Water saving in food processing achieves 80% reduction with simple spray nozzle change
FOOD processing is one of the most water-intensive industries. Water is used as an ingredient, during processing and for cleaning and sanitation. A leading US snack food producer with a strong commitment to sustainability turned to Spraying Systems Co. to help uncover saving opportunities.
During an initial water audit at one plant, Spraying Systems Co. determined the nozzles being used to clean corn chip lines were oversized for the operation. The nozzles were very effective, but the flow output was more than what was required for cleaning. The team was confident the same style nozzle operating at lower flow rates could achieve the same level of cleaning and dramatically reduce water use.
Simple spray nozzle change delivers 80% water reduction
Testing at the producer verified there was no difference in the cleaning effectiveness of the two nozzles and the lower-capacity nozzle reduced water use by 80%.
While the reduction in water use resulting from changing nozzles was impressive, it seemed like a very small change in a very large operation. The snack food producer was concerned that changing nozzles wouldn’t have a big impact on its sustainability initiative. Therefore, Spraying Systems Co. ran some calculations to estimate the potential savings if the change was made in all the producer’s plants in North America. The total decrease in water use was substantial – more than 500 million gallons.
Scaling the solution across multiple plants
Spraying Systems Co. dispatched their local spray experts to more than 30 plants to identify and document the location, flow rate and operating pressure of all the nozzles being used to clean chip lines. Each plant was using more than 400 nozzles, operating at 20 bar and spraying just over 26 l/min.
Each nozzle was in use 5,200 hours per year. By making the change to the lower capacity nozzles, each plant reduced water use from 24 million litres to just 4.5 million litres per year.
Massive water, energy and cost savings from spray nozzle optimisation
By replacing 10,000 nozzles, the snack food producer:
- reduced water use by 500 million gallons per year;
- saved more than $3 million on water and wastewater treatment;
- saved $7 million by heating less water prior to cleaning.
The investment in the new nozzles was recouped in less than five days, providing the snack food producer with a substantial economic benefit in addition to operating more efficiently.
Replacing nozzles on the chip line turned out to be just the starting point. During plant visits, the teams identified similar water-saving opportunities during cleaning of other lines and mixing tanks. The next phase of changes is expected to save the snack food producer an additional 500 million gallons annually.
Local expertise helps unlock further water savings across Southern Africa
Spraying Systems Co., represented in Southern Africa by Monitor Engineering for over 75 years, offers no-cost sustainability assessments to identify water and chemical savings within a plant. According to Grant Orsmond, Managing Director of Monitor Engineering: “In many cases, significant savings come down to simple changes — such as selecting the correct spray nozzle size for the application or replacing worn nozzles more frequently.”
Contact grant@monitorspray.co.za
https://www.spray-nozzles.co.za/
