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Food and Beverage Process Tanks

Cook tanks, mixing tanks, storage tanks, pressure vessels, dryers and evaporators have all been supplied to food and beverage manufacturers.

Tanks are built to extreme sanitation protocols. Apache’s processes and expertise in compliance and surfaces finishes, provides control over downstream production processes. In-house vessel finishing capabilities include mechanical and robotic polishing, passivation and electropolishing.

We have a dedicated quality assurance department and we provide ASME board certified designs, fabrication and installation.

 

 

Recent Posts

  • Application Comparison of Stainless and High Alloy Materials Posted 3 months ago
    Apache’s background in pharmaceutical, medi­cal, water purification, and chemical industries has driven expertise in high-alloy material used in vessel construction.  The process application of a vessel or tank will determine the stainless or high alloy material specified for the construction of the vessel.   Apache’s experience with stainless and high alloy material includes 304, 316, Duplex, Hastelloy, Monel 400, AL6XN, and Alloy 20.  Highlighted below is an overview of those applications. 304 304 stainless steel is widely used in food and life science production equipment. The strength, durability, and noncorrosive qualities provide the safety and cleaning effectives required under general conditions. 316 316 has high corrosion resistance and may be used in applications requiring higher strength and hardness. 316 material can be used for fuels, food processing, chemical, medical and pharmaceutical processes. 316 has a higher temperature performance than 314 and performs wells in cryogenic temperatures.  Duplex The Duplex series are extremely versatile stainless alloys, with many applications in fuel and chemical processing industries and pharmaceutical applications.  Duplex has low thermal expansion coefficients and high heat conductivity.  In Apache’s experience, the machineability may be more ...
  • Side Agitated Vertical Tank Serves as Large Stock Pot in Sauce Processing Application Posted 7 years ago
    This side agitator was engineered to mix food products with a high percentage of solids and viscosity in the processing of soups, sauces, marinades and gravies. The 2500 gallon tank acts as a large stock pot as part of the manufacturing process. On the left photo, the tank (shown horizontal during manufacturing) was equipped with a half pipe jacket, which was pumped with heated fluid as required by the application. On the right, the tank head shows fittings and man way entry. Apache’s agitation, heat transfer and finishing technologies include: Vertical and horizontal agitation capabilities High shear, turbine, full sweep, scraping, counter rotating and baffled technology for mixing and blending Dimple jackets, half or third pipe jackets, internal coils for heating or cooling applications In-house passivation, pickle-passivation and electropolishing services For more information, visit Apache's Mix Tank page.
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What type of materials does Apache have experience with?

In Apache's Beaver Dam facility, we work with 300 grade stainless materials, predominantly 304/L and 316/L. We also work with high alloy materials such as AL6XN, duplex 2304, 2205 and 2507, Inconel and Hastelloy.

What certifications does Apache uphold?

NB/ASME U Certificate for Beaver Dam, WI

NB/ASME UM Certificate for Beaver Dam, WI

CE Marking Permission for Beaver Dam, WI

R Repair Certificate National Board of Boiler & Pressure Vessel Inspectors, Beaver Dam, WI

SELO License for Beaver Dam, WI

What types of heat transfer surfaces are available?

Dimple jacket, half-pipe, conventional jacket, electrical heat tracing.

What size heads can you fabricate?

We can fabricate Heads, anywhere from 30” (2’6”) to 192” (16’) Diameter, with the thickness being 12 ga. to ¾” Stainless and up to 7/8” Carbon.

What types of heads does Apache offer?

ASME F&D, F&D, Shallow F&D, Flat, Cone, Sloped, Hemi, Elliptical

What types of testing does Apache offer?

Liquid Dye Pentrant testing, hydrostatic testing, sprayball Riboflavin testing, pharmaceuticial drain testing, surface finish testing, PMI (Positive Material Identification), and radiography (at an additional cost).

What types of fittings are offered?

Depending on the application, we provide ANSI B16.5 150#, 300#, etc. RFWN, RFSO and Lap Joint flanges, studding outlet (pad) flanges for standard ASME applications. For sanitary applications we also provide tri-clamp ferrules, tank bottom diaphragm valves such as ASEPCO, GEMU, PBM, NOVASEPTIC, etc.

What finishes are available?

Mill, 2B, No. 4, No. 4A, Bead Blast, Passivation, Pickle Passivation and electropolishing

What is your tank weight capacity?

The weight limitation is dependent on the tank/vessel configuration, typically we want to keep the vessel below 70,000 lbs. We have built tanks weighing 250,000 lbs., but special consideration with outside riggers was required.

How wide of a tank can Apache build?

15 ft. diameter is the maximum typically.

What types of outlet valves are available?

Ball valves, diaphragm valves and gate valves. Some offer manual or pneumatic actuation options.

Who will coordinate my project?

A project engineer will coordinate communications, schedules and questions. There will also be a technical specialist that works on your project.

When does a tank need to be ASME Code stamped?

ASME Code is generally required on tanks above 15 psig or vacuum applications.

What types of insulation does Apache offer?

Mineral wool in various densities and foam glass. We can take a look at other insulation requirements that you may have.

What is a wetted surface?

A wetted surface is a product contact surface or interior surface. It includes area in nozzles up to the gaskets.

What types of FAT testing does Apache offer?

Hydro, Riboflavin, dye penetrant, saline, drain ability, radiography, agitation run testing

How do you keep customers abreast of the schedule?

On larger projects, updates to the schedule are communicated upon drawing approval submission, then once per month, after project changes or per customer requirements.

Does Apache manufacture their own agitators?

We work with leading agitator manufacturers and we also have made custom agitators for special applications.

When do I use tri-clamp versus bolted connections?

Use tri-clamp connections for sanitary and quick connection applications.