DAIRY STORAGE TANK

Milk is kept in a variety of storage containers, including bulk milk cooling units close to settlements, road tankers, and raw milk storage tanks in dairy factories. After processing, it may also be delivered in rail tankers over great distances to major cities. Additionally, there may be a need for processing procedures such as mixing, ripening, culturing, maturing, etc. that call for additional particular features in storage tanks.

Utilizing open vessels is prohibited by contemporary quality standards. In addition, only stainless steel is now used for the storage tanks, not aluminum or other similar metals.

What are Dairy Storage Tanks

Milk can be held at a chilly temperature in the dairy storage tank until it is further processed. The appliance is composed of stainless steel and is used to keep the raw milk fresh. Each customer's wants and specifications are taken into consideration when choosing the milk storage tank. By altering the pipes throughout the entire production process, it is possible to integrate the tank. It can be connected to the CIP retour and milk supply pump.

Most often cylindrical and insulated, they are. Depending on the available floor space, they could be horizontal or vertical. In order to prevent the need for tall buildings to house them, vertical silo tanks are available outside the processing portion.

An outer shell, which could be made of mild steel or stainless steel, is placed over the inner shell of the storage tank once it has been adequately insulated. To cut costs, the outer shell is made of mild steel. To stop corrosion, the exterior mild steel shell will be painted, maybe with two coats of antirust and two coats of enamel paint in a suitable shade, like cream yellow.

To make cleaning easier, the storage tank's inner shell should have a smooth surface finish and no rough edges. The edges must have a minimum 25 mm knuckle radius. To ensure a clean finish, any existing welds should be carefully ground.

The shell will feature a drain that exits from the lowest place, preferably the bottom centre. If this is not practicable, the vessel's bottom should slope in the direction of the exit valve to enable thorough drainage. At least 1:12.5 of the slope is toward the outlet.

The shell will also feature openings for an agitator, a non-foaming milk inlet, a spray device inlet for cleaning agents, an air outlet, etc. Additionally, it will be equipped with fittings for sight and light glasses, inspection of the internal level measurement, correct cleaning, etc. The glass must not be splinter-prone.

By using food-grade paint or by buffing the surface to show the level markings and values marked next to it, the other end of the sight glass will be marked with the level. In most cases, the tank is constructed with a nominal capacity that is 15% higher. In most modern dairies, the use of load cells for remote level measurement employing automation technology is also being implemented.

Horizontal Dairy Storage Tanks

In order to prevent the inner shell from changing shape or being damaged, the inner shell will also be supported by four legs through load distributer MS angles. The load distributors will also have a lifting eye at the top to allow cranes to raise the entire storage tank. To support the weight, the thickness of the shell is determined by the tank's size. For horizontal tanks, it is typically 2 to 3 mm thick, while silos require 4 to 5 mm. Tank ends are often dish-shaped for strength and to increase the knuckle radius at the dish-end joint.

PUF or thermocol are used as insulation for colder temperatures. Mineral or glass wool is preferred at higher temperatures. Under test conditions with a 35 °C temperature difference between the interior and the outside, the thickness should be such that the increase in temperature of the fluid when filled should not rise more than 2 °C in 18 hours.

The thermocol insulation offered ranges in thickness from 5 to 10 cm. The two sheets of SS and MS shouldn't have any gaps between them. However, in some of the designs, this gap has a breathing outlet at the bottom, preventing the gap from building up pressure when using hot cleaning solutions.

Vertical Dairy Storage Tanks

When the processing hall's floor area is limited but its roof is sufficiently high, vertical storage tanks are typically used. This type of storage tanks are also preferred for storing certain extremely viscosity items, such as cream or ghee.

The manhole is at the top of the structure because to its design, and a ladder is available to access the top. To avoid any dust or water buildup, the top is likewise conical. At the top, there is also a sight and light glass. The agitator must be lengthy and equipped with more than two sets of blades in order to effectively agitate anything of this height.

To descend for manual cleaning, there is an internal ladder available. As with horizontal storage tanks, additional devices such CIP cleaning attachments or spray balls, thermo wells, sample cocks, lifting lugs, or top-mounted eyes are available. At the tank's bottom level, the inlet and exit will both be on the side.

Through a filter and a control valve, pressurized air is sent to it. To measure the air pressure, a pressure gauge is also available. Through an alcove-style aperture inside the processing hall, the inlet and outlet are designed to be operated from there. There is a non-return valve on the inlet valve. To determine whether the tank is full, an overflow line that enters the processing hall is also supplied.

Other kinds of tanks

Other double-jacketed tank designs, such as those used for storing cream or settling ghee, are better suited to particular uses. The jacket features a stainless steel perforated ring that allows a slow flow of cold, hot, or well water to maintain the fluid's temperature in the tank. They are typically vertical varieties and have the same key characteristics as horizontal milk storage tanks.

Again, milk reconstitution tanks are special purpose tanks with additional characteristics like a circulation pump, potable water intake, funnel with a venture and valve at the bottom. Given that a temperature of roughly 40 °C is anticipated, this tank is not insulated.