Forschung Projektdatenbank Hygienic production Pulsatoric Cleaning of Filter Media

Pulsatoric Cleaning of Filter Media

Projectname:
Cleaning of particulate contaminants on the filter media with the help of pulsatoric flow

Workgroup: Hygienic production

Scientific Partners and Guidance:

  1. Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Fr. C. Weidemann
  2. Technical University Munich, Hr. J. Tippman

IGF: 17607 N
Financing: BMWi
Duration: 2012 – 2014

A safe and efficient cleaning of processing equipment is an important demand in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and food industry. This ensures a high product quality in avoiding cross contamination. However, cleaning leads to down times of the production line and hence to higher costs. To reduce these costs it is necessary to realize a faster and more efficient cleaning. This can be achieved by a construction of the plant after hygienic design criteria. In the field of pipe components and tanks there are different test methods (EHEDG cleaning test, Qualified Hygienic Design Test) available to test the efficiency of cleaning. Excluded from this, however, are filter media. For filter media design criteria, conform to the hygienic design requirements, need to be established. The cleaning of filter media today is often not reliable or satisfying.

A classical continuous back flush process produces undesirable cleaning results in very many cases. Due to the risk of cross-contamination the cleaning is insufficient. Therefore, two procedures as an alternative to the back flush process for the cleaning of filter media and membranes should be examined in the work of this project: the pulsatoric overflow and the pulsatoric flow through the filter medium. At the pulsatoric cleaning through the filter medium the pulses are generated with a solenoid valve which is connected to a nozzle installed 17 mm in front of the filter medium. At the pulsatoric overflow the nozzle is installed above the filter medium in a definite angle.

In the study parameters like the frequency, the intensity of the pulse, the pulse duration and the distance between the nozzle and filter medium and respectively the angle of the nozzle are varied. The aim of this project is to increase cleaning grade in comparison to a back flush process.

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The IGF project presented here by the Research Association of the Industrial Association for Food Technology and Packaging (IVLV e.V.) is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action as part of the program for the promotion of industrial community research (IGF) based on a decision of the German Bundestag.