Tetra Pak launches 'unique' hermetic direct driven dairy separator

The company said the Centri AirTight Eco separator will slash energy use of an overall separation system by up to 35 per cent compared to conventional paring disc separators. The kit also offers reductions in downtime as it doubles the production time between major services in comparison to belt driven separators.

Innovations​

The system, which is suitable for high capacity production, incorporates three major innovations that allow it to boost performance as well as being more efficient and greener.

The eDrive system is a patented new direct drive system in which the motor is connected to the separator spindle directly and incorporated into the separator bowl without a gear. That increases up-time and reduces costs compared to belt driven separators, said the company.

“With fewer moving parts and less wear and tear, the mechanical simplicity of the eDrive extends production time between major services from 8,000 hours to up to 16,000 hours,”​ added Tetra Pak in a statement sent to FoodProductionDaily.com “It also uses 90% less lubrication oil than previous systems.”​

Friction inside the separator is reduced thanks to the newly developed and patented eMotion system. This technology shrinks energy loss and therefore cuts energy consumption within the separator itself by over 50 per cent.

“That translates to an up to 35% reduction in the energy consumption of an overall separation system compared to conventional paring disc separators,”​ said the company. “Added benefits are the reduction of noise levels by three dB(A) and the reduction of machine surface temperature.”​

Environmental impact​

The separator’s support systems - such as cooling, lubrication, and discharge - are handled by the fully embedded eCon system. This enables dairies to simplify and improve monitoring, status reporting and reliability of the systems and decreases the number of unplanned stops, said Swedish-based packaging and processing giant.

Tetra Pak Processing Components managing director Lars Jacobsson said: “This new generation separator is a further development in our proven Tetra Centri AirTight range of separators. Using a number of breakthrough innovations to deliver higher operational efficiency and lower environmental impact than ever before, the Tetra Centri AirTight Eco separator will enable our customers to cut costs and meet the growing environmental demands on their operations.”​

The hermetic seals at the inlet and outlet valves – which prevent the intake and exposure of the product to destructive air - are a unique feature of the TetraCentri AirTight range of separators. In the new system, product is fed into the separator bowl from the bottom through the new eDrive, which ensures that the size of fat globules and particles is maintained. This ensures greater efficiencies in the separability of fat and impurities and concentration of cream than in any alternative design on the market, declared the company.