From Strückhausen to the world: DMK sells Humana baby milk powder around the globe. (photo: DMK)
us, this was the biggest project in our still
young company history," says Florian Oberpaul,
member of the ETS management board
and project manager of the energy centre installed
in the baby food plant. In the areas for
drying, mixing and filling the baby milk powder,
the existing buildings were completely
gutted so that so-called house-in-house constructions
could be brought in.
Pure steam generation: a
relevant point in the process
A special "piece of the puzzle of the entire
project", as Oberpaul calls it, was the selection
of the ideal clean steam generator. "The
topic of pure steam generation is often treated
stepmotherly by many, according to the
motto: the little bit of pure steam takes care
of itself. But that's not the case. At the end
of the day, pure steam generation is a decisive
lever for the entire process," Oberpaul
emphasises. Pure steam generators are used
to produce pure steam, which must not contain
any substances or contaminants that are
harmful to health.
The system used at the Strückhausen site
is a special design from Viessmann Industriekessel
Mittenwalde GmbH. The pure steam
generator is part of the sterile production
of concentrates in the baby food plant and
therefore had to be made entirely of stainless
steel. "Even the piping on the heating steam
side and the fittings had to be made of stainless
steel; that was quite a special feature,"
emphasises Steffen Bartels, project manager
at Viessmann Industriekessel Mittenwalde.
Pure steam generator in a
modular system
Another requirement for the clean steam generator:
it had to be as compact as possible –
a kind of modular system. "The demand for
the clean steam generator came very late in
the overall planning process; construction in
Strückhausen was already well advanced. We
had to bring in the clean steam generator
by crane via an opening through the façade
of the building. That's why it had to be particularly
compact," explains the ETS project
manager. No problem for the specialists from
Viessmann: "Special systems are our everyday
business," says Bartels, "and when higher
steam qualities are needed, we are professionals."
Highest steam qualities are an absolute
must in the production of baby milk powder.
The hygiene standards in the sterile production
area at the Strückhausen plant are similar
to those of a pharmaceutical company. Therefore,
not only the pure steam generator itself,
but also its feed water must meet special
hygiene requirements. In the special plant in
Strückhausen, only fully demineralised water
(deionised water) according to DIN EN 285 is
used, which is almost chemically pure.
A special piece of the puzzle in the
production process: Viessmann's clean
steam generator is made entirely of
stainless steel and ensures the highest
steam quality. (photo: Viessmann)
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