As a plant manager, facility manager, or maintenance manager, you understand there is a process for making a high-dollar purchase.
There are several options on the market for a capital or equipment purchase. When making a purchase decision you will need to weigh functionality against cost, reliability against budget, and overall expense against return on investment. It's a balancing act.
With the potential of a poor purchase resulting in a regulatory issue or downtime, it's a process that manufacturers in the food & beverage industry know all too well when purchasing a sanitary food pump solution.
Despite what some may think, not all pumps are the same. In fact, there are four different types of sanitary food pumps and they all have different functions.
Deciding between these options requires taking into account additional factors such as cost and budget. With so many options, you may wonder what is the best food-grade pump for your application.
Sanitary food pumps are a key component in the food processing and agricultural industries. They are used to move and meter various food and agricultural materials through operations where cleanliness and sanitation are either mandated, desired, or both. These pumps are commonly used in food processing plants.
Identifying the need for a sanitary food pump is a rather simple task, but determining which specific food pump best fits the needs of your organization can be tricky. Food pumps come in many varieties with several different features, which makes the selection process difficult.
Sanitary food pumps can be placed into four categories: centrifugal, positive displacement, jet, and airlift.
Centrifugal food pumps have two distinct features: a stationary casing and a rotating impeller. Combined, these features produce the liquid velocity, then release it. They are used to move low-viscosity liquids such as water or olive oil.
These pumps are built with two expanding cavities, one of which is on the suction side and the other on the discharge side. Unlike centrifugal pumps, positive displacement pumps produce liquid velocity and a consistent flow regardless of the discharge pressure. They are some of the most versatile pumps in the food and beverage industry, handling liquids such as tomato sauces, fillings for pies or cakes, or mayonnaise and pastes.
Jet pumps operate using velocity energy that is generated from a fluid jet. In this process, fluid is pushed through a nozzle, which then allows for the conversion of fluid motion to velocity energy. Jet pumps are typically used in processes where solid matter is found, as centrifugal pumps cannot be used in a process with solid matter.
While referred to as a pump, the airlift pump does not change the velocity of the fluid and isn’t technically a pump. Airlift pumps produce a liquid that is then mixed with the leftover air at the end of the conversion process. Airlift pumps are typically used when liquids are corrosive or contain other foreign materials.
Purchasing a sanitary food pump is, potentially, a difficult and time-consuming process. To properly select and purchase a sanitary food pump, several criteria should be prioritized:
While every facility and production process will have different needs, different requirements, and different workflows, the following criteria should be an important part of any equipment evaluation and purchase.
Keep in mind, purchasing a sanitary food pump is only one aspect of optimizing production and operations for the food and beverage industry.
Installation of the pump, assessing facility and production needs, the system in which the pump operates, regulations, maintenance, repairs, and more are all components of optimized production. Working with an end-to-end, turnkey solution provider with the expertise and resources to support you and your production goals is critical.
OTC's pump and motor technologies team has the resources, expertise, and experience to deliver manufacturing solutions, not just equipment. Before purchasing a sanitary food pump, contact OTC to discuss your needs and see how you can optimize your solution.