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Sarker, Grundfos
district sales
manager, tests
the Grundfos
SMART Digital
dosing pump for
the Clean Works
application.
Modern Pumping Today
|
July 2020
|
19www.mptmag.com
CASE STUDIES
A
s an innovative startup in food
sanitation, Clean Works quickly
recognized the company’s
unique position to help fight COVID-19
by using its produce disinfection
technology to disinfect up to 1,200
N95 masks per day for hospitals and
other healthcare facilities.
INSIDE CLEAN WORKS
Clean Works was founded in Ontario,
Canada, in 2012, by produce industry
veterans who developed a sanitizing
system for fruits and vegetables to
prevent the outbreak of foodborne
illnesses. The Clean Works process
uses ultraviolet light, vaporized
hydrogen peroxide and ozone to kill
99.99 percent of pathogens. A key
component of the Clean Flow Health
Care Mini, the system used to disinfect
PPE, is a chemical metering pump that
provides continuous dosing of their
sanitation solution.
“Independently, they’re good
sanitizers. But when you mix them
together, the three of them multiply the
effectiveness,” Clean Works president
and CEO Mark VanderVeen says. “What
happens is it creates a hydroxyl radical
and that radical is what then finds the
pathogen or the virus that’s resident.”
PRECISION IS THE KEY
Precise control of the dosing levels and
constant spray are essential to effective
sanitation, whether sanitizing produce
or PPE. Early on, Clean Works faced
some challenges in this area.
“Pulsation was a big issue with the
previous pump manufacturer,” says
Clean Works general manager Joe
Symons. “We needed a fully integrated
solution that could deliver the needed
accuracy and precision, while
communicating with the PLC controls.”
To meet the accuracy and precision
demands with PLC integration,
Grundfos began testing its DDA
FCM pumps with the Clean Works
nozzle and chemicals. The team was
committed to ensuring the pumps
worked with the innovative equipment.
“The atomizing was really cool to
see,” says Grundfos district sales
manager Aninda Sarker. “As we
tested the solution with our pump
variants, I took a video for the Clean
Works team, so they could see the
pump in action. I also joined them at
the plant for on-site testing to ensure
our solution consistently delivered
the results.”
GETTING SMART WITH DOSING
By using stepper motor technology,
Grundfos SMART Digital dosing
pumps provide a smooth continuous
flow profile, even when very small
volumes are required. Additionally,
an integrated pressure sensor and
flow monitoring algorithm controls
the flow rate by comparing the actual
flow to the set point and automatically
making any needed adjustments.
“This pump has completely
alleviated our maintenance worries,
and it’s hands-free,” says Clean
Works co-owner Paul Moyers. “This
has allowed us to a consistent flow
of our hydrogen peroxide across the
treatment area.”
Due to the shortage of N95 masks
and other PPE in Canada, Clean
Works’ newest affiliate, Clean Works
Medical, has seen an increased
demand from healthcare providers
and industries for the Clean Flow
Health Care Mini and the chemical
dosing pumps that are critical
to its functionality.
A GLOBAL PROBLEM DEMANDS
A GLOBAL SOLUTION
Grundfos worked with its global
operations teams to quickly meet the
needs of Clean Works Medical for
DDA dosing pumps and ensure the
company’s innovative solution can be
deployed to sanitize equipment that
protects the frontline workers who
are helping save lives.
Clean Works is now working
with the federal and provincial
governments, as well as hospitals,
nursing homes and other healthcare
facilities in Canada, to help supply
sanitized equipment during the
pandemic.
“The key was to quickly provide
a PPE solution to our frontline
healthcare providers during this
crisis, and Grundfos was an integral
part of that,” says VanderVeen. u
Clean Works
Uses Innovation and
SMART Digital Dosing
to Fight COVID-19
Grundfos, based in Bjerringbro,
Denmark, is a global leader in water
pump technology. To complement
its global presence, Grundfos is
committed to the American market with
regional headquarters in the Houston,
Texas area. The company’s purpose—
pioneer solutions to the world’s water
and climate challenges and improve
quality of life for people—inspires
an operations, sales and service staff
of over 1,200 across North America
to deliver the world to the next
generation in a better state than we
inherited. For more information, visit
www.grundfos.us.
The Clean Works Clean Flow Mini
sanitizes produce using ultraviolet
light, vaporized hydrogen, and ozone.