Yearbook 2013/2014 - ehedg

European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group
Effective tank and vessel cleaning:
How different systems can help meet today’s demands
Continuously developing tank cleaning technology with the aim of improving effectiveness and
efficiency will help to reduce the required amount of energy and media.
Falko Fliessbach, GEA Breconcherry, e-mail: falko.fliessbach@gea.com, www.gea.com
Ever higher demands for process hygiene, combined with
significantly increased costs for the energy required to
heat up and convey cleaning media and long downtimes,
are typical challenges for many production plants. It is
therefore logical to critically analyse the cleaning processes
in production plants to determine and exploit the potential
for optimisation. Developing tank cleaning technology to
improve effectiveness and efficiency will help to reduce
the required amount of energy and media, and increase
hygiene in the plant environment.
Cleaning components are used for cleaning in various
production plants in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical
and chemical industries. They allow the cleaning of tank
vessel and reactor surfaces – irrespective of whether they
are in contact with product or not – to be integrated into
the process. Cleaning media such as water, detergents
or disinfectant solutions are applied to soiled surfaces.
Depending on the application (i.e. whether vertical or
horizontal tanks with or without internal fittings are to be
cleaned and what type of residues are to be removed),
various types of cleaning devices lend themselves to be
used more effectively in some situations than others.
Users typically want answers to the following questions:
• What is the difference between the systems on the
market?
• Which system is the most effective and the most
economical for my type of application?
• Who has the expertise to advise me and develop the
best solution?
The most popular systems on the market and details
about their technical characteristics and performance
capabilities are introduced below. Special processes also
are described.
Three groups of cleaner types are distinguished:
• Static cleaners
• Rotating cleaners
• Orbital cleaners
Static cleaners
Static cleaners, also known as spray balls, are available with
various spray patterns: up only, down only or 360°, in various
sizes and with different capacities (Figures 1 and 2). Spray
patterns that direct liquid “up” are ideally suited for tanks
without internal fittings, because the full amount of cleaning
solution can be applied directly to the tank cover and the
tank wall. “Down” spray pattern cleaners are best utilised for
tanks that are open at the top, and “360°” spray patterns are
designed for tanks with internal fittings. Depending on the
application, the spray ball requires flow rates in the range
of 30-50 litres per minute per metre of tank circumference
to work efficiently. Spray balls are usually available with a
threaded connection or pipe clip. Using spray balls for the
cleaning of tanks with internal fittings is recommended
only if large parts of the tank can be cleaned by wetting
all surfaces. If this is not the case, other cleaning devices
should be selected.
Figure 1. Different types of spray balls.
Figure 2. (a) Spray pattern “Down”; (b) Spray pattern “Up”; (c)
Spray pattern “360°.”