Alfa Laval Rotacheck+: The most intelligent validation of tank cleaning

No other monitoring device offers the Alfa Laval Rotacheck+’s level of reliability or ease of use when it comes to installation and monitoring of tank cleaning machines. To meet stricter regulations for safety, hygiene and quality, increasingly more processing plant owners are demanding safe, reliable methods with which to validate tank cleaning. To meet these needs, Alfa Laval is extending its range of intelligent Rotacheck sensors with the new Alfa Laval Rotacheck+. The Rotacheck+ makes it possible to validate the Cleaning-in-Place (CIP) process of virtually any rotary jet head machine. With built-in intelligence and advanced analog sensing technology, the Rotacheck+ offers unprecedented levels of accuracy, reliability and ease of installation and operation, which enhances tank cleaning performance in the food, dairy, beverage, personal care, home care and pharmaceutical industries.

Alfa Laval Rotacheck+ extends the company’s range of intelligent Rotacheck sensors used to validate the rotation of Alfa Laval Rotary Jet Heads during CIP. The patented Alfa Laval Rotacheck+, however, makes it possible to validate the CIP process of virtually any rotary jet head machine with greater precision than any other tank cleaning monitoring and validation system available today.

“The cleaning validation capabilities offered by the new Alfa Laval Rotacheck+ are unparalleled by any other tank cleaning monitoring device available today,” affirms Claus Brandt, Alfa Laval’s Global Portfolio Manager, Tank Equipment Competence Center. “No other cleaning validation device provides the level of validation, monitoring and control afforded by the Rotacheck+.”

Based on Alfa Laval patented teach-in technology, the Alfa Laval Rotacheck+ records both the impact and the time between impacts during an initial 16-minute reference run. The Rotacheck+ then automatically monitors the performance of the rotary jet head, comparing actual operating values to the digitally stored data from the reference run. If the actual operating values begin to deviate from the stored parameters, the Rotacheck+ automatically sends an error signal to the control unit.

Brandt asserts that the Alfa Laval Rotacheck+ easily provides the most intelligent validation of tank cleaning, providing processing plant owners and operators with exceptional reliability, precise monitoring of any rotary jet head, and complete control of the tank cleaning process.

“By being able to validate the process of tank cleaning quickly and easily, owners and operators are not only assured of reduced risk of contamination, but are also assured of higher productivity,” Brandt confides.

In addition, the Alfa Laval Rotacheck+ can be used for cleaning procedures that require the use of purified water and water for injection, and it also automatically compensates for changes in pressure should the tank be slightly pressurized during CIP.

Like the Alfa Laval Rotacheck Basic, the new Rotacheck+ is 3A-approved, EHEDG-certified and Ex-approved. It can be mounted anywhere on the tank, making installation quick and easy. It also features integrated electronics, simple visual indicators consisting of just three lights for straightforward tank cleaning monitoring, and the Alfa Laval Hygienic Tank Connection (HTC) to ensure optimal hygienic conditions with no risk of microbiological buildups.

Editor’s notes:

Alfa Laval is a leading global provider of specialized products and engineering solutions based on its key technologies of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling. 
The company’s equipment, systems and services are dedicated to assisting customers in optimizing the performance of their processes. The solutions help them to heat, cool, separate and transport products in industries that produce food and beverages, chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, starch, sugar and ethanol.
Alfa Laval’s products are also used in power plants, aboard ships, in the mechanical engineering industry, in the mining industry and for wastewater treatment, as well as for comfort climate and refrigeration applications. Alfa Laval’s worldwide organization works closely with customers in nearly 100 countries to help them stay ahead in the global arena.
Alfa Laval is listed on the Nasdaq OMX, and, in 2012, posted annual sales of about SEK 29.8 billion (approx. EUR 3.5 billion). The company has 16,400 employees. www.alfalaval.com