Maintenance Technology October 2016 - 32

FOOD & BEVERAGE
systems
Langemark and Argentan, France, Ysco
annually produces 41.2 million gallons
(174 million liters) of ice cream in the form
of 0.26 to 1.3-gallon (1- to 5-liter) tubs,
cones, molded and extruded sticks, cakes,
and small cups. That volume resulted in
sales of more than $244 million (245 million euros) in 2015.
Ysco is part of Milcobel cvba, Kallo,
Belgium, a farming cooperative that was
formed in 2004 with the merger of BZU
Melkaanvoer and Belgomilk. Today the
cooperative collects, processes, and
commercializes milk from 2,800 dairy
farms, and is becoming Belgium's largest
dairy group. Ysco's ice cream production
accounts for 22% of Milcobel's annual
production volume.
The changes in ice cream recipes,
however, were beginning to hamper
Ysco's ability to reliably produce ﬁnished
products that met its demands and those
of its customers. Namely, the higher-mix
viscosities were incompatible with the
operational capabilities of the centrifugal
pumps being used to transfer the mix from
the preparation vessels, through the pipelines, and into the ice-cream freezers.
That prompted Krist Levrouw, an engineering assistant who has been employed
at the Langemark facility for 26 years,
to initiate a search for a better pumping
solution. "The classic centrifugal pump
solution does not work properly with mixes
in excess of 500 cP, often as high as 2,500
cP," said Levrouw. "Under these circumstances, centrifugal pumps are unable to
generate the pressure required to transfer
the mix and feed the freezer properly. As
a result, you can't empty the vessels completely and you have too much waste."

colleagues at the Argentan plant, Levrouw
learned of the success they had been
experiencing with the Mouvex pumps, and
reached out to Spin Pompen to see if they
could suggest a solution for his needs.
"Of course, we knew that the Mouvex
technology would solve his problem, which
was covering the distance between the
tanks and the ice cream generator in a
controlled way, with constant ﬂow and
no pressure peaks, so that the product
characteristics were respected," added
Van de Sompel.

Not only does the SLS Series pump offer
the standard features for which Mouvex
eccentric-disc pumps have long been
recognized, but the design has helped it
earn approval from EC 1935/2004, along
with 3A, FDA, and EHEDG, for use in foodprocessing applications.

FLAVOR OF THE DAY
Some years ago, Ysco's Argentan facility
had begun using C Series eccentric-disc
pumps from Mouvex, Auxerre, France, a
product brand of PSG, a Dover company, Oakbrook Terrace, IL, USA, for its
liquid-transfer operations. In talking to his

32 |

RELIABLE PUMPING SUPPLEMENT

The challenge was considerable because of the layout of the Langemark facility. The supply tanks are located unusually
far from the ice cream freezers-720 ft.
(220 m)- and that distance was putting
additional strain on the centrifugal pumps.
"If you're pumping ice cream over 220
meters you don't want pulsation, which will
cause pressure peaks, which is not very
beneﬁcial for the generation of ice cream,"
said Van de Sompel.
Addressing these operational challenges, Van de Sompel recommended
to Levrouw the seal-less Mouvex SLS
Series eccentric-disc pump. SLS Series
pumps have been designed speciﬁcally for
operation in food-and-beverage manufac-

turing applications. The seal-less design
is ideal for hygienic applications because
it reduces the risk of product contamination and leaks while avoiding messy spills,
waste, and product spoilage.
The stainless-steel pumps feature
a design that incorporates a double-wall
bellows and pressure-switch monitoring.
By mounting the pressure switch on the
bellows ﬂange, the bellows become an independent sub-assembly within the pump,
resulting in easier and safer operation.
The design has helped the SLS pumps
get the required certiﬁcations from EC
1935/2004, 3A, FDA, and EHEDG, for use
in food-processing applications. Because
the pump has only two wear parts, maintenance is easy and can be performed while
the pump is online.
Along with these advancements, the
SLS Series pumps offer beneﬁts for which
Mouvex eccentric-disc pumps have long
been recognized, including low shear rate,
very low pulsation, very low slip, self-priming and dry-run capabilities, exceptional
volumetric consistency, repeatability, and
clean-in-place (CIP) capability.
"The reality for ice cream manufacturers is that one day they have ice cream
mix as milk, then the next day they might
have ice cream as thick as 500 cP, up
to 2,500 cP," said Van de Sompel. "The
Mouvex pump shows very limited variation
in ﬂow rate under varying conditions of
pressure and viscosity."
"The pump is idiot proof, which is very
important since we are running 24 hours
and everyone has to handle it," said Levrouw. "If the pump is too difﬁcult to clean
and maintain, then it's a problem. It will be
destroyed in a short time. Every step is
complicated, but the Mouvex pump makes
life easier. No stress." RP
Sueli Roel Backes is with the Food &
Beverage division of Moulvex, PSG. U.S.
headquarters are in Oakbrook Terrace,
IL. Backes can be reached at sueli.roel@
psgdover.com.

OCTOBER 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maintenance Technology October 2016