With GEA’s Direct Sprayer DS 25, the company introduced a solution for industrial tank cleaning in the food and beverage industry, specifically designed for tanks with rotating installations. The patented spray technology removes residues from the undersides of agitators, pipes and flow breakers. A case study from yogurt production shows that this method cuts water use by 84.5% and shortens cleaning time by 87.5%, compared to traditional tank flooding.

Targeted Cleaning Instead of Flooding

Strict hygiene standards, contamination prevention and resource efficiency are challenges in food and beverage production. However, cleaning tanks with internal installations poses a particular challenge: the undersides of agitator blades often remain in the spray shadow and are not adequately cleaned by conventional methods. One solution has been to flood the tank completely with cleaning liquid – a resource-intensive and time-consuming process.

The Direct Sprayer DS 25 sprays directly onto the undersides of the agitator blades while ensuring that the agitator mechanics remain unaffected. The cleaner is flush-mounted into the tank wall and can be positioned flexibly, ensuring full coverage inside the tank. The patented valve disc only opens when activated, ensuring an even distribution of the cleaning fluid. Since the valve plate opens inward, it does not interfere with the agitator.

Spray Power and Reach

The mechanically powerful, full-cone spray targets the undersides of the agitators and removes residues. “Unlike alternative retractable cleaners, which often have a hollow cone or operate with a fan spray, our spray pattern is a true full-cone,” explains Jana Zimpel, product sales manager for cleaning technology at GEA.

With a spray force of up to 5 kg, GEA’s Direct Sprayer DS 25 removes tough residues. Conventional cleaning systems often operate at lower forces, requiring longer exposure times or additional chemicals. The full-cone spray of the DS 25 reduces resource consumption. With a cleaning range of up to 5 m, the full-cone spray is also suitable for large tanks and reaches areas that previous solutions often left uncleaned.

Case Study – 84.5% Less Water Consumption in Yogurt Production

A real-world example from yogurt production highlights the potential of GEA’s Direct Sprayer DS 25. A typical tank in this industry is 6 m high with a diameter of 3 m and contains agitator blades arranged on three levels, up to 4 m above the tank floor. The conventional cleaning method involves flooding the tank with a caustic solution and using rotation to clean the surfaces. This process, including flooding, circulation and draining, takes two hours and consumes 29 m³ of cleaning liquid.

With the Direct Sprayer DS 25, one cleaner per agitator blade level is integrated into the tank wall. This targeted cleaning approach reduces fluid consumption to 4.5 m³, while the cleaning time shrinks to 15 minutes – an 84.5% reduction in water use and an 87.5% decrease in cleaning time.

“This time saving can be directly used for additional production capacity,” Zimpel explains. “In yogurt production, for example, this means more batches per day or faster recipe changes without compromising efficiency.”

Applications

The GEA Direct Sprayer DS 25 has been developed for use in the beverage, food, dairy, pharmaceutical, and home and personal care industries. It is for use in production environments with frequent recipe changes, strict hygiene standards and demanding cleaning requirements. The system delivers fast cleaning while minimizing water use and keeping production running. It can also be integrated into existing systems.