Expanding the Emission to Energy (E2E) Concept With the SteamClosure Extraction System
With the inclusion of this extraction technology, Tummers is advancing the Emission to Energy (E2E) idea in collaboration with partner Solutherm.
This concept employs novel ways to convert pollutants to energy, allowing customers to develop a future-proof, sustainable, and cost-effective manufacturing process. Another step closer to the emission-free industry of the future.
“The process of drying out potato puree to make flakes produces a lot of emissions in the form of steam. Until recently, this steam was still being released into the outside world through flues, wasting energy and polluting the landscape with visible and smellable emissions. Now, however, the introduction of the E2E SteamClosure means those days are over,” according to a recent press release.
The process of making flake entails transferring puree over a hot drum dryer, which removes moisture and leaves behind a thin layer of potato. Then, this is mashed up to the required size of potato flakes. During the process, a significant amount of steam is released and needs to be removed. Due to the clever construction of the recently created and patented Tummers E2E SteamClosure, which is installed hermetically over the drum dryer, all the steam is caught in its purest form.
“Normally this steam would be extracted along with plenty of air, but here the steam is being fed into the E2E FlowCondenser and turned into water. This new concept produces water at 85-95 degrees Celsius, which can be reused elsewhere in the production process for blanching, heating, cleaning, or other purposes. This is a revolutionary process, as it is focused solely on moisture extracted from the potatoes and converted by the condenser into the water which can be used somewhere else in the process. Moreover, the E2E SteamClosure renders the flake production process entirely free of steam and odor emissions, which is a genuine breakthrough!” Jelle Nijdam from partner Solutherm explains.
Exceeding Customers’ Expectations
The factory of the future is now a step closer as a result of Tummers’ unwavering effort to develop innovation and more environmentally friendly solutions. The E2E SteamClosure has undergone extensive testing in a current production setting owned by one of Tummers’ clients, and the outcomes are significantly beyond expectations.
“You go into the testing with certain expectations, hoping that these will be met in the results. But now the tests have exceeded not only our expectations but our customers’ too, which is great. Aside from making the drying process emissions-free, the E2E SteamClosure has plenty of other additional benefits which were picked up during the tests. The fact that the E2E SteamClosure is hermetically sealed means that the flakes are being dried in a controllable environment at a constant temperature and humidity, making the drying process more stable. What’s more, the hermetic seal also ensures that there’s no longer any air in the extractor, which means we can monitor the drying process perfectly because of the windows in the housing.” R&D Engineer Dennis Rademakers mentioned.
In theory, the combination of high, constant temperature and sealed atmosphere creates a sterile room, improving the cleanliness of the manufacturing process. When the extractor is turned off, it drains almost dry. The absence of condensation in the extractor is advantageous in terms of hygiene and saves a significant amount of cleaning time.
“The steam from the Tummers E2E SteamClosure is fed into our E2E FlowCondenser, where it’s then turned into the water at 85 – 95 degrees Celsius. Using this water elsewhere in the production process, such as for blanching, is straightforward. Hence the E2E SteamClosure will save customers a sizeable amount on costs. Besides the reusable water, it eliminates the need to pump clear, conditioned air into the production facility to get the steam out through the flues.
“And so customers can expect to recoup their investment within an extremely short space of time, obviously depending on the production capacity on which they’re operating. Even more important, though, is the fact that this marks a major, important step on the road to the factory of the future, characterized by pioneering levels of sustainability and efficiency. At Tummers, we’re constantly trying to find solutions that will convert emissions into energy to enable us to make as many parts of the production process as possible emissions-free. The E2E SteamClosure is a fantastic milestone in that respect, but it doesn’t stop there. We’ve gone straight back to working hard on other interesting, sustainable innovations. Here at Tummers, we don’t like to rest on our laurels,” Sales Manager Ronald Dekker summed up.