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.
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.
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