Reverse Osmosis Units. Often have to be chemically cleaned every 80-90 hours of operation. The cleaning is determined by the permeate flow rates and pressure differentials across the membranes. The drop in flow rates and increased pressure primarily results from the increasing calcium carbonate fouling on the membrane surface.
Milkstone. When milk is treated in an evaporator for the removal of water, scale in the form of “milkstone” builds up on the inside of the tubes, associated equipment, pumps, and pipework. The removal of milkstone is necessary to maintain operating efficiency, with the costs of removal being measured in labor, chemicals, production losses, and increased energy costs due to reduced thermal efficiency.
Brinery. Is used to top up the cans with water. Heated by a steam heat exchanger, water on a continuous feed fills each can in turn on a production line. The can is then sealed and taken to a retort for the final cooking process. In hard water areas brineries and pipework regularly block with scale necessitating plant shutdown to descale.
Heat Exchangers. Fouling increases the overall thermal resistance and lowers the overall heat transfer coefficient of heat exchangers as well as impeding fluid flow, accelerating corrosion and increasing pressure drop across the heat exchanger.
Fouling of equipment is a serious problem in the food industry. It disrupts production, causes equipment failure and increases the cost of production through increased utilization of energy, time, cleaning chemicals, and water. Formation of foulants on the food equipment surface causes reduction in the heat transfer as well as increase in the pressure drop across the plate heat exchanger. Minimizing fouling is hence imperative to achieve better return on investment as well as to improve food quality.
De Baat Doelman is president of Scalewatcher North America Inc. Reach him at 610-932-6888.
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