Energy efficient production - Seydelmann eco+ model series
Energy costs are playing an increasingly important role in product costing and with rapidly rising costs, profit margins are melting away at the same pace. It is time to put production equipment and production processes to the test in order to identify and exploit savings potential. This way, the enormous price increases can be absorbed and a pass-on to the end consumer - with the risk of shrinking sales - can be avoided.
In addition, the issue of sustainability and thus also energy consumption in production is increasingly coming into the focus of consumers and financing providers. The introduction of an energy management system (EMS), including appropriate certification, pays off on many levels. It enhances the image and thus contributes to a better starting position in terms of sales, labor market and financing.
The new Seydelmann eco+ model series was developed with the inclusion of all consumption-relevant areas.
Frequency-controlled drives
Modernization of production machines offers enormous savings potential, especially if outdated versions of drives are still installed there.
By using modern energy-efficient motors and frequency converters, energy savings of up to 40 percent can be achieved while improving the quality of the end product. These result from lower connected loads and the avoidance of current peaks when starting or switching the speeds.
An additional positive effect of the frequency-controlled drives is variable speed adjustment and thus precisely coordinated cutting speeds for perfect product quality.
Optimum motor power
Depending on the use of the machine, i.e. depending on the product portfolio, adapted motors with correspondingly reduced power can also be installed. This further reduces the energy consumption and thus also the power consumption.
The cutting area, cutter knives and their recommended use and bowl geometry are optimized for low energy consumption.
Waste heat
In simple terms, electrically driven motors convert electricity into motion and heat. Although the efficiency of the electric motors used is up to 98 percent, the remaining two percent also leads to heating of the production rooms and higher energy consumption of the cooling systems. For example, a 100kW motor with this maximum efficiency still emits two kilowatts of heat energy, against which the air-conditioning technology then has to work. The remedy here is to discharge the warm exhaust air to the outside or to use water-cooled motors.
Heat exchangers allow the dissipated engine heat to be used for other production areas or processes where heat is required.
Production technology
Technological process changes are always subject to case-by-case consideration, but offer enormous savings potential. For example, energy savings of up to 50% can be achieved by using a cutting drum instead of classic cutting set parts in the grinder.
The cutting drum ensures efficient separation of hard parts and foreign bodies such as plastic particles or foil residues. Compared to conventional cutting sets, the system, which consists of a perforated drum and an extended working screw, enables a higher throughput and thus hourly output with lower temperature input. In addition to the existing E 130 and G 160 sizes, it is now also available in the U 200 outlet size. The system operates without contact and therefore without metal abrasion. The service life is significantly longer than that of soft separators or the usual grinding sets.
Another way of exploiting savings potential is to optimize entire production processes by specifically adapting machine combinations. For example, it can make sense to produce boiled sausage with a combination of cutter and Konti-Kutter in order to reduce machine running times and thus energy consumption by up to 45% - while maintaining product quality, of course.
Recipe control
Automatic machine controls, such as the Auto-Command series, allow an automated production sequence with preset consumption- and product-optimized speed and running time. This not only ensures consistent product quality, but also helps to further reduce energy consumption.
The Auto-Command also records all relevant data, such as power consumption and energy consumption, thus supporting the energy management system and helping to identify and optimize energy-intensive processes and products.
Process media
At first glance, process media - except for superheated steam for cooking processes - do not play a major role in energy consumption, but they do when considering the energy balance, sustainability and on the financial side.
Cooling gases are very energy-intensive to produce and costly to purchase. The supply bottlenecks of recent times have not only driven up costs, but have also clearly shown that optimal economical use makes sense. By intelligently linking temperature measurement directly in the product and in the exhaust system with the measured power consumption of the machine, the quantity used and the application time can be optimally matched to each other - i.e. maximum cooling with minimum gas use. In Mixers and Mixer-Grinders, the amount of gas required can be reduced even further by means of nozzles embedded in the bottom of the hopper, compared with gassing from above.
In most production plants, water is not a significant cost factor, but it must be included in an overall consideration of the energy balance, since on the one hand the pure provision of water consumes energy, and on the other hand the generation of hot water is also a factor. In addition to the water used directly for the manufacture of products, particular attention must be paid to the cleaning of machines, equipment and production rooms. A well thought-out hygienic design, such as closed machine bodies, embedded covers with hygienic closures, sloping polished stainless steel surfaces, optimum accessibility to all relevant areas and the avoidance of dead spaces - to name just a few examples - reduce the consumption of water and cleaning agents enormously and thus, in addition to saving energy, also contribute to reducing the burden on the environment and improving sustainability.
Consulting
There is not one solution which is suitable for every customer. Therefore, it is important to take a close look at each situation.
In response to the current energy crisis and the associated exploding energy costs, Maschinenfabrik Seydelmann KG offers all customers and interested parties an individual consultation on energy saving for existing or planned Seydelmann machines.
The machines used and the entire production process are examined in order to identify measures that can be implemented in the short, medium and long term.