GEA new aseptic double-seat valve increases shelf life of dairy products

The double-seat valve is designed with a sterile leakage chamber that is hermetically sealed from the atmosphere by two side valves. As with the entire aseptic D-tec range, GEA said the sealing properties of the new valve stem diaphragm increase the shelf life of milk-based and lactic acid-fermented products, as well as soft drinks and fruit juices.

The company added if manufacturers adapt their process chain, the D-tec can help them achieve a desired shelf life with fewer preservatives.

Equipping process plants with D-tec

The D-tec D/DV double-chamber valve completes GEA’s UltraClean valve range.

Pascal Bär, product manager for GEA Aseptic Valve Technology, “Equipping the interfaces in process plants with as few valve types as possible is often a decisive criterion to our customers. Spare parts handling and warehousing become increasingly complex when different valve types must work together.” ​

GEA said it can now consistently plan greenfield projects leveraging D-tec; a retrofit for the single-seat valve is available for existing systems.

Hygiene

With the D-tec double chamber valve, GEA now offers aseptic valves for both hygiene classes "Aseptic" and "UltraClean".

“Aseptomag, our metal bellows technology, is the benchmark in hygienic processing, which we use for highly sensitive products such as baby food and UHT milk as they demand an uncompromising aseptic execution of processes and components,”​ Bär said.

“However, a wide range of beverages produced by our customers are not promoted under aseptic conditions. In fact, they fall into the second highest hygiene level according to the VDMA guideline, which is hygiene class IV ‘UltraClean’. That is why our new D-tec D/DV is meeting the process requirements of this hygiene class.” ​

D-tec is suitable for iced tea, fruit juice, fruit yogurt and ESL milk and products that require an increased shelf life depending on the pH value, cold chain and storage conditions.

The hermetically sealed D-tec stem diaphragm provides improved contamination protection and ensures microbial stability of products throughout their manufacture. The membranes are made of thermoplastics that are more flexible than stainless steel. For example, this makes them well-suited to compensate for pressure surges, Bär said.

They are, to a certain extent, more forgiving to process errors, he added. In the event of a diaphragm rupture, the leakage detection system ensures a high degree of operational safety.

“Our product development is directed towards ensuring equipment availability and profitability for beverage and food producers. The new double-chamber valve fulfills this: It can be used very flexibly and combines a high level of hygiene with manageable operating costs.” ​

In addition, the design minimizes system downtime.

Various sizes

The D/DV double-chamber valve is based on the VARIVENT assembly unit, which enables the valve to be configured according to the required process conditions. The double-seat valve is characterized by the two membranes, which hermetically seal the product interior from the atmosphere. It is available in valve sizes ranging from DN 40 up to DN 80 and OD 1.5" up to OD 3".

The valve sizes DN 100 and OD 4” will be introduced in the next few weeks. The valve seat can be executed as both soft and hard sealing – the latter with the TEFASEP gold seal, which GEA recently introduced. In addition, D-tec double-chamber valves can be equipped with one, two or three T.VIS control tops of various designs.