Gauteng-based spray technology specialist Monitor Engineering reports that its newest range of fluid-driven spraying products will enable it to target the winery and brewery industry.

Monitor Engineering is the sole agent for US-based spray technologies manufacturer Spraying Systems Company.

Owing to an alliance between Spraying Systems Company and US-based tank cleaning equipment manufacturer Cloud & Sellers Cleaning Systems, the company now supplies a range of fluid-driven tank cleaning nozzles that are suitable for use in the winery and brewery industry.

The range of fluid-driven tank cleaning nozzles, also known as turbine-driven tank cleaners, comprises the TankJet 360, the TankJet 80, the TankJet 65, the TankJet 75 and the TankJet 27500.

These nozzles can be used in the winery industry to remove wine, spices and sugar from fermenters, barrels, kegs and wine storage tanks. The products can also be applied in the brewery industry to remove malt, yeast, mash, wort and beer from fermenters, brew kettles, mash tanks and hot wort receivers.

Monitor Engineering MD Grant Orsmond says it is important for companies in the food and beverage industry to ensure that their tanks are effectively cleaned.

“It is critical that tanks used in the food and beverage industry are kept bacteria free to avoid contamination, product loss and product recalls,” he says.

He adds that companies can also save money and time when using the correct automated tank cleaning nozzles.

“Cleaning tanks manually can be dangerous and time consuming, as cleaners have to climb into tanks and use harmful chemicals to spray it clean. It also takes a cleaner much longer to clean a tank by hand than it does using automated tank cleaning nozzles,” notes Orsmond.

In addition, an operator will know exactly how much time, water and chemicals are used when cleaning a tank with automated nozzles. This will help the operation to reduce downtime, electricity costs and water wastage, making the operation more environment friendly.

Monitor Engineering’s TankJet nozzles can be used in tanks as large as 25 m in diameter. The spraying systems comprise various nozzles, which are fitted onto a water or liquid source with a flange. The nozzle heads rotate to ensure complete 360° tank coverage.

The tank cleaning nozzles can use cold or hot water, as well as chemicals to remove residues from tanks. The liquid-driven nozzles are more affordable than motor-driven nozzles and have fewer moving components; however, these nozzles are not designed for high-pressure appli- cations such as paint removal.

The maximum pressure on the turbine-driven tank wash nozzles is 20 bar.

Further, Orsmond says that companies need to pay attention to the operational functions of their spraying systems to ensure that these are running at optimal efficiency.

Factors such as temperature, time, chemical concentration, flow rate and the impact area of the spray have an impact on the operational efficiency of the spraying system.

“Many companies already have tank wash nozzles in place but, often, these systems are not automated or sized correctly, resulting in increased maintenance and lower efficiency,” he adds.

He explains that customers sometimes have their wash nozzles operating at flow rates and pressure levels that are not effective or energy efficient. This can happen when a customer is only provided with a product and not a holistic cleaning solution.

“We assess the cleaning requirement of the customer and provide a flexible solution,” concludes Orsmond.