Garlic Processing - Bakersfield, CA Spray Bar Rinse System ClearWater Tech, LLC.
Garlic processing The Company - Located in Bakersfield, CA - In business over 20 years - Serves large companies as a food ingredient supplier - Also serves prisons, schools, restaurant chains, etc.
Garlic processing The Company - products Whole peeled garlic Private-label garlic purees Jalapeno pepper products
Sodium hypochlorite spray bar Previous system- Sodium hypochlorite spray bar Spray bar rinse of whole peeled garlic Goals: 1. Reduction of aerobic plate counts (APCs) from in the 100,000s to the 10,000s. 2. Reduce lactic acid bacteria (spoilage) and mold. 100-125 ppm solution of sodium hypochlorite Still in place as back-up for ozone system
Spray bar rinse system
Challenges presented by Sodium hypo system Sodium hypo was pitting stainless steel rollers and other exposed stainless steel Maintenance costs - High TDS from sodium hypo was plugging spray bars, corroding the feed pump and plumbing Sodium hypo was adding to issues in the wastewater pond Pond is directly over source water aquifer
Challenges presented Air scrubbing (carbon) required Odor from 100-125 ppm sodium hypo Sodium hypo reacting with organics, causing strong ammonia odor Long term cost - $3,000/year in sodium hypo. With maintenance, system was costing $500 - $600/month Potential for sodium hypo residual on product
The solution - ozone Ozone system installed in March of 2002 on garlic spray bar rinse system Installed in single pass configuration @ 13 gpm Maintains a dissolved ozone level of 1.3 ppm Capable of up to 5.0 ppm dissolved ozone
Hdo3-11 skid mount ozone delivery system The ozone system Hdo3-11 skid mount ozone delivery system Skid-mounted, pre-plumbed and pre-wired Includes the following components: 20 gram/hour, variable output CD ozone generator Stainless steel contact vessel Fully integrated dissolved ozone monitor Full instrumentation
Hdo3 system - on the job - If placed outdoors - Requires protection from wind, rain, dust, moisture, and impacts.
The Ozone System The plant’s source water comes from a deep well on the property Source water is fed directly to the HDO3 system HDO3 puts 1.3 ppm dissolved ozone into water, which is fed directly to the spray bar Water fed @ 13gpm @ 20 psi Spray heads increased in size to accommodate lower psi of ozone system
the ozone system 4-20 mA signal from integrated dissolved ozone monitor controls output of ozone generator System also includes a 10 gpm wash down wand Ambient ozone monitor installed to insure safety of workers
Conveyor system and ambient ozone monitor
Ozone system results 20-30% reduction in APCs from chlorine system Check approx. twice/month Anything below 10,000 is acceptable
Ozone system results Reduced maintenance costs Pitting of stainless steel rollers eliminated Spray bar plugging (from high TDS of sodium hypo) & corrosion eliminated. Saves $500-$600/month in materials & maintenance costs Air scrubbing system shut down completely, saving approx. $150/month in operating & maintenance costs
Ozone system results Wastewater from spray bar system now has <1 ppm sodium hypo No potential for chemical residual on product
- Easier to get product certified “organic” using ozone Other System Benefits Reliability - The company reports more consistent sanitation results with reduced system maintanence requirements. Marketing - Easier to get product certified “organic” using ozone - Food safety is an important issue and ozone helps - both in employee safety (chemical handling) and food quality (reduced spoilage)
Other Plant Applications Plans to use the ozone system for equipment washdown & hard surface cleaning (10 gpm spray wand is in place) Considering ozone for spray bar rinse in jalapeno processing line and garlic puree processing Disinfection of process water
Other systems available Mobile Wash down Wall mounted low flow systems • Spray Bar • CIP System • Flume • Surface Sanitizer • Equipment Wash down