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Fire protection in the sugar industry

Process‑integrated solutions for controlling sparks, smouldering nests and thermal loads in sugar production.

Home Industrial Fire Protection Industries Sugar Industry

Why sugar production is a fire‑critical process

The processing of sugar beets involves several thermally and mechanically demanding process steps with a high fire and explosion potential. During extraction, moist fibre residues are produced, which are then dried, pelleted, cooled and transported through conveying systems.

Sugar dust is highly explosive. In dryers, high process temperatures prevail, and material blockages can cause critical hotspots. Pellet presses generate mechanical friction heat, and cooling units can carry smouldering particles into downstream equipment. Pneumatic conveying lines transport potential ignition sources into silos, filters and bunkers, where dust‑air mixtures may ignite uncontrollably.
The interaction of fine dust, temperature peaks, frictional heat and airflow makes the sugar industry one of the most sensitive areas in preventive fire protection.

Sugar processes combine thermal peaks, heavy dust formation and complex conveying systems. A preventive protection concept is essential to identify ignition sources at an early stage and prevent them from being transferred further.GreCon Engineering

A worrying trend that underlines the importance of fire prevention – extinguish fires before they spread!

The most effective method of minimising fire and explosion risks is to use powerful spark detection and extinguishing systems in combination with tailor-made fire protection concepts for machines and critical areas – developed and implemented by Fagus-GreCon.

> 1400

Fires recorded since 2014 – in Germany alone!

> 2200

Factory fires recorded worldwide in 2024.

> 2 bn €

per year is the amount of damage for German businesses.

GreCon PROTECTOR SUGAR – our protection concept for the sugar industry

The sugar industry requires a protection system that meets high temperatures, heavy dust accumulation and complex conveying structures.

GreCon PROTECTOR SUGAR is modular, scalable and process‑integrated. It covers all essential process steps of sugar production – from woodchip drying to pneumatic aspiration.

The GreCon PROTECTOR provides a comprehensive safety concept:

  • Detection of sparks, glowing particles and overheated components within milliseconds
  • Protection of critical processes: drying, pelleting, cooling, transport and aspiration
  • Protection of the entire extraction and conveying chain: mechanical conveyors, pneumatic systems, filters, cyclones, silos and bunkers
  • Automatic diversion or precise low‑pressure extinguishing – process‑adapted and without unnecessary interruptions
  • Alternative extinguishing options such as gases or mechanical elimination for sensitive materials
  • Decentralised control for extensive plant structures
  • Millisecond‑accurate documentation for analysing disturbance patterns and recurrence probabilities
  • Modular design – from single units to plant‑wide protection concepts

How GreCon PROTECTOR works

  1. Detect – sensors detect sparks, hot particles or embers
  2. Decide – the system evaluates the risk in real time
  3. Extinguish – automatically, precisely and without interrupting production
  4. Analyse – the event data helps to eliminate causes in a targeted manner

 

Worker in blue GreCon outfit with clipboard and helmet

The fu­ture of pre­ven­ti­ve in­dus­tri­al fire pro­tec­tion

For over 50 years, we have been developing tailor-made industrial fire protection concepts for every individual challenge in industrial fire protection – reliable, practical and precisely tailored to your processes.

Trust in over 50 years of experience in more than 100 industries

Benefit from 75,000 individually tailored protection concepts and experience gained from over 200,000 protected production areas. With Fagus-GreCon, you can effectively protect your company from the devastating consequences of a fire.

Consequences of a fire – more than just damage

Fires in sugar factories occur particularly often in areas with heavy dust accumulation, high temperatures and intense material movement. Extraction systems, filters, cyclones or silos can develop into fire or explosion sources within seconds.

Economic, operational and strategic consequences:

  • Injuries and loss of life
  • Damage to machinery, transport routes and storage areas
  • Production interruptions and seasonal outages
  • Loss of revenue and supply contracts
  • High repair and replacement costs
  • Increase in insurance premiums
  • Loss of customers and market share

The cost of doing nothing is high. Effective fire protection is not only a safety measure, but a strategic necessity.

Ge­fah­ren in der Pelletproduktion

Dangers in the sugar industry

The sugar industry is particularly at risk due to its processes: high thermal loads, combustible woodchips, explosive sugar dust and complex conveying chains create a wide range of potential ignition sources.

Typical technical risk factors:

  • Overheating in drum dryers caused by material blockages or process deviations
  • Sparks or glowing particles resulting from tool wear and foreign objects
  • Frictional heat in pellet presses and downstream coolers
  • Fine dust with low ignition energy in filter and silo systems
  • Smouldering material residues in conveying lines
  • Transfer of ignition sources through pneumatic aspiration
  • Uncontrolled heat generation in pressing and drying units
  • Fire propagation via conveying systems and extraction routes

The result? An ideal environment for fires and explosions.

These risks are not theoretical – they are real, recurring and costly. That is why effective fire protection is not an option, but a necessity.
And this is precisely where Fagus‑GreCon comes into play.

We look forward to hearing from you.

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