TLT-Turbo's MVR series makes inroads in the food and beverage industry
In November 2018, TLT-Turbo completed the installation of a "Medium Flow" series MVR turbofan at the Frischli plant in Rehburg-Loccum, Germany. The fan has been running at Frischli for nearly three years, providing reliable, low-noise performance without the need for fan bearing maintenance - making it an ideal use case to demonstrate TLT-Turbo's capabilities in the food and beverage industry.
TLT-Turbo and Frischli - A Partnership for Efficiency and Innovation
TLT-Turbo has been collecting fan performance data from the Frischli plant since 2018, and will continue to do so in order to produce a case study based on this data, which will show the cost savings for Frischli and list the ways in which production has benefited from the use of the TLT-Turbo MVR fan. This will support the MVR department's sales efforts by providing clear evidence of how TLT-Turbo is redefining mechanical vapor recompression in the food and beverage industry.
New MVR Generation for Medium Mass Flow Applications
"Our MVR series for medium mass flows is ideal for systems like the one at Frischli's headquarters," says Mario Schmidt, head of the Vapor Fans business segment. "The higher efficiency of these fans makes us more competitive in the small to medium mass flow market, which includes many potential customers in the dairy, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical production industries."
Tradition, quality and diversity at Frischli
Frischli, an owner-managed company, has been producing dairy products that meet the highest standards of quality, sustainability and taste for more than 120 years. At its headquarters in Rehburg-Loccum near Hanover, the company produces products such as UHT milk, milk powder and cream. The company also produces dairy drinks such as cocoa, milk powder, pudding and yoghurt, as well as a wide range of dairy products for the food service industry.
Joint focus on innovation: a long-term partnership is born
The relationship between Frischli and TLT-Turbo is likely to develop into a long-term collaboration as both companies share a common focus on driving innovation. Frischli is one of the most modern and efficient dairy plants in Germany. According to Schmidt, this is one of the reasons why they were so quick to adopt the new MVR technology of the TLT-Turbo range.
Frischli as Reference Customer: A Showcase Project for the Industry
"The fact that Frischli has agreed to become a reference customer for TLT-Turbo is clear proof that we both believe in innovation and technological progress in food production. This means that we can visit the plant with potential customers to show them the MVR fan in action," reveals Schmidt.
Low-Maintenance Technology as a Factor in Saving Time and Money
He also notes that they were impressed with the fan's features - especially in terms of maintenance. Frischli has a number of MVR fans from another supplier installed in its factory. When it came time for the annual maintenance of all the fans running in the factory, the advanced technology of the TLT-Turbo MVR range became apparent.
"As part of the annual maintenance of the other MVR fans, our technicians asked me if they should include the TLT-Turbo MVR fan in the maintenance schedule. They were very surprised to learn that this MVR fan required no maintenance. All that is required is to replace the shaft seals when they leak and to install a grease cartridge for the motor. This saves a lot of time and money," says Henrike Kaluza, project manager at Frischli.
Significant savings in maintenance and downtime
She goes on to explain the time and cost savings that can be achieved with the TLT-Turbo MVR fan. "The regular maintenance of the other two MVR fans we operate costs between 8,500 and 9,000 euros per year, or about 4,500 euros per fan. Since the bearings of the TLT-Turbo fan do not require maintenance for at least ten years, the savings over this period amount to a total of 45,000 euros per fan. Downtime is also significantly reduced. With the low maintenance required for the TLT-Turbo fan, this means a maximum of 1-2 hours of downtime, and not necessarily every year.
Oil-Free Future - Focus on Sustainability and Cleanliness
The fact that TLT-Turbo MVR fans do not require oil changes is very valuable to operators in the dairy, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. "In a clean environment, not having to release chemicals such as oil into the environment when maintaining critical equipment is very valuable. It also makes our fans more environmentally friendly. Other fans on the market use about 40 to 60 liters of oil per year, or 400 to 600 liters over 10 years, while our fans use only 60 to 120 grams of grease over a ten-year period," says Schmidt.
Reduced operating costs through higher energy efficiency Kaluza was also positive about the performance of the TLT-Turbo fan. "The efficiency of the fan is better than the model it replaced. The realized savings on the current electricity costs amount to 8,700 euros per year, and without the surcharges from our cogeneration plant, the savings would be as much as 12,000 euros per year.
Conclusion: totally convinced by the new technology
Considering these improvements and the other advantages of the machine, such as the low noise level and the fact that it is oil-free, we are very satisfied with the TLT-Turbo fan and are happy that we chose it," concludes Kaluza.