Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
Manufacturing News

Heat exchanger slashes payback time

March 28, 2003


When Atlanta-based Goldkist Poultry needed a mechanically separated chicken (MSC) processing system for its Live Oak, Fla., plant, lessons learned from a similar installation in Russelville, Ala., helped food engineers select equipment with superior performance and faster payback.

Goldkist managers in-stalled vertical scraped-surface heat exchangers in Russellville when they entered the value-added MSC market in 1996. Encouraged by product demand, they installed a second MSC line last year at the Florida plant, boosting capacity above 1 million lbs. per week.

But Byproducts Manager Ross Formica was determined to eliminate some of Russellville's production and maintenance problems, and a heavier-duty heat exchanger was a top priority. The answer was the Votator II vertical heat exchanger from Waukesha Cherry-Burrell. Featuring larger mechanical seals and shafts, "it's just a beefed up version of the units we have in the Russellville system," explains Formica. "It'll take more abuse without damaging the equipment."

Uncured MSC is particularly taxing on heat exchanges because, in the absence of the salt content of cured MSC, the moisture in the meat freezes at a higher temperature, creating greater stress on scraped-surface heat exchangers.

Goldkist's Russellville plant isn't up to the challenge, the Florida plant is, allowing Goldkist to meet market demand for uncured MSC. The key is the heat exchanger's drive system. Direct drive gear motors power the cylinder, not belt drives.

The hollow-shaft gear motor drive accepts the self-aligning mutator shaft. This innovation eliminates the need for a drive stub shaft and coupling. Seal durability is another advantage of the new system. Seals are changed almost daily in Russellville.

At $26 per seal, Formica says that cost is a big factor in doubling maintenance costs compared to the Florida plant, where no broken seals had to be replaced in 1999. "The units at Russell-ville have a lot of human-error factors that enter into the picture," Formica adds. "With the Votators, it's all mechanical. It just happens, so the carbon seals don't get damaged." When replacement is necessary, "just take it out, throw it away and put another one in," he says. "They've engineered out the human factor."

Consistent temperature control is a benefit of heavy-duty construction, and minimal downtime enables Goldkist to serve time-critical markets, which demand just-in-time production and delivery. When coupled with low maintenance costs and other advantages, these factors are expected to produce a two-year payback on the new system.

Waukesha Cherry-Burrell, 611 Sugar Creek Road, Delavan, WI 53115. Tel.: (262) 728-1900.

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    With a CAGR of 12.07%, Bonafide Research estimates this...
    Latest headlines
  • skilled MEP worker

    Predicting Food and Beverage Manufacturing Trends for 2024

    The two words that should be kept in mind are labor and...
    Automation
    By: Derrick Teal
  • cleaning and sanitation

    The basics of cleaning and sanitation in food plants

    Sanitation maintains or restores a state of cleanliness...
    Cleaning | Sanitation
    By: Richard F. Stier
Manage My Account
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Customer Service

More Videos

Popular Stories

Cargill Cocoa Plant

Cargill Invests in its Cocoa Supply Chain

Campbell’s Utah plant

Going for Gold(fish): Inside The Campbell’s Company’s $160M Cracker Plant Expansion

Woman engineer on construction site

Exploring the Impact of Women Engineers on the Food Industry

CHECK OUT OUR NEW ESSENTIAL TOPICS

Alternative ProteinAutomationCleaning/SanitationFabulous Food Plants

Food SafetyMaintenance StrategiesOEE

PackagingSustainability

Events

June 17, 2025

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ State of the Cold Chain

On Demand Kelley Rodriguez, Editor in Chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, will be joined in this 60-minute webinar by industry experts to help unpack the latest research.

July 23, 2025

Decarbonizing Process Heat: What You Should Know and Next Steps

Driven by climate goals, business risk, client interest, and resilience considerations, food and beverage companies are increasingly turning their attention to decarbonizing their production processes.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

See More Products

Plant of the Year

Related Articles

  • Heat exchanger is used to pre-dry cheese

    Cheese maker expands capacity with heat exchanger technology

    See More
  • Heat exchanger

    See More
  • APV Plate Heat Exchanger FastFrame

    SPX FLOW Introduces Plate Heat Exchanger

    See More

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • July 23, 2025

    Decarbonizing Process Heat: What You Should Know and Next Steps

    Driven by climate goals, business risk, client interest, and resilience considerations, food and beverage companies are increasingly turning their attention to decarbonizing their production processes.
  • July 23, 2025

    Decarbonizing Process Heat: What You Should Know and Next Steps

    Driven by climate goals, business risk, client interest, and resilience considerations, food and beverage companies are increasingly turning their attention to decarbonizing their production processes.
View AllSubmit An Event
×

Elevate your expertise in food engineering with unparalleled insights and connections.

Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Food Master
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing