Generating cool energy for beer brewery

Kaiser Bräu brewery not only produces its own beer brands, it also carries out contract bottling for other breweries and now has an expanded delivery area that includes exports to Italy, China and the US.

In recent years, the company adopted a galvanised evaporative cooling system with a radial design for recooling the refrigeration system. However, due to its age and design, the energy required for operation was no longer up to date. With the possibility of receiving government subsidy for the replacement of existing refrigeration and air conditioning systems, the company made the decision to replace the equipment. It selected a Krones VapoChill to generate the required cooling energy.

Krones’ expertise in thermal processes has been incorporated into the development of the VapoChill. The result is a space-saving operating principle: the process water loses its heat in contact with the ambient air. Part of the water evaporates, whereby energy is extracted from the remaining water and it is cooled down. This enables a high energy yield on a small footprint.

The cooling tower’s hygienic design was important for Kaiser Bräu. It has an asymmetrically sloped tray made entirely of stainless steel, and is designed to ensure that no water can accumulate and that the tray empties to the lowest point.

The EC motors of the fans use 30% less energy in full load operation. They are brushless motors, enabling maintenance-free operation. The fans are also infinitely variable so that the desired cooling temperature can be precisely maintained, leading to no unnecessary cooling.

Due to its modular design, the VapoChill was produced in eight weeks and delivered quickly to the site with a customised delivered concept. The replacement of the old cooling tower was completed in one day.

Image courtesy of Krones AG.