Industrial Water Softener Shipped to Repeat Food Flavorings Customer in New Jersey

Res-Kem recently shipped a second 84 inch industrial water softener to the same food flavorings plant in southern New Jersey. The water treated by the water softener is used to make steam to sterilize the raw plant material prior to extraction and to extract the flavoring. The softener is the replacement to a second existing tank which has failed after 40 years of service.

Second 84"Water Softener prior to Shipment to Food and Flavorings Plant

Emptying and Removal of Old System:
Before the system was shipped, our service team coordinated their work with the company's mechanical contractor to remove the resin and gravel from the existing, corroded system. Our service team brought our trailer mounted diesel vacuum system to remove the media and prepare for disposal by the customer. After we were finished, the old system was cut apart for scrapping by the contractor.

Vacuum Trailer used to Remove Ion Exchange Resin
and Gravel from Existing Water Softener

New System:

The new system is an 84" diameter steel vessel and is finished in an epoxy coated interior and exterior. The customer asked us to change our normal blue color to red.  We hope to provide the white tank next fiscal year (do you see the theme??)  We also were asked to change the face piping to Schedule 10 304 stainless steel. As before, the valves are Bray valves with Bray air-to-air actuators. The system is controlled by an Aquamatic 962 controller. At this point, regeneration will be initiated manually when production will allow. To handle the existing uneven floor, four jack legs were provided.

System Operating Parameters:

Since most of the steam ends up in the plant matter and the extracted flavor ingredient, very little steam condensate is returned. This make the makeup flow very large. Each of the three softeners operate at 200 gpm and 80 psig. Because to the system's age, corrosion of the tanks and piping have become a maintenance nightmare.