Piloting liquids through turbulence

The latest SPX Flow APV Pilot 4T Homogenizer blends immiscible liquids into an emulsion, operating like a positive displacement pump with a valve. This article first appeared in the August 2021 issue of Food and Drink Business.

SPX Flow global product manager of Dispersion Products Con O’Driscoll says the company has used its proven technology to develop a “big homogeniser performance in a small package”.

The APV Pilot 4T forces liquids through a small gap in the valve at high pressures, increasing velocity, decreasing pressure and causing a turbulence/pressure differential that disrupts and disperses particles. 

It has flexible capacities that can be easily adjusted for flow and pressure because of integrated variable speed drive and controls. This scalable, repeatable performance makes it easier to test recipes from plant-based drinks to ketchup and sauces. Its compact modular construction options that can be easily added as market needs change.

“Pilot scale homogenisation is often used to validate processes before investing in full lines, and this will help customers scale up from their initial laboratory tests to production,” O’Driscoll says.