Dairy heat exchanger scale on the Tims Dairy milk line
Dairy heat exchanger scale was forcing Tims Dairy to acid-clean its milk line twice a week, each time with a full dose of phosphoric acid and a production stop. Milk scale was accumulating on the plate-pack heat exchanger, and the hard water feeding the factory added limescale on top. Four HydroFLOW® units were installed: three on water feeds and one C45 on the milk line itself, ahead of the plate pack. The milk line went from two cleans a week to one, and each clean needed half the phosphoric acid it had before. Operators now spend less time shutting down and cleaning, and less production is lost to maintenance.
The Challenge
- Dairy heat exchanger scale and limescale increased the cleaning burden
- The milk line required acid cleaning twice every week
- Each clean used a full dose of phosphoric acid
- Milk scale accumulated on the plate-pack heat exchanger
- Cleaning shutdowns cost operator time and lost production
The Solution
- Units installed: four HydroFLOW® units, including one HydroFLOW® C45
- Installation point: three on water feeds, the C45 on the milk line before the plate pack
- Previous treatment: phosphoric acid clean of the milk line twice a week
Dairy heat exchanger scale was tackled on the milk line and the water feeds together. The three water-feed units treated the hard water entering the factory, while the C45 sat on the milk line itself, ahead of the plate-pack heat exchanger. The cleaning schedule and the phosphoric acid dose per clean were then compared with the old twice-weekly regime.
Testimonial
“HydroFLOW® has proved effective protection against our biggest production headache. I was so impressed with it that I’ve had the domestic version fitted to my water system at home.” — Peter Timotheou, Director, Tims Dairy
