It’s easy to take a swig from the milk carton in your fridge without a second thought. But have you ever wondered how that product went from cow to carton and into your home? If you answered yes, you’re in the right place. Here, we’ll take you inside the machine to learn about the technology behind modern dairy production.
All About Milk
Before we dive into the specifics of dairy pumping technology, let’s review a few basic stats about the dairy industry:
- Dairy farmers in the U.S. produces almost 212 billion pounds of milk in 2016 alone.
- The average dairy cow produces 6.3 gallons of milk in a day.
- From 2001 to 2009, the number of U.S. dairy operations fell from 97,460 to 65,000.
What Are Dairy Pumps?
Now, we get into the technology. As the name suggests, dairy pumps are the physical devices dairy farms use to extract milk from a cow’s udders. These pumps are essential to the way dairy farming currently operates. Unfortunately, they represent an estimated 80% of energy used in dairy operations! However, solutions are available. Tools like variable frequency drives (also known as variable speed frequency drives and variable speed drives) can help lower energy consumption and actually reduce the noise that pumping produces in a dairy shed.
How Do Dairy Pumps Work?
First and foremost, we know that dairy pumps exist to help extract milk. But the entire system is actually made up of several different components that all help perform essential functions. Let’s take a look at a few of these components to see how they affect the dairy pumping process.
Pump – As far as the pump component itself goes, there is one primary function: removing air to create a vacuum. Without this vacuum, pumping milk would not only take longer, it would be far less efficient.
Vacuum Regulator – Of course, a total vacuum isn’t ideal for milk production. That’s why a regulator system exists! If a vacuum reaches a certain pressure threshold, this device will let air in or out to maintain a stable environment.
Pulsator System – When milking by hand, farmers must perform pulsing hand motions to coax milk from a cow’s udders. With the help of 3 phase and single phase motors, this device helps simulate those actions.
With any luck, this will have answered your question of “how do dairy pumps work?” For more information on variable speed drives and single phase motors, contact our team today.