In dairy processing, nitric acid (HNO₃) is specifically used to descale pipelines, heat exchangers and tank systems. Safe handling of this aggressive chemical is essential – both to protect the equipment and to ensure the safety of personnel.
Safe cleaning and descaling with nitric acid –
process reliability in the dairy industry
Cleaning is carried out as part of proven and standardised CIP (Cleaning in Place) processes that ensure the hygienic integrity of the production system. Concentrated acids or alkalis are often used for this purpose. These are stored in dedicated tanks and diluted to the required concentration during the cleaning cycle directly within the production system.
For safe storage, nitric acid is kept in corrosion-resistant stainless steel tanks – ensuring long-term stability and reliable availability within the CIP system.
The focus of this application is on the use of chemically resistant materials in all installed sensors to ensure long-term functional reliability and maximum process safety under demanding conditions.
CHALLENGES AT A GLANCE:
High chemical exposure to concentrated nitric acid (HNO₃)
Corrosive vapours, even without reaction with other substances
Mechanical stress due to flow, turbulence and pressure differences
Hygienic requirements for all components in contact with media
Long-term process reliability despite aggressive media
Maintenance-free and durable for continuous operation in automated CIP systems
OUR SENSOR SOLUTION FOR NITRIC ACID:
: continuously measures the fill level in the main tank - contactless, precise and maintenance-free. The 80 GHz radar delivers reliable measurement results even in the presence of vapour and aggressive media. Due to the vapour load caused by highly concentrated nitric acid - even without reacting with other substances - a PVDF version is used in this application. This ensures maximum chemical resistance and long-term operational reliability.
: acts as a full detector in this application and reliably secures the upper limit level. Thanks to a 300 mm long pipe extension, the tuning fork is positioned exactly at the height of the maximum fill level - this ensures that the desired acid level is reliably detected and reliable shut-off protection is guaranteed.
in the compact version: reliably detects the lower limit level in the emptying line of the stainless steel tank and thus protects against dry running or unintentional idling in the rinsing process. The sensor remains insensitive to flow, turbulence or air bubbles - for constant and precise measurement results, even under demanding process conditions.
Material resistance for aggressive media:
All wetted parts of the sensors are made from chemically resistant materials such as PTFE, PVDF, FKM, FFKM and stainless steel 1.4404 / 316L. This makes them ideally suited for long-term use with highly concentrated nitric acid.
For the dairy plant, this means reliable descaling with consistent process quality, minimal maintenance effort and high operational safety – thanks to robust measurement technology from UWT. LEVEL. UP TO THE MAX.
Discover more applications in the food industry
Whether in the processing of nuts, flour, sugar, milk powder, spices, vegetables or other products in the food industry - UWT offers reliable sensor solutions for numerous processes along the entire food and beverage chain.
You can find all solutions at a glance in our industry brochure:
DISCOVER MORE - YOUR SOLUTION IS JUST A CLICK AWAY
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