Saving space, with cool results

The challenge

Matt Brewing Co., based in Utica, NY has been brewing beer and soda since 1888. Each year, the brewery produces more than 65 varieties/recipes, using its signature copper boiling kettles. The brewery needed a refrigeration system for its Saranac brand of beer,

The solution

With the brewery's cooling needs and confined space in mind, Alfa Laval proposed two compact refrigeration systems that would fit in the existing space – one consisting of an Alfa Laval M10 Semi-welded plate heat exchanger with a U-Turn plug-and-play liquid separator, and the second, an Alfa Laval M15 Semi-welded plate heat exchanger, also with a U-Turn. The first system would be used to cool beer when the process load was under capacity, while the second would be brought online when capacity was at full demand.

In addition to their compact design, the semi-welded plate heat exchangers allow for closer refrigerant to beer approach temperature than shell-and-tube heat exchangers, saving energy costs. This allows the brewery to reduce the temperature of the beer to 30°F (-1°C) with 26°F (-3°C) ammonia, instead of the 20°F (-7°C) ammonia a shell-and-tube heat exchanger would require.

The plate heat exchangers and U-Turn combination were delivered fully assembled. They were small enough to fit in the available space and didn't require additional structure support or piping. The only things required prior to startup were controls and refrigerant valves. This resulted in tremendous savings in design, installation and downtime costs for the company. Located above the plate heat exchangers, the curved shape of the U-Turn separators reduces the length of the unit by half, resulting in an extremely small installation footprint.

In addition to conventional gravitational separation, the unique U-Turn module utilizes agglomeration, surface tension and centrifugal forces to reduce the refrigerant charge. The low pressure drop - up to four times lower than a conventional system - makes it more energy-efficient and reduces the required refrigerant charge. This also helps keep the brewery operating below EPA restrictions, thus minimizing environmental impact. Furthermore, the compact design makes it easy to connect the module to an existing cooling system.

The result

The U-Turn systems now produce beer at output temperatures below anything the brewery has ever achieved, 30°F (-1°C) compared to 33°F (1°C), allowing for higher production yields. An ideal solution, the brewery saved considerable costs on construction, design, and materials – and will continue to save on energy costs.