Armfield

The FT74XA is compact, mobile and easy to install. It has an integral pressurized hot water generator and requires only electricity and cooling water to operate making it ideal for confined spaces with limited services such as laboratories. Operation with either plate or tubular heat exchangers means a wide range of product viscosities can be handled. A progressive cavity feed pump ensures that flow rates are independent of viscosity / backpressure changes and allow a maximum operating pressure of 10 bar. Typical processing flow rates are 10-20 L/h with holding temperatures up to 150°C. At pasteurization temperatures flow rates of up to 60 L/h are achievable. Cleaning is in place (CIP) using the feed pump in high flow rate mode and there is a centrifugal pump CIP option (FT74-52) which generates very high cleaning velocities to deal with products that are particularly difficult to clean. Sterilization (SIP) of the system is controlled from the touchscreen. System sterilization time and temperature are defined and key temperature sensors are monitored to ensure the entire system satisfactorily completes the SIP cycle. Automatic pre-heat control (FT74-46) offers an independent hot water circuit and the product pre-heat temperature is set via the touchscreen. The system is well instrumented for both process and services with all sensors displayed on the touchscreen and recorded values can be seen graphically and saved to USB datastick for further analysis.

The Armfield FT-80 Tall Form Spray Dryer and FT81 Tall Form Spray Chiller have been purposed-designedly to enable laboratory quantities of products to be processed.

Despite the size of the equipment, the powders produced will be comparable to large-scale production dryer capability.

Both systems offer unparalleled flexibility with separate, individually controlled inlet and outlet fans, together with variable nozle positions and selection of co- or counter- unsurpassed range of options. This flexibility is enhanced by an unsurpassed range of options, purpose-designed for laboratory research use.

With appropriate accessories it is possible to change from spray-drying to spray-chilling configurations in a matter of minutes, thus adding further unique experimental capability.

The FT80 Tall Form Spray Dryer is supplied as standard with two nozzles and nozzle hoses, one for co-current and one for counter-current. In counter-current configuration the nozzle is positioned at the bottom of the chamber and sprayed upward into the flow of hot air.

For spray chilling the flow of air from the inlet fan to the spray chamber is chilled instead of heated. The air is cooled using chilled water and a stainless steel heat exchanger. The FT81 Tall Form Spray Chiller is supplied complete with its own refrigeration unit. Counter-current configuration is normally used for spray chilling.

The Armfield FT83 is the most cost-effective solution for R&D departments to produce sterile packaged samples with an excellent shelf life. As well as a working chamber with a controlled, clean environment, the unit includes the facilities to allow all the product paths to be sterilised and for the filling to be controlled in a simple manner.

The Armfield Microwave UHT /HTST unit has been developed for the rapid heating of various types of viscous, non-viscous and even non-homogeneous products. Product temperatures up to 160°C can be reached. The Armfield FT84-12 can be used with an Armfield FT174X, FT74X, FT74XTS or FT94X to provide a rapid microwave final heating stage.