Source: Deutsche Nachrichten
Energy costs and sustainability targets pose major challenges for breweries. Since provision of process heat accounts for a substantial part of the energy needed, its efficient supply – based increasingly on electrical power instead of fossil fuels – is becoming ever more important. And now, Steinecker GmbH, the specialists for brewing technology within the Krones Processing network, are presenting a new concept for electrifying process heat: EquiTherm Power.
With heat pumps and steam compressors, EquiTherm Power uses electrical power to raise the temperature of the thermal energy available and feeds it back into the production process. That enables breweries to make more efficient use of existing energy resources and reduce the consumption of fossil fuels.
The fields of application are many and varied. The heat generated during fermentation, for example, which until now has often been dissipated into the hall via the refrigeration system, can be effectively reused. A heat pump raises its temperature to a level of up to 96 °C, which makes it hot enough to serve as process heat in the brewing process. Furthermore, it is possible to efficiently combine the production of iced water and hot water. Here, the heat absorbed during iced-water production is not dissipated into the hall and wasted. Instead it is purposefully used for making hot water. Thanks to this combined approach to generating heat and cold, a total coefficient of performance (COP) of up to 8 can be achieved, meaning up to 8 kWh of usable energy for cooling and heating can be obtained from 1 kWh of electricity.
Applications that require higher temperatures, such as wort boiling or sterilisation, can also be supported by this solution. In addition, it is possible to electrify steam generation with temperatures of 135 °C at a coefficient of performance of up to 6.
Its modular design means EquiTherm Power is suitable both for greenfield projects and for retrofitting – with minimal intervention in a brewery’s existing infrastructure.
The use of heat storage tanks means provision and consumption of heat do not have to take place at the same time. That makes for flexible line operation, flattens load peaks and simplifies the integration of alternative heat sources. The solution also makes it possible to respond to fluctuations in energy prices and availability.
Be it fermentation heat, combined iced-water and hot-water production, electrically driven steam generation or other applications that require higher temperatures: With EquiTherm Power, Steinecker is expanding the range of options available for electrifying process heat, thus supporting breweries in realigning their thermal energy supply systems for the future.