Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 28

FOOD & BEVERAGE
systems
like rubber, for example. Thinking hotter
is better is a common problem. Dead is
dead. Bacteria doesn't need to be deader
than dead."
Once the equipment is ﬂushed with
the chemicals, it is then ﬂushed with clear
water, combined with some chlorine. The
ﬁnal step is the sanitation stage.

COMMON
MAINTENANCE
ISSUES
Experts in the industry describe four speciﬁc maintenance issues that can create
havoc with food-and-beverage processing
pumps.
n Preprogrammed controls can be
hard on CIP equipment. "Sometimes outside vendors who don't understand this type of equipment are
the ones who design the systems,"
Dillon said. "For example, sometimes dead bands on tank levels in
ﬁlling machines are set so tight that
the motors are starting and stopping
more often than they should. The
pumps should be operating at varying speeds and never stopping."
When the motor stops, it can
cause backward motor operation,
which can damage the mechanical seals in positive-displacement
pumps. "There is much to consider,
so it's important to look at the system and how it operates and consider what you are pumping," Dillon
said. "Yogurt is more viscous than
corn syrup, which is more viscous
than carbonated water. Make sure
the entire system is formatted to
meet the needs of your product and
the equipment you are using."
n Improper pump and material selection. "When a pump is not sized
correctly, it can run too fast and with
too much volume. This increases
the wear and the cost of time and
maintenance," said Grant Gramlich,
business development manager,

28 |

RELIABLE PUMPING SUPPLEMENT

Hygienic Americas for Dover Pump
Solutions Group (PSG), Oakbrook
Terrace, IL. "Improper system and
piping designs on the pump inlet
will cause cavitation, internal pump
damage, premature wear, and
failure."
Dillon agrees this is a major
issue. "One size does not ﬁt all," he
stated. "What works well on a softdrink-packaging line is not going to
work well on a yogurt-packaging
line. A standard CIP program for
cleaning a positive-ﬁltration pump
will not necessarily work well for
a lobe pump. Lobes need to be
cleaned by hand. For progressive
cavity pumps, you can only run the
pump part of the time during CIP or
it will shorten the life of the pump."
Pumps running dry. "When a pump
runs dry it can create wear on the
seals, due to no lubrication between
the seal faces," Gramlich said. "This
leads to excess heat and premature
failure of the seals, which leads to
downtime, and ultimately the loss of
product, production, and proﬁts."
Dillon agrees that no pump
should ever run dry. "You need to
ensure that ﬂuid is in the line," he
stated. "A positive-displacement
pump will continue to build pressure
until something breaks. Pressure
generates torque on the pipe and
wear and tear on bearings and
mechanical seals. You will pay for
it in increased electric costs and
maintenance.
Pump seal leaks. "In addition to
affecting production, a leaking seal
can create a safety hazard," Gramlich said. "Seal leaks are also a path
for contaminants to enter the pump,
either by airborne exposure or from
wash water from high-pressure
hoses, or from external equipment
cleaning of the pump-shaft seal
zone."

Gramlich recommends considering
seal-less pumps in some food-and-beverage processing operations. "Seal-less
technology is taking the complexity and
cost out of the traditional style of pumps,"
he said. "The fear of the unknown as to
when the system may go down due to
pump failure is virtually eliminated. It can
also reduce the need for stocking additional parts, and seals can be very difﬁcult
to clean."

PREVENTIVEMAINTENANCE
PRACTICES
When it comes to preventive maintenance, Gramlich recommends taking the
ﬁrst simple step of reading and understanding the operating manuals.
"Many plants have hundreds of
pumps, and they are at different locations,
and on different lines," Gramlich said.
"They are often forgotten pieces of equipment-until they fail. Then a production
line goes down causing costly downtime.
In addition to the manuals, it's a good idea
to have training videos on hand for the
operators to use for training, but also during an emergency breakdown."
Dillon and Gramlich agree that using
the knowledge and expertise of channel
partners is important. "The manufacturers' distributors and service professionals
know what they are doing and will come
into your plant for maintenance training
and product updates," Gramlich stated.
"This is part of what you pay for when
you purchase the equipment, so use their
expertise."
It's also a good idea to keep spare
parts on hand in case of emergency
breakdowns so the systems can be running again quickly, Gramlich said.

CASE STUDY 1:
SUGAR AND SEALS
Gramlich described a scenario in which a
customer was producing a sugar-based
ingredient with various colors using

OCTOBER 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maintenance Technology October 2016