Dairy /Beverage/Food/Pharmaceutical/Cosmetic/Household/Chemical

Benefits of Pigging: 

Increased Product Yield

Historically this has been the main reason why process companies obtained a pigging system.  When a batch of product has finished transfer from a holding tank along a pipe then into a filler, storage tank or tanker there is always product residue remaining that the pump cannot evacuate.  Even gravity fed lines don't evacuate all of the product.  Generally, more viscous products leave more residue behind.  Introducing a pig into the line enables this residue to be pushed into the filler, storage tank, tanker or even the final package for product recovery.  This recovered product is good product and can now be sold.  This is obviously good for company profits, but it also increases the efficiency of that particular line, now have a clean pipeline and increases profit!

Reduction In Waste

The cost removal of waste from site has become a major expense to most process companies which also require a compliance with increasing legislation and restrictions from new environmental policies implemented by governments.  An effective tool towards reducing costs and avoiding environmental issues is to pig lines which reduces waste.  Pigging provides a solution to the reduction in effluent costs, and at the same time generates profits by saving product.

Quality Improvements

Most companies will attempt to chase product residue down the pipe with water or blow it with a gas medium.  Each of these created other issues with the products concern, which were offsetting the gains.  Using water to chase the product creates a product/water interface and measuring by eye or by a sensing device is unreliable and risky.  Longer and larger diameter pipelines have greater interfaces to deal with.

Pigging the line after production removes this issue when a product transfer is complete.  Also, water residue that remains after CIP or washout creates a product/water interface which means running a great deal of valuable product before the quality is acceptable.  Pigging the line after CIP or washout again removes this issue.  It is possible to start up with good product immediately.  

The use of water is an area where most companies can save a lot of money.  Normally the first part of any CIP cycle is to flush out the product residue with water for a period of time before actually proceeding with the cleaning process.  If the product has been evacuated with a pig then there is no requirement for a lengthy flush out.  This could be reduced to a minimum, saving valuable time and money.  Water usage is another environmental issue it is becoming expensive.

Faster Product Change-Overs

When companies expand their products ranges and product variations there is increasing pressure to accommodate this in previously dedicated pipelines.  Each variation of product has the effect of reducing batch sizes and change over of batch accounts for loses in product and less productive man hours.  Pigging speeds up product change-overs because it reduces the length of the wash.  If there is only a slight change in product it is possible to follow on immediately with the next product.

Product Separation

HPS Pigs can be used to separate one product from another, an example would be dark chocolate from milk chocolate.  This is generally required where water can't come in contact with the product or product line.  It is also required for extremely long pipelines that can carry more than one batch of product at a time.  An example of this was a recent HPS installation for a large chocolate manufacturer in the UK.  This client has a 5 inch diameter pipeline that runs for 500 meters.  HPS Pigs are used to separate dark & milk chocolate batches that are in transfer at the same time in one pipe.