PROCESS EQUIPMENT UPDATE
HYGIENICBYDESIGN
Paresh Kansara explains how a range of enclosures and accessories have been developed with stringent food processing specifications in mind
M
anufacturers in the food and beverage sector are faced with the challenge of improving production efficiency not only to reduce their
costs but also to ensure a growing global population survives and prospers. How can electrical enclosures and cooling equipment – a seemingly small part of any production process – make a significant contribution to maximising efficiency? Te answer is that they have a major role to play in limiting planned and unplanned production downtime. Downtime, when production is halted,
represents the ‘worst case scenario’ for plant operators. Tese dead periods reduce output, add to costs and impact sales. However, in hygiene-critical production situations, longer downtimes are unavoidable because of the amount of cleaning required. In meat- processing plants, for example, machines must be at a standstill up to 40% of the time, to allow for essential cleaning work. Typically, industrial wall-mounted
enclosures and standard enclosures for machines and plant don’t support a need for fast but effective cleaning. Teir basic design, as well as their various nooks and crannies, make cleaning more difficult; meaning they can be dirt traps and thus a breeding ground for germs. Hygienic design stands for one principle
above all: provisions for the simple and thorough cleaning of everything that could come into contact with foods – from the machine to its enclosure. It is particularly important to remove the aforementioned ‘dead spaces’ or undercuts of any kind, as well as joints without radius, because such points are particularly prone to product residue accumulations, which in turn represent an ideal substrate for microbial contamination. For the same reason, surfaces with recesses such as the uncovered threads of screw connections, or screw heads with internal hexagons (Allen screws) or Torx screws are not allowed. Corners and joints must be smooth, gap-less and cleanly rounded.
To ensure that sprayed water is able to run
off the surfaces of housings and enclosures in spray and wet zones, appropriately angled drain slopes must be provided. Te specially designed Rittal Hygienic
Design (HD) enclosures meet these tough hygienic requirements in full. In addition to terminal boxes and compact enclosures in common sizes, which are available ex-stock, the firm also has a comprehensive product portfolio that ranges from enclosures to operating housings for safely accommodating electrical equipment.
Te range has been designed to meet the
requirements, regulations and guidelines of the food and beverage industry. All the external parts are made entirely of stainless steel, which means a high resistance to chemicals, cleaning agents and disinfectants. Te enclosures meet the IP 66 protection
category in accordance with IEC 60529, as well as the NEMA 4X protection class. Te door seals are made of silicone instead
of polyurethane (PU foam), which is more resistant to all kinds of detergents, and dyed blue, which makes it identifiable as a foreign object in the event of any mechanical damage. Te easily replaceable one-piece gaskets, which are safely fitted on the insides of the doors and panels guarantee an unbroken seal.
Rittal’s AX compact and KX small enclosures
WHERE COOLING IS REQUIRED But the enclosure is only part of the solution. It can prevent damage to electrical equipment from dust and water ingress, but can do little to combat high temperatures. Whether the enclosure is located in a hot environment, contains equipment that produces heat, or both, a cooling solution appropriate for the application decreases the risk of components tripping or even failing, once again reducing costly interruptions to production. Te most hygienic cooling method for
enclosure climate control is an air/water heat exchanger. If cooling water system is not available, then the water for individual heat exchangers can be provided via chillers that can be installed remote from the open process. For smaller systems, the one-off
procurement costs for heat exchangers, chillers and piping are generally slightly higher than the costs of classic wall-mounted cooling units. But a heat exchanger is the system of choice for hygienic environments and could quickly pay back the investment through reduced maintenance requirements and lower energy costs. It may surprise some to learn just how
much of an impact a poor choice of enclosure can have on production and output. Such attention to detail makes all the difference in ensuring maximum quality and efficiency.
LEFT: Cleanliness is guaranteed with Rittal’s enclosures
www.engineerlive.com 17
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