Pukka Pies solves pumping problems with MasoSine engineering 24 January 2011

MasoSine pump technology from Watson-Marlow Pumps, has solved plant problems at UK pie manufacturer Pukka Pies.

Aiming to reduce noise, cut cycle times and pull back on energy consumption, Pukka Pies replaced pneumatically-operated air pumps with MasoSine SPS 2.5 pumps to transfer meat fillings at its Syston, Leicestershire plant.

"We were using a pneumatic air pump to transfer pre-cooked meat from a 200 litre capacity mixing bowl to a depositor feed hopper ready to fill the pies," explains maintenance manager, Simon Kemp.

"We found that the meat mixture – which is rich, thick and full of meat chunks, so must not be damaged – was problematic for the pumps. We needed to find a pump that could suction lift the mixture from the mixing bowl up to the depositor feed hopper, while maintaining product integrity," he says.

Kemp says MasoSine technology has achieved all his objectives. The SPS 2.5 model, he points out, is ideally suited to high pressure, hygienic operations, and its sinusoidal rotor overcomes the limitations of conventional rotary lobe pumps to produce powerful suction with low shear, low pulsation and gentle handling.

"With the installation of the first MasoSine SPS 2.5, we managed to lower noise from 94 decibels peak, to 74 decibels peak," states Kemp.

But he also says that pumping rates for the meat fillings to the plant's top level depositor feed hopper are now 20% faster, because of this pump's scale of suction lift, in combination with Pukka Pies' variable speed drive system.

And he adds: "Since the installation of our first MasoSine pump around two years ago, we now use far less compressed air – to the tune of 660 litres per minute. This obviously equates to significant savings in our energy consumption."

The company now has several SPS pumps on site, including pumps operating with a flooded suction and three that harness their suction lift capacity.

"The different fillings must not be broken up by the pumping operation," explains Kemp. "We need to retain sizeable pieces of meat to maintain quality levels. Fortunately, the large pumping chambers within the SPS pumps preserve product integrity, even for fragile product, such as pre-cooked meat or chicken."

He also reports no reliability or maintenance issues, with the pumps operating every day between 08:00 and 17:00, transferring around 200 litres of pre-cooked meat every 20 minutes.

"We strip the pumps between product changes and at the end of each working day, in accordance with a strict cleaning schedule, so it's great that the MasoSine pumps are so easy to dismantle and clean," says Kemp.

"It only takes around 20 minutes before we are ready to go again, which is quicker than using our previous air pumps. Crucially, the sine pumps are stripped and cleaned by machine operatives rather than trained engineers."

Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Watson Marlow Pumps Group

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