Pilot units for the food & chemical industry
Melt Crystallization test center
R&D Experience and expertise developed over many decades. Test facilities available for laboratory and pilot plant testing for application development or sample production
Resulting from five decades of ongoing research and development work, tied with the experience gained through several thousand successful pilot tests and installed plants, GEA offers the broadest technical expertise and undisputed skill to develop applications, demonstrate the feasibility of crystallization processes and sample production.
Our pilot plants are designed using the same principles as the commercial units and provide reliable operational data. The test results deliver all the necessary information for scale-up and design of a commercial installation.
Tests can be executed at our test facility in ´s-Hertogenbosch in The Netherlands, where our skilled personnel will generate a suitable test plan and execute the pilot tests to meet client requirements.
Available Options
Available OptionsHigh purity product and low energy consumption are key properties of the melt crystallization process. The efficiency of chemical purification operations can be increased through crystallization.
GEA has two available options to demonstrate the feasibility of the crystallization process on a wide range of chemicals:
- Laboratory
GEA premises in ´s-Hertogenbosch in The Netherlands. Here we can demonstrate the feasibility of suspension based melt crystallization process with limited feed quantities (1-2 liters of feed stock).
- Pilot Units
W6-Chemical
The standard pilot plant for new applications of melt crystallization.
The W6-C is suitable for all chemical applications and can demonstrate the operation and product purity possible for a wide range of chemical products. The W6-C range pilot units can operate on chemicals with melting points from +150°C to -60°C. Pilot tests can be executed at the GEA premises. The unit is completely self-contained, requires only standard utilities (electricity, compressed air and cooling water) and it is explosion proof (ATEX II3G IIB T2).
Downloads
GEA Insights
GEA reports profitable growth for 2025 and expects accelerated revenue growth
GEA’s past fiscal year was one of significant growth and further profitability gains. In particular, the technology group substantially increased order intake, with all divisions contributing here. GEA also made progress in all Mission 30 strategic growth areas. In addition, GEA met key interim targets under its climate plan ahead of schedule. Major milestones in fiscal year 2025 were admission to the DAX index, the award of one of the largest contracts in the company’s history, and streamlining of the corporate structure.
How SmartParc is rewriting the rules of food production
Thanks to a new SmartParc manufacturing site, food processors in the U.K. are cutting their running costs and emissions. With GEA heating and cooling technology at its core, this collaborative production model demonstrates how innovation is accelerating the industry’s net-zero ambitions.
The food science playground
“Brewing eggs is like brewing beer.” It’s the kind of comparison that makes you smile – and then it clicks: Something complex suddenly feels simple. Through this personal film, set in the agricultural heartland of the U.S., we explore precision fermentation and the real-world work it takes to turn an idea into food.
