Customer Case: Food Processing Plant Protects Downstream Equipment with Stainless Steel Basket Strainer
Customer Background
A food ingredient manufacturing company in Thailand produces liquid sugar syrups for beverage factories. Their production process involves dissolving refined sugar in hot water and then passing the syrup through a series of heat exchangers before storage. The syrup temperature ranges from 60 to 80 degrees Celsius with a viscosity slightly higher than water.
The Problem
The plant was experiencing frequent fouling inside their heat exchanger plates. Small particles such as caramelized sugar bits and scale fragments from the dissolving tank were carried over with the syrup. These particles accumulated in the narrow channels of the heat exchanger, reducing thermal efficiency by nearly 15 percent over three months of operation. Cleaning the heat exchanger required a full day of production stoppage each time, costing the company approximately two thousand US dollars in lost output per shutdown.
They tried using a simple mesh screen at the tank outlet, but the screen was too small and clogged within a few hours. They needed a larger capacity strainer with easy cleaning access and good heat resistance.
The Solution
We supplied the JYBF25-304 stainless steel basket strainer with the following specifications matched to their operating conditions. The body and basket are made of 304 stainless steel with a blasted surface finish. The housing diameter is 108 millimeters. The standard 100 mesh basket was selected to capture particles above 150 microns. The seal is EPDM which handles temperatures up to 120 degrees Celsius, well above their 80 degree syrup temperature. The unit has a 1 inch flange connection, a 1/2 inch drain port for cleaning, a 1/4 inch vent port, and a pressure gauge to monitor clogging.
The strainer was installed just after the dissolving tank and before the feed pump going to the heat exchanger. The installation took less than two hours with minor piping adjustments.
The Results
The plant has been using the stainless steel basket strainer for over six months with consistent results.
The heat exchanger fouling problem has been significantly reduced. The 100 mesh basket captures nearly all solid particles before they can reach the heat exchanger. Thermal efficiency has returned to original levels, and the plant no longer schedules monthly cleaning shutdowns for the heat exchanger.
Maintenance is simple and fast. The plant cleans the strainer basket once every five to seven days depending on syrup production volume. The operator closes the inlet valve, opens the drain port, removes the basket, rinses it with hot water, and reinstalls it. The entire process takes less than twenty minutes. The vent port makes it easy to release trapped air and refill the strainer before reopening the inlet valve.
The pressure gauge has proven very useful. Operators check it at the start of each shift. When the pressure difference reaches 0.05 MPa, they know it is time to clean the basket. This prevents unexpected flow reduction and protects the feed pump from cavitation.
The EPDM seal has held up well with no signs of hardening or leakage after months of continuous hot syrup exposure.
Customer Feedback
The maintenance supervisor said the stainless steel basket strainer is one of the simplest but most effective investments they have made. Before installing this strainer, they spent too much time cleaning the heat exchanger. Now, twenty minutes of basket cleaning every few days saves them an entire day of downtime each month. He also mentioned that the drain and vent ports make the job clean and quick, and his operators have no trouble using it.
Next Steps
The company has ordered two more units of the same stainless steel basket strainer for their other syrup production lines. They are also evaluating a finer mesh option for a new product line that requires higher purity. The positive experience has led them to recommend this strainer to a partner factory in Vietnam.