GEA Clean Purge

24/7 production for food and dairy spray dryers 

Food and dairy spray dryers that operate 24/7 typically use multiple feed systems upstream of the spray dryer. Fitting two or more feed lines allows each line to be disconnected separately for regular, daily cleaning without interrupting production. This three/four-hour clean-in-place process prevents undesired bacterial growth in the feed lines and reduces the risk of producing off-spec product. 

The swapping of the concentrate feed lines needs to be performed smoothly and safely. This requires the remaining feed in the nozzle lances to be purged and efficiently atomized into the spray dryer chamber, using the GEA Clean Purge system. The system considerably reduces the risk of fire and explosion, and reduces product losses caused by unwanted chamber deposits. 

Reduce the risk of fire and explosion in spray dryers 

The patented GEA Clean Purge system for dairy spray dryers can significantly reduce what is widely believed to be the root cause of many spray dryer fires and explosions. By expelling any feed residue from nozzles before they are removed for cleaning, GEA Clean Purge prevents droplets of feed falling into the dryer where they can catch fire. This also avoids building deposits in the chamber area, which over time could self-combust.  

Optimized product recovery and production time 

The GEA Clean Purge system recovers any feed remaining in the system before cleaning cycles, which increases yield. Operational savings and increased yield also come from reduced cleaning frequency, reduced water and chemical consumption and lower costs for waste water disposal.  

GEA Clean Purge is available on all new dairy 24/7 operation spray dryers and can be easily retrofitted on existing installations where 24/7 operation must be implemented. Plant operators will be able to recover the initial investment within around five years, depending heavily on the application and duty. The reduced risk of fire and explosion, however, will be realized immediately. 

GEA Clean Purge benefits:

• Reduced risk of fire and explosion in spray dryers operating 24/7 or when nozzles need to be changed on the fly 
• Increased yield through purging of feed lines before feed line swaps 
• Reduced contamination of dryer walls 
• Reduced cleaning requirements 
• Lower consumption of water and chemicals 
• Reduced waste water disposal costs 
• Easy retrofit 
• Fast investment payback, depending on application and duty