India’s largest skim milk powder and milk whitener plant is located in Gandhinagar. It is operated by Amul and extends over
26,000 m2 and eight floors. (image: GEA)
to evaluate the technology, production processes,
building concepts and plant engineering,”
Golani notes.
“In addition, we had series of interactions
with the project managers at AmulFed
on selection of suitable technology, superior
features with respect to energy efficiency,
productivity, sustainability, plant and
product safety, eco-friendliness, hygiene,
zoning concepts and product quality, so
that everybody was able to evaluate every
aspect, and efficacy of the new plant at par
with global standards,” Golani, says. Amul
evaluated bids from multiple competing
suppliers, and in 2016 GEA won the tender.
GEA was responsible for the complete
turnkey project, end-to-end, from milk processing
to powder packing and including
auxiliary systems, electricals, utilities, piping
and automation.
Production 24/7 and
completion in record time
Hygienic design principles and advanced,
integrated processing solutions ensure
sustainable and future-proof milk powder
processing at the AmulFed plant. Built to
operate 24/7, the 150 TPD processing and
packaging line can handle the highest volumes
of milk arriving from dairy farmers
throughout the region during the ‘flush’
season, when milk production is at its
maximum. The highest capacity and quality
manufacturing at AmulFed means that milk
at peak loads is processed and converted
into valued-added products, including
skimmed milk powder, dairy whitener, and
whole milk powder.
The AmulFed project had to be completed
in record time, and within the very tight
timescale. Stakeholders from Amul and
specialist GEA teams from key technology
centers around the world worked closely
together to align multiple workforces, complete
the civil works, plant construction, installation
and configuration, including utilities
and ducting, to match existing space
and layout.
“The biggest achievement is that we
could complete this whole project within
20 months. Our flush had started and we
needed capacity and we are thankful to
GEA that they completed this project on
time," explains Dr. Rupinder Singh Sodhi,
Managing Director, Gujarat Cooperative
Milk Marketing Federation, Amul.
The process step-by-step
The end-to-end solution includes GEA’s energy
efficient separators with integrated direct
drive, bacteria removing clarifiers, high
pressure homogenizers and hygienic valves
for the liquid milk processing as well as the
largest GEA MVR evaporators delivered to
India to date. These evaporators require
typically 30% less space than conventional
systems, and help to cut energy use and
costs, and reduce CO2 emissions. Three sets
of reverse osmosis polisher units treat condensate
from the evaporation plant and reuse
the water, which makes AmulFed nearly
a zero-water plant. “Impressively, one hundred
percent of evaporated water is condensed
and reused in the dairy plant,” comments
Dr. Singh Sodhi.
After evaporation, the milk concentrate
is transferred via small buffer tanks to the
spray dryers. The supplied multistage GEA
MSD Spray Dryer is the largest Spray Dryer
at the AmulFed plant. The MSD Spray Dryer
is equipped with a dual feed system to allow
24/7 operation and features a GEA developed
DDD Air Disperser with adjustable
nozzles for precisely defined agglomeration
and better bulk density control of the milk
powders. Drying in the MSD spray drying
plant is carried out in three stages, resulting
into higher energy efficiency. After the first
stage of drying the milk product is transferred
to the integrated fluid bed at the
bottom of the drying chamber for the second
stage of drying, and then to the VIBROFLUIDIZER
for the last stage of drying and
cooling. The resulting powder is then sifted
through GEA’s high sanitary vibratory sifter.
The MSD spray dryer plant is equipped with
hygienic air insulation panels that can be
removed periodically to allow for inspection
of any fine cracks in the chamber wall.
The chamber door with inflatable gasket
ensures zero leakage during CIP. The system
features GEA’s smart SPRAYEYE visual
camera system, which gives operators a
better oversight and ultimately control of
the atomization and agglomeration pro-
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