A Beko compressed air system solution is producing processed compressed air for a leading chocolate manufacturer that has a 'taste guarantee' in accordance with the EU hygiene requirements
A family-owned business now in the third generation, the German chocolate manufacturer Alfred Ritter has kept its own recipe for success a secret for almost 100 years. And its chocolate range, Ritter Sport, is now sold in about 90 countries.
Recent ptimisation of the production processes at Ritter required an improvement in compressed air quality. The problem was clearly defined: compressed air for the pneumatic handling of cereals, cocoa powder and other primary matters in the production of chocolate had to be in accordance with the strict requirements of the HACCP concept, a preventive system which ensures the safety of food for consumers.
Developed in 1959 in the USA for NASA, under German law, HACCP became a constituent part of the Food Hygiene Ordinance in 1998. In the EU, it came into effect in 2006, together with the new hygiene regulations package.
The safest way to prevent clumping in the conveyor pipes, and microbial growth in the product is compressed air, which is processed to a pressure dew point of -40°C. Therefore, an adsorption dryer was the central component of the system.
Aligned system components
BEKO processing and system experts convinced Ritter with a system solution of fully aligned products, the central module being a heat-regenerated adsorption dryer of the EVERDRY FRA-V 3400 C type. To function, the FRA-V series require no compressed air, either for the desorption process nor for subsequent cooling of the heated desiccant (zero purge). Consequently, 100 per cent of the compressed-air volume flow at the inlet of the system is available for the application.
Aligned system components form a clear compact unit: a CLEARPOINT pre-filter with a BEKOMAT 14 condensate drain; a heat-regenerated adsorption dryer of the EVER-DRY FRA-V 3400 C type; a water-cooled heat exchanger for the pre-reduction of the compressed-air temperature; an EVERSORP EC 2600 oil vapour adsorber to ensure the required freedom from oil contamination; and a CLEARPOINT after-filter for the separation of particles. Finally, sterile filtration is provided prior to introduction into the compressed air system.
Permanent monitoring of the residual oil content in the compressed air is implemented with measurement technology made by BEKO.
