Deepesh Upadhyay, Asst. Vice President, Delair India Pvt. Ltd.
The food and beverage industry invariably depends on compressed air dryers as they find application at various stages of manufacturing, transportation, and packaging of food products. Pressurized air drives the various pneumatic machines required for filling cakes, pies, liquid products, etc. while powering conveyors, sorters, mixers, bottling lines, and other equipment involved in various stages of the food processing. However, the utility is not just limited to running pneumatic machines and transcends to other processes such as dehydration of food, dairy processing or agitation, meat processing, food packaging, and vacuum sealing where it comes in direct contact with food.
Elaborating on the application, the fruit and vegetable processing industry makes use of compressed air to clean the containers before filling the products. At the same time, it comes in handy for sorting the products automatically, followed by cutting and shaping food items. It also aids in freezing, canning, and dehydration of fruits and vegetables. Likewise, bakeries employ pressurized air to blow-off food debris from conveyors and equipment for cleaning purposes. Similarly, at the time of packaging in the dairy and juice industries, it supports machine forming, filling, and sealing of gable top cartons. Moreover, compressed air plays an instrumental role in PET bottle manufacturing as well, where it is required for giving the desired shape and size to the bottles. At the same time, it also drives forming, mold press powering, clamping, conveying plastic pellets, and other applications of bottle manufacturing.
Perceiving the instrumental role compressed air plays in the food & beverage industry, there are high chances of it coming into direct contact with food at different stages of production. This mandates the supply of quality compressed air that is devoid of any contamination such as moisture, oil droplets, solid particles, etc. responsible for spoilage of food. Clean, dry compressed air is crucial for ensuring food safety, which is even more important considering the flourishing food and beverage industry of the country, which makes significant growth every year.
As per the IBEF report, the country has been experiencing a massive surge in food consumption owing to rapid urbanization and changing consumption patterns. On account of this, it is estimated that the consumption could reach US$ 1.2 trillion by 2025-26, giving impetus to the food and beverage packaging industry, which is projected to clock US$ 46.3 billion market size by 2028. Looking at the expanding sector, it is essential to drive the efficiency of the food processes with zero wastage to meet the rising demand for food in the market. It lies in the hands of the industry players to avoid any wastage due to non-compliance with the safety standards of the industry.
To abide by the quality standards outlined by FSSAI and FDA, supplying dry compressed air for various processes in the food industry can go a long way in boosting the safety and hygiene standards of the sector. In addition to this, it can also preserve the palatability of the food and prolong its shelf life for a substantial period of time.
Understanding that various food products are highly hygroscopic in nature, sanitation is vital in the food industry to keep the products safe from humidity and contaminants. However, in case moisture is introduced to food via compressed air, it creates an ideal environment for microorganisms and fungi to thrive. Facilitating microbial growth, entailing moulds and pathogens, it can raise a lot of hygiene issues by triggering physical, enzymatic, microbiological, and biochemical deterioration of the product, making it unsuitable for consumption.
In the case of plastic bottle manufacturing, compressed air containing moisture can lead to clouding of PET bottles (which compromises the clarity) and cause loss of PET bottle strength. It can severely contaminate PET resin and give rise to internal bubbles and pockmarks in bottles or containers.
Additionally, the presence of moisture in compressed air can give rise to malfunctioning of pneumatic machines. Responsible for sluggish and inconsistent operation of valves and cylinders, it disrupts the smooth functioning of machines. The moisture can also cause corrosion in pipe lines, cylinders, and other components as well. The problem is further exacerbated during winters or cold weather when the moisture freezes in the machines, resisting the smooth conveyance of materials from one point to another during the various processes. This in turn can give rise to unplanned downtime of the machines, ultimately translating to huge financial expenses for the company going into unnecessary maintenance and repair of systems.
To address the issue, it is a prerequisite to eliminate moisture, dust particles, oil, and solid contaminants from compressed air. Industry players can achieve the purpose by installing high pressure Delpet refrigeration dryers, which are proficient at providing quality air solutions for removing moisture or water from the compressed air. Here, the dryers stated above come with different applications where the refrigeration dryers are used for processes requiring Best Pressure dew point of 2 °C to 3 °C following Quality Standard of ISO 8573:2010 Class 1.
The industry can benefit a lot from High pressure Delpet refrigeration dryers, which mitigate moisture by cooling the air to nearly freezing point. This is followed by reheating of cold air to approximately 10°C below the temperature of incoming compressed air at nominal conditions. The dryers consist of a refrigeration circuit and a compressed air circuit, where the air drying unit consists of a centrifugal cum demister pad condensate separator. Similarly, even the refrigeration circuit comprises a compressor, a condenser, a receiver, a volume liquid accumulator with liquid refrigerant, and an evaporator.
The heart of the system lies in the heat exchangers, consisting of air to air heat exchanger and refrigerant to air heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is the major contributor to the outperformance of dryers, where air to air heat exchanger comes to aid in reducing the load on the refrigerant system significantly. At the same time, it bodes well for warming the outgoing cold air pipelines to the required temperature. On the other hand, the refrigerant to air heat exchanger focuses on cooling the air to the required temperature by condensing the water vapour from the air, which otherwise would have drained out automatically.
Moving on to High Pressure Delpet dryers, they are specifically designed to facilitate processes involved in PET bottle manufacturing. It functions at high pressure of 40 barg and maximum up to 45 barg in some special PET Applications where the air is cooled to nearly freezing point for removing moisture. This is followed by reheating the cold dry air to approximately 10°C lower than the incoming compressed air temperature at nominal conditions.
Understanding the mechanism of these types of dryers, they come with a lot of potential to drive the exponential growth of the food industry. Coming with the ability to provide quality compressed air for various processes, it can keep spoilage of food at bay and even protect the pneumatic machinery from undergoing any damage.
