Ludwig Weinrich chocolate factory premises from outside

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.

System incorporating piping, pumps and valves

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.

Piping, valves and Movitec VF pumps equipped with PumpDrive 2

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

Movitec

Bomba centrífuga de alta pressão vertical, de estágios múltiplos, com flanges de aspiração e de pressão opostas com igual diâmetro (versão em linha) e construção monobloco para o accionamento. Com KSB SuPremE, um motor de relutância síncrono sem íman (excepção: os tamanhos dos motores de 0,55 kW/0,75 kW com 1500 rpm são fornecidos com ímanes permanentes) da classe de eficiência IE4/IE5 em conformidade com a norma IEC TS 60034-30-2:2016, para funcionamento no sistema de controlo da rotação de tipo KSB PumpDrive 2 ou KSB PumpDrive 2 Eco sem codificador de posição do rotor. Pontos de fixação em conformidade com a norma EN 50347, substâncias de revestimento em conformidade com a norma DIN V 42673 (07-2011). Versão com protecção antideflagrante disponível.

BOAX-S/SF

BOAX-S/SF

Válvula de corte cêntrica com extremidade do veio quadrado de acordo com a norma ISO 5211 para válvulas de corte a partir de DN 350, com barreira térmica, fole anelar em elastómero (EPDM XU ou nitrilo K), com alavanca manual, engrenagem de redução manual ou actuador eléctrico (BOAXMAT-S e BOAXMAT-SF), corpo com orifícios de centragem (T2), corpo com orifícios no flange roscado (T4) para conexão unilateral e montagem como válvula final, disco de válvula em aço inoxidável 1.4308, ligações conforme a EN.

SERIE 2000

SERIE 2000

Válvula de retenção de duas folhas na versão de aperto, um corpo de uma só peça em ferro fundido com grafite lamelar, ferro fundido nodular, aço, aço inoxidável, vedação em metal/elastómero ou vedação metal/metal, livre de manutenção, ligações conforme a EN, ASME ou JIS.

PumpDrive 2/PumpDrive 2 Eco

PumpDrive 2/PumpDrive 2 Eco

Inversor de frequência com refrigeração automática e uma estrutura modular que possibilita uma alteração contínua da velocidade de rotação de motores de relutância síncronos e assíncronos através de sinais analógicos padrão, do bus de campo ou da unidade de controlo. O auto-arrefecimento do PumpDrive permite a montagem no motor, na parede ou num quadro eléctrico. Controlo de até 6 bombas sem um controlador adicional.