Pump Size

[gdebisschop]

Hi folks-
I'm wondering what size pump anybody is using on 120bbl vessels or similar for CIP. I want to get real world feedback not just numbers from the pump guy, so anybody on similarly sized tanks want to chime in?

thanks!
geoff

[Alex T]

Hi Geoff,

Really depends upon what kind of cleaning device you have - spray ball or rotary spray jet and how tall your tank is. We run a number of tanks from 100HL through to 400HL.....

For our 200HL BBTs we have a 7.5kW pump rated at 18m3/hr @ 42m head. But your spray device might need more.... We have another cellar that runs Toftejorg rotary spray jets and this requires around 6 bar pressure at the spray, and is a bloody big pump (11kW or something similar to that).

So it really depends on your situation.....

Methodology:

1) determine type of cleaning device to use.
2) consult with spray supplier about flow/pressure required to clean your specific tank (give them a drawing, usually helps).
3) add to this pressure the static pressure (height) of your tank to end up with final duty point (flow @ pressure). Remember 100kPa = 10m roughly.
4) Consult with pump supplier. They will select the best pump for the duty.... and of course, a slightly bigger pump with a VSD corrects all sins.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,

Alex

[dick murton]

Don't forget that ideally your scavenge pump will need to scavenge 10% + faster than the delivery, otherwise you will need burst delivery. Burst delivery is best avoided for high pressure heads such as Toftejorgs. Burst delivery with sprayballs is also best avoided from point of energy, as it takes so much more power to start a big pump.

Re Alex's comments. The vessel dimensions are essential to be able to determine the required flow rate to achieve good wetting if using a sprayball, and sufficient throw if using a high pressure head.

I suggest you look seriously at the high pressure heads. If you are on a metered water supply, work out the relative water / effluent costs of a sprayball vs a HP head over say a year - flow rate vs time and number of cleans / year. Although far more expensive to buy than SBs, they should payback in a year or two. I have seen figures quoted for about 8 months payback for a big UK brewery.