Efficient hot water production thanks to customized and fully automated temperature control
We were commissioned by our long-standing client, Naabtaler Milchwerke, to provide a comprehensive hot water treatment system for its cleaning facilities in the yogurt production area. The system is designed to supply hot water to a large number of manual high-pressure cleaners and other wash stations in order to meet the strict hygiene requirements of the dairy operation. The challenge: to generate hot cleaning water from cold municipal water using an efficient circulation system while minimizing energy consumption and maintenance requirements. Whereas the cleaning systems were previously operated primarily with cold water and laboriously heated with steam, the dairy now benefits from sustainable and cost-optimized temperature control.
Waste heat put to good use
At the heart of the new hot water treatment system are two 2,000-liter tanks containing process water located in the basement of Production Facility 1. The water is first heated sustainably and cost-effectively using process heat via a water heat exchanger and then distributed to the dispensing stations via a circuit with two pumps. If the temperature is insufficient, an additional steam heat exchanger takes over to heat the water to 60°C. The entire temperature control system is fully automated, which allows for significant energy savings in the form of steam.
”"This design not only saves on energy costs, but also ensures compliance with strict hygiene standards at the operator stations."
Simon SchmittProjektingenieur
Pump utilization optimized
Unlike in the past, both pumps are switched based on actual operating hours to ensure a consistently high utilization rate. This fully automated control system has the added benefit of extending maintenance intervals and allowing both pumps to be serviced at the same time. Under high load—for example, above 90% capacity—the second pump automatically engages, which significantly reduces the operating load and wear on each individual pump, thereby increasing the system’s reliability.
Customized tank water control
The dynamic adjustment of the fill volume in the hot water tanks is also fully automatic. If the water level in the tank farm drops, the system determines how much process water needs to be added to prevent the existing water from cooling down too much. In doing so, we can respond to various fill levels, initiate refilling, or perform process evaluations using the tolerance band (DEVM).
