Chemical manufacturer increases production, decreases water and chemical usage with Alfa Laval tank cleaning devices
A chemical manufacturer based in Mason, OH decided to establish a more efficient and effective tank cleaning method because they could no longer meet the demands of their consumers using their existing methods. The company operated four continuous production lines, each with 3 tanks. Each day the tanks were shut down for cleaning, which took a minimum of one hour. In many cases cleaning took longer because of the frequent clogging of the spray balls. There was also additional manual cleaning needed from time to time when the spray balls could not remove the built up residue.
The company turned to Alfa Laval rotary impingement tank cleaners, and the results were much more beneficial than expected. The solution was an Alfa Laval GJ A6 operating at 115 PSI and 15 GPM. Cleaning began with a 2 minute pre-rinse to remove the bulk of the residue followed by a five minute re-circulated wash with caustic and a final two-minute rinse.
Results
The total cleaning time was 9 minutes, which was 91% faster than the previous method. The design of the machine, coupled with a filter, allowed for the debris to pass through or be caught, resulting in no clogging. The facility was able to utilize the saved cleaning time and increase production by 71%, producing 1,042 batches more a year. In addition the facility reduced its water and chemical usage by 85%.
