Burkert valves used throughout food storage system

International Controlled Atmosphere designs and builds high quality storage solutions for fruit and vegetables and claims that 80 to 90% of the country's apples are stored using its equipment

Customised Burkert valve manifold helps create the ideal atmosphere for potato storage.

International Controlled Atmosphere (ICA) designs and builds high quality storage solutions for fruit and vegetables and, as the UK market leader, claims that 80 to 90% of the country's apples are stored using its equipment.

The ICA Instrumentation Division designs and manufactures the measurement and control equipment needed to maintain ideal storage conditions, including sophisticated automatic gas measuring systems.

The instrumentation designed by ICA uses Burkert valves throughout.

As a long-term customer for Burkert Fluid Control Systems, technical director David Bishop says ICA also had no hesitation in specifying Burkert components for its latest innovation - a treatment that uses naturally occurring chemicals to maintain quality during storage.

He explains: "Because consumers are increasingly concerned with the chemical sprays used to preserve produce, ICA and Greenvale, the UK's leading potato packing company, have been working together to find an environmentally acceptable way to maintain potato quality.

This has resulted in the development of a new machine (with patents pending) that safely and economically converts a liquid fuel into ethylene".

Burkert's contribution to the new machine includes the design of a specially customised manifold that houses two Burkert miniature valves and the ICA integrated electronics package.

The valves feature a unique rocker mechanism that is designed to operate an isolating diaphragm and separate the actuator and coil from the fluid.

This eliminates cross-contamination and enables the control of critical fluids.

The electronics package, in conjunction with the Burkert valve manifold, regulates and controls the production and dosing of ethylene to create an ideal storage environment.

A sensor measures the atmosphere in each store and signals the manifold to determine the rate at which gas needs to be produced and dosed.

It also measures fuel usage, enabling Greenvale to maintain an accurate record of consumption.

One machine is used to create the atmosphere in each potato store.

Currently, there are over 30 machines in stores each holding between 1,000 and 2,000 tonnes of potatoes.

The two companies have formed a joint company, Restrain Company Ltd., to market this system and confidently expect that within two or three years a significant quantity of UK produced potatoes will be maintained in peak condition by this new method.

Summing up Burkert's input, David Bishop says the combination of product quality, reliability and engineering support is unrivalled.

"Most of the world's solenoid valve manufacturers have tried to sell their equipment to ICA, but none has been able to compete with Burkert." He says.

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