In this module, you’ll learn how ensuring compactness in the design phase can lead to a much simpler yet equally efficient system. We’ll exemplify this by focusing on a Wash & Clean system.

In a Wash & Clean system, space is typically limited so it’s crucial that the pumps are compact, while still able to deliver very high pressure. Furthermore, three different functions are typically connected to the same spray gun: Low pressure foam dispensing, medium pressure flushing and high pressure cleaning. The different functions require different pressure levels, all provided by one pump – which is quite a challenge if you still want the solution to be compact and portable. 

But before we move on to the solution, let’s take a look at how a typical Wash & Clean 20 bar system is designed. 

Usually, a relatively large pump, such as the Grundfos CR5-36, is built into a cart or wall mounted cabinets. The sheer size of the pump means that it can produce high pressure at low rpm – but as for mobility the solution lacks somewhat.   

Now, let’s find out how it is possible to design an equally powerful but much more compact wash and clean system. The key to this is high speed operation. Let’s take a look at what that actually means.

If you want a more compact system, you will need to make the pump smaller. This is typically not an option because small pumps are designed for low-pressure operation and so are not suitable for wash and clean systems – but Grundfos’ CR range offers a solution. 

The compact CRE3 pump can be customised to handle high speed operation. If you equip it with a powerful motor and let the motor run at a much higher speed than normally, you’ll be able to maintain the same performance as with a much bigger pump. And this is the essence of high speed operation. To increase pump performance. 

It’s fair to point out that since we are operating in the low efficiency range of the pump, it has an impact because the motor consumes eight times more power when we double the speed.

But for most facilities using wash and clean systems, production must stop during cleaning, so for them it’s much more crucial that the system works quickly and effectively at all times, than operating the system with a minimum power consumption. 

In closing, let’s briefly touch upon a few of the functionalities that characterise a compact high performance wash and clean system.

The ‘Run at Power limit’ function allows the motor to increase speed until it reaches the motor’s power limit. As illustrated on the chart, you can always get more pressure from the same pump by increasing speed, as long as the motor’s nominal power isn’t exceeded. This gives you a much bigger operating range. 

As you can see on the red curves, running the pump at the nominal speed does not utilise the maximum available power of the motor. But if we increase the pump’s speed until we reach the maximum available power of the motor, as can be seen on the green curve, there’s more capability to add extra pressure to the pump. This ensures that you get the most out of what you’ve paid for.

Other key functionalities of an intelligent Wash & Clean system include a stop function that stops the pump immediately when the cleaning process stops. There’s also a digital input for different operation points and for quick adaptation to the cleaning process. And finally, there are inputs for measuring a variety of properties in the installation as well as outputs that can control external equipment. 

So, to sum up it is possible to design a compact system that is as powerful as its bigger alternative. And why settle for an unhandy wash and clean system with a several settings, when applying an alternative, intelligent mind-set can provide a compact and yet equally powerful solution that even allows you to make the most of the power and pressure at your disposal. By choosing an intelligent high performance pump, you’ll get a more compact and easily portable unit –  ideal for wall mounted and mobile Wash & Clean systems.