on the discharge side. In other words, once the product runs out in the feed tank, the eccentric disc technology continues to pump air in a very constant, non-abrupt, non-pulsating manner so that the surface tension on any remaining fluid is not broken. This produces a plug effect, which pushes out the product “plug” as a whole.

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Because the eccentric disc pump transitions to the purging process by using the air that is already in the feed tank, there should be no issues with maintaining product purity. If there is an issue, then the air/gas that blankets the product in the tank should be further purified to start. This method of product recovery is a much safer and cleaner alternative to pigging or a simple air/gas-blowing process. It is also much more difficult and costly to ensure proper quality of required air/gas that is sourced from compressors or high-pressure bottles.

Despite these drawbacks, some processors have adopted hybrid recovery processes for high-value products using both eccentric disc pumps and pigging. The eccentric disc pump is used to automatically recover most of the product from the line into the packaging equipment and maximize product recovery on sections of the line that pigging cannot serve. The pig is then used for a secondary recovery process to recover final product that adheres to the tubing wall in “piggable” sections of the line such as prior to a clean-in-place (CIP) operation.

The upshot of using eccentric disc pump technology for product-recovery operations is that the typical amount of product recovered is more than 95 % on the suction side of the pump and typically 60 % to 80 % or more on the discharge side.

Examples

Examples where the incorporation of Mouvex eccentric disc pumps in hygienic product-manufacturing operations have resulted in documented six-figure savings per pump line include:

• a multinational high-end cosmetic manufacturer that recovered enough silicone-based product to immediately pay back the cost of the pump within a few short days;

• two global yogurt companies with very long transfer lines that were able to record 70 % to 80 % and higher product-recovery rates, which resulted in the quick deployment of an additional pump in the process;

• an oral-care company that upgraded from centrifugal pumps to quickly achieve product-recovery targets with its low-viscosity products;

• a pharmaceutical company that fills many oral medicines with frequent product changeovers;

• a large baked-goods company that more effectively recovers the filling used in pastries, which also prevents blockage of injection nozzles.

Specific additional advantages of eccentric disc pumps in product-recovery applications you will find on the next page.

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