Boilers for the food and beverage industry
TIPO Kotlogradnja boilers supply process steam and process heat for cooking, pasteurisation, sterilisation, drying and washing in the food and beverage industry.
Each boiler is designed and manufactured to the required capacity, process requirements, fuel type and operating conditions of the plant.
Where steam and hot water are used in food and beverage production
Heat is a basic utility in food and beverage plants. Steam and hot water serve cooking and blanching, pasteurisation and sterilisation, evaporation, mashing and wort boiling in breweries, distillation, cleaning of lines and vessels, and the heating of rooms and process water. Steam suits many of these duties because it releases heat at a controlled, uniform level and can be distributed and metered across a site. Hot water covers lower-temperature duties such as mashing liquor and washing, while thermal oil is chosen where high, stable temperatures are needed without high pressure, for example in baking, frying or drying.
Demand is seldom constant. Brewhouses and batch cookers create sharp peaks, and seasonal plants may run in campaigns with long idle periods in between. In a sugar factory, for example, steam is typically raised at higher pressure, passed through turbines to generate electricity, and the lower-pressure exhaust steam is then used in the process. Such patterns decide whether [[steam-boilers]] alone are sufficient or whether the boiler house should be designed around cogeneration, storage or several units.
Steam purity, hygiene and regulation
The first question for the boiler is whether steam touches the product. Steam that is injected into food, or that contacts food surfaces, is treated as culinary steam, and in the EU Regulation (EC) 852/2004 requires that steam in direct contact with food does not contain substances that are hazardous or likely to contaminate it. Treatment chemicals that carry over from the boiler, such as volatile corrosion inhibitors, may be unsuitable, and dairy plants often permit only non-volatile treatments. Guidance therefore expects potable feedwater, control of foaming, priming and carryover, regular blowdown and periodic testing of condensate. The steam system should be part of the HACCP plan.
The boiler itself is pressure equipment and follows the same design codes as in other industries. TIPO Kotlogradnja designs and manufactures boilers to EN 12952 and EN 12953, as well as EN 13445, EN 13480, ASME BPVC and AD 2000, in line with the investor's requirements and project documentation; which regulatory framework applies depends on the country of installation and should be stated at the outset. In the EU, BAT conclusions for the food, drink and milk industries were adopted in 2019 (Decision (EU) 2019/2031).
- Define which consumers take culinary steam and which take plant steam
- Check that water treatment chemicals are acceptable for food contact in the country of use
- Provide sampling points for condensate and a record of chemical dosing
- Where chemical-free steam is required, consider a separate clean-steam generator fed with pre-treated water
Fuel, energy and decarbonisation
Natural gas is still the main heat source in the sector, and much of the demand is at comparatively low temperature, which is why electrification with industrial heat pumps and [[electric-boilers]] is widely discussed as a route to decarbonisation. Where electricity is not the answer, or heat must be raised at a higher level, fuel flexibility matters: [[biomass-boilers]] are an option where suitable residues or wood fuels are available, as bagasse is in sugar production. Where hot exhaust streams exist in the process, [[waste-heat-recovery-boilers]] can raise steam from them.
Before changing the heat source, reduce what has to be generated: condense and reuse wort vapour in breweries, integrate heat in distilleries, return condensate, and use flue-gas heat to preheat combustion air or feedwater. Returned condensate lowers energy use, salt content and the need for water pretreatment and blowdown.
What the investor should define before selecting a boiler
A boiler is selected from the real steam or hot water demand over time, not from a single peak figure. The following should be settled early, together with the manufacturer, as outlined in [[how-to-choose-an-industrial-boiler]] and together with [[water-treatment]]:
- Consumption profile: continuous, batch or seasonal, and the size of the peaks
- Type of medium: steam, hot water or thermal oil, and whether steam touches the product
- Fuel and its long-term availability, including by-products of the plant itself
- Standby: how long production can stop if one unit is out of service
- Feedwater quality and condensate return, applicable standards and documentation, available space and access
Boiler types for this industry
Industrial steam boilers
Saturated or superheated steam for industrial, process and power applications. Shell and water-tube boilers for solid fuel, biomass, liquid and gaseous fuel.
View →Steam generators, rapid steam boilers
FAST-P is a steam generator for rapid production of dry saturated steam, with forced water circulation and a three-pass design, built for liquid and gaseous fuels.
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Thermal oil boilers
Thermal oil boilers serve process heating in industrial plants that need high and stable operating temperatures.
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Electric boilers
Electric boilers produce steam, warm water, hot water or process heat using electricity as the heat source.
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Waste heat recovery boilers
A WHRB (Waste Heat Recovery Boiler) is a steam generator that uses the waste heat of exhaust gases from industrial processes to produce saturated steam.
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Hot water boilers
Hot water for industrial and energy systems and district heating. Shell and water-tube boilers for all common fuels.
View →Applications
Industrial steam boilers
- Food industry
- process steam, drying, sterilisation and process heating
- Food industry
- cooking, sterilisation, pasteurisation, washing and process heating
Steam generators, rapid steam boilers
- Food industry
- sterilisation, cooking, pasteurisation and process heating
Thermal oil boilers
- Food industry
- baking, frying, drying and thermal treatment
Electric boilers
- Food industry
- steam, process heating and sterilisation
Waste heat recovery boilers
- Food industry
- process steam with higher energy efficiency
Hot water boilers
- Food industry
- process heating and production
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a shell and a water-tube steam boiler?
A shell (fire-tube) boiler has a large water content, is built to EN 12953 and suits small and medium capacities with stable operation. A water-tube boiler has a small water content, is built to EN 12952 and is used for larger capacities, higher pressures and superheated steam.
Which fuels can a TIPO Kotlogradnja steam boiler use?
Solid fuels (coal), biomass (wood chips, pellets, straw, husks), liquid and gaseous fuels (natural gas, light fuel oil, heavy fuel oil) and gas–hydrogen blends. The furnace and burners are designed for the chosen fuel.
How are the capacity and pressure of a steam boiler chosen?
From the actual steam demand profile, the pressure and temperature required at the consumers, the fuel type and the operating regime. Our engineers run a thermal calculation on the investor's data and propose the type, size and configuration.
When should I choose a thermal oil boiler instead of steam?
When the process needs high, precisely controlled temperatures without high-pressure operation: thermal oil carries heat at high temperature and low pressure, with no evaporation or water treatment.
What equipment is delivered with a steam boiler?
Measuring and safety fittings, control and automation, a feedwater tank with pumps, a superheater, economiser and air heater where required, and service platforms. Delivery can also be a complete turnkey boiler house.
Does steam that touches food require a special boiler?
Not necessarily a special boiler, but the whole steam path must be designed for the requirement. What matters is that treatment chemicals do not reach the product, that carryover of boiler water is prevented and that condensate can be sampled. Where chemical-free steam is required, a separate clean-steam generator fed with pre-treated water is one approach. State the requirement to the manufacturer at the enquiry stage.
Can heat from brewing or distillation be recovered to reduce boiler load?
In principle, yes. In breweries, vapour from wort boiling can be condensed and the heat stored as hot water to preheat the next batch; distilleries can reuse heat from distillation within the site. How much is worthwhile depends on the process and on energy prices. The boiler is still sized for the remaining demand, including peaks.
Can a plant burn its own by-products to raise steam?
Sugar mills traditionally burn bagasse, a by-product of crushing, in their boilers. In other plants it depends on the fuel: its moisture, ash content, particle size and security of supply must be known before the furnace is designed. At TIPO Kotlogradnja the furnace and burners are designed for the selected fuel, so a fuel analysis should accompany the enquiry.
Standards we design and build to
TIPO Kotlogradnja designs and manufactures boilers and complete boiler plants according to the investor's requirements, fuel type, capacity and operating regime. The process covers requirement analysis, solution proposal, offer, design, material procurement, manufacturing, erection, testing and commissioning. Whatever the complexity of the project or the market, the equipment is designed and built to European and international standards, including EN 12952, EN 12953, EN 13445, EN 13480, ASME BPVC and AD 2000, in line with the project documentation and the investor's requirements.
Other industries
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