Alfa Laval pumps are a complete portfolio of hygienic liquid-handling equipment built for the dairy, brewery, beverage, food, home and personal care, and pharmaceutical industries. The range spans centrifugal pumps for low-viscosity duties, positive displacement pumps for viscous and shear-sensitive products, and dedicated ultrapure variants engineered for biotechnology and pharmaceutical processing where material integrity is non-negotiable. This equipment is essential for maintaining product safety and quality across global production lines.

Euroflow supplies the full pump portfolio together with the documentation, service kits, and engineering support needed to specify, install, and maintain hygienic process equipment. Every pump family in this category is designed around core engineering principles: stainless steel product-wetted parts in AISI 316L or Werkstoff 1.4404, FDA-compliant elastomers, surface finishes that meet 3-A and EHEDG cleanability requirements, and mechanical seal arrangements suited to CIP and SIP cycles. These components are specifically chosen to resist the chemical solutions used in cleaning, such as chloride-based sterilising agents, acids, and alkalis.

Hygienic pumps and CIP pump duties share one selection logic: match the technology to the fluid, the cleaning regime, and the regulatory standard. The sections below explain the pump families, the industries they serve, and the engineering criteria that drive selection.

The Alfa Laval pump portfolio divides into two broad categories — rotodynamic centrifugal pumps and positive displacement pumps — with each family engineered for specific fluid properties, pressure ranges, and hygienic standards. Selecting the right technology starts with viscosity, shear sensitivity, and the cleaning regime.

Centrifugal pumps for water-like duties

The LKH range is the workhorse of hygienic centrifugal pumping, available in thirteen sizes from LKH-5 to LKH-90. It handles flow rates up to 500 m³/h at differential pressures up to 11.5 bar on 50 Hz supply (16 bar on 60 Hz). The LKH Evap variant adds low-NPSHr characteristics and an optional ClearFlow scraper impeller for high-solids evaporator duties. The LKH Prime uses airscrew technology to evacuate air from the suction pipe, making it ideal for CIP return and tank emptying with a minimum speed of 2800 rpm for effective air evacuation. For high inlet pressures up to 16 bar, the LKHI uses an internal shaft seal, while the LKHPF handles inlet pressures up to 40 bar. The SolidC range covers standard duties up to 4 bar inlet pressure.

Positive displacement pumps for viscous and shear-sensitive products

The SRU rotary lobe range handles viscosities up to 1,000,000 cP at pressures up to 20 bar, with Tri-lobe or Bi-lobe stainless steel rotors. The SX range is certified by EHEDG as fully CIP cleanable, featuring controlled compression joint elastomers and flow rates up to 115 m³/h. The SX UltraPure variant carries full Q-doc documentation for high-purity use. The OptiLobe offers a cost-effective alternative for general hygienic transfer up to 8 bar. The DuraCirc circumferential piston pump uses non-galling alloy bi-piston rotors with very tight clearances, delivering high volumetric efficiency at low viscosity and pressures up to 40 bar. The OS Twin Screw pump combines product transfer and CIP duty in one unit, with sixteen model variants and multiple screw pitches for varying flow, pressure, and solids handling up to 43 mm. Sanitary pumps in every family share full-bore through porting to BS4825/ISO2037 and surface finishes down to 0.5 µm Ra.

Alfa Laval pumps serve every stage of hygienic and sanitary process lines, from raw material intake through fermentation, separation, pasteurisation, evaporation, blending, and final filling. The breadth of the portfolio means a single supplier can cover product transfer, CIP supply and return, dosing, and high-pressure membrane feed within one process plant.

Dairy and brewing process lines

In dairy plants, the LKH centrifugal range handles raw milk, standardised milk, and cream transfer between balance tanks, separators, and pasteurisers. The LKH UltraPure serves processes requiring enhanced surface finish and traceability. For cultured products such as yoghurt and quark, the gentle action of SRU and SX rotary lobe pumps prevents cell damage. In breweries, centrifugal pumps handle wort transfer, while rotary lobe and twin screw pumps move yeast without damaging delicate cells during fermentation. CIP return duties across both industries are well matched to the LKH Prime self-priming pump, which evacuates air from the return line during phase changes.

Food, beverage, and personal care

Prepared food applications — sauces, soups, fruit pie fillings, sausage meat — typically call for SRU pumps with bi-lobe rotors for solids handling, or DuraCirc circumferential piston pumps for higher discharge pressures. Beverage producers use centrifugal pumps for water, soft drinks, and thin syrups, and positive displacement pumps for fruit juice concentrate and wine where viscosity and gentle handling matter. In sugar refining, the SRU range moves high-boiled sugars, glucose solutions, and abrasive syrups. Home and personal care manufacturers rely on the portfolio for neat soap, SLES, fabric conditioners, and surfactants, where chemical compatibility of elastomers becomes the deciding factor.

Pharmaceutical and ultrapure applications

Pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and high-purity water applications use the LKH UltraPure, LKH Prime UltraPure, and SX UltraPure ranges. These pumps are designed in accordance with ASME BPE and GMP, with electropolished surface finishes, USP Class VI elastomers, and full Q-doc documentation covering material traceability and EN 10204 3.1 certification. Typical duties include cosmetic cream production, protein solution transfer, toothpaste, shampoo, and blood product handling. EHEDG pumps within the SX, SX UltraPure, OptiLobe, DuraCirc, and OS Twin Screw families carry European Hygienic Equipment Design Group certification, confirming CIP cleanability to protocol.

How it works heading How to select Alfa Laval pumps How it works text

Specifying Alfa Laval pumps correctly requires matching the operating principle to the fluid, the system pressure profile, the cleaning regime, and the regulatory framework. The selection process moves through five gates: product and fluid data, performance data, hygienic and compliance requirements, drive and control choices, and finally the seal and ancillary configuration.

Operating principle in brief

Centrifugal pumps transfer rotating mechanical energy from a semi-open impeller into kinetic energy in the fluid, which the pump casing then converts partly into pressure. They are suited to low-viscosity liquids up to roughly 800 cP. Positive displacement pumps — rotary lobe, circumferential piston, and twin screw — directly displace discrete volumes of fluid from inlet to outlet on every revolution. They handle high viscosities and gentle product treatment. Slip, defined as the fluid lost through internal clearances from high to low pressure, increases with pressure and decreases with viscosity. Circumferential piston pumps like the DuraCirc are less sensitive to slip due to close clearances and long slip paths.

Key selection criteria

Five factors drive the choice of hygienic pumps in any sanitary system.

Flow rate and pressure set the envelope. Centrifugal pumps deliver up to 520 m³/h; positive displacement pumps deliver up to 157 m³/h. Viscosity determines technology selection — anything above 800 cP rules out centrifugal pumps. NPSH available versus NPSH required must be verified; cavitation causes noise, vibration, and mechanical damage. Temperature affects elastomer choice, seal face combination, and rotor clearance class (70 °C, 130 °C, or 200 °C ratings on the SRU range). Hygienic and compliance standards dictates surface finish and elastomer grade.

Comparing technologies and configurations

For low-viscosity hygienic transfer below 800 cP, an LKH centrifugal pump delivers the best efficiency. When the suction side carries entrained air, the LKH Prime with its airscrew chamber outperforms a standard centrifugal unit. When discharge pressures exceed roughly 16 bar at low flow, the LKH Multistage is the preferred centrifugal solution. Within the positive displacement range, the SRU rotary lobe is the general-purpose workhorse. The SX and SX UltraPure add EHEDG certification and front-loading seals for ultra-clean applications. The OS Twin Screw provides process flexibility, running at high speeds for CIP and low speeds for product Handling.

Seal selection and ancillaries

Mechanical seal selection follows fluid characteristics: single seals for non-hazardous fluids; single flushed seals where fluid can solidify; and double flushed seals for abrasive or high-viscosity media. Service cycles like SIP requiring steam barrier pressure above 0.5 bar also mandate double seals. Ancillaries including heating jackets, pressure relief valves for overload protection, and the Condition Monitor for vibration and temperature tracking complete the specification. Specification is supported by the ALiCE configuration tool, which cross-references duty conditions against the entire range.

Which hygienic standards do Alfa Laval pumps comply with?