As the dairy industry embraces technological innovation, experts highlight the importance of advanced flow control equipment in optimizing liquid addition processes, ensuring precision, and maintaining high standards of hygiene and quality throughout production.

Crystal Dinh, applications engineering manager for Blentech Corp., which supplies equipment for analog cheese production, notes typical flow control equipment in the dairy industry could be for liquid addition in dairy processing, such as flow meters for accurate addition of oils, cream, water, etc.

“The more accuracy and velocity a flow meter can have will improve the process timing and repeatability of processing operations,” she said. “Remote monitoring and preventative maintenance predictability are enabled with meters with IoT capabilities. The increasing volume of data generated by flow control systems and sensors will encourage the advancement of data analytics tools. These tools can help companies optimize production schedules, improve efficiency and potentially predict system failures.”

Bürkert USA Corporation is known for its automation and control devices, and robust portfolio of valves for utilities, such as air, water, glycol and steam, commonly used in dairy processing.

“Specifically, where valves are concerned, Burkert angle-pattern and globe valves are known for their longevity, since they commonly achieve over 5 million cycles before maintenance is required,” said Jim Larsen, food and beverage industry manager for the Huntersville, NC-based company. “Regardless of the product, accuracy, repeatability and reliability are a few of the touchstones Burkert use in the design and evolution of their portfolio. Combining these with best practices experience gained from the multitude of industries we serve affords Burkert a unique ability to stay on the cutting edge in the discipline of process control.”

Process control is critical to system efficiency and product quality, and there are a variety of components that come into play in dairy process control. From pumps and valves, to sensors, to the HMI and PLC, all play a key role.

In dairy processing, Burkert plays a key role in the area of valve control. The company’s cutting-edge portfolio of control tops and positioners provides accuracy, repeatability and reliability for not only product process valves, but the ancillary utility systems that support the process.

“Our portfolio is designed to enable the end user to utilize a common portfolio of regulating and control tops across the entire plant — from all the major OEM valves manufacturers’ sanitary single seat and mix proof valves, to Burkert’s own robust, high-longevity globe and angle-pattern utility valves,” Larsen said. “This means a plant owner can save significant cost due not only to the benefits of our technology, but in the fact the common fit, form and function enables maintenance personnel and plant operators to become familiar with a single, simple to use platform.”

In addition, the cost of spares inventory can be kept to a minimum due to the diversity of the Burkert tops, with a small number of devices being utilized widely across the plant.   

Photo: Blentech Corp.

Overcoming challenges

Dairy processors often face issues concerning flow control, particularly in terms of handling different product viscosities and maintaining hygienic conditions. That’s why within dairy production, flow meters will need to have a wide viscosity range to include higher viscosities, as well as varying temperature and flow characteristics.

“A Coriolis flowmeter is highly recommended in these applications to provide a direct mass flow measurement,” Dinh said. “Newer meters have a compact design with self-draining capability to handle fast product changeover. Stainless steel construction and surface finish is also a consideration within these facilities, with T-316SS and higher finishes are preferred.”

Chris Sinutko, vice president of product management and engineering for Waukesha Cherry-Burrell, an SPX FLOW brand, noted flow control equipment commonly used in dairy processing includes valves (such as single seat, mixproof and process control valves), centrifugal pumps, positive displacement pumps (including rotary lobe and twin screw pumps), homogenizers and heat exchangers.

“These components help maintain production and cleaning operating parameters such as flow rate, velocity, temperature and pressure, which are critical for product consistency and compliance with hygienic food safety regulations, like the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO), at dairy facilities,” he said.

Sinutko added that the pumps and valves of a processing system should be application specific. For example, if you are dealing with a highly viscous yet fragile product, like yogurt, then the right pump and valves for minimizing damage with low shear must be selected to maintain texture and body.

“Pumps with low slippage help prevent separation, which may be required for high-viscosity products,” Sinutko said. “For valves, precise operation with advanced control units helps ensure exact control of ingredients within the mixture to create the desired final product.”

Technological innovation in flow control equipment allows dairy processors to be more efficient with their operations, reduce downtime, optimize costs and produce higher quality, more consistent products.

“Automated flow control equipment, such as valves with control tops and sensors, minimizes the need for manual intervention and allows operators to run a whole facility from a centralized control room,” Sinutko said. “This can make the system more precise and safer to operate overall.”

Smart sensors also provide real-time monitoring to alert operators when conditions are problematic or on the verge of failure, he said. These can also provide detailed data points, such as the number of cycles, air pressure and maintenance intervals, to aid decision-making.

It’s vital that processors enact regular maintenance and calibration of flow control equipment to ensure optimal performance and compliance with food safety standards.

“The accuracy of flow control equipment is highly dependent on regular maintenance and calibration,” Dinh said. “It is recommended to calibrate at least annually, and more frequently based on use. Temperature probes used in thermal processing validation are recommended to be calibrated daily, as this would be a food safety issue.”

Advanced systems

A rise of smart technology, such as IoT and data analytics, is becoming more prevalent in flow control systems to enhance operational efficiency and real-time monitoring.

For instance, Blentech integrated flowmeters use smart tech in its recipe management to control various ingredient additions and prompt the operator to confirm and proceed to the next step.

The Krohne Group, a German company that offers flow measurement tools for the dairy industry, is enhancing efforts to improve the efficiency and quality of its production processes. By implementing advanced flow measurement systems, the company aims to reduce waste, improve product consistency and increase overall productivity.

It recently worked with a leading dairy food manufacturer to upgrade its French production facility with advanced flow measurement systems to improve the efficiency and quality of its soft fresh cheese, cream and stirred yogurt production.

The company successfully integrated 20 Coriolis mass flowmeters and 150 electromagnetic flowmeters throughout its facility to enhance measurement accuracy and streamline production processes. The OPTIMASS 1300 and OPTIMASS 7300 Coriolis flowmeters are deployed for precise mass flow measurement of cream and skimmed milk during the separation process, as well as for the reintroduction of milk fat to skimmed milk. Meanwhile, the OPTIFLUX 6100 electromagnetic flowmeter is utilized for measuring the volumetric flow of various ingredients such as sugar, jam and fruit sauces added to yogurt, in addition to overseeing the flow of freshwater and cleaning agents in the flushing circuit.

“The implementation of these advanced flow measurement systems is a significant step forward for its operations,” a company spokesperson said. “The accuracy and versatility of the Coriolis and electromagnetic flowmeters allow the [dairy company] to maintain high standards of hygiene and quality control while efficiently managing the flow of varying ingredients.”

The devices are also designed for easy cleaning and are compatible with clean-in-place (CIP) processes, which are essential for maintaining high levels of hygiene and quality control in the dairy industry.

Sustainable mindset

Dairy processors must also consider how to minimize waste and energy consumption when choosing flow control equipment.

“Flow meters with a high degree of accuracy will be able to minimize any ingredient waste,” Dinh said. “Equipment that is able to control the flow instantaneously will be able to prevent any potential overdosing and losing a larger batch.”

Responsiveness (speed), repeatability and overall accuracy are arguably the most important aspects of flow control. The tighter these are, the tighter the control, leading to higher system efficiency and a more sustainable operation.

“These are a few of the touchstones Burkert use in the design and evolution of its portfolio,” Larsen said.

Future outlook

There are a lot of advancements expected in flow control technology in the years ahead, according to industry insiders.

“Flow control technology integrated with load cells and recipe management to be able to track production would be in the near future in the food processing industry,” Dinh said. “Automation can also be implemented in other areas with various smart sensors, such as temperature, pressure, viscosity, Brix, etc. This would be able to reduce human error and improve precision. Real-time changes can also be implemented based on process parameters that are measured to maintain better control and consistency while adapting to changes in pressure, temperature and flow rate.”

As dairy processors continue to strive for maximized product quality and seek to extract more from each measured unit of raw material, the demand on the systems used to produce these products is ever increasing.