Cleanflow: magnet for continuous process
Filtering iron and stainless steel from powders and bulk goods
At the Powtech in Nuremberg, Goudsmit Magnetics (stand 2-450) will show a recently developed magnetic system: the continuous cleaning Cleanflow magnet. This removes both iron and stainless steel from powders and bulk goods and achieves capacities of up to 200 tonnes/hour.
The system is suitable for installation in ATEX zone 20/22 and can be cleaned without stopping the product flow. It can be installed directly below the sieve or even just before the loading/packing point. The Cleanflow magnet is easy to integrate into existing production processes. In addition to preventing damage claims, magnets protect machines from seizure due to iron contamination and resulting expensive production standstills. The magnet has been developed for applications such as those found in the sugar industry. The increased demand for magnets for this industry has to do with the liberalisation of the sugar market in Europe. The lifting of restrictions and the stricter requirements of food manufacturers that incorporate sugar in their products has ramped up demand for magnets that filter both fine – from 10 micron – and coarse iron particles from product flows.
Production phases
Besides Cleanflow magnets, which remove the very smallest particles (down to 10 microns) from the final phase of the production process, there are other magnets with sugar production applications. Coarse bits of iron can be picked up when sugar beet is harvested in the field. There is often ammunition in among the crop. To capture this iron we hang plate magnets above the infeed line outside the factory. Then the beets are cleaned and cut into pieces. When they fall through a chute, chute magnets separate the remaining –visible– pieces of iron. During the next step in the process the beets are boiled, which produces a thin syrup and a thick syrup. The thick syrup is then boiled further and centrifuged to produce crystallized sugar that then enters the drying phase. Cleanflow magnets are used here, which filter out the very smallest iron contaminants that are not always visible to the naked eye. This way the magnet ensures a good quality finished or semi-finished product and zero damage claims.
Continuous process
The continuous cleaning Cleanflow magnet is located in the final phase of the sugar process – a continuous process that cannot simply be stopped at any moment. Another advantage of the continuous cleaning is that the magnet never becomes saturated with iron particles. After all, a saturated magnet no longer functions optimally.
Because crystallized sugar flows well, a static system like the continuous cleaning Cleanflow magnet is sufficient. Powdered sugar, however, is a different story altogether: it often cakes together on the bars and hinders the flow. For poorly flowing products Goudsmit recommends rotating magnets instead.
