New GEA control top generation provides explosion protection for food producers

GEA completes the T.VIS® control top series with a version for potentially explosive processes, especially suitable for the dairy and liquid processing industry.

GEA completes the T.VIS® control top series with a version for potentially explosive processes: GEA T.VIS® E-20 is of interest to the dairy industry, among others, which processes highly flammable hazardous substances in the form of milk powder and sugar dust – for example in the production of fruit preparations.

In the food, dairy, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, where powders and liquids are processed, gas and dust explosions are among the greatest production hazards. Examples of highly flammable substances include alcohols, dyes and hydrocarbons, but can also be found in everyday products such as flour, pudding powder, instant coffee, sugar, milk powder, potato and soup powder.

Ex-compliant status visualization

“Usually, fine dust is produced when solid materials are ground. When this comes into contact with oxygen, even small amounts of energy are sufficient to cause ignition,” explains Product Manager Bernd Porath, who is in charge of valve controls at GEA. Accordingly, manufacturers must protect their equipment from explosion (“Ex”) hazards. For valves controlling the flow of products at the interfaces between important process steps, it is all the more important to adapt all components and functions to the challenge of operational reliability. Every new development must pass global Ex certification. “For example, manufacturers want to identify the status of a valve at a glance. Therefore, we developed an Ex-compliant status indication. We use LEDs with limited ignition energy that glow like a star in the hood of the control top, clearly indicating the active position.”