Type of tank used in dairy industry & their
specific application for dairy products
1. Milk Storage Tanks
They are usually cylindrical and mostly insulated. They may be horizontal or
vertical types, depending on availability of floor space. For extremely large quantity of storage,
Vertical Silo tanks are provided outside the Processing section, to avoid tall buildings to
accommodate them.
The inner shell of storage tank is of Stainless Steel, and covered with suitable insulation, and
then an outer shell, which may be Stainless Steel or Mild steel. Outer shell of mild steel is used
to reduce cost. The outer mild steel shell will be painted to prevent corrosion, which may be of
two coats of antirust and two coats of enamel paint of suitable color , especially cream yellow.
The inner shell of storage tank should be smooth in surface finish, and should not have any
sharp corners, to aid in proper cleaning. The edges must have a knuckle radius of at least 25
mm. Any welds present should be properly ground, so as to have smooth finish.
The shell will have drain from lowest point, preferably from the center of the bottom. If this is
not possible, the bottom of the vessel should be sloped towards the outlet valve side of the
bottom to ensure complete drainage. The slope is at least 1:12.5 towards the outlet.
The shell will have other openings like for Agitator, non-foaming type milk inlet, inlet for
cleaning solutions through a spray device, air outlet etc. It will also have fittings for sight glass
and light glass, for inspection of inside level measurement, to ensure proper cleaning etc. The
glass has to be of non splinter type. The opposite end of sight glass will have the level marked
by food grade paint, or buffing of the surface to indicate level markings and values marked
adjacent to it. The tank is fabricated usually 15% over capacity than the nominal capacity of
the tank. The technology of using load cells for remote sensing of measurement of level is also
being introduced in most of the modern dairies, linked to automated operation.
2. Horizontal milk storage tank
Inner shell will also be supported by four legs, through load distributer MS angles, to avoid
change of shape or damage to inner shell. The load distributors also will have a lifting eye at
top to lift the entire storage tank with cranes. The thickness of shell depends on the size of the
tank, to withstand the weight. Usually it is 2 to 3 mm thick for horizontal tanks, and 4 to 5 mm
for silos. The ends of tanks are usually dish shaped to give strength and it also gives a greater
knuckle radius at the joint of dish end.
Insulation is using thermocol or PUF for lower temperatures. For higher temperature, glass
wool or mineral wool is preferred. The thickness should be such that, the increase in
temperature of fluid when filled should not rise more than 2 °C in 18 hours, under a test
condition of 35 °C temperature difference between inside and outside. Average thickness of
thermocol insulation provided is between 5 to 10 cm. There should be no hollow space in
between the two sheets of SS and MS. In some of the designs however, this gap is provided
with a breathing outlet at the bottom, so that the gap does not build up pressure when hot
cleaning solutions are used.
The legs may be four or six in number, with adjustable ball feet. Threads of the ball feet are
not exposed.
The milk inlet should be non-foaming type at the top, with bent tube projecting towards inner
wall. For Silos the inlet is also at the bottom, with a non-return valve. The milk outlet will be
at the bottom, with a flange type valve fitting, usually with a two way valve. It is usually of 51
mm or 63.5 mm, to allow rapid unloading.
To keep the milk properly mixed, and avoid cream separation an agitator at slow speed is
operated, which may be either horizontal, vertical, and in some cases, inclined too. Most
commonly, the agitator is vertical, with one or two sets of blades, and is supported at the bottom
by bush, so that there is no lateral oscillation. The agitators are connected to motor through
reduction gear mechanism, which has oil as the lubricant. It has to be perfectly sealed to prevent
oil leaking along with the agitator into the tank.
Tanks are also provided with other essential fittings like manhole, sampling cock, thermo-well,
ladder in front to watch through sight glass, CIP pipe line connection with adequate support on
top. The manhole is of swing-back type, which is oval in shape and can swing both horizontally
and vertically, so that it can be positioned in place from inside. There is a tightening
arrangement to prevent leakage from manhole door, once the milk is filled. The sampling cock
is positioned at a level such that sampling can be done even up to 5% of the capacity of the
tank. It has spring loaded push type of lever, or a screw type of opening. Provision is also made
of a Thermo-well, in which the sensing element of temperature indicator can be placed. It is an
inclined SS tube, with lower end sealed, and positioned inclined to the inner shell, welded in
that position. It is filled with oil or ceramic powder to have a better contact between the sensing
element and the wall of thermo-well.
The air vent to the tank is provided to avoid build-up of pressure during loading, and
development of vacuum during unloading. It is provided with vermin proof cover to prevent
dust and insects entering into the tank.
3. Vertical storage tanks / silos
The vertical storage tanks are mainly used, when the floor space is less, and the roof of
processing hall is sufficiently high. Some of the high viscous products like cream or ghee are
also preferably stored in this type of storage tanks.
Due to its shape, the manhole is at the top, and a ladder is provided for reaching on to the top.
The top is also conical to prevent any accumulation of water or dust. The sight and light glass
are also provided at the top. Due to its height, the agitator has to be long, and provided with
more than two sets of blades for agitation. An internal ladder is provided to climb down for
manual cleaning. Other fixtures like CIP cleaning attachment or spray ball, thermos well,
sampling cock, lifting lugs or eye at the top, are provided as in horizontal storage tank. Both
the inlet and outlet will be at the side at the bottom level of the tank. The slope is 1:10 towards
the outlet so that there is free and complete drainage of liquid. The inner wall may be of
Stainless steel sheet of 3mm thickness while outside can be 2 mm. Some of the floors have
greater thickness of 5 mm. The tank is supported by four legs with SS ball feet and provision
for height adjustment. Silos are vertical storage tanks of large capacity, usually more than
30,000 to even up to 1 lakh litres. The agitation is by compressed air in such case.
4. Road tankers
The milk once collected in milk collection centres, has to be transported to dairy plants by Road
tankers. The tankers have to withstand great deal of stress due to vibrations, jerks, exposure to
weather, while transporting milk. Hence, the essential features include, thicker SS sheet for
inner and outer shells, better insulation, weather proof manhole doors covered with a hood, two
or three compartments to prevent rolling over of milk during jerks. Further, the whole structure
has to be mountable on the truck, or the articulated trailer, with all the limitations of safe
manoeuvrability during driving. The capacity, mounting and length should be suitable for
village roads, which is a severe limitation. The insulation will be a thermocol in two or three
layers, with proper seal of bitumen to prevent moisture seepage. The newer road tankers are
having PUF insulation material. The barrel of the tankers is preferably oval in shape to reduce
the centre of gravity, and is supported by M.S. supports, to be fitted to the chassis of the vehicle.
The vehicle will have a ladder at the rear and a walk way (of suitably checkered plate to avoid
slippage) to approach the manhole during inspection, sampling and manual cleaning.
5. Railway tanker
Railway tankers are used for transportation to long distances and are of capacities 20,000 to
40,000, divided into two or more cells. The final structural dimensions should meet the
requirement of Indian Railways, suitable for transport by passenger trains. The top of the tank
has dust cover, pressure relief valve and vacuum relief valve, manhole door. Manhole door and
internal ladder are also provided. The Manhole door is provided with gasket of Acrylonitrile
butadiene copolymer or polychloroprene. A dip stick is provided to know the quantity of milk
approximately. Insulation is 100 mm thick such that when full, the rise in temperature from 4°C
is only 2°C in 24 hours, when temperature differential to outside is 35°C. Outlet size is 63.5 or
76.2 mm, located at centre bottom. Two outer ladders are also provided on each side. The inner
vessel should withstand 0.35 kg/cm2 pressure, and should be tested for Radiographic and dye
penetration test to detect possible leakages.
Other kinds of tanks
There are other types of tanks suited to specific purposes like cream storage tank, ghee settling
tank, etc, which are double jacketed. The jacket has SS perforated ring to allow a gentle flow
of cold/hot/well water to maintain the temperature of the fluid in the tank. They are usually
vertical types, with all the essential features as that of horizontal milk storage tank. Milk
reconstitution tanks are again special purpose tanks connected with additional features like
funnel with venturi and valve at bottom, circulation pump, potable water inlet to tank. This
tank is not insulated, as the temperature is expected to be about 40 °C.
