Reference project Bahlmann veal

Industrial washing system in the meat industry

The family business "Bahlmann" has been producing premium quality veal from Germany for more than 50 years. In August 2022, the decisive step towards efficiency and sustainability was taken when a state-of-the-art 3-tank washing system with a length of 26 meters was put into operation. This innovative industrial washing system enables the cleaning of Euronorm containers in a continuous process and offers integrated functions for label removal and drying.

Industrial washing system for cleaning, label removal and drying of Euronorm containers, ID 21-64737 - Please click on pictures to enlarge

Customer requirements and tasks

The customer requirements and tasks were demanding and formed the basis for this innovative solution:

  • Cleaning and drying of E1 and E2 Euronorm containers with a capacity of 1000 containers per hour.
  • The containers are conveyed through the washing system in a single lane, initially starting crosswise in the infeed area and later running lengthwise in the outfeed zone.
  • Labels are removed from all four sides of the containers, ensuring that all adhesive residue is removed without leaving any residue.
  • Utilization of waste heat from the biogas plant via a heat exchanger.
  • Minimum consumption value of no more than 0.6 liters of water per container at full capacity.
  • Monitoring by a pressure monitor in the event of deviations from the specified pressure, including LED signal light via Siemens S7.
  • Automatic filling system by means of programmable time control, ensures that the system is prepared before work starts,
    including the automatic closing function of the tank.

Project description and special features

  • Inlet: With a length of 800 mm and a separately driven 180° conveyor belt to transport the containers laterally inclined in a transverse direction through the system. The coarse dirt is discharged here at an ergonomic conveyor height of +1100 mm.
  • Pre-washing: This pre-washing and soaking zone extends over 10800 mm and has a drum filter with a tank capacity of 1000 liters. A separate cold water inlet without heating is used to efficiently utilize the waste heat from the previous zones. The water temperature normally reaches around 40-45°C.
  • Main washing with label removal: In this zone, which is 3600 mm long, label removal takes place on the short side of the containers. The tank has a capacity of 1200 liters and is electrically heated (3x 10 kW). A stainless steel centrifugal pump with 7.5 kW and 1200 liters per minute at 2.5 bar ensures cleaning at a temperature of around 50-55°C.
  • Drive separation with turning device: In the downstream zone, the drive separation takes place from the laterally inclined to a flat modular belt, which enables the containers to be turned from transverse to longitudinal direction.
  • Rinsing with label removal: The 3600 mm long rinsing zone module guarantees maximum precision when cleaning the containers. Here, rinsing with label removal takes place on the long sides of the containers using a direct fresh water spray and an additional pump rinse. This zone has a separate drum filter tank with a capacity of 800 liters, which is supported by a powerful EDUR stainless steel centrifugal pump with 7.5 kW and a flow rate of 1200 liters per minute at 2.5 bar.

    Labels are removed from E1 and E2 containers using a stainless steel multistage centrifugal pump with an upstream pressure filter, which requires less maintenance and care than piston pumps.

As the pump technology requires a longer exposure time to dissolve the glue or label, hard metal nozzles made of stainless steel are used to create a sharp spray jet with a large droplet size. The combination of both techniques achieves a label removal rate of at least 90% on the transverse and longitudinal sides of the containers.

The rinsing temperature is constantly between 55 and 60°C, thanks to electric heating with 4 x 10 kW heating elements.
The water consumption of the rinse cycle is around 400-500 liters per hour. This is followed by thorough thermal disinfection using hot water. Here, the inlet reaches 60°C thanks to a 10 kW boiler.

What makes the washing system particularly flexible: if the application requires switching to chemical disinfection, for example with hydrogen peroxide, the boiler can easily be switched off. A 1/8" threaded connection is provided in the fresh water inlet pipe for this purpose.

  • Neutral zone: A neutral zone about 1000 mm long with integrated extraction with 1.0 kW, output at 1500 m3/h at 500 P, removes most of the vapors produced after the hot water rinse.
  • Drying zone: This zone extends over 3600 mm and is electrically heated for better drying results. Four blow-off motors, each with an output of 5 kW, ensure that the containers are blown off from all sides via stainless steel air nozzles mounted in the interior and that the water film is removed. The residual moisture is only 6 g, 180 seconds after the container has left the drying zone. The temperature of the outgoing crates is around 25-30°C.
  • Outlet zone: A short end buffer zone of 500 mm also enables transfer to the on-site conveyor system for automated crate storage.

 

Summary

The safe and efficient operation of the innovative industrial washing system requires the active involvement of the system operator. This includes regular, thorough cleaning of the filter technology and the inside of the machine as well as continuous monitoring of the condition to ensure smooth operation, especially with regard to integrated label removal.

Large quantities of dirt require large washing tanks. At the start of operation, a total of 3000 liters are filled into the tanks without the need for refilling during shift changes. This protects the pumps from air and dirt ingress and eliminates the need for defoaming agents, depending on the amount of protein introduced.

To ensure that the guaranteed bacterial count of 10 cfu/cm² is maintained, it is essential to avoid soiled containers in the vicinity of the drying module. In the second wash zone (main wash), it is also important to alternate acidic and alkaline detergents to keep bacterial counts within the required limits.

An effective drying result for the Euronorm containers requires constant heating with sufficient heating power, the use of rinse aids in the fresh water rinse zone and the use of new Euronorm containers with sufficient air exchange in the washroom to ensure that they are not permanently damp.

In case of questions on this project, we would like to advise you by telephone on +49 (0) 2354 -94 45-0, or please use our contact form.

We would also like to call you at the requested time. So you can determine the date and time. For this, just use our callback service.

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