Reducing A Brewery’s Energy And Water Use
Alcoholic drinks are a sensitive topic in Indonesia. Although it is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, it is also a pluralist and secular nation. For this reason, the government eschews a total ban on alcohol, but does take measures to reduce consumption. That means there are strict quotas on the domestic production of alcoholic drinks, and distribution channels are closely controlled and monitored.
For drinks companies in the country, this represents a challenge: how to maintain or even increase profits without exceeding yearly production quotas. The answer for one of the country’s largest breweries, located in West Java and responsible for a wide range of beer brands, was to improve their refrigeration system while at the same time saving energy. This was particularly important at a time when global energy price hikes were impacting businesses in the country. Saving water was also a factor, because Indonesia has suffered badly from drought in recent years: the island of Java has been hardest hit, with water deficits expected to last until at least 2070.
The brewery contacted Güntner because they needed to replace some old, galvanised cooling towers that were suffering from coil leakage and casing deterioration. The proposed solution entailed the installation of two ECOSS™ Evaporative Condensers for the whole refrigeration system, which uses natural refrigerants.
While no larger nor less affordable than traditional cooling towers, the innovative ECOSS™ Evaporative Condensers use only half as much water and energy. They come fitted with highly energy-efficient EC fans, while intelligent sensors and Güntner’s aicore™ air controller enable advanced features such as automatic purging and soft fan startup and speed modulation, allowing for even more water and energy savings.
And the units are durable. Their stainless steel design is more resistant to corrosion and scaling, leading to less, or even zero, dependence on chemical water treatment as long as the specified water parameters are met. The welded water basin prevents leakages, avoids heavy metal deposits and decreases the required volume of cooling water by half thanks to its optimised funnel shape. The inlet louvers are designed to protect from water leakage and UV light – and therefore the formation of algae, bacteria and fungi.
To make maintenance easier, the units have hinged louvers and fan panels as well as a central walkway for easy inspection. Installation and commission are straightforward, with plug-and-play controls and only two lightweight parts that can be easily transported and put together without special screws or sealing tape.
The upgraded refrigeration system, completed in 2021, has turned out to be a big success for the brewery, not only increasing refrigeration performance but also – significantly – bringing a major reduction in energy use.
“In the long term I believe the company will find the ROI on the ECOSS™ product to be even more substantial when they also take into account the easy maintenance and long-lasting durability,” adds David Widjanarko Poerwosunu.