Electrification of Beer Brewing – From Idea to Implementation
Reference: Royal Unibrew
At Royal Unibrew facilities in Faxe, Denmark, they have reduced gas consumption by 26 % 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.
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.
“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,” says Maintenance Manager Jakob Agerbo Bach.
Reference: Royal Unibrew
Contract period: 2021 - continued
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.
