Industrial separation equipment is primary to the clarification process and ultimately product quality. Clarification is defined as the separation of two liquids having different specific gravities. The separation process includes the collection of eventually present solids and the de-watering of suspensions or bio-masses. The process of separation is often implemented to separate valuable liquids or solids from within a solution.
SEPARATION METHODOLOGY
Mechanical separation and clarification of liquids requires efficient and effective removal of suspended solids of various types and sizes combined with gentle treatment to preserve the quality of the end product. The most widely used method is centrifugation using a vertical disk stack – a technology that presents significant challenges in disk stack design in order to optimize separation with minimum product impact, while ensuring energy efficiency, operational reliability and a high level of safety.
Available in hermetic, hygienic, gas-tight, and explosion-proof designs in high-grade, corrosion-resistant stainless-steel materials, Seital separation brand series disk centrifuges ensure gentle and cost-efficient separation of liquids and suspended solids together with high reliability and safety.
SPX FLOW offers solids-retaining separators and clarifiers with hydraulic capacities from 132 to 2,642 g/h (500 to 10,000 l/h), and self-cleaning (solids-ejecting) separators and clarifiers with hydraulic capacities from 264 to 18,492 g/h (1,000 to 70,000 l/h). All feature Clean-In-Place (CIP) to ensure high sanitary levels with minimum downtime.
SEPARATION APPLICATIONS
Seital brand series vertical disk stack centrifuges are fast and accurate, providing the assurance of reliable and repeatable performance with exceptionally high concentrations and clarities. Short CIP times increase productivity while ensuring the highest sanitary conditions. State-of-the-art design and an intuitive operator interface make Seital brand series centrifuges easy to regulate and adjust to ensure precise and repeatable product characteristics. By partnering with SPX FLOW, you can achieve improved performance efficiency, exceptional lifetime value in terms of initial investment, operational performance and ongoing service and reduced maintenance costs.
Juice
In juice separation, the capacity of the clarifier mainly depends on the separable solids content in the juice, the requested clarification degree and the maximum solids discharging capacity of the clarifier. The separable solids are evaluated by a lab centrifuge leading SPX FLOW application engineers to calibrate industrial separation solutions to the output specifics.
Wine
Wine is considered clarified when there are no longer visible suspended particles in the liquid, especially in more transparent wines. Wines may appear cloudy or dull if too much suspended matter remains, however a wine with suspended matter may have the same flavor and aroma as a fully clarified wine. To appeal to modern wine expectations, most wineries clarify wines before fermentation, to remove insoluble matter suspended in the wine. The clarification process includes a centrifugation period to quickly separate suspended matter without impacting the taste of the wine.
SPX FLOW designs clarifiers equipped with soft inlet feeding systems to minimize turbulence, product damage and oxygen pickup. Wines are often restricted from a high level of clarification due to the processes’ traditional level of product damage. SPX FLOW Seital brand series clarifiers offer high separation efficiencies due to their high centrifugal force and large separation capacities.
Dairy
Milk skimming is the separation of raw milk into skim milk and cream, both warm and cold milk skimming achieve this level of separation with differing processes. Skimming is a process that takes place after the clarification of the raw milk. The clarification of milk is often upon delivery to the dairy to remove dirt and somatic cell particles. The milk clarifier can operate with cold or warm milk. However, clarification efficiency improves at higher temperatures.
Warm milk skimming during pasteurization is the most common centrifugal separator application in dairies. The product temperature should normally be kept between 113°F and 131°F (45°C and 55°C ) in order to ensure optimal skimming efficiency. Skimming efficiency is influenced by a range of factors like the transport of the whole milk, milk storage temperature and time, seasonal variation, milk quality, mechanical treatment and free air-content upstream from the separator. Skimming efficiency is expressed as residual fat content in the skimmed milk.
Cold milk separation at 39.2 °F (4°C) takes place in several processes including cheesemaking and High-quality cream production. Cold milk separation enables significant savings in energy and thermal equipment such as heat exchangers. However, cold milk skimming efficiency is lower than that of warm milk skimming and cream concentration cannot exceed 40-42%. Skimming efficiency improves by increasing temperature and/or reducing flow-rate. Viscosity and other cream characteristics at low temperatures require the use of a special hermetic separator to achieve optimal skimming results.
Milk bacterial clarifiers are integral to improving the quality of drinking milk and cheese production. The general reduction of the number of bacteria and the important reduction in aerobic spores, anaerobic spores and listeria mean that pasteurization temperatures can be reduced. A reduction in processed temperature is often associated with better taste, texture and nutritional content. Milk bacteria clarification also helps avoid problems during cheese aging and improves shelf life and organoleptic properties of the milk. The milk bacteria clarification process can be performed in one of the following ways: continuous extraction of bacteria in the concentrated milk flow that must be sterilized before re-use; and extracted concentrate recycling in the feed and bacteria minimization by using only partial discharges. The first method results in minimum milk losses but requires a more complex and expensive treatment. The second method is the best compromise between installation costs, product quality and milk loss.
Standardization
Standardizers are used to ensure highly accurate and repeatable milk or cream fat control on milk skimming lines. Seital Separation in-line standardizer systems are offered in a range of options from basic systems using manual control and visual flowmeters to fully automatic systems with mass flowmeter and a library of recipes. These systems can be supplied wither stand-alone or integrated into skimming systems.”
Cream
Cream concentration is a common task in the Dairy Industry. SPX FLOW separation technology offers specific units enabling the production of high-fat cream. By minimizing residual fat in the resulting buttermilk high-fat cream can be the first part of the processing for butter oil production or the starting point for alternative butter production.
Butter
When mechanical energy is applied to high-fat cream, phase inversion takes place. The cream from a stable milk fat emulsion becomes a mixture of oil and butter serum that can be processed in two stages in order to produce butter oil. The first step is to use an oil purifier to remove as much butter serum as possible from a 70-80% oil concentrate. An oil polisher is then used to produce butter oil ready for vacuum drying.
Brewing
SPX FLOW brand Seital designs hermetic separators to remove residual yeast and other non-soluble solids quickly and efficiently without impacting the flavor and aroma of the beer. Through extensive testing and numerous installations, SPX FLOW offers a wide range of experience and separation technology specifically designed for the needs of the beer processing industry. SPX FLOW designs for:
- Safety and workplace environment
- Vibration monitoring and fast braking system (pneumatic or electric) for unattended operation and low operational noise level created by the optimization of aerodynamic bowl design.
- Quality engineering and control
- Optimization of structural and dynamic design using advanced design technology. SPX FLOW offers cutting-edge manufacturing and quality control systems.
- Service and support
- SPX FLOW offers remote monitoring to manage maintenance and troubleshooting quickly.
CUSTOM SEPARATION SOLUTIONS
SPX FLOW specializes in supplying equipment that is configured to specific application requirements based on careful needs analysis together with our customers. Seital brand series separators and clarifiers are delivered on a compact, pre-assembled skid as “plug & produce” solutions. They are exceptionally efficient, compact and easy to fit into existing processing lines, thus enabling you to produce at full capacity immediately after connecting to power and water utilities. We also offer a wide range of separation process accessories enabling you to meet your separation and clarification needs from a single supplier.
REMOTE MONITORING
SPX FLOW separation technology provides rapid troubleshooting assistance through the integration of remote monitoring. By connecting separation equipment to the SPX FLOW remote monitoring system, separation technicians have direct access to the machines specifics. Allowing SPX FLOW separation technicians can troubleshoot and rectify problems quickly, minimizing unscheduled factory downtime and production loss.
STANDARDS OF QUALITY
SPX FLOW employs a detailed manufacturing and inspection plan for critical manufacturing phases, using a specific dynamic rotor balancing procedure. Testing includes 3D measurement, dye penetrant, ultrasonics and hydraulic test as well as destructive testing, X-ray and metallographic tests. Component stress and strain analysis is performed using advanced Finite Elements Method Analysis software while efficiency testing is conducted using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics).
All SPX FLOW vertical disk stack centrifuges are designed and manufactured according to the CE Directive on machinery 2006/42/CE and its amendments. Main materials and components are sourced from certified ISO 9001 suppliers.
Other specific standards are:
- ATEX: Ex-proof separators
- 3-A: Sanitary Standards for centrifugal separators, clarifiers, and standardizers number 21-02
- NEC (NFPA 70): UL 50, UL 508, UL 508A, directive UL/CS
GENUINE SPARE PARTS
SPX FLOW supports customers over the entire lifetime of their machines to help them maximize the value of their equipment in terms of performance and running time by making sure that service and maintenance take place according to plan. Customers can call on the support of our technicians wherever and whenever necessary, either for service and maintenance or for training of their own staff.
SPX FLOW assembles and delivers special spare parts kits to cover the lifetime of every machine. Our technicians advise our customers on which spare parts they should have at hand locally for scheduled service and maintenance.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
The SPX FLOW Innovation and Design Centers leverage the extensive industry expertise of technologists, process engineers and production engineers together. With knowledge accrued through actively contributing to the development, testing and application of SPX FLOW processing lines; the SPX FLOW centers are staffed by experienced engineers. All facilities and services are designed to provide added value by minimizing waste, energy requirements or by converting commodity ingredients into new, competitive products.
Like other SPX FLOW brands, Seital maintains a robust research and development program for new product development, working closely with customers to understand and address the challenges they face. SPX FLOW combines its vast experience in the food, beverage, fats and oils, chemical, biotec and pharmaceutical industries with in-depth understanding of separation and clarification process requirements to deliver clear customer benefits in performance and total cost of ownership.
We provide pilot plant equipment for our customers to perform tests on site or in an SPX FLOW laboratory in order to evaluate separation performance for their process. Experienced SPX FLOW technicians provide full support with fast and efficient customization of separation and clarification machines to meet individual process and site requirements.
Our R&D seeks to meet three typical needs:
- Extension of the product range with new sizes
- Development of new process applications based on new bowl designs
- Development of new mechanical solutions in order to achieve better power efficiencies and lower maintenance costs
SPX FLOW innovation and design centers provide:
- General advice and guidance in connection with your test planning
- Suggestions of plant and equipment most suited to your purpose
- Booking of test facilities and, if required, our experts and technicians
- Product and process development
- Test of high-risk projects prior to order
- Troubleshooting of applications and products
- Product quality and yield optimization
- Development and test of new recipes
- Assistance with product analyses in a laboratory
- Practical and theoretical training courses and seminars
- Pilot and full production plant rentals for trials on your own premises
- Scale-up of results for commercial plants
