Guide to Pump Selection for Food & Beverage Processing

Fluid processing is a critical aspect of food, dairy, and beverage manufacturing, where the right pump plays a crucial role in maintaining product integrity, ensuring hygiene, and optimizing efficiency. Selecting the appropriate pump for a specific application involves considering various factors such as the type of fluid being handled, operational requirements, regulatory compliance, and lifecycle costs.

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of key considerations to help you make informed decisions when selecting pumps for food and beverage processing, including options from leading manufacturers such as Fristam, Viking Pump, Waukesha Cherry-Burrell (SPX Flow), Grundfos, and Xylem.

Understanding Application Requirements:

Before selecting a pump for your process, you'll need to identify the specific application and process requirements, including flow rate, pressure, temperature, viscosity, and the characteristics of the fluid being pumped (e.g., viscosity, abrasiveness, shear sensitivity).

Consider factors such as the need for gentle handling of shear-sensitive fluids, the ability to handle solids or particulates without clogging, and the presence of entrained air. Entrained air that isn't mitigated can lead to issues such as cavitation, reduced pump efficiency, and product degradation. If you need assistance with this, our team of engineers is here to help; simply contact us for more information.

Sanitary Design and Internal Surface Finish:

In food and beverage processing, hygiene is critical. You should choose pumps with sanitary design features such as smooth surfaces, crevice-free construction, and easy disassembly for cleaning and sterilization.

Leading manufacturers like Fristam, Viking Pump, NETZSCH, and Xylem prioritize sanitary design principles to meet stringent industry standards and regulations, ensuring product integrity and hygiene in fluid processing operations.

The internal surface finish of pumps and processing equipment is also important. Most food and beverage applications have specific requirements regarding the surface finish, typically measured in Ra (roughness average), that is necessary to meet sanitary standards. Common surface finishes include:

• 32 Ra: Suitable for general applications.
• 25 Ra: Offers improved cleanliness.
• 20 Ra: Provides enhanced hygiene.
• 15 Ra: Exceptionally smooth and polished.
• Electropolish: Provides superior cleanability.
• Passivation: Enhances corrosion resistance.

Selecting the appropriate surface finish is essential for maintaining product integrity, preventing contamination, and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards in food and beverage processing. If you need assistance, contact us to determine the optimal surface finish for your specific application.

Types of Pumps for Food and Beverage Processing:

There are various types of pumps for sanitary applications, including both positive displacement and centrifugal pumps. Certain types of pumps offer specific advantages tailored to different applications.

Positive Displacement Pumps:

• Rotary Lobe Pumps: Fristam is particularly well-known for its rotary lobe pumps, which are designed for gentle handling of viscous fluids, shear-sensitive materials, and delicate product formulations. These pumps feature sanitary construction, easy maintenance, and smooth product flow, making them ideal for applications requiring product integrity and hygiene.
• Twin Screw Pumps: Twin screw pumps are capable of handling high-viscosity fluids, solids, and shear-sensitive ingredients with minimal pulsation and gentle product handling. These pumps are suitable for applications such as food processing, dairy processing, and confectionery production.
• Gear Pumps: These pumps are commonly used in food and beverage processing for transferring liquids with varying viscosities, such as syrups, sauces, creams, and juices. Viking Pump is a global leader in external and internal gear pump solutions, providing robust and versatile options for handling a wide range of viscosities and applications, including chocolate manufacturing.
• Rotary Vane Pumps: Sanitary rotary vane pumps are designed for gentle handling of viscous fluids, creams, and emulsions in food and beverage processing. These pumps feature a simple and robust design, low pulsation, and easy maintenance, making them suitable for applications requiring product integrity and hygiene.
  
• Progressive Cavity Pumps: A progressing cavity pump provides gentle handling of shear-sensitive fluids, precise flow control, and the ability to handle fluids with varying viscosities. These pumps are suitable for pumping viscous fluids, sauces, pastes, and shear-sensitive materials in food and beverage applications.

Centrifugal Pumps:

• Hygienic Centrifugal Pumps: Hygienic centrifugal pumps are known for their reliability, efficiency, and hygienic design, making them ideal for sanitary applications requiring high flow rates and moderate pressure. They often incorporate features such as polished stainless steel components and sanitary seals to prevent product contamination.
• CIP (Clean-in-Place) Pumps: CIP pumps are designed to withstand rigorous cleaning processes without disassembly, making them ideal for applications where frequent cleaning is necessary to maintain hygiene standards. These pumps often feature self-draining designs and FDA-approved elastomers to ensure compatibility with cleaning chemicals.
• AOD (Air-Operated Diaphragm) Pumps: AOD centrifugal pumps use compressed air to drive the diaphragm, providing gentle and hygienic pumping action suitable for transferring sensitive fluids in food and beverage processing. These pumps are self-priming, capable of dry running, and offer variable flow rates for precise control.
• Magnetic Drive Pumps: Magnetic drive pumps utilize a magnetic coupling to transmit power, eliminating the need for shaft seals and preventing product leakage and contamination. These pumps are suitable for hygienic applications where leakage must be avoided, such as in dairy processing or beverage production.
• Self-Priming Pumps: Self-priming centrifugal pumps are capable of drawing fluid into the pump casing upon startup, eliminating the need for manual priming and reducing the risk of contamination. These pumps are often used in applications where hygiene is critical, such as in the transfer of liquid ingredients or cleaning solutions.

Efficiency and Energy Consumption:

When selecting pumps for your food, dairy, or beverage process, you'll want to consider the energy efficiency of the pumps to minimize operating costs and environmental impact. Look for features such as variable speed drives (VSDs) or efficient motor designs available in pumps from reputable manufacturers, enabling precise control and optimization of energy consumption based on process demand.

Compliance with Regulatory Standards:

Ensure that whatever pumps you choose comply with relevant regulatory standards and guidelines, such as FDA, USDA, 3-A Sanitary Standards, EHEDG, and NSF/ANSI standards for food contact materials.

Lifecycle Costs and Maintenance Requirements:

Before purchasing new equipment, it's always smart to evaluate the total cost of ownership, including initial purchase price, installation, maintenance, and downtime costs over the pump's lifecycle. Brands like Fristam and Viking offer pumps known for their reliability, ease of maintenance, and availability of spare parts, contributing to reduced downtime and operational disruptions.

If you need assistance getting your process set up or require maintenance down the road, Crane Engineering is a factory-authorized service center for Viking Pump, Goulds Pumps, Xylem, Pulsafeeder, and other reputable brands. We can also help you understand what your total cost of ownership would look like for various sanitary pumps.

Consultation with Experts and Suppliers:

Seek advice from pump manufacturers or certified distributors like us who specialize in food and beverage processing to ensure you select the best pump for your specific application and requirements. Check out some of our food & beverage success stories, where we helped our customers across the Midwest.

Conclusion:

Selecting the right pump for food, dairy, or beverage processing involves careful consideration of application requirements, design and surface finish, material compatibility, efficiency, compliance, and lifecycle costs.

When working with Crane Engineering, you'll have access to sanitary pumps from leading manufacturers like Fristam, Viking Pump, Waukesha Cherry-Burrell (SPX Flow), Grundfos, and Xylem. We will help you optimize your process efficiency, ensure product quality, and maintain compliance with industry standards and regulations.