IDM ¦ Technology/IT
The two steam boilers from Viessmann during installation at the DMK site in
Strückhausen. (photo: Viessmann)
Process reliability for the
production of baby food
The pure steam generator from Viessmann
operates at 8 bar overpressure, a temperature
of 175 °C and thus supplies 2,500 kg of pure
steam per hour. The pressure fluctuation of
the system is less than ten percent, and the
moisture content of the pure steam is less
than 3.5 % by volume. An integrated thermal
high-pressure feedwater degasser prevents
non-condensable gases from accumulating
and impairing the effectiveness of sterilisation.
Automatic venting of the degasser also
minimises standstill and leakage losses.
"Process reliability is paramount in the production
of baby food; there is no fault tolerance
here. We therefore place the highest
demands on man and machine," emphasises
Thomas Dilissen, Project Manager at the DMK
Group. For this reason, all essential components
of the plant technology are redundant –
except for those of the clean steam generator.
In addition, DMK relies on state-of-the-art
technology for fully automated processes as
well as continuous and comprehensive process
data recording. If the worst comes to the
worst, the high-tech plant can absorb production
peaks from surrounding plants and
step in if there is a malfunction.
Two steam boilers from
Viessmann provide process
heat
Two steam boilers provide heat for the clean
steam generator. They are custom-built boilers
designed by Viessmann Industrial Boiler
Solutions based in Dillenburg, Germany. The
two steam boilers for process heat operate at
a pressure of 27 bar, a temperature of 192 °C
and supply the plant with 16 tons of steam
per hour each. Five per cent of the heat generated
in this way goes into the clean steam
generator. 95 per cent is consumed by the
process needed to extract the water from the
milk, and processing it into milk powder (with
a moisture content of around 3 per cent).
The water extracted from the milk is purified
and then used to clean working materials.
Most of the process energy also flows
back into the production cycle, which saves
energy. For both environmental and hygiene
reasons, DMK produces the packaging for its
Humana baby milk powder on site in Strückhausen.
According to DMK, the milk comes
from GMO-free feeding and the Strückhausen
site, which is located in the middle of the
Weser-Ems production area, offers ideal access
to the raw milk source. The baby food
plant runs in three shifts, seven days a week.
Around 160 employees work on the premises.
State-of-the-art plant technology inside the DMK baby food plant in Strückhausen. (photo: DMK)
14 · September/October 2021 ¦ international-dairy.com
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