Carlsberg Brewery drives down energy consumption by half

Danfoss drives have helped control the ventilation, water pressurisation, and distribution systems at Okocim Brewery in Brzesko. In both systems, they reduce energy consumption by up to 50 percent. These systems also save water and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Carlsberg Group has focused on sustainable development for many years to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and decrease water and energy consumption. Therefore as a step in the process, the brewery upgraded the hydrophore and ventilation systems project at its Brzesko plant. Danfoss partner Control-Service upgraded using variable speed control with Danfoss VLT® drives.

The challenge: Stable water pressure and adequate air exchange
For the hydrophore system, the main challenge was to distribute water reliably throughout the brewery. The plant requires stable pressure to adapt to the current conditions without hydraulic surges. Before the upgrade, the brewery experienced erratic pump shutdowns and startups, and pressure often exceeded demand.

The brewery needed to ensure adequate air exchange during the ventilation system upgrade. Carbon dioxide removal and dew point control were also important requirements. They also wanted to collect historical data to generate advanced reports. Analysis of these data helps to develop optimal conditions for the production and storage of beer.

Carlsberg was keen to improve maintenance and efficient support services to ensure reliable brewery production operations.

The solution: Dedicated fan and pump control with built-in protection
The partner company Control-Service proposed a solution using Danfoss drives to optimise water distribution.

They used 2 x 55 kW VLT® AQUA Drive FC 202 devices, 3 x 55 kW pumps and a 55 kW soft starter. In this design, the drives do not need to switch between pumps and the entire system is protected on several levels. If the first drive fails, another drive automatically takes over. A pressure switch also helps to maintain the preset pressure when required.

For the ventilation system optimisation, Control-Service installed VLT® HVAC Drive FC 102 with dedicated features optimised for HVAC installations. These features include smart air handling unit control with different modes of operation. A Smart Logic Controller integrated into the drive takes over PLC tasks to control the operation of valves, fans, and dampers.

Since commissioning, Control-Service has conducted ongoing proactive maintenance, including preventive maintenance of drives and soft starters. They align maintenance inspection dates with the plant production schedules, making it easier to maintain production uptime.

The outcome: 50 percent lower electricity bill
With the help of AC drives, the water supply, air conditioning, and ventilation systems consume approximately 50% less electricity than comparable standard solutions. The new water distribution system met the requirements, and the investment was repaid within only 7 months. The dual-pump solution is approximately 17 percent more energy-efficient than a comparable system using only a single pump running at 100 percent capacity.

VLT® HVAC Drive FC 102 drives are used in the HVAC system control fan operation. Air recirculation adapts to the operation cycle of the brewery. During weekends and holidays, when demand is lower, energy consumption is reduced by up to 80%. With these exceptional results, other Carlsberg divisions have been inspired to deploy similar solutions using VLT® AQUA Drive FC 202 and VLT® HVAC Drive FC 102.

VLT® AQUA Drive FC 202
These drives are designed to provide the highest level of performance for AC-motor-driven water and wastewater applications.

VLT® HVAC Drive FC 102
Get intelligence, reliability, and low total cost of ownership (TCO) in your heating, ventilation and air-conditioning installations with this unique drive optimised for building automation system.