Safety and quality in food production are fundamental pillars in the food industry. Pressure measuring instruments play a crucial role in ensuring that processes are safe, hygienic and in compliance with regulated standards.
Safety and Hygiene: Instrumentation in the food industry must comply with strict safety and hygiene standards, ensuring that devices are manufactured with highly corrosion-resistant materials, such as stainless steel, that withstand the demands of aggressive environments and intensive cleaning processes.
Hygienic/Sanitary Design: The design of the instruments is essential to prevent microbiological contamination. Components in contact with products must be easy to clean and able to withstand CIP (Cleaning In Place) processes, an automated cleaning method without disassembly. Instrument surfaces should be smooth, without cracks or cavities, to prevent the accumulation of debris.
Specific Requirements:
- Materials: Instruments must be made of food grade stainless steel, highly resistant to corrosion.
- Surface Quality: Surfaces should be smooth and polished to prevent bacteria buildup.
- Sanitary Connections: Devices must have easy-to-clean connections approved for food applications.
- CIP processes: Instruments must be compatible with clean-in-place processes, essential to maintain hygiene during continuous production.
Proper instrumentation ensures that critical parameters, such as pressure, are monitored, ensuring not only food safety but also production efficiency.
Separator seals are essential devices for the protection of pressure measuring instruments in hygienic and aggressive applications, such as the food, pharmaceutical and beverage industries. These seals, also known as membrane separators, act as a barrier between the process medium and the pressure instrument, allowing accurate measurement without the fluid coming into direct contact with the sensor.
Main Functions and Characteristics of Separator Seals:
- Instrument Protection: Separator seals protect pressure gauges and pressure transmitters from corrosive, viscous or contaminating media by acting as a barrier between the process fluid and the instrument.
- Precise Measurement: The measuring fluid applies pressure to the seal membrane, allowing an accurate and stable pressure reading without the medium coming into direct contact with the sensor. This is essential to ensure the integrity of the instrument and avoid damage or alterations in the measurement.
- Easy Disassembly and Cleaning: Designed for easy cleaning and maintenance, separator seals allow for easy disassembly, which is crucial for industries where cleaning processes, such as CIP (Clean-In-Place) and SIP (Sterilization-In-Place), must be performed regularly. This ensures that no residue is left behind and prevents cross contamination.
- Specialized Connections: Separator seals adapt to various sanitary connections, such as connections, DIN 11851, tubular or for homogenizers, which are commonly used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. These connections ensure easy assembly and disassembly without the need for complex tools.
Types of Separator Seals:
- Seals with Clamp connection, DIN 11851 or SMS: They allow quick assembly and disassembly for cleaning or calibration tasks. They are ideal for applications where frequent cleaning without residue is necessary.
- Seals with tubular in-line connection, DIN 11851 or Tri-Clamp: These are optimal for applications where the medium flows through the process, avoiding turbulence or dead zones. In addition, they offer the advantage of self-cleaning by not generating obstructions.
- Seals for homogenizers: Designed to withstand extreme pressures in homogenization processes, these seals can handle pressures of up to 2,500 bar, being highly durable and resistant to high-pressure dynamics.
