DOG BOWL OR ALCOVE?

Sitting on the floor, this component looks just like a dog bowl until you look inside and see it has no bottom and realize it’s a stainless steel alcove for a tank fitting.

Alcoves are commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry to minimize nozzle projection when installing fittings in jacketed tanks.  There are several benefits to using alcoves in this manner.

• Allows for short fittings, making them easier to reach and clean during CIP. 
• Ferrules such as “na connects” and those welded to instruments, such as “level shells”, are short in length by design, making alcoves a necessity.
• In the sidewall, the shorter ferrules are welded in the alcove on a slight angle to allow rinse water to drain back into the tank during CIP.
• Some alcoves in the top head will have a built-in gutter to drain standing water during wash-down.

Figure 1 – the “dog bowl”

Figure 2 – bottom head of a jacketed tank with alcoves around the fittings

Figure 3 – top head of a jacketed tank with alcoves guttered to prevent liquid from pooling

To learn more about SFI tanks, go to: https://www.stainlessfab.com/products.html.