| Abstract [eng] |
The final work examined the most popular methods of washing conveyor belts and the equipment used on the market. It has been found that in the fish processing industry, when producing a wet product, the most effective method of cleaning the surface of conveyors is washing using nozzles. Based on their further analysis, a study of washing modular conveyor belts using flat spray nozzles was carried out. The study used 19 different fan nozzles (Spray Systems Co), which depending on the flow rate, output pressure is different from each other in the angle of spraying, size of the opening and flow. The test soil in the study was animal fat. Water of +60 ℃, foaming alkaline agent "BS Extrafoam" (BS Chemical) and disinfectant "Sterilforte" (BS Chemical) were used as washing agents. "SU 0127-Baseline" washing station (FOAMICO) was used for spraying. During the study, different surface structures of Forbo modular belts made of polypropylene (PP) were washed. During the study, the effectiveness of the conveyor belts cleaning process was evaluated by changing the main parameters: belt rotation speed, nozzle ejection angle and its opening size, pressure, distance from the nozzle to the washing surface and the angle of the nozzle to the washing surface. Washing efficiency was evaluated by the percentage ratio of the contaminated area before cleaning and the contaminated area after cleaning, which was calculated using the Matlab program. Based on the results, it was found that the flow, which depends on the diameter and pressure of the nozzle opening, has the greatest influence on the washing efficiency. Based on the data presented in the literature and the results of the experiment, the most optimal cleaning cycle has been compiled. A cleaning system model is proposed for the automation of the washing process, which allows to reduce the need for physical work of operators, increase the profitability and improve the stability of the cleaning process. The social and economic evaluation of the conveyor washing equipment and the washing cycle was carried out in the work – a SWOT analysis was presented, assessing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the washing system. During the economic analysis, a comparison of the manual washing process using a high-pressure spray station and the nozzle washing system was performed. Nozzle based washing systems have been found to be approximately 8 times more cost-effective than hand operated washing processes. In order to achieve ecological sustainability, the stages of water treatment (primary, biological, physical-chemical treatment) and the possibilities of its reuse were discussed. |
