Category: Alfa Laval

Hygienic fittings

For a contaminant-free connection of your hygienic and high-purity processing systems,

trust Alfa Laval’s hygienic fittings. All stainless-steel components meet the most stringent

requirements for surface quality, microbial and corrosion resistance, high cleanability,

material strength, uniform thickness, and crevice-free welding.

This ensures uptime, safety, reliability and efficiency for duties across the dairy, food,

beverage, home & personal care, biotech, and pharmaceutical industries.

Safeguard process integrity and process quality with hygienic fittings for

optimal safety, reliability and efficiency

• Easy-to-clean hygienic fittings with internal surface finishes for hygienic and high-purity

applications

• Minimized risk of dead legs and microbial contamination due to crevice-free welds

• Compliance with global hygienic standards, including ISO 2037. ASME and ASME BPE

dimensions, EN 10357-A, and BS 4825

• Easy online access to digitized material certificates through the Alfa Laval FindMyCert

software tool

• Easy access to spare parts availability through real-time inventory alerts at Alfa Laval

global distribution centres

Available worldwide, Alfa Laval hygienic fittings meet international standards.

Tubular fittings are made from a single piece of cold-formed stainless steel, while

connections are forged from solid stainless-steel bars. In addition, both undergo strict

quality control measures at every stage of manufacturing. This ensures tight tolerances,

uniform wall thickness, smooth weld ends, surface finish and roughness.

Choose from unions, clamp fittings, flanges, bends, tees, reducers, tubing, connectors,

anchor plates and pipe support systems. All hygienic fittings comply with ISO 2037.

ASME dimensions, EN 10357-A, and BS 4825 and come with 3.1 Material Certificates.

In addition, aseptic stainless-steel fittings come with an Alfa Laval Q-doc documentation

package for full traceability of all product contact parts.

Options

• Clamp ring

• M12 connector

• Hygienic tank connection HTC

• Hygienic tank connection HTC (Q-doc version)

• Blind cap with o-ring

• Blind cap with o-ring (Q-doc version)

Rotacheck+

This advanced innovative system features unique built-in teach-in and monitoring functions to verify the proper rotation of the rotary jet head.

As the rotary jet head performs the first CIP (cleaning-in-place) cycle, the sensor registers time and pressure data from the cleaning process and stores them as reference data. The reference data represent a unique pattern for a specific cleaning process in terms of the water jet intensity on the tank wall (hits) and the time between the hits from the water jet.

During subsequent CIP cycles, the processor in the sensor board then compares actual values to the digitally stored reference values and alerts the operator if any deviation from the reference values occurs.

The status of rotary jet head operation is shown via digital PLC output as well as a visual light indication. System feedback includes three different outputs:

• Rotation OK: When the operation of the rotary jet head meets the values recorded during the initial CIP cycle, verifying the proper rotation of the jet head.

• Alarm: When the rotation of the rotary jet head falls above or below the acceptable reference values recorded during the initial CIP cycle.

• Idle: When the rotary jet head is not in use and cleaning is not being performed.

Construction

The Alfa Laval Rotacheck control and validation system for tank cleaning machines consists of a sensor unit with top cover, o-rings and electrical cable and/or connector. The sensor unit has a sensing device located inside the processing tank and is connected to a sensor board, which processes and communicates the signal to the PLC.

Operating principle

The Alfa Laval Rotacheck system is available in two versions with digital sensor output via PNP interface to and from a PLC.

Rotacheck Basic

This standard system is suitable for validating the rotation of the rotary jet head. Ideal for retrofitting of Rotacheck systems that are already installed, Rotacheck Basic registers the moment when the sensor head is hit by the cleaning jet.

• Hit: The moment in time when the water jet hits the sensor head.

• Alarm: In case of unit failure or constant hit (cleaning device error).

• Idle: When the rotary jet head is not in use and cleaning is not being performed.

Introduction

The Alfa Laval Rotacheck Sensor is a cleaning validation

instrument that provides verification of the Alfa Laval Rotary

Jet Head tank-cleaning devices. It is highly accurate at

detecting the sweep and impact of the cleaning media

released by the rotary jet head, thereby providing tank

cleaning quality assurance. This device is suitable also when

there is higher pressure during Cleaning-in-Place (CIP) in the

tank.

Application

The Rotacheck Sensor is designed for use in a tank-cleaning

system that uses rotary jet heads and where the tank is

pressurized during CIP and where validation of hygienic

operation is required across the dairy, food, beverage,

brewery and pharmaceutical industries.

Benefits

• Validation of 360° repeatable cleaning pattern

• Verification of tank cleaning coverage

• Highly accurate detection of the jet sweep and impact

• Improved product quality

Standard design

The Alfa Laval Rotacheck Sensor consists of a stainless steel

IP67-rated casing, sensor, diaphragm, welding adaptor, and

cable for relay connection. As standard ATEX-certified version

is for use in potentially explosive areas. The sensor complies

with Category 1/2 requirements for installation in zones 0/1

and 20/21. The relay complies with Category 2 requirements

for installation in zone 1/21.

Working principle

The sensor of the Alfa Laval Rotacheck Sensor detects the

sweep and impact of fluid jets released as the rotary jet head

performs its cleaning cycle. The system is appropriate

wherever rotary jet heads are employed in cleaning tanks and

where the tank is pressurized during CIP. The signal generated

by the system can be audible, visual or integrated into the

customer’s process control specification.

Based on the geared operation of the cleaning device and

signals recording the impact force from the jets, the sensor

verifies hygienic operation of the rotary jet heads, taking into

account any backpressure in the tanks.

The hygienic Rotacheck sensor is precisely installed to detect

the sweep and impact of fluid jets released as the rotary jet

head performs its cleaning cycle. From the geared operation

of the cleaning device, and by reciving the impact force from

the jets, the sensor provides vertification of hygienic operation.

Any back pressure in the tanks is accounted for.

Benefits

• Durable and cost-effective

• Precision operation

• Long service life

• Easy to operate

Standard design

The Indication unit – inductive consists of steel and

plastic components, seals, contact pins, and cable connection

with socket, screw and cable gland. Easy to mount, this indication

unit does not require any mechanical adjustments and must be

installed between the air-operated actuator and the valve.

Working principle

The Alfa Laval Indication unit – Inductive sensor is an

inductive proximity switch that has non-contact electronic

switching elements. It is activated by an electromagnet device

known as a roller leaf. The standard output signal is always

a digital signal (on/off) indicating the position of the valve.

Introduction

The Alfa Laval Indication unit – Inductive is an electrical feedback

unit that offers cost-effective operation and standard

functionality for automated indication on the inductive side of Alfa

Laval butterfly valves. Straightforward and easy to use, this

indication unit provides information about valve operating status

24/7 while boosting productivity.

This inductive indication unit is compatible with any

programmable logic controller (PLC) with a PNP/NPN interface.

Application

The electrical indication unit is designed with inductive sensors for

use with Alfa Laval butterfly valves in hygienic applications across

the dairy, food, beverage, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and

many other industries.

Introduction

The Alfa Laval ThinkTop® DeviceNetTM is a modular valve control

unit that offers reliable, cost-effective operation and standard

functionality for automated sensing and control of hygienic

valves. ThinkTop DeviceNet provides real-time information about

valve operating status 24/7 while boosting productivity and

securing traceability.

Application

The ThinkTop DeviceNet is designed to control the fluid handling

process in hygienic applications across the dairy, food, beverage,

biotechnology, pharmaceutical and many other industries.

Benefits

• Reliable and accurate valve sensing and control

• Proven and inherently safe design

• Low total cost of ownership

• Watertight design

• Easy to operate

Standard design

The ThinkTop DeviceNet valve sensing and control unit consists of

a proven no-touch, set-and-forget sensor system with light

emitting diodes (LEDs), solenoid valves, and valve control sensor

board for connection to any programmable logic controller (PLC)

system with a DeviceNet interface. It fits on all Alfa Laval hygienic

valves; no adapter is required.

Installation is straightforward. No special expertise or tools are

required. To initiate manual setup, simply press a push

button startup sequence. Or set up without dismantling the

control unit using the optional infrared (IR) keypad for remote

control.

Working principle

The sensor system accurately detects valve stem movement, the

position of the valve at any given time, with an accuracy of

± 0.1mm through the use of microchip sensors. To locate the

current valve position, sensor chips inside the sensor board

calculate the angle between the axial magnetic field produced by

an indication pin mounted on the valve stem.

The solenoid valves receive signals from the PLC system

to activate or deactivate the air-operated valve. It then transmits

feedback signals indicating up to four valve positions and

conditions back to the PLC system.

In the control unit, up to three electric solenoid valves can

physically convert compressed air into mechanical energy to

activate or deactivate the pneumatic valve actuator.

Each control unit fits any Alfa Laval hygienic valve and

provides a tolerance band for valves to prevent product

contamination and failure. This eliminates the need to re-adjust

the sensors and boosts productivity.

LEDs conveniently display all the valve positions, solenoid

activation, setup and local fault indication on the control unit.