Case Study: Hygienic Dual Water Batching System for Pilgrims Food
Client: Pilgrims Food
Partner: BONNER
Scope: Hot & Cold-Water Batching Skid, Precision Digital Controllers, SIKA Flow Meters, Hygienic Stainless-Steel Assembly
Overview
Pilgrims Food engaged BONNER to design and deliver a dual hot and cold-water batching system tailored for a high-throughput food production environment. The batching solution had to be hygienic, highly accurate, simple for operators to use, and fully compliant with EU food production standards. BONNER engineered a robust, hygienic skid with independent hot and cold lines, integrated with Precision Digital batching controllers and SIKA stainless-steel flow meters, delivering fast, reliable, and repeatable dosing performance ideal for demanding food manufacturing applications. Pilgrims Food required a water batching solution that would:
- Batch hot and cold water independently with complete segregation and zero risk of cross-contamination
- Deliver high-accuracy volumes using coarse/fine dosing
- Provide simple, intuitive operator control and local status visibility
- Meet food-grade hygienic design requirements and support HACCP compliance
- Ensure reliable, repeatable operation with minimal maintenance
BONNER designed the system from first principles, ensuring hygiene, accuracy, and usability were embedded into every stage.
Project Scope & Technical Delivery
1. Process & Mechanical Design BONNER delivered a hygienically engineered dual-line batching solution based on 316L stainless steel, hygienic fittings, and fully segregated paths for hot and cold water. System Architecture
- Two fully independent batching lines (Hot / Cold)
- Option for either: Separate discharge points or Shared discharge via mix-proof double-seat valves with leakage chamber for guaranteed segregation
- Dead-leg minimisation and pipe slope for full drainability
- All elastomers food-contact compliant (FDA/EU FCM)
Piping & Valving
- 316L stainless hygienic tubing with orbital welding where practical
- Tri-clamp or DIN hygienic connections for easy strip-down and CIP
- Backflow protection to EN 1717 with RPZ/air gap as required
- Non-return valves in each line to protect against temperature bleed
- Two-stage (coarse + fine) valve control for accuracy
The mechanical design ensures the system is easy to clean, drain, maintain, and verify critical in food production environments.
2. Instrumentation & Sensing
Flow Measurement
Each line incorporates SIKA inline stainless-steel flow meters providing pulse or 4–20 mA signals, enabling:
- High-resolution volume measurement
- Repeatable batching performance
- Full K-factor traceability and calibration certification
Temperature (Optional)
- Optional RTD transmitters at discharge
- Visual verification of hot line performance
- Temperature alarms and optional volume compensation
3. Controls, HMI & User Experience
Precision Digital Batch Controllers
Each water line features an independent Precision Digital ProVu/Helios batch controller, enabling:
- Target volume entry
- Configurable coarse/fine cut-off
- Overrun correction
- Pre-act and settle adjustments
- Fully independent operation of hot and cold lines
Local Operator Interface
Designed for simplicity and reliability:
- Start / Stop / Abort industrial pushbuttons
- Count-up display showing delivered volume and real-time batching progress
- Clear state indications: Idle → Coarse → Fine → Settle → Complete
- Hold/Resume and supervisor-protected jog functionality
The interface is intuitive enough for frontline operators, yet powerful enough for supervisors and maintenance teams.
4. Electrical & Panel Build
BONNER supplied robust control panels designed for food factory environments:
- Stainless-steel or painted mild-steel IP66 enclosures
- Segregated 230 Vac / 24 Vdc wiring zones
- Dual 24 Vdc PSUs with diode/OR’ing for reliability
- Surge suppression, EMC earthing, shielded signal wiring
- ISA-5.1 tagging, ferrules, and label standards
- Complete wiring schematics delivered via EPLAN
This ensures long-term maintainability and electrical safety.
5. Documentation, Testing & Handover
BONNER delivered comprehensive design and QA documentation including:
- P&IDs, GA drawings, panel schematics, I/O lists
- Instrument index, C&E matrix, and cable schedules
- URS → FDS traceability to support audits
- FAT testing with simulated flows, alarms, and batching cycles
- Commissioning support including hot-water prove-out
- Batch accuracy verification via water draw tests
- O&M manuals, calibration SOPs, and training materials
Operators and maintenance personnel received structured training supported by quick-reference guides.
Performance & Acceptance Criteria
The dual water batching system was engineered to meet or exceed:
- Batch accuracy ≤ ±1% of target volume
- Repeatability ≤ ±0.5%
- Hot line temperature verification within ±1°C at batch end
- Target cycle time <60 seconds for 40 L (subject to supply pressure)
- Availability ≥99% after commissioning
The system’s performance parameters were tuned during SAT to ensure optimal real-world operation.
Compliance & Standards
BONNER ensured full alignment with food industry regulations:
- EU 1935/2004, 2023/2006, 10/2011 – food contact materials
- EN 1672-2 – hygienic design of food machinery
- HACCP support for traceability
- Backflow protection to EN 1717
- Electrical compliance: EN/IEC 60204-1, EN/IEC 61439, IS 10101
- PED 2014/68/EU review where relevant
- CE marking of supplied panels
All materials and elastomers were supplied with conformity documentation on request.
Assumptions & Boundaries
- Stable incoming water pressure and hot-water temperature provided by the client
- No ATEX zoning unless identified
- Utilities (power, instrument air, optional SCADA links) supplied by site
- Skid base frame and long-run pipework by others
- Hot water generation/chilling systems excluded from scope
Project Outcome
Delivered Benefits
Pilgrims Food received a hygienic, reliable, and easy-to-operate batching solution that:
- Ensures zero cross-contamination between hot and cold lines
- Provides repeatable volume accuracy for consistent product quality
- Reduces operator training time with simple controls
- Offers fast batching cycles for high-throughput production
- Supports HACCP and food-safety compliance
- Minimises maintenance downtime with robust, documented design
Business Impact
- Higher operational efficiency
- Improved product consistency
- Reduced batching errors and rework
- A future-ready design prepared for expansion or automation upgrades