Keeping cool in the face of sweet temptation
For many people, chocolate is more than just one of life’s sweetest temptations. The complex machinery required for the industrial production of this luxury food item also presents engineers with major challenges. In an ever-tightening market, traditional companies in particular, such as the Ludwig Weinrich chocolate factory, need to rise to current economic and ecological challenges. To do this, they need reliable partners.
The project: New pumps for cooling water system
In the complex chocolate manufacturing process, the transport of cooling water to production systems may seem at first glance to be of secondary importance. In fact, it is a crucial aspect of the process. During the different stages of processing, the chocolate mass and other ingredients must be heated and then cooled immediately under controlled conditions. Unless this can be performed reliably, large quantities of chocolate may become unusable and the entire production cycle can come to a standstill.
The customer: Ludwig Weinrich chocolate factory
The Ludwig Weinrich chocolate factory in the town of Herford in East Westphalia, Germany, has been producing chocolate for more than 120 years. A fourth-generation family-run enterprise dedicated to sustainability, it has around 400 employees who work with sophisticated chocolate recipes every day to create perfect moments of indulgence.
Cooling water system with Movitec VF pumps
The challenge: Redundancy and reduced energy costs at one stroke
The Ludwig Weinrich chocolate factory decided to replace its existing error-prone cooling water system, to ensure system availability and smooth manufacturing operations. Since, as in many other branches of industry, the old system was associated with rapidly escalating energy costs, the company also hoped that the new cooling water system would slash energy consumption to a level more appropriate for a modern manufacturing facility.
The solution: Selection of demand-driven pumps
As in many other projects, KSB collaborated with the Wendik Pumpen-Service company based in Herford, Germany. The two companies have a long history of collaboration in installing and maintaining KSB pumps spanning more than 50 years.
After extensive consultation with KSB, the data required for the system was collected internally and evaluated. Wendik Pumpen-Service then used this data for planning the new cooling water system and selecting the pumps. The company opted for the Movitec VF high-pressure centrifugal pump, which, in conjunction with PumpDrive 2, achieves the desired energy savings by delivering performance that constantly adapts to demand. The Bowe & Vaal company installed the piping for the system. Wendik Pumpen-Service installed and successfully commissioned the pumps and is also responsible for servicing
The installed redundancy means that the Ludwig Weinrich chocolate factory now has process reliability it can depend on. The selection of demand-driven pumps has also delivered incredible energy savings of 75% – a highly effective combination that works.
Two Movitec VF pumps equipped with PumpDrive 2
Figures I Data I Facts
Plant: Cooling water system for chocolate production
End user: Ludwig Weinrich chocolate factory
Pumps, frequency inverters, sensors, valves:
- 2 x Movitec VF 060-01-1 high-pressure centrifugal pumps with PumpDrive 2 (motor-mounted)
- 2 x SERIE 2000 DN100-PN10/16 swing check valves
- 8 x BOAX-SF DN100-PN16-EPDM-XU centred-disc butterfly valves
- 7 x BOAX-SF DN065-PN16-EPDM-XU centred-disc butterfly valves
Products used
Movitec
Multistage vertical high-pressure centrifugal pump in ring-section design with suction and discharge nozzles of identical nominal diameters arranged opposite to each other (in-line design), close-coupled. With KSB SuPremE, a magnetless synchronous reluctance motor (exception: motor sizes 0.55 kW / 0.75 kW with 1500 rpm are designed with permanent magnets) of efficiency class IE4/IE5 to IEC TS 60034-30-2:2016, for operation on a KSB PumpDrive 2 or KSB PumpDrive 2 Eco variable speed system without rotor position sensors. Motor mounting points in accordance with EN 50347, envelope dimensions in accordance with DIN V 42673 (07-2011). ATEX-compliant version available.
BOAX-S/SF
Centred-disc butterfly valve with ISO 5211 compliant square shaft end for butterfly valves from DN 350, with heat barrier and elastomer liner (EPDM XU or nitrile K), with lever, manual gearbox or electric actuator (BOAXMAT-S and BOAXMAT-SF); semi-lug body (T2) or full-lug body (T4) for downstream dismantling and dead-end service. Valve disc made of stainless steel 1.4308, connections to EN.
SERIE 2000
Dual-plate check valve with single-piece, wafer-type body made of lamellar graphite cast iron, nodular cast iron, steel or stainless steel; metal/elastomer-seated or metal/metal-seated, maintenance-free, connections to EN, ASME or JIS.
PumpDrive 2/PumpDrive 2 Eco
Modular self-cooling frequency inverter that enables continuously variable speed control of asynchronous and synchronous reluctance motors by means of analog standard signals, a field bus or the control panel. As PumpDrive is self-cooling, it can be mounted on a motor, on the wall or in a control cabinet. Up to six pumps can be controlled without needing an additional controller.