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TPE January 17, 2017 0 Comments

Even Product Distribution for the Win: Quattroflow’s New QuattroTec Series Pumps Provide Continuous, Accurate Flow for the Food, Beverage and Personal Care Industries

Quattroflow® recently launched the new QuattroTec Series Quaternary Diaphragm Pumps to be the total package for food, beverage and personal care applications. Distributed in partnership with Triangle Process Equipment, the QuattroTec series of pumps delivers the benefits that Quattroflow is known for in pharmaceutical processing in a package designed to meet FDA requirements for food, beverage and cosmetics manufacturing. The new diaphragm pump not only delivers a steady, even flow rate with very low pulsation for accurate in-line dosing, it excels at proportional blending and dispensing while greatly increasing process safety and lowering costs related to cleaning and maintenance over time.

“The food, beverage and personal care industries need pumps that have more than one outstanding feature,” said Triangle Process Equipment’s General Manager Jeff Blease. “The QuattroTec pump is designed specifically for needs of the sanitary market. It puts all of the major features and benefits for that industry into one package.”

Many food, beverage and cosmetics operations have had to rely on general-purpose, stainless-steel industrial pumps in applications such as metering, dosing and in-line blending because until now, they were the best technology available. Unfortunately, because they aren’t designed from the ground up for hygienic service, they are difficult to clean properly, risking batch contamination. Many also have mechanical seals or rotating metal parts that can come in contact with each other. Those pumps are more likely to allow metal contaminants to enter the process, and ultimately, the product. QuattroTec pumps almost entirely eliminate those concerns.

The Heart of the Matter

QuattroTec pumps mimic the operation of the human heart by incorporating a four-piston diaphragm/valve combination into their design. This technology provides a gentle and efficient transfer of liquids that require precise flow, high turndown and accurate dosing in a hermetically sealed environment. All pumps generate some pulsation, but QuattroTec pumps put out such low levels of pulsation that pressure and flow controls aren’t affected. This is especially advantageous to continuous processes like in-line dilution of concentrated flavorings or syrups, or injecting vitamins into milk. Mixing in additives with a steady, uniform flow generated by the diaphragm helps maintain batch consistency and reduce costs associated with ingredient waste. When the speed of the line is increased or decreased, the pump automatically responds with the correct discharge pressure to maintain the desired blend proportion.

The QuattroTec design also eliminates metal parts and mechanical seals, which helps the pumps conform to increasingly stringent FDA regulations regarding metal contaminants.

“With QuattroTec pumps, there is no metal-to-metal contact, rotating parts or mechanical seals, so there is nothing hard that can be ejected into a food or dairy processing stream in the event of a pump failure or an upset condition,” Blease said.

Another feature of the QuattroTec design that helps cut costs and keep contaminants to a minimum is clean-in-place/sanitize-in-place (CIP/SIP) capability. Many food and cosmetics processing operations use clean-out-of-place (COP) equipment, which must be strip-cleaned every day. Compared to CIP, the process of disassembling these pumps, cleaning each individual part by hand and then reassembling them is much more time-consuming and risky.

“The more things you have to do, the more potential there is for mistakes,” Blease said. “You don’t have to take the QuattroTec pump apart. You just flush it, which is a faster and less expensive way to clean. CIP eliminates a lot of opportunities for errors that can contaminate your product or cause your equipment to fail. And if you must take it apart, there are no close-tolerance moving parts and no interference fits, so it is easy and quick to do without damaging the pump.”

All the Features You Need

Additionally, the QuattroTec is the only pump on the market with a pump chamber that can be switched from stainless steel to FDA-approved plastic in a matter of minutes. This makes the pump useful for several types of processes. For example, plastic is preferable for flavors and fragrances that contain salts, aggressive chemicals and ingredients with high acid and chloride content because it won’t corrode like stainless steel.

It all adds up to QuattroTec Series Quaternary Diaphragm Pumps being recognized as a 2016 Breakthrough Product of the Year from Processing Magazine. This award acknowledges products, technologies and service solutions that made significant contributions in the process industry within the last year and are expected to have an impact for years to come.

The new QuattroTec Series pumps from Quattroflow are available in three sizes — QT10, QT20 and QT30 — with maximum capacities of 180 lph (0.8 gpm), 1,200 lph (5.3 gpm) and 5,000 lph (22 gpm) at 1 mPas. To learn more about how QuattroTec pumps can benefit your food and beverage or personal care operation, please contact Triangle Process Equipment, or go to Triangle’s YouTube channel to view a video demonstrating how a quaternary diaphragm pump works.