Technology/IT ¦ IDM
According to Michael Frenking, who managed the project for
Naarmann, the water savings are around one million cubic metres
per year. The investment in a WSU pays for itself within 2.5 to 3
years, as Sven Irrgang, Smart Service Product Manager at GEA,
reports. It is not only the water price that comes into play, but also
wastewater charges and the costs of treating the cooling water,
not to mention sustainability aspects.
The WSU is characterised by a short commissioning time, takes
up hardly any space, is easy to maintain and also helps dairies with
the sustainability certificate according to DIN 5000.1 and with any
energy audits.
In conversation with the editors, Frenking emphasises the good
cooperation with GEA during the project: "We worked with short
decision-making paths on both sides. Everything went smoothly,
we are absolutely satisfied with our WSU".
GEA now supplies the WSU as a retrofit for separators already
in operation or integrated in new machines. Only half a day is required
for the retrofit.
In the prototype setup, all measured values are
shown on a separate display; the now available
industrial model of the Water Saving Unit is fully
integrated into the automation system (Photo: IDM)
which was discharged into the sewage system after heat transfer.
GEA who was always aware that this was in principle an unnecessary
consumption of (expensive) resources, already had a corres-
ponding development underway and suggested to Naarmann,
a long-standing customer, that cooling should be carried out
via a heat exchanger and that they should jointly initiate a pilot
project for this purpose. The first WSU was then manufactured in
the trainee workshop at GEA Separator almost 2 years ago and
installed at Naarmann.
The WSU is the size of two beer crates (380 x 580 x 495 mm)
and can thus be placed directly next to the separator. In the
pilot project, a display/documentation unit for flow values etc. was
added to collect data on the heat exchange for the cooling water.
The WSU, which is equipped with a circulation pump, operates
two separate circuits for the engine and hood/catcher; the cooling
water flows against ice water for both. The engine requires
5 l/min, the hood/catcher 4.9 l/min, the ice water flow is 11 - 13
l/min. The heat exchange is done via conventional plate heat exchangers.
The thermal heat flow, which is continuously transferred
to the circuit water by the separator, is approx. 14.5 kW, the WSU
consumes only 40 W in total.
Andreas Naarmann: The Water Saving Unit has opened
up savings potential for us (Photo: GEA)
Michael Frenking (right), Privatmolkerei Naarmann,
and Sven Irrgang, GEA, have cooperated
in the Water Saving Unit project (Photo: GEA)
July/August 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com · 47
/international-dairy.com
