Danfoss

Whatever the answer to this ‘ chicken or egg ’ question , one thing is certain : human beings have taken the brewing of alcohol very seriously for centuries . For example , the famous German ‘ Reinheitsgebot ’, or ‘ beer purity law ’, is over 500 years old ,

The process of commercial beer brewing requires accurate control in many aspects of such facilities .

and was originally introduced as a trade regulation law . Today it is praised as being an early food safety regulation , possibly even the world ’ s oldest intact law to regulate beer contents .

And so , in the spirit and tradition of taking beer brewing and safety regulations seriously , many solutions exist for different processes throughout the brewing industry , where ‘ control ’ is a key word all the way from mash to bottled product .

Having experience in brewery-application systems worldwide , variable speed drives ( VSDs ) -such as supplied by Danfoss , are suitable for all processing control and monitoring , no matter what the specific protocols might be . With the latest condition base monitoring ( CBM ) technology , one can even provide more information feedback from a single drive that could assist with maintenance schedules within the environment .

As an example - a brewing company in the Netherlands decided to embrace such innovation to secure a more solid and sustainable future . The solution involved using drives with integrated condition-based monitoring ( CBM ) capabilities to reach its goals .

THE CHALLENGE With the European beer market expected to grow by over 15 percent by 2025 , the company realised that , to meet demand , its production line had to deliver a consistently reliable and excellent performance . However , prior to our engagement , the brewery faced costly and lengthy disruptions whenever a machine fault occurred , with operations taking place in harsh , wet conditions and all applications containing concealed motors , making them difficult to access when issues arise .

Here we were tasked with helping the brewery to :

• Increase up-time ;

• Lower overheads ;

• Improve management of spare parts and stock ;

• Access new levels of machine data ; and

• Boost application and system performance .

THE SOLUTION In August 2019 , our proposal was that the brewery install VSDs with embedded intelligence , connectivity and sensor capabilities . Condition-based monitoring signals were then integrated into the brewery ’ s maintenance system via edge computing .

The brewery also received 4-20 mA vibration sensors ( from Hansford Sensors ), and we provided additional support with project scoping , commissioning , and training , as well as hosting workshops to determine the best solution for the company ’ s needs .

This drive-range also supports preexisting communication interfaces and software such as fieldbus , local control panels , and motion control tool MCT 10 , meaning the brewery did not have to invest in a new parallel system as part of their upgrade .

THE OUTCOME This solution brought in a tremendous improvement , enabling seamless commissioning with consistent parameter settings . And so , with the power to gather more critical application data in real time than ever before , the brewery was able to optimise its production line while solving all its challenges and building a total value proposition .

In addition , our digital expertise enabled the company afterwards to retrofit the rest of its drives elsewhere in its facilities with condition-based monitoring functionality .

CONCLUSION This upgrade shows that conditionbased monitoring is no longer a premium product meant for a few critical assets , but an affordable solution available for all . Edge computing in drives ensures smart and simple condition-based monitoring . It seems that humankind has been brewing beer since the dawn of time , and through required experience and specialised application knowledge it is our proud intention to continue assisting this process to the highest standards of efficiency and quality control . CLA