EHRMANN SE
Modernisation of the process
pneumatics
Valve islands in the HD control cabinet for sterile tank farms

We make ideas flow.

Best Practice2

Decentralised automation
systems in hygienic design
COOPERATION WITH EHRMANN

Quelle:Process and procedural systems in the food and beverage industries areusually designed for a long operating life. At some point, however, they
too can on in years. And when maintenance maintenance intervals get
shorter and shorter and spare parts and spare parts get harder to obtain,modernisation measures are inevitable. But these measures can be used to
improve overall system structure and that ups productivity. Compact valve
islands as decentralised automation systems for controlling pneumatics area practical solution. With ready-to-connect compact systems in hygienic
stainless steel control cabinets, even complex systems can be restructured
without causing long downtimes.

Quelle: Wystrach GmbHBest Practice3

Did you know?
Since the pneumatic cabinets are small and the external
parts are made of durable stainless steel, the HD
automation system* is ideally suited for use close to
the actuators and sensors in the middle of the hygienesensitive process environment of the sterile tank farm.

A dairy with tradition
Ehrmann SE can look back on a long tradition as one ofClearly arranged and without long lines: decentralised instead of centralised

the leading dairies in Germany. In 1920, dairy master Alois

However, the framework conditions for the renovation

Ehrmann sen. founded his dairy as a one-man operation.

and restructuring of the extensive process pneumatics

Since then, the company has has continued to develop

were not easy. The production process only allowed

and and now boasts a diverse, high-quality etc a diverse,

short downtimes and the space available at the sterile

high-quality product range both nationally and interna-tank system was anything but generous. However, thetionally. To ensure that it stays that way in the future, thecomplex task was mastered thanks to the close coop-

dairy invests in the development of new products and ineration. The pneumatic functions were analysed, thenthe modernisation and optimisation of production facilities.

spatially assigned to the corresponding system parts

For its 100th anniversary in 2020, the renovation of theand combined in such a way that they could be accom-process pneumatics in a sterile tank farm at the Ober-modated in eight decentralised units on the system. For

schönegg location was on the agenda.

the decentralised pneumatic control units, the modular

The system, which takes over the product feed for fiveproduction lines, was showing its age. There were frequent malfunctions.
In the course of the renovation, therefore, not only werecomponents to be replaced and renewed, but the system
structure also had to be optimised. All with the aim of increasing productivity and, if the worst came to the worst,
simplifying troubleshooting. Decentralised pneumatic
control cabinets near the process valves were to replace
the large, central control cabinet.

valve islands with up to 48 valve functions each with theAirLINE-Quick adaptation were installed and prewired
in hygienic control cabinets (Type 8614). Other optional
assemblies, e.g. filter regulator, pressure monitoring orpower supply unit, completed the cabinets. An empty
field was also provided for Ehrmann, where additional
components could be accommodated.
“We particularly appreciate the fact that Bürkert is always
ready to listen to special requests when working with us”,says Reinhard Huber.

Best Practice4“Troubleshooting was often difficult because thepneumatic control of the or so 400 process valves
was housed in a central control cabinet. Tracking
the long cable routes and locating the sources oferror demanded a lot from our maintenance staff”.
Reinhard Huber, Team Leader, Electrical Engineering

The dimensions of the pneumatic cabinets are relatively
small and all external parts are made of durable stainlesssteel. This means that the ready-to-connect, tested andcertified HD automation system is ideally suited for use
close to the actuators and sensors in the middle of thehygiene-sensitive process environment of the sterile tankfarm. This significantly reduces the effort required fortubing, because the distances to the actuators are much
shorter than before.
„Our maintenance staff is also happy about the clarity ofthe decentralised structure“ says Reinhard Huber.

Source: Ehrmann SE
Reinhard Huber, Team Leader, Electrical Engineering:

Best Practice5Compact and diagnosis-friendly pneumaticcabinets

Quick start-up: Conversion Two-stepAll important information about the process, such asversion. So keeping it as short as possible was a priority.

current switching states of pilot and process valves or

The high-pressure control cabinets with the valve islands

the detection of cable breaks, is available for the user

were delivered ready for connection and only the com-

directly on site on the valve islands’ display. This data ispressed air, power supply and bus system had to bealso forwarded to the system control via PROFINET. The

connected on site.

valve islands are equipped with all common pneumaticprocess safety features as a standard. For example,
check valves in the ventilation duct prevent valves being
unintentionally enabled by pressure peaks in the ventilation duct. This ensures a high level of process reliability.
Thanks to the hotswap function, valves can be changed
while the system is running under pressure and whenvoltage is applied. This means that there is no production
downtime here either.

Production downtime was a key issue during the con-

But that also takes time and manpower. In order to keep
downtimes as short as possible, the sterile tank farm wasconverted in two steps. First, four decentralised control
cabinets were installed, while some of the functions
could continue to run via the old pneumatic controller.
After startup and successful testing of the first four valve
islands, it was the turn of the other four control cabinets.
“Our technicians completed the conversion quickly. We
lost less than three days in production capacity”, explains
Reinhard Huber At Ehrmann, the technical staff carriedout the retrofitting themselves. In the sterile tank farm,
there wasn’t enough room for additional technicians dueto the limited space available. If required, the Bürkert
service team can also support the user in this start-up
phase.

Valve island type 8652 AirLINE with up to 48 valve functions each.

Take advantage
of a diagnosis-friendly and low-maintenance solution:

Fast start-up:

Custom solution:

Thanks to the ready-to-connect com-

Special solutions, such as an empty

pact system, plant restructuring canfield for additional components, ensure

be implemented without long down-

the necessary flexibility.

times.

Reduced maintenance costs:

Seamless monitoring:

The hot-swap function avoids pro-

A quick overview of the system functi-

duction downtime, because individ-on thanks to forwarding of the process

ual valves can be changed while thedata via PROFINET to the valve island

system is running under pressure anddisplay and the system control.

when voltage is applied.

7“Working closely with Burkert, modernising the complex
process pneumatics went quickly and smoothly.”
Reinhard Huber, team leader for electrical engineering at Ehrmann

You can find out more about this project at:
www.buerkert.com

Bürkert Fluid Control Systems
Christian-Bürkert-Straße 13–1774653 Ingelfingen
Germany
Phone +49 7940 100
info@buerkert.dewww.buerkert.com

We make ideas flow.