Innopas SX from KHS gives bottlers greater flexibility in the pasteurization process

The beverage market is facing increasing levels of dynamic competition, with new flavors in new packaging formats hitting supermarket shelves at ever shorter intervals. Flexibility is thus becoming more of an issue when it comes to filling. The necessary pasteurization of filled and sealed beverage containers for longer shelf lives is a decisive factor here. The completely modular KHS Innopas SX tunnel pasteurizer for cans and glass and PET bottles fully satisfies these demands.

Dynamic adaptation to line behavior

The basic functions of the Innopas SX are initially identical to the tried-and-tested tunnel pasteurizer systems provided by KHS. The dynamic pasteurization unit or PU control system reacts variably to changes in conditions. If, for example, a fault occurs during the pasteurization process, the process temperatures are kept under control in the hot zones of the tunnel pasteurizer to ensure both maximum product safety and flavor stability. New features on the KHS Innopas SX include extended functions in the dynamic PU control system which result in greater flexibility and yield savings in energy and media. Much of this is attributable to the optional speed regulation function. The individual zone temperatures are automatically raised or lowered depending on the conveyor speed. “This allows the pasteurizer to dynamically adjust to match the line behavior within a range of 50 to 105% of the nominal capacity for most processes without making any drastic changes to the pasteurization units and maximum product temperature,” states Knut Soltau, product manager for Bottle Washers and Pasteurizers at KHS. This prevents stops and the corresponding consumption of media and at the same time has a positive impact on the behavior of the entire line.

With dynamic PU control from KHS the process temperatures are regulated within the hot zones of the tunnel pasteurizer to enable maximum product safety and flavor stability. With a new program for PU control the customer can independently adapt the pasteurization unit setpoint for a specific container type. Here, the full functionality of the PU control unit is maintained. “In this way subsequent product changes or new products can be easily made or introduced at any time,” says Soltau. “Bottlers can thus react quickly to changes on the market and product trends.”

Improved design

KHS has also made several improvements regarding the design of its Innopas SX, with maximum emphasis placed on easy operation. The tunnel pasteurizer is clearly structured and offers optimum access which chiefly simplifies the maintenance and cleaning of the system. For this reason parts of the process engineering, such as the heat exchangers and media supply, have been relocated on the machine as modules in order to further improve servicing and machine safety.

Spare part management for the KHS Innopas SX has also been optimized. The number of components the customer is required to keep in stock has been reduced while the delivery times for spare and wear parts have been shortened. As functions can also be simply retrofitted as an option, this boosts flexibility for the customer and ensures the future viability of filling lines at a low operating cost.