Category: Product Spotlight

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Introducing Alfa Laval ThinkTop® V50 and V70

Alfa Laval ThinkTop V50 V70 Control Units Second-Generation

Alfa Laval has unveiled a refreshed, rethought version of the Alfa Laval ThinkTop®, the company’s best-selling valve sensing and control unit for hygienic valves used in the dairy, food, beverage, brewery, and pharmaceutical industries. The Alfa Laval ThinkTop V50 and V70, the second-generation of premium control units, has been re-engineered to meet customer needs while incorporating the latest advances in technology.

“We have listened carefully to what customers want from a valve sensing and control unit,” says René Stietz, Product Management Valves & Automation, Hygienic Fluid Handling, Alfa Laval. “The changes we’ve made to the ThinkTop are highly responsive to customer needs and therefore highly relevant – for instance, faster and more intuitive setup without compromising durability and reliability.”

Reengineered to meet customer needs The rethought Alfa Laval ThinkTop for the first time offers customers: fast and intuitive setup and commissioning; enhanced 360° LED visual status indication; a repositioned Gore Vent; a more compact and aesthetic design; burst seat clean functionality; and a QR code for easy online access to support materials and direct support.

• Fast and intuitive: The new auto-setup feature offers manufacturers quick, easy commissioning – up to 90% faster than the previous generation. Plus, the live setup feature coupled with true valve recognition ensures the perfect match during any-and-all setups.

• Adaptable and smart: The new ThinkTop fits on any Alfa Laval valve, making it perfect for all retrofits. What’s more, it is smart. It features 24/7 self-diagnostics, checking and remedying operations when required, and an enhanced 360° LED visual status indication so that operators can clearly see the valve status no matter where they are on the production floor.

• Durable and reliable: The new ThinkTop is as long-lasting and dependable as the first generation. However, repositioning the Gore Vent makes the ThinkTop more durable and more reliable than before, equalizing the enclosure pressure in the unit while eliminating the risk of water ingress.

• Aesthetic design: Highly practical, the new minimalist industrial exterior with its strict lines, no cover screws, and uncompromising geometry is 30% more compact than the previous version yet has the same height, making the new ThinkTop suitable for tight installations. Inside one sensor target control board packed with functionality handles all valve functions and communication; no adapter is required.

● Burst seat cleaning: Take advantage of the highly effective burst of CIP liquid during the opening moment of seat lift and seat push. These optimized valve activations drastically reduce water consumption during Cleaning-in-Place and save up to 90% in cleaning agent costs.

Evolutionary thinking The Alfa Laval ThinkTop was launched in 2000 as a technological breakthrough that revolutionized hygienic valve sensing and control technology. Nearly 20 years on, Alfa Laval has now incorporated evolutionary measures to proven workhorse, radically changing its appearance and functionality to meet customers’ changing needs and demanding requirements.

The new Alfa Laval ThinkTop V50 and V70 series cover all valve requirements and are selected based on the number of solenoid valves required. The ThinkTop V50 series matches the requirements of the Alfa Laval DV-ST, butterfly, single-seat, and double seal valves while the ThinkTop V70 series matches the requirements of all these valves plus Alfa Laval double seat and special valves.

In addition, the new Alfa Laval ThinkTop V50 and V70 meet the protection class IP66, IP67, and IP69K.

To learn more about the Alfa Laval ThinkTop V50 and V70, click here.

Source: AlfaLaval.com 

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Alfa Laval Introduces LKH Prime 40

Alfa Laval LKH Prime 40

Based on the market-leading Alfa Laval LKH pump, Alfa Laval LKH Prime is an efficient, versatile and hygienic self-priming pump using a combination of air-screw technology and advanced design to meet the most stringent requirements in the food, dairy, beverage, home and personal care industries. Primarily used for Cleaning-in-Place duties containing entrained air, it can also pump product, reducing capital investment. Now with an additional model size providing extended performance envelope.

Energy efficient

Using the combination of advanced air-screw technology, optimized impeller and casing geometry, Alfa Laval LKH Prime exceeds industry expectations for quiet, efficient operation, reduced energy consumption and CO2 footprint. Alfa Laval LKH Prime is engineered to meet the most stringent standards and hygienic requirements.

Premium pump platform

A further addition to the market leading Alfa Laval LKH pump platform, Alfa Laval LKH Prime is characterized by superior performance, high quality and reliability for improved operational productivity.

Versatile

Designed primarily for Cleaning-in-Place duties containing entrained air, Alfa Laval LKH Prime can also pump product, potentially reducing capital investment when designing process systems – whatever the industry.

Meets global standards

Quiet in operation, Alfa Laval LKH Prime is engineered to meet the most stringent standards and hygienic requirements.

Easy to maintain

The pump is easy and cost effective to service and maintain. By sharing common parts with other Alfa Laval LKH range pumps, Alfa Laval LKH Prime offers low cost of ownership and increased uptime, backed up by the security that comes from Alfa Laval’s global service network.

A trusted supplier

Alfa Laval is a leading global provider of equipment with a history of excellence dating back to 1883, and one of the world’s largest hygienic pump suppliers. The Alfa Laval LKH Prime adds to a long list of high performance equipment that minimizes energy consumption.

Construction

Alfa Laval LKH Prime is a self-priming pump based on air-screw technology. It offers excellent operational efficiency, reducing energy consumption. The pump achieves capacities of up to 110 m3/hr and pressures of up to 115 m head.The pump shares many common components with the Alfa Laval LKH pump range including the impeller, which can be trimmed to optimize pump performance according to its application. Dedicated components include the airscrew, casing, re-circulation pipe and cover.

 

Operating principle

On applications where the pumped media contains a mixture of air and liquid in the suction line, air-screw rotation causes the formation of a continuous liquid ring within the canister. Due to the eccentric position of the canister relative to the air-screw, an air chamber forms between the liquid ring and the air-screw, as shown, which separates into air pockets between the air-screw vanes. The continuous rotation of the air-screw forces air pockets through the canister into the suction stage of the impeller which are then pumped out via the discharge. Liquid is returned from the discharge via the re-circulation pipe into the canister to ensure the liquid ring is maintained at all times. When there is no air present, the canister and re-circulation loop have no function and are fully filled with liquid. The liquid passes through the canister into the suction stage of the impeller, allowing the pump to act as a traditional centrifugal pump.

Pump configuration options

  • Impeller with reduced diameter
  • Motor with increased safety/flame proof motor
  • Double mechanical shaft seal
  • Product wetted surface finish Ra ≤ 0.8 µm
  • Product wetted elastomers in EPDM, nitrile (NBR) or fluorinated rubber (FPM)
  • Silicon Carbide rotating seal ring
  • ½” tri-clamp drain connections (two connections)

Source: AlfaLaval.com