In food-and-beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetic-manufacturing and industrial applications, product recovery refers to the nearly total utilization (or yield) of products or ingredients. When performed properly, product recovery substantially eliminates the waste of useable products and ingredients that would otherwise remain in suction or discharge process lines during changeovers or at the end of production runs, thereby increasing profits. Too often, these fluids that remain in the piping, which can be some of the most expensive in the world, are just washed out and flushed down the drain. Or they're recovered only with the assistance of costly add-on components, such as pigging systems.
Pump technologies such as lobe, external circumferential piston (ECP), centrifugal, peristaltic hose and progressive cavity are often chosen to facilitate the transfer of raw and finished fluids during production. However, these pumps are not capable of adequately clearing or stripping the transfer lines of remaining materials. Basically, then, product recovery is the process of clearing or stripping lines of valuable product that can still be used, but these legacy pump technologies are often unable to satisfactorily perform those duties. There is a better option available, one that, if the right pumping technology is used, can help manufacturers achieve increased product-recovery rates of 60% to 80%.