Separators and decanters are not off-the-shelf products. Rather, for optimum use, they must be selected and adjusted specifically for the process of the user. This is supported by our Process Test Center for Separation in Oelde, Germany.

Our Process Test Center (PTC) for separation is a pioneer and supplier of reliable basic data for the optimum selection and design of centrifuges and separation process lines, with decades of experience in the evaluation of process engineering customer solutions.

PTC locations such as Oelde / Germany have a unique portfolio of services for centrifuges ranging from the specification of product characteristics, the selection and design of the machine types including peripheral equipment right through to pilot tests carried out under real conditions as well as factory acceptances tests (FATs) at GEA or the customer’s own premises.

The PTC teams carry out product analyses, analytical measurements, machine trials and process developments to comply with the requirements of future machine operators with regard to the process engineering task. Always in close cooperation with the customers, the responsible product managers and the local sales staff of GEA. This is the only way in which a centrifuge can provide optimum results in subsequent production operation.

An initial step in the development of customer specific and process engineering solutions is to carry out an extensive product analysis to verify the cost and viability of using centrifuges. The analytical service specifies product properties and determines the output values for contractual warranties. The PTC conducts machine trials to determine both operational and scale-up parameters. The exact investment costs can then be determined.

Additionally, the PTC supports the development of new processes, optimizes existing processes, conducts initial plant tests and also provides loan machines. 

For plant protein applications we can even simulate the entire process by combining the expertise of our different test centers: 

• centrifugal separation (Germany)
• evaporation & membrane filtration (Germany & U.S.)
• pasteurization & aseptic filling (Germany)
• solid feed drying & spray drying (Denmark & U.S.)   

GEA customers leave these pilots with protein samples generally suitable for pre-marketing and with the confidence knowing they will be able to achieve consistencies in yield, quality, efficiency and in machine and process performance in their own plants. In fact, many GEA process warranties are based on the results of pilots conducted with customers.