Self Cleaning Filter

After an expansion in 2005, the customer wanted to add an automatic filter to his CIP loop and remove any debris left in the tanks. This expansion added more fermentation capacity, but with the additional volume came the need fo

The final step is to wash the tank with a caustic rinse containing sodium hydroxide. This phase of the process is absolutely critical to fermentation. If the caustic doesn't effectively clean the tank, it can easily become a breeding ground for bacteria. Bacteria growth means costly downtime and a lengthy, expensive cleaning before the tank can be used again.

Once drained, the tank is flushed with water. As the tank is spray-rinsed, a drain valve is opened to flush out the solids. The valve is then closed and the wash water is recycled to completely flush the tanks interior.

To keep production levels high, the emptied tanks must be readied for the next batch as soon as possible. The longer the tank is empty for cleaning, the less revenue is generated.

The facility utilizes a series of tanks filled with corn mash, enzymes and water. This mixture is heated and allowed to ferment with each tank being in a different stage of fermentation. When the process is complete, each tank emptied and the contents sent to distillation.

A large, Midwestern ethanol plant, having recently expanded, was faced with increasing operating costs due to the rising price of caustic (CIP) fluid.