There are many different techniques that can help companies that manufacture liquids recover product from their pipelines. Two of these techniques are suction pump technology or liquid product recovery (pigging) technology. In this article we’re going to look at how HPS pigging systems are a better option for companies than suction pump technology.
There are significantly more benefits of product recovery systems rather than pumping, but the three key benefits are higher recovery rates, a better ROI (Return on Investment), and faster changeovers.
How Pigging Works
Liquid product recovery (pigging) technology works by using a specialist projectile to push liquid product through the pipeline towards its destination.
HPS pigging technology is unique because of its pig, which is designed to be hygienic (sanitary) and flexible. This design means that HPS systems are suitable for use in a wide range of industries, including food and beverage, chocolate and confectionery, pet food, paint and coatings, chemicals, lubricants and greases, personal care and cosmetics, and household care, as well as others (here are some of the key industries benefiting from pigging systems).
The flexibility of the HPS pig is unlike any other pig on the market, having been developed specifically for use in the process industries, rather than being shrunken versions of the pigs used in the oil and gas industries. The flexibility of the pig allows it to travel bends (including 1.5D bends) whilst still maintaining full-body contact.
This ensures that maximal product recovery is achieved time and again.
Higher Recovery Rates
The primary benefit of pigging systems is a high recovery rate. Using HPS pigging systems, manufacturers can recover up to 99.5% of product from the line. The unique design of HPS pipeline pigs means that product bypass is minimal, and that recovery is maximal when going around corners, including 1.5D bends.
When using pumps, product recovery rates are exceptionally low compared to HPS pigging technology. Pumps will typically have a 50 to 70% product recovery rate at best, meaning that a significant amount of product that could be recovered is left in the lines and must be flushed out as part of CIP procedures.
Over the years, pumping will still create a significant amount of waste, which in turn leads to a significant amount of lost revenue.
A Better ROI (Return on Investment)
Suppliers of pumping equipment will often rely on the fact that the initial investment in pumps can be lower than pigging systems, but they will disregard the fact that the pigging system return on investment (ROI) will be higher quicker. This makes pigging a much better choice for a long-term investment than pumping.
The specific ROI for each pigging system is unique, depending on the product, pipe specifications, and frequency of pigging. These factors are all taken into consideration when HPS engineers draw up proposals and ROI estimates.
Typically, HPS pigging systems will have paid for themselves within 6-12 months, meaning that they then recover product purely for profit. Pumping systems may have a lower initial investment, but their long-term financial benefits are significantly less than HPS pigging systems.
We’ve developed the HPS Pigging System Savings Calculator to allow you a no-strings-attached way to gain a quick and easy estimate of how much money HPS pigging systems could save your company.
Faster Changeovers
When using pumps to recover product your changeover times will still be longer than they need to be. The low recovery rate means that long water and chemical flushes are still required, and additional CIP procedures are not made quicker because there is a significant amount of product still left in the pipe.
However, when companies use pigging to recover product from pipelines, the need for extensive water and chemical flushes is reduced – and sometimes the initial flush can be replaced by pigging.
Although pigging doesn’t remove the chemical contact time requirements, by decreasing the number of flushes required to remove product from the line production downtime decreases and production capacity increases.
Find Out More
You can find out more about how HPS pigging systems will help your company to recover product by exploring the pigging system resources section of our website, downloading one of our exclusive guides to pigging, or contacting one of our experts.
HPS have over 28 years of experience in providing product recovery and liquid transfer solutions to companies across the world, making us the go-to product recovery specialists.