Analysis of waste heat sources and recovery potential
As a high-energy-consuming industry, the beer and beverage industry can not only reduce energy costs but also significantly reduce carbon emissions if the waste heat generated during its production process can be efficiently recycled and utilized. The production of beer and beverages covers multiple links such as saccharification, fermentation, and sterilization. The waste heat in each link is widely distributed and has a high recovery value:
Pasteurization waste heat
During the sterilization process, high-temperature water vapor carries a large amount of heat, which can be recovered through a heat exchanger to preheat the sterilized liquid or used for workshop heating.
Saccharification process waste heat
The steam waste heat generated during the wort cooking stage can be converted into secondary energy for heating needs of subsequent processes.
Heat coagulant separation waste heat
The heat released during the cooling of wort can be recovered through a multi-stage plate heat exchanger to improve the overall thermal efficiency.
Fermentation tank cooling water waste heat
The temperature of the fermentation tank cooling water is usually 25-35℃, which can be used for cleaning or boiler water replenishment after recovery.
Wastewater heat from bottle washing machine/air compressor
The wastewater temperature can reach 40-60℃, and it can provide heat for the production process after being heated by the heat pump unit.
Waste heat from carbon dioxide recovery system
The heat generated when compressing carbon dioxide can be used to preheat fermentation raw materials to achieve energy cascade utilization.
Key technical equipment
Multi-stage plate heat exchanger
It adopts a multi-process design to meet the heat exchange requirements of different temperature zones in beer production, and the heat recovery efficiency is more than 85%.
Heat pump unit
Using the reverse Carnot cycle principle, the low-temperature waste heat is increased to 60-80℃, which is suitable for the recovery of low-grade heat sources such as bottle washing wastewater and cooling water.
Waste heat recovery in the beer and beverage industry is not only a reflection of technological innovation, but also a deep integration of policy guidance and corporate responsibility. With the iteration of technology and the increase in policies, waste heat recovery will become the core driving force for the industry's green transformation and help achieve the "dual carbon" goal.
Economic aspect
The equipment investment payback period is usually 2-3 years, and the energy cost can be reduced by 20%-30% in the long term.
Environmental aspects
Every 1GJ of waste heat recovered can reduce about 100kg of standard coal consumption and 250kg of carbon dioxide emissions.