How much does Steam Infusion cost?
One of the first questions many food manufacturers ask when exploring Steam Infusion is how much does it cost? The final cost of integrating into new or existing cooking vessels is influenced by a number of factors; here we explain the general costs of adopting Steam Infusion cooking.
PM Fresh Steam Infusion retrofit
We like to be transparent with our prices and look at projects holistically rather than what an individual component might cost. Steam Infusion is a direct contact heating process, infusing steam directly into the food or beverage product so it’s essential to specify the right equipment to guarantee product safety. It’s also important to consider your vessels, the control system and whether or not you have sufficient boiler capacity to ensure the best Steam Infusion functionality.
Taking into account what our customers usually specify when working with Steam Infusion, we can estimate that a typical retrofit project can cost €25,000-€75,000 per kettle, depending on the equipment already in place.
These costs pale into comparison versus the savings that can be made with Steam Infusion, whether it’s breathing new life into your vessels or doubling your production capacity within your existing footprint, not to mention minimising your maintenance costs while cutting down your emissions to reach net zero targets. It’s important to weigh up both the costs and the savings when evaluating this innovative technology.
Steam filtration set & pressure modulation
As a single Steam Infusion Vaction™ Pump requires dry saturated culinary grade steam at a rate of 750 kg (1654 lb) per hour at a pressure of 6.5barg (94 psig) at the point of use, your steam equipment is very important. The steam is added into the final product so Steam Infusion systems must comply with the 3A Standard 609-03 for the Method of Producing Filtered Culinary Steam. This not only refers to the design of the system but includes the requirements for the boiler treatment chemicals which in general are already widely used in the food industry.
If you don't already produce culinary grade steam on site, you’ll require a steam filtration set, which typically comprises a steam separator, hygienic filter, pressure regulation system and insulation. This can range from €15,000 to €25,000. The set can be sized according to use, so if you needed to run three Steam Infusion Vaction™ Pumps at the same time you'd be consuming 2,250 kg (4960 lb) per hour and will need a more expensive, higher capacity steam filtration set.
Vessel design, modification & pipework
If you’re looking to retrofit Steam Infusion into your existing cooking vessels, you may need to make adjustments if you prefer the In-Tank approach. Depending on the age, type of vessel and changes required the cost of integration will vary.
Our experienced engineering team will guide you through all the requirements and for retrofits depending on where you’re based either your system integrator or an OAL engineer will visit your site to take drawings (potentially even 3D scanning) to successfully retrofit the Steam Infusion system. Works include creating an orifice for the steam lance in the top of the vessel and installation of the mounting flange and interconnecting pipework.
Alternatively, our In-Line Steam Infusion technology does not require any vessel modification, however a pump will be required to circulate the product around the system; you may be able to use an existing system pump. Our team will be able to guide you in specifying the correct equipment to achieve the desired results.
Costs will typically vary from €5,000 for simple jobs to €15,000 for more complex projects.
HMI control panel and software
Steam Infusion can be controlled manually by switching the steam control valve on or off. The next level up would be a simple push button operation to allow control of the different operating modes. However many food manufacturers wish to integrate the equipment into their existing control systems and software. In most cases it is relatively straight-forward to complete and we provide detailed instructions to ensure it goes as smoothly as possible. Software costs will be dependent on your system integrator but will typically vary from €2,000 to €15,000.
Boiler capacity
Unfortunately Steam Infusion can quickly become cost prohibitive if your existing steam boiler doesn't have the steam capacity. To increase steam capacity you will require a new steam boiler which is a significant investment for a food manufacturer typically starting at €100,000. It may be the case that a more traditional technology would be better suited to your facility to ensure that you get the right ROI on your processes.