Cas d’application
Rolinck private brewery: Grundfos pumps in primary and secondary processes
The beers produced by the A. Rolinck private brewery established in 1820 in Steinfurt enjoy an excellent reputation in the north-west of Germany. This is not just down to the recipe but also because the beer is left for a long period in the fermentation and maturing cellars - long, cold fermentation and maturing is a premium quality feature.
When the Krombacher group bought out Rolinck in 2007, the company underwent thorough modernisation and expansion.
The Situation
For years the brewery has been investing steadily in automation technology which not only permitted lean staffing levels (the market and cost pressure in this industry is huge!) but also had positive effects on the product quality: "Automated processes are more reproducible and give a consistently high quality beer", explains master brewer Thomas Bressem, Technical Manager. Part of the automation strategy is to use speed-controlled pumps.
The Grundfos Solution
If you are focusing on premium quality, you can't compromise on the central technical components - you need top quality pumps. In this case breweries tend to think of the name 'Hilge' says Dieter Kubacki, Machinery and Systems Department Manager, "Philipp Hilge knows the way to the brewer's heart. Just think of the famous ring clamp!" This is a sturdy cast ring fastener for the pump housing which makes dismantling quick and easy.
Beer pumps have to meet very particular standards. They cannot let oxygen into the process, they need to meet high standards of hygiene and they need to be acid and alkali-resistant: "Grundfos-Hilge pumps meet all these requirements. We always install these pumps in our brewing operation now - in the brewery itself, in the filtration system, in the bottling plant and in the new beer blending plant" says master brewer Bressem.
Rolinck predominantly uses pumps from the Euro-HYGIA® and HYGIANA series. Both versions are available in a special Adapta version. The integrated Adapta-Block connects the pump - without a quick shaft - to IEC standard motors or to Nema motors for the US market using a flexible quick-fit standard coupling. Since the motor can be dismantled without the plump, maintenance work is far easier. This technical feature is available only from Grundfos-Hilge!
The secondary brewing processes (steam generation, water treatment, cleaning systems) are also fitted with pumps from the Grundfos industrial division. Along with multiplex stainless steel high-pressure pumps from the CR series (cooling system, boiler feed system), pumps from the Digital Dosing product family are used to dose lime-water for water softening.
The Outcome
In the steady process of automation, certain pumps have been replaced gradually by variable speed models. The greatly reduced energy consumption during varying loads and optimum adjustment to the process requirements have been and are deciding arguments in favour of speed control for those responsible for technical installations at the Rolinck brewery.
"Even from the perspective of wear and therefore reliability and waiting times, frequency-controlled pumps are better - for example we avoid pressure surges and cavitation, which place a great stress on materials. These days our pumps all operate smoothly and quietly" adds Dieter Kubacki. "We have had drastic reductions in malfunctions since we installed frequency-controlled pumps!" Speed control is now state-of-the-art at Rolinck - whenever an old (unregulated) unit fails it is replaced by a pump with a speed converter.