INSTRUMENTATION • ELECTRONICS
D
airy cooperative Arla Foods has, for the first time, created transparency over the energy consumed in cottage cheese production at its
Falkenberg, Sweden location. Tis involves the use of the Baumer Flex-Flow sensor, which is able to measure the temperature of the medium as well as the flow rate. Te cost reductions this could achieve in the future quickly made this a worthwhile investment. At its Falkenberg location, Arla Foods
2050. A key element of this journey is energy efficiency. Mattias Abrahamsson, production system manager at Arla Falkenberg, reports: “In recent years, we have placed an increasingly strong focus on monitoring the energy consumption of our plants. In certain areas, however, we simply didn´t know where exactly the energy was being used.” FlexFlow, the calorimetric flow sensor
produces 20,000 tonnes of cottage cheese every year equivalent to 76.9 tons per day. An impressive quantity indeed. Te firm satisfies almost the entire cottage cheese demand on the Swedish market and also exports to Finland, Denmark and Greece. Production volumes of this magnitude call for a resource-efficient manufacturing process, and Arla Foods is a forerunner when it comes to sustainability: the dairy cooperative intends to be making its products completely CO2
-neutral by FLEXIBLE FLOW MONITORING Arla Foods analyses energy consumption using flow sensors
from Baumer achieved the breakthrough: Arla installed these sensors at the neuralgic points in the cooling and heating system and used the measurement results to obtain, for the first time, a clear image of the energy consumption. Te dairy producer can now derive concrete measures for reducing energy consumption.
CHALLENGING TASKS Cooling and heating – these were the tricky points in the energy consumption for Arla Foods. Because of its commitment to sustainability, the food manufacturer had already made a great effort to reduce the energy balance when the plant was designed. It uses to the greatest possible extent, for example, the low external temperatures of the Swedish climate to achieve a cooling temperature of 0.5° for the cooling circuit, which cools the produced cheese from 60 to 30°C. Yet energy losses that Arla had been unable to localise for some time occurred here as well. “Te benefits of the FlexFlow sensor caught our attention as soon as we
46
www.engineerlive.com
heard about them. Tis sounded exactly like what we had been looking for,” says Abrahamsson. Baumer has been collaborating with Arla Foods for many years, reports Martin Leupold, product manager for process sensors at Baumer.
NEW CONNECTION CREATED Te cooperation has seen the development of a new process connection for milk production called Baumer Hygienic Connection, and this has effectively optimised the cleaning times. Te temperature sensors from the CombiSeries product range were also created under the close collaboration between Arla and the Baumer Development Centre in Aarhus in Denmark. “Tis close collaboration is allowing us to get to know our customers´ pain points,” explains Leupold. “And we can use that knowledge to develop or suggest products that actually optimise their processes in a sustainable manner.” To solve the problem of monitoring energy consumption, the choice fell to the FlexFlow sensor because it could easily be integrated into the existing plant and is able to measure both flow and temperature.
Te simple installation of the sensor
is down to the symmetrical and centred design with one sensor element ahead of the sensor tip, which allows the sensor to be optimally installed in the process regardless of installation position and orientation. “We want our portfolio to make commissioning as easy as it can be for our customers,” says Leupold. “Tis allows them to spend their precious time on what actually needs to be done.” Te flow sensor has a robust stainless-steel housing that accommodates all the electronics, so there´s no need for complex wiring or control cabinet installation. It also meets the requirements for
protection class IP 68 (Baumer proTect+), making this sensor, together with the materials used, an ideal solution for hygienic applications. A noteworthy feature is its maximum temperature range to 150°C, which also qualifies it for sterilisation-in-process (SIP) tasks.
Arla has installed 15 of the flow sensors in the cooling circuit and heating system. Te plan is to also integrate the sensors into the CIP return line to monitor and optimise the energy consumption there as well.
Arla has installed 15
FlexFlow sensors at its Falkenberg site
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
