Cadbury upgrades piping at Marlbrook plant
28 Jan 2010
Marlbrook, UK –JACOB (UK) has supplied an extensive stainless steel modular pipework ducting system for Cadbury at Marlbook in Herefordshire. The system was designed and installed by Jex Engineering to assist in the production of chocolate crumb, which is later refined to produce Cadbury Dairy Milk products.
The Marlbrook plant produces chocolate crumb, the main ingredient in many of Cadbury’s milk chocolate products. Cocoa liquor is mixed with fresh full cream milk, which has been evaporated, condensed and sterilised before sugar is added to form a thick liquid in the chocolate crumb making plant.
The plant operates at up to 90°C and heated air is fed to the drying tower using 300mm-diameter JACOB modular ducting manufactured in stainless steel and clad with insulation material to conserve heat and protect employees from accidental contact with the hot ducting. The plant uses hot air to extract moisture from the ingredients as part of the process to produce chocolate crumb.
JACOB modular stainless steel ducting is again used on the extraction side of the plant to feed the used air through a filtration system to remove particles and remove the exhaust air via a noise attenuator to the atmosphere. The 400mm-diameter ducting has a manually adjusted throttle valve on the exit from the filter to balance the airflow across the system.
Cadbury’s Len Eades explained: “By using modular stainless steel pipework supplied by Jacob, we are able to quickly disassemble the ducting when the plant is due for cleaning or routine maintenance, saving considerable time and cost.”
The factory at Marlbrook has 11 chocolate crumb manufacturing lines which together process 180 million litres of fresh milk, 56,000 tonnes of sugar and 13,000 tonnes of coco liquor each year. The fully automated plant runs 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
On a scheduled basis, one chocolate crumb manufacturing machine is taken out of service for routine maintenance and a deep clean – a key factor in Cadbury’s selection of modular stainless steel ducting for this application.
The JACOB pipe section features a machine-lipped end, which when fitted with a specially designed “U” shaped gasket manufactured from Keltan (EPDM) and a removable connector, a 3-bar overpressure certified connection is created. The design, therefore, enhances conductivity whilst giving the added benefit of being ATEX compliant.
The thin-walled ducting sections are easily dismantled and re-connected using the Quick-Connect pull-ring system designed and manufactured by JACOB. Air movement within a JACOB pipeline is enhanced with the smooth-pressed bends, which assist airflow with the minimum of resistance. Standard accessories include inspection doors, visualisation ducts, diverters, product-control and air-control valves, all manufactured to high tolerances.
