GEA Direct Sprayer DS 25: Less Water, Faster Cleaning
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With the GEA Direct Sprayer DS 25, GEA introduces a pioneering solution for industrial tank cleaning in the food and beverage industry, specifically designed for tanks with rotating installations. The patented spray technology effectively removes residues from the undersides of agitators, pipes, and flow breakers. A case study from yogurt production shows that this method cuts water use by 84.5% and shortens cleaning time by 87.5% compared to traditional tank flooding.
Innovation in tank cleaning
GEA Direct Sprayer DS 25: Efficient cleaning for tanks with agitators
Düsseldorf (Germany), March 18, 2025 – With the GEA Direct Sprayer DS 25, GEA introduces a pioneering solution for industrial tank cleaning in the food and beverage industry, specifically designed for tanks with rotating installations. The patented spray technology effectively removes residues from the undersides of agitators, pipes, and flow breakers. A case study from yogurt production shows that this method cuts water use by 84.5% and shortens cleaning time by 87.5% compared to traditional tank flooding.
Targeted cleaning instead of inefficient flooding
Strict hygiene standards, contamination prevention, and resource efficiency are key challenges in food and beverage production. However, cleaning tanks with internal installations poses a particular challenge: the undersides of agitator blades often remain in the spray shadow and are not adequately cleaned by conventional methods. The most common solution has been to completely flood the tank with cleaning liquid – a resource-intensive and time-consuming process.
The Direct Sprayer DS 25 sprays directly onto the undersides of the agitator blades while ensuring that the agitator mechanics remain unaffected. The cleaner is flush-mounted into the tank wall and can be positioned flexibly, ensuring full coverage inside the tank. The patented valve disc only opens when activated, ensuring an even distribution of the cleaning fluid. Since the valve plate opens inward, it does not interfere with the agitator.
Maximum spray power and reach
The mechanically powerful full-cone spray targets the undersides of the agitators and efficiently removes residues. “Unlike alternative retractable cleaners, which often have a hollow cone or operate with a fan spray, our spray pattern is a true full cone,” explains Jana Zimpel, Product Sales Manager for Cleaning Technology at GEA.
With a spray force of up to five kilograms, the GEA Direct Sprayer DS 25 effectively removes even tough residues. Conventional cleaning systems often operate at lower forces, requiring longer exposure times or additional chemicals. The full-cone spray of the DS 25 cleans more efficiently while reducing resource consumption. With a cleaning range of up to five meters, the full-cone spray is also suitable for large tanks and reaches areas that previous solutions often left uncleaned.
Case study: Yogurt production – 84.5% less water consumption
A real-world example from yogurt production highlights the potential of the GEA Direct Sprayer DS 25. A typical tank in this industry is six meters high with a diameter of three meters and contains agitator blades arranged on three levels up to four meters above the tank floor. The conventional cleaning method involves flooding the tank with caustic solution and using rotation to clean the surfaces. This process, including flooding, circulation, and draining, takes two hours and consumes 29 cubic meters of cleaning liquid.
With the new Direct Sprayer DS 25, one cleaner per agitator blade level is integrated into the tank wall. This targeted cleaning approach drastically reduces fluid consumption to just 4.5 cubic meters, while the cleaning time shrinks to 15 minutes – an 84.5% reduction in water use and an 87.5% decrease in cleaning time.
“This time saving can be directly used for additional production capacity,” explains Jana Zimpel. “In yogurt production, for example, this means more batches per day or faster recipe changes without compromising efficiency.” The savings in water and chemicals make the Direct Sprayer DS 25 one of the most efficient cleaning methods for tanks with agitators.
Versatile applications for maximum efficiency
The GEA Direct Sprayer DS 25 has been developed for use in the beverage, food, dairy, pharmaceutical, and home and personal care industries. It is particularly advantageous in production environments with frequent recipe changes, strict hygiene standards, and demanding cleaning requirements. The system delivers fast, efficient cleaning while minimizing water use and keeping production running smoothly. It can also be easily integrated into existing systems.
Picture Overview (Download link for high resolution versions: https://assets.gea.com/gea/action/directLinkImage?assetId=339126)
Image 1: GEA Direct Sprayer DS 25 delivering powerful cleaning performance with five kilograms of spray force and a full-cone jet reaching up to five meters. Source: GEA
Images 2 and 3: GEA has developed the Direct Sprayer DS 25 as a highly water- and time-efficient solution that sprays directly under the agitator blades, eliminating spray shadows without interfering with the agitator mechanics. Source: GEA
Image 4: The GEA Direct Sprayer DS 25 is flush-mounted to the tank wall and seamlessly integrated into the cleaning system. This design prevents any protrusion into the tank, ensuring that moving agitators remain unobstructed. Source: GEA
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
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Contact Media Relations GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft Fanny Förster Peter-Müller-Str. 12, 40468 Düsseldorf, Germany Phone +49 211 9136-1504 fanny.foerster @gea.com
About GEA
GEA is one of the world’s largest suppliers of systems and components to the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. The international technology group, founded in 1881, focuses on machinery and plants, as well as advanced process technology, components and comprehensive services. For instance, every second pharma separator for essential healthcare products such as vaccines or novel biopharmaceuticals is produced by GEA. In food, every fourth package of pasta or every third chicken nugget are processed with GEA technology. With more than 18,000 employees, the group generated revenues of about EUR 5.5 billion in more than 150 countries in the 2024 fiscal year. GEA plants, processes, components and services enhance the efficiency and sustainability of customers’ production. They contribute significantly to the reduction of CO2 emissions, plastic usage and food waste. In doing so, GEA makes a key contribution toward a sustainable future, in line with the company’s purpose: ”Engineering for a better world.”GEA is listed on the German MDAX, the European STOXX® Europe 600 Index and is also a constituent of the leading sustainability indices DAX 50 ESG, MSCI Global Sustainability and Dow Jones Best-in-Class World.
More information can be found online at gea.com.
