Bilfinger GREYLOGIX foodtec has established itself as a complete and problem solver for automation and plant engineering projects in the dairy and food industry. Many everyday products are manufactured by means of spray drying. They range from milk powder to soluble coffee and vaccines. The manufacturing process is very complex. Due to high temperatures, fires and even explosions can occur in the plant during the drying process. Since many plants are already relatively old, there is an increased risk here.

20-man safety engineering department

Against this background, Bilfinger GREYLOGIX sees great business potential in this area and in recent years has formed a special department, now with 20 employees, which deals with all safety aspects in this regard and at the same time advances technological developments. “Safety and safety technology are becoming increasingly important,” says Matthias Buch, Managing Director of Bilfinger GREYLOGIX foodtec GmbH. “We have recognized this and developed an overall package with many simple and ingenious solutions. In addition, we will continue to invest in new developments.”

Comprehensive safety package for spray towers

The age of a plant is not the only decisive factor for a safety upgrade. Legal safety requirements have also risen steadily in recent years. This results in additional modernization requirements for many existing plants. Bilfinger GREYLOGIX foodtec offers a comprehensive package for all aspects of spray drying plant safety – from analysis of the initial situation and the concept for improving safety agreed with the authorities to installation of the components. Subsequently, the company also provides comprehensive service and maintenance services if required.
The Bilfinger GREYLOGIX foodtec safety team consists of plant engineering experts, process technology engineers, as well as professional project managers and technical documentation staff. The package of offers resulting from this wealth of experience includes various modules that make important contributions to increasing safety in production. Not only are the individual components compatible with each other, they are also compatible with many third-party systems. Companies using the innovative Bilfinger GREYLOGIX safety solutions in milk processing include Uelzena eG, Molkerei Rücker and Deutsches Milchkontor.

Carbon monoxide (CO) detection system “detex

One innovative component of the product range is the carbon monoxide (CO) detection system “detex” for spray drying, which has now been ensuring safe production of milk powder for three years. It is used to monitor spray dryers for smoldering nests, which in the worst case could lead to an explosion. detex is equipped with a two-channel analysis module. The advantage is that the absolute measured value is available at all times for both the supply air and the exhaust air. This means that disturbing influences can also be clearly detected outside the process and unnecessarily caused production downtimes can be minimized.

Cooling system “vertex

If a plant has to be shut down immediately in an emergency and cooled to a non-critical temperature range, the “vertex” cooling system comes into play. Vertex prevents overheating of the supply air to the drying chamber, even independently of the mains voltage, and cools it down in a controlled manner. The basic principle is based on evaporative cooling, which is achieved by a fine atomization of water into the supply air duct of the drying chamber. The energy thus extracted from the hot air reduces its temperature to a non-critical value – without causing any damage to the powder present in the drying.
Despite all precautions, fires or even explosions can never be completely ruled out. To ensure the greatest possible protection in such cases, Bilfinger GREYLOGIX offers explosion protection systems and customized fire extinguishing systems.

Key transfer system for maintenance openings

Safety can also be increased in a very effective way when working in the plant itself. Bilfinger offers an innovative key transfer system for maintenance openings. It ensures that openings remain locked until there is no longer any danger. Conversely, when accesses are open, dangerous operating conditions are prevented from occurring. For this purpose, there is a locking device at each maintenance opening that can only be opened with a key specially made for this device. During operation, the keys are located in a key rack which has an electronically monitored slot for each individual key. If a key is removed, the system is locked against unsafe operating conditions and brought to a controlled shutdown.

As the market is looking for new, innovative solutions in the field of safety, Bilfinger GREYLOGIX aims to grow further here and invest in new developments and continuously advance technological developments. The dedicated team brings a lot of experience and innovative spirit to deliver the highest quality standards to customers.

Read also the interview with Olaf Literski, expert for CO detection in spray towers at Bilfinger GREYLOGIX.