The food and beverage industry represents one of the most important and largest sectors in the market, characterized by having a high degree of care, protection and standardization of its production processes.
The food and beverage industry has some guidelines that are worth considering:
- For the most part, all equipment that is involved in a food and beverage process must have strict compliance with international standards such as ASME, CE, 3rd and FDA standards.
- The peripherals must be designed for CIP (Clean In Place) work; a powerful cleaning with agents such as hypochlorite or caustic soda in different concentrations that is done to the equipment interconnected with pipes to avoid traces of contamination when working with different food products.
- The equipment involved must have a “mirror” type finish, that is, with a very smooth surface, preventing food microorganisms from accumulating in those small porosities and generating fungi or cross contamination.
- The connection must be Triclamp ferrulated or with SMS thread to ensure adequate cleaning of the surfaces.
Pressure, a variable worth taking care of
The variable pressure is defined as the force existing per unit area. In the food and beverage sector, it is that force present in:
- Closed containers to generate mixtures between two or more products.
- Containers to generate exothermic reactions to decompose products and generate new ones.
- Pipes, allowing fluids to move more easily from one place to another.
As a variable, it must be controlled. If not, the disaster can be catastrophic, it can even cause someone’s death.
In the market there are two types of solutions depending on the food product being handled:
- Rupture discs for liquids and gases.
- Vent panels for particulate matter.
Sanitary rupture discs
Sanitary rupture discs are sheets so thin that they are capable of rupturing at a desired pressure and temperature in fractions of seconds, long before causing major damage.
Normally rupture discs are made of 316L stainless steel, Inconel or Hastelloy, the first being one one of the most used, it has low surface porosity that prevents foci of creating fungi and polluting agents and is one of the most economical materials to obtain.
When the rupture disc ruptures, the system is “relieved,” making the internal pressure of the container or pipe equal to the pressure of the atmosphere (0 psi), preventing the equipment from rupturing uncontrollably. This type of rupture disc is considered sanitary since it comes in a ferrulated connection for easy connection and a very fine surface finish.