EHEDG Subgroup Work

One of the main tasks of EHEDG is the publication of Guidelines. These Guidelines are drawn up in EHEDG Subgroups consisting of specialists coming from three different backgrounds: manufacturing companies, institutes and universities and user companies of food (beverage, pharmaceuticals etc) industry.

Three EHEDG Subgroups are currently still looking for input from user companies of the food etc. sector to share in the good work. Any Guideline will greatly profit from the practical experience of the user industry – and in turn, the user industry will ultimately benefit from the practical expertise found in the Guidelines.

EHEDG therefore invites specialists from food companies to join the following Subgroups:

EHEDG Subgroup Seals

This new EHEDG document is meant for the application of seals within machinery, plants and components used in the processing of food, pharmaceutical products and personal products. The document not only deals with the materials to be used but also with their construction and fitting, the operating conditions and the environment in which seals are to be used.

The document will discuss the adequate use and properties of elastomers while plastics and metal seals are not included in the scope. Further, the processing of drinking water will be explicitly included in the Guideline.

EHEDG Subgroup Valves

The EHEDG Subgroup Valves is currently working on extending the scope of the existing Guidelines

Doc. 14 “Hygienic design of valves for food processing” (2nd edition, 2004)
Doc. 20 “Hygienic design and safe use of double-seat mix-proof valves” (1st edition 2000)

The new version will include additional topics such as

• the use of different valve types and their special features in the food processing and pharmaceutical industry,
• the static and dynamic closing behaviour of dif-ferent valve types
• cleaning and environmental aspects.

The guideline will apply to all valves to be used in contact with fluid food or food constituents to be processed hygienically or aseptically like butterfly valves, single-seat valves, mixproof valves, process valves, etc.

EHEDG Subgroup “Pumps, Homogenizers and Dampening Devices”

The Subgroup is currently working on the 3rd revised edition of EHEDG Guideline

Doc. 17 “Hygienic Design of Pumps, Homogenisers and Damping Devices”.

The group evaluates a classification of such equipment and identifies gaps and dead ends and the revised edition is scheduled to be published in 2011.

The objective of this guideline is to provide a set of minimum requirements for pumps, homogenisers and dampening devices for hygienic and aseptic applications, to ensure that food products are processed hygienically and safely. These requirements shall apply to all pumps intended for use in food processing, including centrifugal pumps, piston pumps, lobe rotor pumps, peristaltic pumps, diaphragm pumps, water ring pumps, progressive cavity pumps, screw pumps, gear pumps and also to homogenisers, dampening devices and shall include any valves integral with the pump head and the complete homogeniser head.

Each of these Subgroups meets about two or three times a year. If you are interested in sharing in the work please contact the the Secretariat ([email protected]) or the Subgroup Chairmen.

Chairmen of the Subgroups:

Seals: Dr. Till Riehm, e-mail: [email protected]

Valves: Mr. Ulf Thießen, e-mail: [email protected]

Pumps, homogenizers, dampening devices: Mr. Ralf Stahlkopf, [email protected]