Compressed air audit improves brewery's excellent efficiency record
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| Scott Stroup, President, Airometrix Manufacturing., Inc., explains air compressor performance testing techniques during a two-day workshop sponsored by Western, Platte River Power Authority and Ft. Collins Electric Utility. |
To the truly committed, there is always room for improvement. That is why New Belgium Brewing Company staff attended a Western workshop on compressed air systems and scheduled an audit of its plant.
From its companywide recycling program to the many water- and energy-saving features built into its facility, the Ft. Collins, Colo., craft brewery is a model of environmental responsibility. It runs on 100-percent renewable energy, buying wind power from Platte River Power Authority and capturing methane gas from its process water treatment plant to fire a cogeneration plant that heats water and produces electricity.
Having gone to such lengths to be a good corporate citizen, most companies would rest on their laurels, but New Belgium's staff is always on the lookout for new ways to improve efficiency. Last summer, for example, Process Design Engineer Bryan Hermann explained, "We started working on the utilities to accommodate growth at the brewery, and it never hurts to have an outside party check your work."
"Also, some of the compressed air equipment had recently jumped from a normal load to a maximum load, and it was causing production upsets. We wanted to get the existing system in shape before we moved forward with expansion," he added.
Western workshop helps utilities help key accounts
New Belgium contacted its power provider, Ft. Collins Electric Utility, and Key Accounts Manager Dennis Sumner suggested a compressed air systems workshop scheduled in August for industrial customers. "It was a good opportunity for customers with compressors, because the inefficiencies aren't all that evident," Sumner explained. "Then, all at once they realize they are paying much higher energy costs."
The municipal utility cosponsored the workshop with Western Energy Services and PRPA. "Western's energy outreach is an extremely valuable service," said Sumner. "We want to give our key accounts the technical assistance they need, but it's tough for a small utility by itself to come up with the funds to do something like this."
Airometrix Manufacturing Inc., an air compressor performance testing company, presented an introductory luncheon and two day-long workshops for Ft Collins' key accounts. "There was so much interest in the topic, we had to do two sessions," said Airometrix President Scott Stroup.
The workshop focused on helping operations and maintenance personnel improve compressor energy efficiency, which usually involves testing individual air compressors in the field. Without tests, explained Stroup, operators have no way of knowing what their systems are capable of. "An audit establishes a baseline performance, so operators can quantify a system's energy consumption and air leaks," he said.
On-site equipment tests point to present, future improvements
That's what the brewery needed, Hermann decided after attending the workshop, and scheduled an audit with Airometrix. "We needed to quantify loads for the system, either to determine whether we could fix it or to justify the capital investment for replacing it," said the process design engineer.
The audit took place over two days—first with the plant operating normally, so Stroup could familiarize himself with the system, and then with everything shut down for testing. "The plant shuts down one day a month for routine maintenance, so we scheduled the audit for that day," said Hermann.
The Airometrix-patented flow meter used for on-site testing revealed that the peak demand loads on New Belgium's system were higher than the compressor's capacity—that the system was using more air than it could produce. Also, there were air leaks totaling 20 to 30 percent of the compressor output.
"The label coder is the first piece of process equipment to be affected by low air pressure," recalled Stroup. "It would shut down when the pressure dipped. They would have to reset the machine and throw away several cases of beer and this interruption occurred a couple times a week."
One of the first recommendations to come out of the audit was to isolate the label coder to protect it from pressure changes in the rest of the system. This is to be accomplished by isolating the coder using an existing receiver and a check valve. Another recommendation included changing the CO2 purge process for their tanks. Currently, compressed air is used at full line pressure and is one of the primary causes of low pressure in the system. By changing to a blower or using air eductors, the compressed air requirements for the purge process will be reduced by 80 percent or more.
"The great thing about the audit is that it is both addressing our current needs and helping us plan for the future," Hermann said. "We know New Belgium will be growing, and now we've got a direction for the changes we'll need to make to accommodate the growth."
Sumner is confident that those changes will incorporate the best practices in energy efficiency. "New Belgium is a model customer thanks to highly motivated owners who communicate their commitment from the top down," said the key accounts manager.
Perhaps Scott Stroup, who performed the audit, summed up the brewery's commitment best. "New Belgium is a very forward thinking company," he observed. "They want to do the right thing, and they don't cut corners to do it. And they make excellent beer."
