Skip to main content
DA
Royal Unibrew var en af 20 danske virksomheder, der i 2020 deltog i DI’s projekt ”Elektrificering af fødevareindustrien”. Resultatet blev en plan udarbejdet af Viegand Maagøe, der viste, hvordan bryggeriet i Faxe kunne elektrificere en stor del af sin proces med store energibesparelser til følge.
CASE

Electrification of Beer Brewing – From Idea to Implementation

At Royal Unibrew facilities in Faxe, Denmark, they have reduced gas consumption by 29 % by utilizing more of the heat generated during the beer production. They’ve done it by recycling the heat from their cooling systems. Viegand Maagøe has been involved every step of the way – from idea to the implementation of the project.

About the task

Royal Unibrew was one of 20 Danish companies that participated in the Confederation of Danish Industry’s project “Electrification of the Food Industry” in 2020. The result was a plan developed by Viegand Maagøe, showing how the brewery in Faxe could electrify a large part of its brewing process, resulting in significant energy savings.

Royal Unibrew assessed that the electrification project aligned well with the brewery’s overall strategy to be a leader in sustainable beverage production, and it decided to bring the plan to life in collaboration with Viegand Maagøe.

How We Solved the Task

The solution consists of 2 measures:

  • Heat Exchanger
    A heat exchanger has been connected to the heat recovery system between boiling and the wort cooling in the brewing process. This ensures that the heat exchanger recovers residual heat that previously was wasted. The recovered heat is sent back into the process, where it contributes to preheating the wort and replaces the gas-heated hot water that was otherwise used for preheating. At the same time, the heat exchanger also ensures that less electricity is used for cooling.
  • Heat Pump
    Furthermore, a heat pump has also been connected to the heat recovery system. This increases the system’s flexibility, as the heat pump is designed to cover a range of other heating needs at the brewery, including pasteurization. The heat pump upgrades the heat from the brewery’s cooling system used to cool the beer during fermentation.
Royal-Unibrew-grafisk-diagram

Illustration only in danish

Varmepumpe-Royal-Unibrews
Jakob Agerbo Bach, Maintenance Manager
“At Royal Unibrew, we have a clear ambition to reduce our natural gas consumption, and Viegand Maagøe showed us the way with a thorough review of our processes, making it clear which technical solutions would be best for both the environment and the bottom line. That’s why we had no doubt that we wanted them with us all the way from idea to implementation.”

The Result

The system is being put into operation and is expected to be fully in place during the first quarter of 2024, so the brewery in Faxe will henceforth use significantly less natural gas in the production of the millions of hectolitres of beer that are brewed and sent out to customers all over the world each year.

”Today, as a brewery, we stand stronger with the prospect of greener production and less CO2-emitting production as well as solid economic savings, and we are very satisfied with the guidance and technical insights Viegand Maagøe has delivered throughout the process,” says Jakob Agerbo Bach.

Result:

  • Natural Gas: Reduction 29 %
  • CO2 Emission: Reduction 28 %
  • Repayment: 4 years

Our Deliveries

  • Technical project management
  • Conceptualization
  • Calculations
  • Business case development
  • Design, tendering, and bid recommendation