DAIRY PLANT DESIGN AND LAYOUT

Module 3. Planning and principle of dairy plant layout

Lesson 13
SPACE REQUIREMENT FOR DAIRY PLANT

13.1 Introduction

The space requirement for dairy plant should be estimated for its functional design to have smooth operation. The space requirement of entire dairy plant is estimated by adopting principles of dairy plant layout. It is a basic requirement to estimate the total area required for the dairy plant which include building area, parking, movement of vehicles, roads, ETP etc. The type of layout varies considerably for the same plant after having estimated the space and area requirements for different sections. Land requirement is one of the basic cost factors of the plant and land cost has increased considerably in last decades. Therefore, it is important to design the plant with cost effectiveness. According to size and shape of the plot, the most befitting type of layout is selected and all sections are planned in accordance requirements.

13.2 Area and Space Requirements for Milk Plants

Space required for equipment depends upon the capacity and dimensions of the equipment. There is no any rigid rule to decide the area of various sections. It mainly depends on the idea and judgment of engineer who is designing the dairy plant. General guidelines are given below to estimate the size of different sections.

Table 13.1 Approximate area and space requirement for dairy equipment

13.2.1 Bulk milk storage

The space requirement for bulk milk storage can be estimated based on the type of storage vessels used (horizontal storage tank, vertical storage tank, silo etc). The space requirement is estimated based on the working space required around the tanks and necessary equipments installed around the tank. It should also facilitates the cleaning operation, manually or CIP.

Table 13.2 The approximate space required to accommodate tanks and the associated piping

13.3 Space Requirement for Different Sections of Dairy Plant

Allotment of the space for the specific section and to the specific plant and equipment is a matter of thinking so as to provide sufficient space to each plant and equipment for better functioning at the place for worker. Less space will create congested atmosphere and may cause accident at work in hurry some time; whereas unnecessarily providing more space may cause shortage of land in future and will cost more for maintaining cleanliness. So the space provided for a section should be sufficient enough for working freely and comfortably, which should be planned well with concept of expansion in future also. The sections like boiler, electricity and refrigeration should be kept in isolated area to safe guard the plant from accident and damages

The decisive factors which are to be kept in mind during construction of plant for space are:

• Size and the capacity of the equipment i.e. Height, length, width, etc.
• Type of operations to be carried out
• Future expansion

Table 13.3 The approximate space requirement for different section and equipment are given below