Produce Processor Selects Ronningen-Petter DCF Filter for Innovative Sanitizing System
A produce processing company in Tennessee, with assistance from an ozonation system manufacturer in California, has developed an ozonation system for cleaning and sanitizing water used to wash fresh-cut vegetables and lettuce. It is among the first of its kind to be successfully implemented in a fresh-cut processing plant, and the Ronningen-Petter DCF Mechanically-Cleaned filter is the processor’s filter-of-choice.
(PRWEB) May 20, 2005 -- A produce processing company in Tennessee, with
assistance from an ozonation system manufacturer in California, has developed an
ozonation system for cleaning and sanitizing water used to wash fresh-cut
vegetables and lettuce. It is among the first of its kind to be successfully
implemented in a fresh-cut processing plant, and the Ronningen-Petter DCF
Mechanically-Cleaned filter is the processor’s
filter-of-choice.
Situation
The company processes and packages
fresh-cut vegetables and lettuce in bags for the ready-to-eat market. Produce is
washed, sanitized and transported through the plant by flume water, which is
recycled in a closed loop. Previous cleaning methods used chlorine to sanitize
the flume water, however, the water quickly became discolored and contaminated
with suspended solids and chlorine residue. As a result, the flume water had to
be replaced every two to three hours.
To improve product quality and
conserve water resources, the owner of the company and his team of consultants
spent nearly five years developing an ozonated wash system that applied the
known benefits of injecting ozone into water as a means of sanitizing the flume
water.
His goals were:
1) to obtain a longer shelf life
2)
fresher taste and lower bacterial counts for his product
3) reduce the
plant’s water consumption
In the original system prototype, coarse
suspended solids were removed from the flume water by a rotary screen with a two
millimeter gap. It became apparent during initial testing, however, that fine
suspended solids also needed removal
before ozone was injected — to improve
the dissolution of ozone in the flume water.
RPA Process Technologies
Solution
After further design and testing, a new water cleaning and ozonation
system was installed, which included two Ronningen-Petter DCF
Mechanically-Cleaned filters equipped with 50 micron wedge wire screens. The DCF
filters were placed immediately after the coarse rotary screen, to capture fine
lettuce particles and prepare the water for ozone injection. The DCF filters
perform a self-cleaning action by mechanically scraping collected particles from
the filtering screen with a patented disc that moves up and down the screen,
parallel to the liquid flow. Particles are then purged from the collection
chamber at the bottom of the filter. This self-cleaning action is performed
without halting production, and provides the highest quality filtering under
continuous demand. Because the screen is cleaned without interrupting
production, a consistently high flow rate is
maintained.
Results
Continuous filter: Flume water is cleaned and
recycled in an 800 liters-per-minute loop.
Fine filtering: Improves the
dissolution of ozone, resulting in dramatically cleaner water, longer run times,
and reduced water consumption.
Labor savings: Flume water replacement is
required only once a day, instead of every two to three hours.
Ronningen-Petter DCF’s continuous filtering capability means the flume
water is cleaned and recycled in an 800 liters-per minute loop without
interruption.
Its fine filtering improves the dissolution of ozone in
the flume water, resulting in:
1. dramatically cleaner flume water
2.
longer run times between water changes
3. reduced water consumption.
Now, flume water replacement is required only once a day, instead of
every two to three hours. The company owner is also very pleased with the
system’s impact on product quality. His goals of longer product shelf life,
fresher taste, lower bacterial counts, and decreased water consumption have been
realized.
DCF also provides the additional benefit of improving the
performance of a water chiller in the sanitizing system. Immediately after
filtering, the flume water is pumped to a chiller where it is cooled to 5°C by
spraying the water onto heat exchanger plates. The high quality filtering
provided by the DCF eliminates the risk of suspended solids clogging the sprayer
nozzles, and keeps the water chiller at optimum
performance.
Conclusion
RPA Process Technologies is pleased that its
Ronningen-Petter DCF Mechanically-Cleaned filters were chosen as a major
component in the innovative sanitizing system developed by the produce
processing company. DCF's continuous and high quality filtration make it the
perfect solution for produce washing applications, giving the company improved
quality and, ultimately, making their company more competitive.
Application Details
Filter model: (2) Ronningen-Petter DCF-1600s
Type of liquid: Wash Water
Pressure: 50 psi (3.4 bar)
Temperature:
Chilled
Flow Rate: 211 gpm (47.9 m3/h)
Contaminants removed: Fine
vegetable particles and debris
http://www.rpaprocess.com
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb241950.htm