PulpJet

The breakthrough PulpJet pump from ITT helps makers of smoothie dispenser systems keep up with exploding demand.

Smoothies are becoming the healthy, on-the-go snack choice for people in today's hurried world.

These good-for-you blended fruit drinks are on the menus of the world's leading fast food chains, including McDonalds. 7-11 and other convenience stores now feature self-serve stations that let you create your own concoctions. And smoothie franchises like Jamba Juice and Yogun Früz are popping up in malls and main streets from New York to New Delhi.

ITT is experiencing a explosive growth spurt of its own, thanks to a new breakthrough "smoothie pump" that goes far beyond the industry's traditional "vanilla" capabilities.

The new PulpJet pump can deliver thick blended liquid faster than any other similarly priced pump on the market. "That's a big plus for busy fast food restaurants that want to turn around customer orders as rapidly as possible," says Peter Wright.

Smoothie operators can pay five times more to get the same performance, but the ITT pumps save them time and money. Companies that make smoothie delivery systems are flocking to ITT's fast, robust and affordable pumping solution. Sales of the PulpJet in the United States alone are expected to more than double in 2010.

The secret ingredient in ITT's smoothie pump is its patented W-shaped duckbill check valve that controls the flow of the liquid.

ITT engineers developed this new valve in response to a customer challenge. With smoothie sales heading for the stratosphere, a huge food and beverage customer asked engineers from ITT's Flow Control business if they could solve a long-standing industry issue: build a pump that can provide high pressure and flow, and can transport thick, chunky liquid without seizing up. In just six months, the ITT team developed a valve that can handle the pressure -- up to 80 pounds-per-square-inch, more than five times the limit of most standard viscous liquid pumps – and handle the pulp, seeds and banana strings that are a natural part of smoothie systems.

"We have other beverage pumps built for fairly high pressures, but the big chunks of fruit and smoothie ingredients would collect around their standard spring-loaded check valves – either holding them open or clogging them shut," says Jim Jackson. "The PulpJet valve won't collapse under pressure, which reduces maintenance time and costs." For ITT customers, this high-pressure, strong-flow, non-clogging PulpJet pump solution is as welcome as a cold smoothie on a hot summer day.