Customised manifold helps keep spuds at their peak
A
Burkert Fluid Control Systems product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
May 25, 2004
International Controlled Atmosphere has specified Burkert components for its latest innovation - a treatment that uses naturally occurring chemicals to maintain food quality during storage.
International Controlled Atmosphere (ICA) designs and builds high quality storage solutions for fruit and vegetables and, as the UK market leader, claims that 80 to 90% of the country's apples are stored using its equipment.
ICA's own Instrumentation Division designs and manufactures the measurement and control equipment needed to maintain ideal storage conditions, including sophisticated automatic gas measuring systems.
The instrumentation designed by ICA uses Burkert valves throughout.
As a long-term customer for Burkert Fluid Control Systems, Technical Director David Bishop says ICA also had no hesitation in specifying Burkert components for its latest innovation - a treatment that uses naturally occurring chemicals to maintain quality during storage.
He explains: "Because consumers are increasingly concerned with the chemical sprays used to preserve produce, ICA and Greenvale, the UK's leading potato packing company, have been working together to find an environmentally acceptable way to maintain potato quality".
"This has resulted in the development of a new machine (with patents pending) that safely and economically converts a liquid fuel into ethylene".
Burkert's contribution to the new machine includes the design of a specially customised manifold that houses two Burkert miniature valves and ICA's integrated electronics package.
The valves feature a unique rocker mechanism that is designed to operate an isolating diaphragm and separate the actuator and coil from the fluid.
This eliminates cross-contamination and enables the control of critical fluids.
The electronics package, in conjunction with the Burkert valve manifold, regulates and controls the production and dosing of ethylene to create an ideal storage environment.
A sensor measures the atmosphere in each store and signals the manifold to determine the rate at which gas needs to be produced and dosed.
It also measures fuel usage, enabling Greenvale to maintain an accurate record of consumption.
One machine is used to create the atmosphere in each potato store.
Currently, there are over 30 machines in stores each holding between 1 and 2kt of potatoes.
The two companies have formed a joint company, Restrain Company, to market this system and confidently expect that within two or three years a significant quantity of UK produced potatoes will be maintained in peak condition by this new method.
Summing up Burkert's input, David Bishop says the combination of product quality, reliability and engineering support is unrivalled.
"Most of the world's solenoid valve manufacturers have tried to sell their equipment to ICA, but none has been able to compete with Burkert", he says.
Not what you're looking for? Search the site.
Contact Burkert Fluid Control Systems
Other Burkert Fluid Control Systems stories
-
Burkert pneumatics control tablet production
Buck Systems is using Burkert to sub-contract supply pneumatic control systems for its powder processing plant equipment used in an advanced tablet manufacturing plant in Asia. -
Burkert technology enables virtual scalpel
Burkert's CMOSens mass-flow controller technology (MFC) has enabled Plasma Surgical to develop Plasmajet, a plasma surgery system for surgical cutting and coagulation. -
Microfluidics improve low-volume liquid handling
Burkert is offering Microfluidics components that improve low-volume liquid handling where aggressive reagents and solvents are used. -
Burkert and BBS take modular systems approach
Burkert and BBS-Systems of Switzerland have formed an alliance that offers a single source for specific system solutions in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical and food market sectors. -
MXControl system features PC programming tool
Burkert Fluid Control Systems has launched the latest version of its MXControl multi-parameter controller.
Browse by category
-
Capital Equipment (3,461)
- Capital Equipment (1)
- Compressors and Air Treatment (529)
- Electrical hardware (131)
- Electronics Manufacturing, Tools, Instruments (192)
- Machinery and Production Equipment (1,115)
- Manufacturing Machinery and Plant Equipment (470)
- Production line blowers and fans (68)
- Robotics, Handling and Storage (955)
- Consultancy and Services (915)
-
Control and Instrumentation (5,091)
- Cabling, Conduit, Signal Conditioning (810)
- CNC and Motion Controllers (187)
- Control and Instrumentation (2)
- HMIs/Operator Interfaces (296)
- Logic Controllers, Timers and Relays (96)
- Mid-range and Large PLCs (202)
- Plant- and Machine-Wide Communications (1,193)
- Plantwide control (1,344)
- Power Supplies, Uninterruptible Power (571)
- Smaller-Sized PLCs (390)
-
Drives, Motors and Controls (3,414)
- Drives, Motors and Controls (2)
- Industrial Drives/Controls (1,288)
- Industrial Motors (500)
- Linear Drives and Motors (117)
- Precision Motors and Gears (425)
- Stepper and Servo Drives, Motors, Controls (1,080)
-
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Design (4,252)
- Batteries, chargers and circuit protection (572)
- Connectors, Terminals, Busbars, Slip Rings (703)
- Electrical and Electronic Components (643)
- Electrical and Electronic Equipment Design (2)
- Electrical and Electronic Subassemblies (372)
- Enclosures and Equipment Cooling Fans (715)
- Knobs, Handles and Enclosure Hardware (428)
- PCs and Embedded Systems (817)
-
Engineering Design Software (6,292)
- 2D CAD software (202)
- 3D CAD software (1,171)
- CAM, CNC, production management software (576)
- Data, document management software (319)
- Electrical design software (165)
- Engineering Design Software (15)
- FEA and structural analysis software (375)
- File conversion software, data capture (357)
- Fluid, thermal, noise, vibration software (336)
- Materials design and moulding design software (152)
- Maths, charting, statistics, QA software (324)
- PLM and collaboration software (655)
- Process, instrumentation, automation software (266)
- Publishing and documentation software (234)
- Rendering, visualisation, styling software (205)
- Simulation, modelling, validation software (940)
-
Engineering Industry News, Resources (6,184)
- Electronic Resources for Engineers (278)
- Engineering Business News, Views (388)
- Engineering Conferences (435)
- Engineering Education, Resources, Standards (848)
- Engineering Exhibitions, Events (572)
- Engineering Guides, Newsletters (363)
- Engineering Industry Developments, Awards (636)
- Engineering Industry News, Resources (4)
- Engineering Industry Reports, Surveys (597)
- Engineering Recruitment, Employment (219)
- Engineering Seminars (411)
- Engineering Training Courses (452)
- Health and Safety Consultancy, Software (179)
- Health and Safety Events, Training, News (284)
- Health and Safety Legislation (403)
- Health and Safety Strategy, Risk Assessment (115)
- Machine Building (4,594)
-
Materials and Processing (3,017)
- Materials and components (2,256)
- Materials and Processing (5)
- Materials processing and testing (291)
- Rapid Prototyping (465)
-
Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (5,596)
- Data Acquisition Hardware and PC I/O Boards (483)
- Data acquisition Software and Communications (502)
- Data loggers (424)
- Electrical and Electronic Testing, PAT Equipment (640)
- Form/co-ordinate, optical, vision instruments (752)
- Gauges, Indicators and Instruments (448)
- Materials testing equipment (427)
- Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (1)
- Telecomms/network test equipment, software etc (157)
- Testing and Calibration Services and Information (513)
- Testing, analysing and monitoring equipment (1,249)
-
Powertrain Design (3,678)
- Bearings (968)
- Chains and belts (332)
- Gears, brakes, couplings and engines (1,464)
- Hydraulic Components (473)
- Lubricants (437)
- Powertrain Design (3)
-
Sensors (7,202)
- Accelerometers and Vibration Sensors (439)
- Barcode Sensors (103)
- Flowmeters and Flow Sensors (631)
- Gas, Chemical, Radiation, Magnetic Sensors (288)
- Humidity and Environmental Sensors (155)
- Level Sensors and Leak Detectors (532)
- Linear Position Sensors (411)
- Loadcells, Force Sensors, Torque Sensors (721)
- Pressure sensors (632)
- Proximity Sensors (708)
- Rotary Position, Tilt and Angular Sensors (559)
- Sensors (10)
- Temperature sensors (616)
- Vision and Colour Sensors (1,397)
- Small Mechanical Components, Joining, Tools (2,006)
- Valves, Pumps, Process Hardware (3,676)
