Sanitary Tri Clamp Orifice Plate Flowmeter 316L CIP 3-A DN25 DN100 Hygienic
Product Details
| Nominal Size: | DN25 To DN100 (1 In To 4 In) | Process Connection: | Tri Clamp Per DIN 32676 / ISO 2852 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wetted Material: | 316L (1.4404) With 3.1 Certificates | Surface Finish: | Ra 0.8 Micrometre Product Contact, Ra 1.6 Micrometre External |
| Gasket: | EPDM Per 21 CFR 177.2600 Or PTFE Encapsulated | Working Pressure: | 10 Bar (145 Psi) |
| Working Temperature: | 130 C Continuous, 140 C Short Term SIP | Hygienic Standards: | 3-A 63-03, EHEDG, FDA, EC 1935/2004 |
| Accuracy: | +/-1.5% Of Reading, Repeatability +/-0.1% | Output And Power: | 4-20 MA + HART, 24 V DC, Optional Totaliser |
| Highlight |
Sanitary Tri Clamp Flowmeter,Hygienic Orifice Plate Flow Meter,316L CIP Cleanable Orifice Plate |
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Product Description
Sanitary Tri Clamp Orifice Plate Flowmeter for Food, Dairy and Pharma Lines
On a hygienic line the flow element has to do two jobs: measure the product during production and survive being cleaned afterwards without becoming a harbour for bacteria. This sanitary assembly uses a 316L plate held between tri clamp ferrules, flush mounted with an FDA compliant gasket, a product contact finish of Ra 0.8 micrometre, and a clamp-type differential pressure seal, so there is no threaded pocket, no dead leg and nothing for a CIP cycle to miss.
Why a Standard Industrial Orifice Plate Cannot Go on a Hygienic Line
The failure is almost never accuracy. A general purpose carrier ring introduces a threaded tap hole, a gasket crevice and a step at the flange face; all three trap product, and none of them can be cleaned in place reliably. During the next CIP cycle the caustic flows past the pocket rather than through it, the residue stays, and the problem surfaces later as a microbiological result or a failed audit rather than as a flow error. That is why hygienic plants treat the connection and the surface finish as part of the measurement specification.
| Operating point | Raw milk reception line, 4 C product | Purified water loop, 80 C, pharma |
|---|---|---|
| Hygiene requirement | No crevice, no dead leg, fully drainable, allergen changeover documented | Rouge-free, validated SIP, documented surface finish for the validation file |
| Cleaning regime | CIP at 85 C, 20 minutes, 1.5% caustic then acid, rinse to conductivity | SIP at 121 C or ozonated water, plus periodic passivation |
| Risk from a standard plate | Product trapped behind the gasket and in the threaded tap; bacterial growth between production runs | Finish not documented, crevice corrosion at the tap, validation evidence missing |
| Required surface | Ra 0.8 micrometre or better on product contact, no pits, welds ground flush | Ra 0.8 micrometre or better, material certificates 3.1, no dead volume |
| Required connection | Tri clamp per DIN 32676, EPDM gasket, hygienic DP seal | Tri clamp or aseptic flange, PTFE or EPDM gasket with USP Class VI support |
| Recommended configuration | DN50 plate, Ra 0.8, EPDM gasket, clamp-type DP transmitter | DN25 to DN40 plate, Ra 0.8, PTFE encapsulated gasket, clamp seal with 3.1 certificates |
How the Sanitary Orifice Plate Measures Without Creating a Dead Pocket
The measuring principle is unchanged: fluid accelerates through the bore and the differential pressure across the plate follows the square of flow. What changes is how that pressure is captured. Instead of drilled corner taps, the DP is taken through a clamp-type diaphragm seal mounted directly on the ferrule, so there is no drilling into the product path and no wetted pocket behind the plate. The two halves of the ferrule close on the plate with a single gasket, and the plate is centred by the ferrule step rather than by the bolts, which keeps the bore concentric and the assembly self-draining in either orientation.
Surface finish does the rest of the work. Product contact faces are machined and electropolished to Ra 0.8 micrometre or better, edges are radiused, and the gasket sits in a machined groove so that it presents a flush face to the flow rather than an exposed lip. The result is a flow restriction that behaves like a section of polished pipe from the cleaner's point of view, while still generating a stable, repeatable differential pressure.
Because the plate is a simple flat disc, it can be removed, inspected and replaced without cutting the line, and a spare plate can be carried sterilised and swapped during a changeover window.
Two other options usually sit on the same shortlist. Where the product is conductive and the line can carry a full bore meter, a sanitary electromagnetic flowmeter removes the restriction altogether and adds no pressure loss, at a higher capital cost and a conductivity requirement the plate does not have. For small dosing branches a sanitary stainless steel float flowmeter gives local indication with no power at all. The plate keeps its place in the middle: accurate enough for reconciliation, cheap enough to fit on every line, and simple enough to clean and inspect without a specialist.
Structural Advantages for CIP and SIP Service
Selection Data, Field Cases and Questions Engineers Ask
Case 1 - Raw milk reception metering, dairy
| Project | Raw milk reception line metering and audit |
| Industry | Dairy processing |
| Location | Friesland, Netherlands |
| Line and service | DN50 tri clamp, 1 in, 4 C raw milk, 18,000 L/h |
| Fluid condition | Raw whole milk, gentle flow required, CIP at 85 C between deliveries |
| Problem on site | A general purpose orifice carrier had been proposed for cost reasons, but the QA auditor rejected it over a 3 mm gasket crevice and an undocumented internal finish |
| Configuration supplied | DN50 316L plate at Ra 0.8 micrometre, DIN 32676 tri clamp, EPDM gasket per 21 CFR 177.2600, clamp-type DP transmitter with hygienic diaphragm seal |
| Commissioning | Installed during a delivery gap, drainability checked in both orientations, CIP cycle verified at 85 C for 20 minutes with conductivity rinse end point |
| Measured result | Passed the customer's 3-A audit with no findings; changeover between product and CIP confirmed by conductivity, and reception totals reconciled with supplier weighbridge tickets to within 0.6% |
| Delivery | 6 weeks, with 3.1 certificates and finish measurement report |
Case 2 - Brewery CIP supply circuit
| Project | CIP supply flow verification across four tanks |
| Industry | Brewing and beverage |
| Location | Guadalajara, Mexico |
| Line and service | DN65 tri clamp, 1.6 bar, 80 C, 12 m3/h design |
| Fluid condition | 1.5% sodium hydroxide CIP solution, alternating with acid and rinse water |
| Problem on site | Cleaning flow was inferred from pump curves; two tanks repeatedly failed rinse validation because actual CIP flow was about 22% below the assumed value |
| Configuration supplied | DN65 316L sanitary plate, tri clamp, PTFE gasket for the caustic duty, clamp DP transmitter with local totaliser in m3 |
| Commissioning | Flow verified against a calibrated tank fill at three valve positions, alarm set at 90% of target CIP flow |
| Measured result | Actual CIP flow measured at 9.7 m3/h instead of the assumed 12; after correcting the pump setting, rinse cycles shortened by six minutes per tank and rinse water use fell about 4% |
| Delivery | 5 weeks, two spare plates supplied for changeover windows |
Technical parameters
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Nominal size | DN25 to DN100 (1 in to 4 in) |
| Process connection | Tri clamp per DIN 32676 or ISO 2852, other hygienic ends on request |
| Wetted material | 316L (1.4404), 3.1 certificates with heat number traceability |
| Surface finish | Ra 0.8 micrometre or better on product contact, Ra 1.6 micrometre external |
| Gasket | EPDM per 21 CFR 177.2600 or PTFE encapsulated, selected for the cleaning chemistry |
| Working pressure | 10 bar (145 psi) |
| Working temperature | 130 C continuous, 140 C short term steam sterilisation |
| Hygienic standards | 3-A 63-03, EHEDG guidance, FDA compliant materials, EC 1935/2004 |
| Accuracy | plus or minus 1.5% of reading, repeatability plus or minus 0.1% |
| Output and power | 4-20 mA plus HART, 24 V DC, optional local totaliser |
How This Sanitary Meter Compares With Other Hygienic Options
All three options below are cleanable. What separates them is pressure loss, turndown and the documentation each one can put in front of an auditor.
| Option | Product contact and finish | Turndown | Constraint to check first |
|---|---|---|---|
| This sanitary orifice plate | 316L, Ra 0.8 micrometre, tri clamp, no dead leg | 3:1 | Needs 3D to 5D of straight run, plus DP signal conditioning |
| Sanitary electromagnetic flowmeter | 316L liner and electrodes, tri clamp, full bore | 20:1 and better | Liquid must be conductive, typically above 5 microsiemens per centimetre |
| Sanitary float flowmeter | 316L tube and float, tri clamp | 10:1 | Vertical upward flow only, glass or tube must be visible for reading |
| Standard stainless orifice plate | 316L, industrial finish, threaded or flanged taps | 3:1 | Gasket crevice and tap pocket make it unsuitable for hygienic duty |
Related pages: compact sanitary electromagnetic flowmeter DN15-DN100 · sanitary stainless steel float flowmeter · standard stainless steel orifice plate flowmeter · eccentric orifice plate flowmeter for dirty media · all orifice plate flowmeters · steam orifice plate flowmeter with temperature and pressure compensation · AGA-3 natural gas custody transfer meter run
Is this orifice plate 3-A and EHEDG compliant?
The assembly is designed to the 3-A 63-03 requirements for sensing and instrument fittings and follows EHEDG hygienic design guidance: flush product contact, no threaded connection in the product path, a radiused and electropolished finish at Ra 0.8 micrometre or better, and a gasket presented in a machined groove rather than as an exposed lip. Compliance is a property of the installed assembly, not the plate alone, so the certificates issued cover the plate, the ferrules and the specified gasket as a set. For an audit, ask for the material certificates, the finish measurement report, the gasket FDA reference and the drainability statement together, because that is the package an auditor will want to see.
Can the plate be cleaned in place, or must it be removed?
It is designed to be cleaned in place. The absence of a dead leg is the whole point of the clamp-type seal arrangement: CIP flow passes over a flush face and there is nowhere for product to sit. The practical conditions are that the line reaches the turbulence the CIP cycle assumes, the gasket grade suits the caustic and acid in use, and the assembly drains under gravity in the orientation it is fitted. Removing the plate is a changeover job, not a cleaning step, and takes a few minutes with a spare gasket. Many plants pull the plate once per campaign to inspect the bore edge, which also gives them a physical check on whether the finish is still intact.
Which gasket material should I specify for SIP at 130 C?
EPDM is the default for dairy and beverage because it handles caustic, acid and 85 C CIP well and stays compliant with 21 CFR 177.2600 at a sensible cost. Its weakness is repeated high temperature steam: continuous exposure above roughly 130 C hardens it and it loses compression set, so it needs replacing more often. For a loop that is steam sterilised regularly, specify a PTFE encapsulated gasket, which tolerates repeated SIP cycles and is easier to clean, at the cost of higher torque and a stiffer seal. Silicone is best avoided where fats or hydrocarbons are present. State the actual cleaning chemistry, temperature and cycle count at the enquiry stage; the gasket is the cheapest part of the assembly and the one most often responsible for a failed validation.
How do I document hygienic design for an FDA or notified-body audit?
Build the file around evidence rather than statements. Ask for 3.1 material certificates with heat numbers that match the stamp on the plate, a surface finish measurement report showing the Ra value at defined points on the product contact faces, the gasket declaration referencing 21 CFR 177.2600 or the relevant USP class, and a drainability statement describing the tested orientation. Add the 3-A and EHEDG documentation for the assembly and the elastomer. Where the plant runs an EHEDG or 3-A audit, the usual finding is not the instrument itself but a missing finish measurement report or a gasket grade that does not match the cleaning chemicals actually in use, so check those two against the CIP programme before the auditor does.
Product Highlights
Sanitary orifice plate flowmeter for food, dairy and pharma lines: 316L plate, Ra 0.8 micrometre product contact, DIN 32676 tri clamp, flush clamp-type DP seal and CIP / SIP service to 130 C. Request the hygienic documentation package and a quote.
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