Reducing deposits on machines with ultrasound technology

German mineral water bottling plant Bad Meinberger has a long-standing technological partnership with Dortmund-based systems supplier KHS. The bottler has repeatedly acted as an extended workbench and pilot customer to the nearby machine and systems manufacturer, enabling new and further developments to be tested under real conditions and fine adjustments made where necessary.

This time the technology isn’t new, however, but a procedure that’s been in use for many years in a completely different sector, namely shipbuilding, is now being applied to the beverage industry. KHS Hasytec Dynamic Biofilm Protection is a simple plug-and-produce product, it uses ultrasonic transducers to cause the liquid in certain components of the machine to vibrate gently. The system is currently available for both bottle washing machines and pasteurisers – whether for new machines or as a conversion for existing systems.

At Bad Meinberger, dynamic biofilm protection reduces deposits of biofilm, limestone and fibrous materials from paper labels in the spray pipes on the KHS Innoclean EE bottle washer. In the past, without this system, machinery often became clogged with deposits that required a considerable amount of effort to remove. The combination of paper and limestone in particular presented a real challenge.

Ultrasound, not muscle power

The dynamic biofilm protection system, complete with two control units and twelve ultrasonic transducers, has been in operation at Bad Meinberger for about 18 months. It was primarily the trust in KHS that prompted the bottler to install the system. And, of course, they were also convinced by the fact that the process has been in use for many years without any problems, even in huge shipping containers. The reason for this is easy to comprehend: the liquid oscillates, thus keeping the particulate matter contained in it in motion, not by a constant permanent frequency but by intermittent pulses.

Autonomous and maintenance-free

In the end, the engineers’ curiosity won them over, resulting in the mineral water bottling plant being one of the first beverage operations to use this technology. Whereas a whole wheelbarrow was often filled with deposits in the past, today only a 20-litre bucket is needed.

Bad Meinberger is also supporting its sustainability efforts by using the new procedure. On the one hand, the dynamic biofilm protection system considerably lengthens the time between cleaning operations and reduces downtime, enabling a significant increase in production. On the other hand, the consumption of water, heat, electricity and chemicals such as citric acid used to descale components is greatly decreased by this system. Besides the cuts in operating costs, it also helps to save energy and resources.

Dynamic Biofilm Protection at a glance

Ultrasonic transducers to reduce deposit formation on heat exchangers, process water baths, pipes and sprays; option for new machines or as a retrofit for existing KHS systems.

• Longer cleaning intervals
• Less downtime
• Increased production
• Fewer personnel hours are needed for cleaning
• Water, electricity, heat and chemical savings
• Lower operating costs

Find out more here.