Smart valve control sweetens fruit syrup production 16 December 2013

French fruit syrup manufacturer Teisseire, which recently saw a major investment in process equipment at its Crolles plant, is reporting improved performance, thanks to smart control technology.

A Bürkert 8681 control head has been used to change how process valves at the plant are controlled and actuated – doing away with traditional direct air connections to control cabinets and, instead, using intelligent fieldbus-connected devices.

Marc Klingler, hygienic segment manager at Bürkert, says that the new system has increased both the reliability and efficiency of the production line -- which produces 300,000—550,000 litres per day – while also helping to reduce maintenance stores inventory.

He explains that the previous valve control system was 15 years old and consisted of an assortment of control heads, some manual, some automated, but not interacting well together.

One of the problems also stemmed from the air supply, which included oil mist from the compressor and was not suitable for controlling hygienic valves – preventing any upgrade to a more modern control system.

Teisseire's production line refurbishment project included a new compressed air system, a renewed electrical supply system, as well as the new valve control system.

That was specified by the site automation and electrical maintenance manager, M. Gonin, who wanted to move to a decentralised automation approach, with the control head taking over all pneumatic actuation, feedback and diagnostic functions up to and including fieldbus communication – and linking to all control valve types.

Klingler explains that the new, decentralised system offers several advantages over the legacy system. By mounting the control heads directly onto the control valves, for example, both the length and the total number of connections are reduced, making planning, installation and maintenance much simpler, he says.

With much shorter air lines, the switching times and overall air consumption are also minimised, which improves operational reliability.

The process valve switching positions are now detected by an inductive, analogue position sensor and reported to the PLC system. Up to three switching points can be adjusted automatically by a Teach-In function. The valves are also easy to set up, using the system's ProcessTUNE function, continues Klingler.

The control head also eliminates any risk of contamination, thanks to its hygienic design, while maintenance is safe and facilitated by Bürkert's patented external magnetic activation.

"We selected the Bürkert product as the best solution to improve our production process, and the support we received from the commercial and technical teams has made the installation and commissioning of the new system very efficient," comments Gonin.

Brian Tinham

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