Freudenberg, Tetra Pak develop rubber seal for ‘tubular heat exchanger’

Weinheim, Germany – Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST) and packaging giant Tetra Pak have collaborated on the development of new rubber seals for tubular heat exchangers.

The designs are said to meet demanding sanitary requirements, such as the guidelines provided by the European hygienic engineering and design group (EHEDG).

The partners, said FST, set out to develop a ‘cost-effective and hygienic’ sealing solution to connect the stainless steel components of Tetra Pak’s new tubular heat exchanger.

The heat exchange units are used in food industry process lines, particularly to extend the shelf-life of liquid products of different viscosities and solid-content by heating.

To prevent product contamination, all components of the new tubular heat exchanger that come into contact with the product must meet demanding industry-specific requirements.

To develop the seals, FST used two materials, 70 EPDM 291 and 75 Fluoroprene XP 40, which both meet the requirements of the FDA and other sanitary standards.

The rubber materials are also optimised especially for processes, such as ‘cleaning in place' and 'sterilisation in place’, explained a 25 Jan FST release.

Both materials can also resist a wide range of operating temperatures: 70 EPDM 291 between -40°C and +150°C, 75 Fluoroprene XP 40 between -15 °C and +200 °C.