Food Plant Equipment
This domain tests equipment selection, operation, capacity, cleaning and maintenance in a food plant. Expect pulpers, crushers, mixers, pasteurisers, dryers, fillers, sealers, boilers and CIP systems.
Core concepts
- Material: stainless steel is preferred. Type 304 suits many foods; type 316 is more corrosion-resistant for salty, acidic or high-chloride products.
- Capacity: throughput depends on batch size, residence time and downtime. Always use product mass, not container count, for capacity checks.
- Utilities: steam, electricity, water and compressed air must match equipment demand.
- Maintenance: preventive schedules, lubrication, calibration and spare parts reduce breakdowns.
- CIP: clean-in-place uses controlled flow, temperature, detergent concentration and contact time.
Worked example
A dryer receives 500 kg of wet product at 80% moisture and must dry it to 10% moisture. Dry solids = 500 × 0.20 = 100 kg. Final mass = 100 ÷ 0.90 = 111.1 kg. Water removed = 500 − 111.1 = 388.9 kg. The dryer and condenser must handle this water load, not just the final product mass.
Traps
Using wet mass instead of dry solids in moisture problems; choosing mild steel for acidic product; ignoring utility demand; sizing equipment without downtime; assuming CIP works with insufficient contact time or concentration.