Available from Industrial Trading Solutions Ltd, let the Alfa Laval PlusClean® cleaning nozzle revolutionise tank cleaning in your hygienic processes.
In an effort to help pharmaceutical and food and beverage manufacturers adhere to increasingly stringent hygiene standards, Alfa Laval have developed PlusClean – a wall mounted cleaning nozzle that gives 100% cleaning coverage of tank shadow areas.
A 2020 survey of UK manufacturers conducted by Harris Interactive indicated that 79% of respondents now feel more aware of hygiene practices following the pandemic. However, amid the rise of new COVID-19 variants, manufacturers working in the pharmaceutical and food and beverage sector are under even greater pressure to reduce cross-contamination between industrial processes.
Despite recognition of this fact, only 31% of those surveyed believed that hygiene practices in this setting are currently adequate. This may be owing to a necessity for productivity amid peaking demand taking precedence over the thoroughness of sterilisation processes. However, we believe that with the uptake of new technology, the two do not have to be mutually exclusive.
Ian Forrester, Business Unit Manager for Separation and Food Systems at Alfa Laval, said: “The effects of the pandemic have re-iterated the importance of effective hygiene, particularly for those working in the manufacture of medical products, food and drink. For this reason, many business owners are beginning to re-evaluate current cleaning methods, with a view to integrating more comprehensive sterilisation techniques going forwards.
“While this is certainly a positive development, it is critical that thoroughness does not come at the sake of productivity and margin, as undertaking a comprehensive clean can often prove a time-consuming and expensive activity. In response to this challenge, the newly developed PlusClean nozzle ensures that manufacturers can achieve 100% coverage during cleaning without disrupting workflow.”
Achieving comprehensive sterilisation of process tanks has long proven a difficulty for manufacturers, with agitators and coils creating ‘shadow areas’ that are able to house contaminants from even the most advanced cleaning equipment. Alfa Laval’s PlusClean nozzle can be installed flush with the tank wall or bottom, targeting hard-to-reach areas with a pressured fan of cleaning media during cleaning-in-place (CIP).
As a result, manufacturers can guarantee total coverage during the sterilisation process, reducing the risk of cross-contamination between batches. This method also achieves up to an 80% reduction in water consumption versus industry standard tank cleaning techniques, resulting in a long-term savings for the operator.
For more demanding applications in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, PlusClean UltraPure is also available, with the Q-doc documentation package providing traceability across the entire supply chain.
Ian concluded: “Pharmaceutical and food and beverage manufacturers have long been tasked with improving operational efficiency while maintaining a healthy margin. However, amid the rise of new COVID-19 variants, the importance of adhering to tightening hygiene standards is greater than ever. We believe that through integrating comprehensive, accessible solutions such as PlusClean, we can help operators achieve an industry that is both greener and more hygienic.”
How it works
Installed flush with the surface of the tank wall or bottom, a wall mounted tank cleaning nozzle contains a spring-activated piston, which opens and closes the nozzle depending on the pressure of the cleaning media. It is available in two versions: media driven or air-operated. During the Cleaning-in-Place process, the pressure created by the cleaning media activates the media-driven version, while the pneumatic air-operated version has an actuator, which automatically opens the nozzle by means of controlled air pressure. When activated, the wall mounted nozzle sprays a high impact fan of cleaning media directly toward the soiled area. Through controlled and repeated rotation of the equipment with shadow areas, such as agitator blades, the wall mounted tank cleaning nozzle hits the shadow areas, ensuring 100% cleaning coverage and high-precision, high-impact cleaning.
Upon completion of the cleaning cycle, the integrated spring mechanism restores the piston to its original position, securely closing and sealing off the cleaning device. If purging is required, always operate with the actuator.
For more information on Alfa Laval’s PlusClean cleaning nozzle, visit the ITS website
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01675 465191 / sales@industrialtradingsolutions.com
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