Harvesting energy efficiency in the Canadian agriculture processing industry

The Canadian agriculture industry is innovative, and resilient while supporting our economy in ways we can’t ignore. Recent statistics reveal our nation’s entire agriculture and agri-food system generates $143.8 billion of Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP), with food and beverage processors contributing $33.7 billion to it.

This means there’s a lot of pressure on Canadian agriculture processing plants to stay busy and stay functional. Unplanned downtime of your plant’s plate heat exchangers could significantly reduce your production schedule.

Recently we conducted a survey of agricultural processing plants and heard from those working in this sector about the usage, service and maintenance of their plate heat exchangers. Continue reading to learn more about what we learned from those working in your industry, and how you can benchmark your own plant’s practices.

Who Did We Survey?

First, let’s set the stage. Our survey encompassed a diverse range of respondents from different roles within agriculture processing plants across Canada. The majority (almost 40%) are in Ontario, followed by Quebec (25%), Alberta (14%) and Manitoba (11%). British Columbia and Saskatchewan were each fewer than 10% of respondents.

In terms of job title, most of the people who responded held the title of Maintenance Manager (21%) or Plant General Manager (21%), which tells us that they are directly involved with the day-to-day operations and management of the plant.

To Heat or Not to Heat

How many agricultural processing plants are using plate heat exchangers? A lot, it turns out. 71% of our respondents confirmed they used plate heat exchangers, underscoring the pivotal role these systems play in supporting essential operations within the agricultural processing domain. In terms of specific usage, 45% use them for heat recovery, 40% use them for heating and only 15% use them for cooling.

Overall, in the agriculture processing sector, heat exchangers are extremely useful for a variety of applications, including:

• Heating and Cooling: Facilitating precise temperature control, ensuring optimal conditions for production.
• Concentration and Evaporation: Supports the concentration of liquids and evaporation of excess water, enhancing product quality.
• Waste Heat Recovery: Capturing and repurposing heat generated during processing for energy-efficient operations.

Servicing Practices: A Breakdown

We then explored how agricultural processing plants are servicing their plate heat exchangers, and whether they followed specific schedules and methods. Here’s what they told us:

Maintenance Practices:

• 95% adhere to specific cleaning and maintenance schedules
• 55% of respondents clean or service every 1-4 years
• 30% follow an annual schedule

Factors Influencing Cleaning Frequency:

• 65% cited operating hours as a primary influencer
• 55% take cost considerations into account
• 45% follow regulatory requirements
• 40% said performance changes drive cleaning
• 40% follow the manufacturer’s recommended schedule
• 25% said it depends on the types of fluid processed

Cleaning Methods:

• 85% utilize high-pressure water jetting
• 60% opt for mechanical cleaning/brushing
• 55% utilize chemical cleaning

Cleaning Providers:

• 40% use a repair company
• 45% rely on the manufacturer
• 15% use a distributor

Performance Measurement Practices:

• 65% use continuous data logging to measure performance
• 35% measure performance randomly

How Our Solutions Benefit Your Plant

Alfa Laval's solutions, including plate heat exchangers, offer reliability, low operating costs, and superior performance in agriculture processing plants. We offer a wide range of offerings tailored specifically for your sector, including (but not limited to):

1. Seed oil processing

Alfa Laval’s canola and rapeseed processing systems use thermal energy to reduce operating costs and improve the environmental profile of any seed oil operation by decreasing direct emissions and indirect CO2-equivalents.

2. Bioethanol production

Alfa Laval’s heat transfer technology boosts efficiency and provides a rapid ROI by maximizing yield, uptime, and product quality while decreasing overall energy consumption.

3. Potato Starch Production
Whether for fruit water removal, starch extraction or washing, fibre dewatering or protein precipitation and recovery, our washing systems, separators and centrifuges, strainers and degritting systems are reliable and efficient.

4. Sugar refining
We offer advanced solutions for heating sugar liquids, heating and cooling syrups, molasses and other liquids with high viscosity. Standard Alfa Laval plate heat exchangers can be used to heat all types of sugar liquids.

5. Wheat Starch Production
Our processes and products for wheat starch production offer low water and energy consumption, easy control and high yield. Our equipment boosts performance and minimizes operating costs without compromising on quality or reliability.

Optimize Your Plant’s Performance with Alfa Laval

Partnering with Alfa Laval can enhance your heat exchanger functionality and reduce downtime, as well as help improve your plant's overall operational efficiency.

Our holistic approach encompasses solutions tailored to the agriculture processing sector, comprehensive efficiency audits, hands-on training sessions focusing on optimal usage and maintenance practices, and seamless provision of high-quality replacement parts or upgrades when needed.