Glenmorangie invests in novel ‘whirlwind’ technology
The Whirlwind system, developed by Cheshire-based Aeolus Technologies, clears, cleans and dries the inside of pipes in factories using minimal water and no chemicals, and can deliver a payback in nine to 12 months, Aeolus business development manager Peter Chavasse told FoodManufacture.co.uk.
"The business case comes from reduced water and cleaning bills, reduced effluent charges, product recovery [product recovered from pipes can be used again] and reduced energy bills as you don't have to heat water to clean pipes anymore."
Waste minimisation
Glenmorangie incorporated the system into its pipe clearing process at Livingston as it could recover significantly more product than methods used at other bottling sites when the pipelines need to be cleared following delivery through to bottling, said Glenmorangie lead project engineer Julia Blair.
“It minimises product waste but also means there is no mixing of products in our pipe work, both of which are key with high-quality, high-value products.”
Glenmorangie is just making use of the clearing phase of the technology, which generates and then controls a vortex airflow within the pipework, rather than the complete recovery, clean and dry cycle, said Chavasse.
“Customers are often focused on particular aspects depending on corporate objectives; this may be product recovery, water reduction, waste reduction or energy reduction.”
How it works
At the end of a production run, manufacturers typically flush product left in pipes down the drain before using a conventional cleaning in place (CIP) system, which can use thousands of litres of water a year.
In contrast, the Whirlwind system uses blowers that supply finely filtered pressurised air or gas into the pipes under the control of a PLC (programmable logic controller), recovering a large percentage of the product inside. A ‘whirlwind’ is then created in the air-stream, removing most remaining product still stuck to pipe work.
Next a small amount of water or cleaning product can be introduced into the airflow, completely clearing the pipes. Finally, heated air is introduced to dry the pipe work.
Ideal for beverages
The system, which is particularly well-suited for beverages, can clean pumps, valves, filters and heat exchangers used for heating and cooling, claimed Chavasse.
"It can remove most things from toothpaste to dairy products."
A new trial in the dairy sector was beginning later this month, he added.
