Smart maintenance
for the beverage industry

A glance at the shelves in the supermarkets reflects the situation in the beverage industry: new beverages come onto the market every week. There is cut-throat competition, and margins tend to be low. To survive in this environment, companies in the beverage industry are concerned with every cent they can save. At the same time, ever new products also mean longer setup times and maintenance. Unplanned downtimes and standstills in production then symbolically bring the barrel to overflow. One possible solution is condition-based monitoring (CBM) with intelligent frequency converters. It enables predictive maintenance. Such smart maintenance is already popular with global players. But it can also be worthwhile for smaller companies in the beverage industry.

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"What is the cost of an hour of downtime in your production?"

In any case, "too much," thinks René Grywnow of Concentric AB. In the video, he shares tips for greater efficiency in beverage production and uses the example of the filling line in the Doemens Academy‘s training and pilot brewery to explain how you can skilfully use smart drive technology in your bottling hall to save costs. Because what many do not yet know: In addition to higher energy efficiency through frequency-controlled processes, intelligent frequency inverters can also prevent unplanned stops and the need for unexpected maintenance. Behind this is a new technology called condition-based monitoring (CBM) with frequency converters. The investment pays off quickly, because even just one hour of unplanned downtime can quickly result in a loss of several thousand euros.

What is condition-based monitoring with frequency inverters?

In the beverage industry, few drive systems are monitored with high-end condition monitoring software – because it is often too expensive. When such a system is used, it is usually in critical areas. This can be changed and the advantages are manifold. And it is precisely for this purpose that Danfoss Drives has developed the so-called Condition-based Monitoring (CBM) with intelligent frequency converter. Frequency converters with integrated CBM functions detect many faults in drive systems quickly and reliably by monitoring the motor. Now there is one question in particular: How does condition-based monitoring with frequency inverters work exactly?

The principle behind CBM is quickly explained: Intelligent frequency converters collect (motor) data with the help of internal and up to four external sensors, store them and evaluate them with Edge Intelligence. The results are then available in the cloud or in a local control system. Based on this data analysis, operators are now planning predictive, condition-based maintenance that increases asset performance, efficiency and uptime, extending the life of asset components while reducing complexity. How frequency inverters learn in detail is explained by the Danfoss-Engineers Jörg Dannehl and Holger Schmidt in Drehmoment – Der Antriebspodcast. The episode "How does an inverter learn?" is available in German.

Smart maintenance for high availability in the beverage industry

Are you now wondering what the benefits of using CBM with frequency inverter in the beverage industry are? An example from the bottle cellar illustrates the advantages: Cleaning there takes place under high pressure. Disinfection foams are also used. In the worst case, this can lead to water entering engines during the cleaning process. This is exactly what CBM users can easily keep an eye on, by monitoring the motor windings. If water does penetrate an engine during cleaning, this provides you with an early indicator of an impending critical failure. This gives you time to check if you have suitable spare parts in stock. So you will no longer be surprised by unplanned stops.

What CBM users from the beverage industry say

In the CBM user talk in Torque – The Drive Podcast, you’ll hear how Molson Coors, a multinational brewing group that has many prominent beer and beverage brands in its portfolio, is using CBM in its production facilities. Jakov Perisic from Molson Coors and his team have been using condition-based monitoring with frequency converters for some time now. Their goal is not only to make repairs more efficient, but to keep plants running longer overall. Jakov tells us how they manage to do this and what challenges they encounter in episode 11 "Condition-based monitoring: using data, increasing plant performance" of Drehmoment – Der Antriebspodcast. You can read the interview about the podcast here.

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Why is pump speed control worthwhile?

As in all process industries, pumps play an essential role in the beverage industry. When these pumps are frequency controlled, production efficiency increases and users save a lot of money by reducing energy and costs. On the one hand, it is therefore worthwhile to consider pump speed control from the outset when planning new systems. On the other hand, existing systems can also be easily retrofitted in the vast majority of cases.

In addition to increasing efficiency and reducing costs, the use of intelligent frequency converters in pump control enables completely new maintenance strategies with condition-based monitoring. Christian Prakesch from Danfoss Drives explains what this means in detail in the video.

New maintenance strategies with speed-controlled pumps

When intelligent frequency inverters drive pumps in the beverage industry, completely new approaches can be taken to maintenance. Condition monitoring of pumps with CBM-capable inverters enables users to detect risks at an early stage and avoid production stops.

This works as follows: Using internal signals that the inverter knows from the motor, such as current, power, speed or torque, the frequency inverter creates an image of the plant. He transmits this image to the plant operator. At the operator’s request, this overview can then be refined further and further. For example, if additional external sensors are connected, a wide variety of limit values can be controlled and monitored. The result is a very precise determination of the necessary maintenance intervals by the Edge Intelligence in the inverter.

In addition to the high benefit that pump speed control brings to smart maintenance in the beverage industry, the familiar advantages around energy and cost efficiency naturally remain. The rule of thumb is that a speed reduction of 20 percent already saves about 50 percent energy.

Would you like to learn more? Read how you can increase energy efficiency and sustainability in your production with frequency converters from Danfoss and which savings potentials the internationally renowned Doemens Academy realizes in its new teaching and test brewery with efficient and flexible drive technology from Danfoss. For more tips and in-depth knowledge on the smooth use of pumping applications in beverage production, see this Tech Insight [Link if created].

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