Sausage Skin Processing

Products:
Waukesha Universal II ECP Pump and bespoke hygienic auger feed unit.

Industry:
Meat Processing

Challenge:
A large food manufacturer required a constant, smooth flow of delicate gel used in the manufacture of sausage skins. The manufacturing process utilised a range of different gels with viscosities ranging from 5,000 to 100,000 cP.

Solution
The system consists of two parts; a Waukesha circumferential piston pump fed by a bespoke auger feeder.

The gels drop from the feed tank into the auger feeder constructed with sloping walls that funnel the gel onto a specially designed rotary force feeder. The force feeder is designed with large open pitched screws so that the gel can be delivered into the pump at pressures of at least 2 bar while running at only 50 rpm. The Auger feeder also has an optional bridge-breaker should the more viscous gels require it.

A large Waukesha Universal II circumferential piston pump model is selected for the system so that it can provide the required flow with a speed of just 20 rpm and fitted with rectangular flanged connections to ease product entry into the pump.

Both the auger feeder and pump motors are run via VSDs to enable a precise flow rate to be identified as part of the commissioning phase and provide flexibility should future gels require it.

The whole unit can be cleaned in place by utilising the auger feeder screw to agitate the cleaning liquids.