Advanced Material Handling and Process Control Optimize Dairy Powder Production

In dairy plants with large annual output, twin-tower spray-drying lines are a common configuration, with design throughput typically exceeding 6 t/h. The key process challenge is moving dried agglomerated powder to buffer silos efficiently and without compromising its physical characteristics.

The AZO®MULTIAIR dense-phase conveying system plays a central role at this stage. By using serially connected pressure vessels to achieve continuous conveying over distances of up to 60 m, the system operates at low speed and low impact. From an engineering-data perspective, dense-phase conveying helps prevent powder breakage and demixing, which is critical for maintaining the agglomerated structure of milk powder.

Quality control in production centers on two priorities: preventing oxidation and meeting hygiene-compliance requirements.

To extend the shelf life of milk powder, the BIG BAG filling system incorporates nitrogen replacement. The system monitors oxygen content and triggers filling only when nitrogen flushing has reduced oxygen concentration below a set threshold. This automated control, based on real-time data feedback, supports batch-to-batch consistency during packaging.

Equipment surfaces use the ViwateQ process. From a maintenance-cost perspective, the treatment provides a very smooth surface that significantly reduces residue adhesion. During wet cleaning in particular, it can shorten downtime for maintenance and improve equipment utilization.

The AZO process control and instrumentation system is central to digital management across the line. Through this system, plants can achieve:

• Full-process documentation: material flow and status can be checked for each batch.
• Tracking and tracing: when quality fluctuations occur, parameters in production stages can be located quickly.