Burkert’s Decentralised AS-i Fieldbus System with Intelligent Valves Optimises Additive Production at Beverage Plant

19th January 2011
Posted By : ES Admin
Burkert’s Decentralised AS-i Fieldbus System with Intelligent Valves Optimises Additive Production at Beverage Plant
Companies operating in the competitive global market for food and beverage additives, such as concentrates and flavours, have to ensure that their production processes are not only safe and hygienic but also as efficient as possible. This has led to an increased demand for automation solutions at process level. However, the conventional approach of centralised automation of process valves cannot adequately meet the ever more stringent requirements of the industry. Intelligent process valves with integrated automation functions offer a viable and efficient alternative.
With centralised automation systems, comprising control cabinets with valve terminals, I/O systems and field bus interfaces, the valves at field level are connected to the central control unit through a large number of extended control air lines and discrete feedback connections. Apart from the high costs for the time-consuming planning and installation of such solutions, they are not entirely without problems as regards to hygiene.
A recently upgraded production plant for fruit juice concentrate, and other basic ingredients for beverages and food products, underlines the benefits of a more efficient distributed control solution. The new facility includes intelligent process valves from the fluid technology specialist, Bürkert. These valves are used by the drink manufacturer across the entire production area in a decentralised control solution with communications via an AS-interface. As part of this solution all hygienic seat valves controlling the product flow, on-off valves for the auxiliary circuits for water, steam, sterile air and cleaning are automated in a decentralised mode by means of intelligent valves. Moreover, with this decentralised system the only tasks remaining with the central process control system are control and status monitoring, resulting in major savings in overall system project costs and improved transparency in system operation.
The integration via the AS-i field bus means that the advantages of decentralised automation can be utilised to the full. All that is required for power supply, feedback and communication is a two-wire cable connecting the PLC with up to 62 valves. Each process valve is individually connected to the main compressed air supply line installed in the field, whereby these connections are kept as short as possible. This reduces the number and length of tube and cable connections, as well as the number of required control cabinets to a minimum.
An additional benefit is that the colour status indicators of the valves can be clearly seen from anywhere in the plant, further improving the transparency of the process. The status of each individual valve can thus be checked onsite, even from a distance. Moreover, as the process valves can be manually operated through the pilot valves at the control head, the operation of the machine is made even simpler.
The reliability and efficiency of the of the decentralised automation system for production and auxiliary functions at the beverage plant, has resulted in the decentralised control model being applied to new sections installed to further expand production facilities for additives. Today, the raw product intake unit, the homogenisation and pasteurisation station and the raw product distribution system are equipped with intelligent process valves from Bürkert. Angle seat and diaphragm valves control the flow of cleaning media, including acid, alkaline and water, as well as the steam and sterile air supply. All the valves are equipped with an ELEMENT clean-line control heads with integrated automation functions, and AS-interfaces for communication via field bus.
The intelligent valves units used at the drinks plant comprise a valve actuator and control head. They are manufactured according to the EHEDG guidelines for hygienic design and easy cleaning. The valve units feature the high IP protection required for the actual application and are manufactured exclusively from detergent-proof materials. The IP protection is therefore not affected by long-term use under conditions of high air humidity, or by frequent cleaning with aggressive chemicals. This is of great advantage especially to valve nodes, as there is often a problem of detergent solution or water escaping through valve leakage, resulting in frequent cleaning of the immediate area to ensure consistent plant hygiene.
A further key feature of the Burkert intelligent valves, which ensures reliable, trouble-free operation, is the provision of an integrated control air inlet to the actuator chambers. This ensures that the spring chamber of the pneumatic driver is supplied only with clean control air. Moisture, dust and contaminants in the ambient air cannot enter the actuator units and this, in turn, effectively prevents contamination of the piston seals and corrosion of the drive springs by cleaning solutions.
This design means that there is also no risk of moisture from the spring chamber entering the feedback module or the control head along the spindle extension. It also significantly prolongs the service life of the driver, and enhances the hygiene of the process. As product cannot enter the driver, both the spreading of germs and contamination of the driver by mould are effectively prevented. The risk of spores produced in the spring chamber being ejected into the ambient air at each switching process, which is a common problem with conventional valves, is thus eliminated.

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