Energy-Saving Processing

By Klaus Funch Høyer and Pernille Gerstenberg Kirkeby



Gerstenberg Schröder A/S (GS) develop, manufacture and install modern, highefficient and reliable processing lines for the food industry, especially for the production of crystallised fat products like margarine, butter, spreads and shortenings. GS also deliver process lines for emulsified foodproducts such as mayonnaise, sauces and dressings. We have been in business for more than 100 years and have installations in more than 110 countries around the world.
The main focus of GS is to be the preferred partner when the food industry demands scraped surface heat exchangers (SSHEs) for the manufacturing of food products, e.g. for the crystallisation process of margarine or for starch cooking of mayonnaise. The SSHEs manufactured by GS are known on the market under the names Consistator®, Kombinator and Perfector.
Process knowledge and process expertise exist in all departments of GS, even in the top management. By spreading expertise concerning the business of GS customers throughout the organisation, every enquiry will be met with an understanding of the customer’s business, needs and challenges. The process knowledge, the understanding of the needs of the food industry and the technical expertise are the major drives of the development work in GS.

Energy Saving by using SSHE Technology:




Increasing energy and raw material prices, increasing demand to the efficiency of the machinery and processing as well as intense competition among the food companies are challenges which the industry is experiencing today. Various processes continue to use designs which in energy terms are inefficient as the heating or cooling process occurs e.g. in relatively open systems and thus high amounts of energy are lost to the environment. Optimisation of energy consumption per kg produced product is possible by exchanging the open systems with the SSHE technology. Especially for products exhibiting high viscosities, the energy consumption per kg produced product can be significantly reduced when SSHE technology is used.

Product Development – Focus on Energy Consumption:




In 2008, two new machines were launched: A new high pressure SSHE and a low temperature SSHE ice extruder marketed under the names Nexus and Kombinator X250, respectively. During the development of these machines, apart from functionality and hygienic design, environmental aspects have been in focus. It has resulted in energy efficient processing lines to the fat crystallisation industry and ice cream industry.
Nexus is designed to use CO2 as refrigerant compared to the traditional SSHE which uses Ammonia or Freon. CO2 as cooling medium has in pilot scale proved up to 20 percent more efficient, which results in less consumption of energy per kg product produced.
The low temperature extrusion of ice-cream down to -15°C gives energy saving because it is possible to produce directly to cold storage avoiding the hardening tunnel. Using SSHE for cooling the ice cream from -6°C to -15°C is a much faster cooling process compared to the hardening tunnel. Furthermore, the quality is improved as the process enhances the creaminess of the final ice cream due to the mechanical treatment of the ice cream during this further cooling process. With the Kombinator X250 technology ice cream with lower fat and protein content can be developed with the same mouth feel as premium traditional high fat ice cream.

Development and Optimisation of the Process:



GS offer expert assistance in product development and process optimisation. The service can take place in our pilot plant in Copenhagen, Denmark, or at the customer’s site. The pilot plant is well equipped with not only SSHE or related equipment but also a laboratory where raw materials or final products can be analysed and evaluated. Often trials initially take place in the pilot plant and the best process and parameters are being assessed before the final optimization trial takes place at the customer’s site.
During the past years, numerous trials have been conducted in the pilot plant where the main focus has been to save energy per kg product produced. One trial involved meat and was especially interesting as the calculation of the energy consumption showed more that 25 percent energy saving if the current process was replaced by SSHE technology. Another interesting investigation showed a significant waste reduction only by changing the start-up procedure for production of mayonnaise.                                           
                                                                                               Key No. 72000



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