Enhancement Of Batch Operations Based On A Contamination Free Valve Design

ABSTRACT: Process industry involves large plants; mainly operating in continuous form, to achieve economic mass production output. However in some situations process vessels and tanks are used, where batch processes, take place. These tanks often contain reactants and products in the liquid state. After treatment or processing, valves are opened to allow the product to drain and vessels may receive the next batch. However, with conventional valves there will always be an amount of fluid trapped between the valve closing element and the tank or vessel, especially for those which are jacketed to allow heating or cooling. This amount is usually untreated, that is to say has not undergone the changes or processing taking place on the fluid bulk in the vessel. Moreover, no matter how accurately this amount is estimated to be isolated from the processed amount leaving the vessel, it will still contaminate with the processed product. From hygiene point of view, this may not be accepted. In this work a valve design is introduced; where no fluid is trapped between a process tank and the valve closing element. When the valve is opened the fluid flows to the outlet flow line without any contamination with unprocessed fluid. Thus a contamination free valve design is utilised to achieve hygiene design tanks or vessels used in batch based processes. Thus cheap equipment acquiring the hygiene requirements necessary for food and some other products that only can be achieved using expensive mass production lines is obtained