Sanitary Air Injection Tests

Compressed air can be used in food processing so long as it is food grade. The 5-55 or 10-55 PULSAIR portable mixers work by pneumatically actuating an injection valve inside the controller box or Power Head. When the mixer is on, compressed air passes through the injection valve and flows down the probe tube to the accumulator plate where the bubble is formed and mixing commences. In our non-food grade mixers, the injection valves are lubricated with hydrocarbon grease. However, for food applications, we use injection valves that have been manufactured with food grade greases.

PULSAIR also sells portable mixers with sanitary filters that provide high purity air. Normally, the filter is placed upstream of the Power Head. During testing, a Balston sanitary filter was placed downstream of the 5-55 Drum-Stick, between the Power Head and accumulator plate. The test was conducted to find out how much the pulse would be dampened. The test was not a complete success as the filter adversely effected the intensity of the pulse.

Mixing could still be achieved, however it was not as effective. We exchanged the Drum-Stick Power Head with a 10-55 Tote-Stick controller and significantly improved the performance. What this means is that it is possible to pulse through the sanitary filter, so long as the mixer is oversized relative to a typical, non-food, PULSAIR application. However, the best food grade mixing can be obtained by purchasing a PULSAIR built with food grade valves and sanitary filters that are located upstream of the Power Head.

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