I was contacted by a company that was bottling beer; and they had an issue that they wished to solve. They were producing 35,000 bottles per hour in two different sizes; the 24 oz. (710 mL) bottles and the “stick it in a brown paper bag” 32 oz. (946 mL) bottles. The problem area was located at the wash system after capping the beer bottles. They sprayed a solution of water and a low-concentration of chlorine dioxide as an antimicrobial agent. Sanitation is at a premium to eliminate any bacteria growth.
Currently, they were using two sets of three liquid nozzles that were spraying a flat pattern at the top and both sides of the bottle, just under the cap (reference photo below). The issue that they were experiencing was too much solution was being used as well as creating a slip hazard on the floor outside the wash system. They tried to reduce the liquid pressure to lessen the amount of solution, but the stream was not strong enough to clean properly. So, they asked if the EXAIR Air Atomizing Nozzles could be a better solution.
With liquid solutions, the smaller the particle size, the greater the surface area. With higher surface areas, less liquid can be used to cover the same target area. For this application; I recommended the model EF1040SS External Mix Atomizing Nozzle with a narrow-angle flat fan spray pattern. The liquid spray pattern matched their current nozzles, and the liquid flowrate produced by this Atomizing Nozzle was within their recommendation. By adding compressed air, we can shear liquid into much smaller particle sizes. And as mentioned above, we can use less liquid to cover the same area. Another feature of the EXAIR External Mix Atomizing Nozzles, the liquid and air pressures are independent. Unlike the liquid nozzles that they were using, the liquid pressure can be changed while the air pressure can be increased. Now, they can get a hard-hitting force to remove the beer foam while using less liquid. This was exactly what this customer needed.
I suggested six pieces of the EF1040SS to replace each liquid nozzle to keep the same coverage around the caps. The stainless-steel construction makes the Atomizing Nozzle corrosive resistant for Food and Beverage applications. The flat fan pattern is able to reach multiple bottles and hit the target area evenly. The amount of solution can be controlled by the liquid pressure and by the manual liquid needle valve. So, the setup can be “dialed” in for the exact amount of cleaning solution needed to clean the bottles without flooding the floor. This was important for safety as well as saving the company money by using less solution. For this application, they were able to use about 20% less liquid.
If you have high-value liquids that you would like to spray evenly, efficiently, and effectively; EXAIR Air Atomizing Nozzles can do that for you. We offer three different port sizes with a variety of liquid flowrates and spray patterns. If you would like to discuss more about an application or need help in selecting the correct model, an Application Engineer will be happy to assist you. For the customer above, the bottles were cleaned and ready to “pop the top”.
John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb
Photo: Empty brown beet bottles by manfredrifchter. Pixabay License
