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Indication of annual energy savings and costs: Heat pump in Dairy industries

Introduction

The indication of annual energy savings with application of heat pumps can be given in the dairy sector.
The cross cutting character of the heat pump technology opens many applications in many processes
in various industrial sectors. The dairy industry is an important sector in all EU countries from the point
of view of production of food products but also regarding energy consumption.

Production of pasteurised/sterilised milk and milk products out of raw milk needs heat for pasteurising
and sterilising of milk products and for cleaning of equipment between process batches. Moreover the
last stage of these processes involves cooling and finally cold storage of finished products and hence
also needs cooling energy.

Current utilities, like steam generators, supply heat and electrical driven compressor cooling machines
supply cold. The Netherlands study in the dairy sector [NIZO, mededeling M17, 1980] already
emphasises the opportunities to use heat pumps in these situations. The introduction of a heat pump
i.e. Absorption Heat Pump (AHP) in these energy supply systems combines heating and cooling
functions and may be considered a retrofit. The AHP uses the condenser heat of the cooling machine
and lifts the temperature of this heat to a useful level for cleaning and pasteurising purposes. This
approach decreases fuel consumption and also offers an opportunity to save consumption of ground
water because cooling water, to release condenser heat, is no longer needed. As a consequence this
means a cut down of thermal pollution of surface waters and less investments in cooling (tower)
equipment.

Production example

Two situations for introduction of Heat Pumps in the dairy production facilities are to be considered:

Retrofit, which means the replacement of the condenser of the cooling machine (currently
cooled by air or by water) by the evaporator of the AHP. In this case a part of the steam boiler
heat is supplied to the AHP;
New installations, which means that in stead of a steam generator and a separate cooling
machine an AHP is installed to which a compressor will be added to lift the evaporator pressure
to the absorber pressure. This lay out is needed to operate with low pressure AHP-fluid mixtures
which can operate at below zero temperatures and at the same time can avoid big volumes
handling compressors. This system is comparable to a Resorption Heat Pump (RHP) where a
compressor lifts the gas flow pressure from the degasser to the absorber pressure. This RHP
enables usage of ammonia-water mixtures. With this medium is much practical experience.

The example is a current factory with 100 000 tonnes of raw milk per year input. The input is processed
into cream, pasteurised and sterilised milk for consumption, yoghurt and custard. The processes have
batch characteristics and run normally 4000 h/a. Cleaning and pasteurising is carried out at
temperatures of 70 oC to 80 oC, requiring 50,1 TJ/a. Other heating processes like sterilising, at
temperatures of 90 oC up to nearly 120 oC, need 1,2 TJ/a heat. Cooling with ice water, temperatures -
4,5 oC, demands for 2,5 TJ/a and cooling and consecutive storage of end products at 5 or 6 oC involves
3,5 TJ/a. The simultaneoussimultaneity need for of heat and cold needs plays an important role.

Retrofit with Absorption Heat Pump (AHP)

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The existing steam generator (3,56 MW equivalent to 5,45 ton steam per hour) produces saturated
steam oat f 187 oC and needs 2,18 MNm3/a natural gas (78,5 TJ/a). The cooling machine needs 7,5
TJ/a electricity. The primary energy quantity of this last figure is 22,5 TJ/a. The AHP (3,48 MW), on the
basis of H2O/LiBr fluid mixture, increases the temperature of the condenser heat (released from the
cooling machine with 11,3 TJ/a ) up to the temperature level necessary for cleaning and pasteurising
purposes (80 oC). On the warm side of the AHP: 38,8 TJ/a heat is supplied to meet the needs of 50,1
TJ/a. For sterilising purposes 1,2 TJ/a heat is supplied at temperatures over 90 oC by the existing
steam generator. In this case 84% of the air or water cooling capacity of the condenser of the cooling
machine has to be replaced by a heat exchanger. This heat exchanger is in fact at the same time the
evaporator of the AHP and the condenser of the cooling machine. The fuel consumption of the steam
generator decreases to 1,7 TJ/a, the electricity consumption of the cooling machine remaining the
same 22,5 TJ/a primary energy.

New design with Resorption Heat Pump (RHP)

A new plant with a RHP avoids the investment in a steam generator and a separate cooling machine.
The RHP, based on NH3/H2O mixtures, has capacities respectively: 3,48 MWth heat at temperature
90 oC with 0,244 MWe cold at 0 oC and 0,083 MWth heat at temperature > 90 oC with 0,173 MWe
cold at -4,5 oC. Fuel consumption is just like the retrofit AHP, i.e.: 1,7 TJ/a, just like electricity
consumption of the cooling machine: 22,5 TJ/a. On the cold side, cold consumption has to be met with
ice water at a temperature - 4,5 oC, demands for 2,5 TJ/a. The cooling and consecutive storage of end
products, at 5 or 6 oC involves 3,5 TJ/a.

Specific Energy Consumption

A table presents the calculation results of both cases:

Heat pump application in dairy industry sector (Energy Consumption of 100.000 t/a milk) Comparison
between existing plant, retrofit with AHP and a new plant design with RHP

A introduction of the AHP between the cooling machine and partly the steam generator and

B replacement of the steam generator and cooling machine by a RHP.

Both options have benefits over the existing installations, even more if water costs are regarded also. A
new RHP plant has SEC = 0,84, the same as the retrofit AHP.

The calculations do not regard energy saving on the consumption side of the processes. These savings
might be substantial and as a consequence the capacities of the heat and cold supply systems would
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be smaller. Moreover these saving activities can give preference to AHP or RHP over the alternative of
simple steam generation and separated cooling.

Production costs (excluding energy costs)

The table below summarises the calculations of investments and Production Costs (PC) in both cases
AHP and RHP. Most of the information is found in "Industrial Heat Pumps, Experience, Potential and
Global Environmental Benefits" final report from annex 21 IEA Heat Pump programme.

Heat pump application in dairy industry sector (Investments and Costs of 100.000 t/a milk) Comparison
between existing plant, retrofit with AHP and a new plant with a RHP

Remarks:

Production costs for 'retrofit AHP' and 'new RHP' are to be decreased for total water costs,
including cooling equipment depreciation (ca. 0,2 ECU/m3 water): 54.000 ECU/a and 0,54
ECU/t;
With 'new RHP' the investment in the cooling machine is avoided: 0,12 MECU;
In 'retrofit AHP' full depreciation of the existing steam generator is regarded, which is much too
pessimistic;
Taking into account the water costs, Production Costs are respectively: PC = 5,00, 4,25 and
3,97 ECU/t.

Market development

Production of Netherlands dairy industry was:

in 1980 - MV = 11,7 Mt/a milk input,

in 1995 - MV = 11,8 Mt/a.

These Netherlands productions represent ca. 9 % of total EU production. Hence the Market Volume
data for all EU countries are respectively.: MV = 130 and 131 Mt/a. These capacities are assumed
constant for the future.

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From 1980 to 1995 only very few Heat Pump introduction in dairy industry has been installed. It is
rather optimistically assumed that the above mentioned options: retrofit AHP and new RHP, will be
adopted 50 %/50 % in EU dairy industry. These substitutions will be considered as starting from 1995
until 2005 for complete EU production capacity. After 2005 only RHP might be introduced. With these
assumptions next prognosis of Market Volumes in the Netherlands in Mt/a are in a table here.

Heat pump application in dairy industry sector (Capacity substitution in the Netherlands) Comparison
between existing plant, retrofit with AHP and a new plant with a RHP.

Calculation results

Taking the Market Volume trends as described, consequences of the Specific Energy Consumption
(SEC) and Production Costs (PC) for Total Energy Costs (TEC) and Total Production Costs, excluding.
energy costs (TPC) are calculated.

As an example in 2000:

TEC = 5,9*1,01 + 2,95*0,84 + 2,95*0,84 = 10,92 PJ/a (121 in EU)

TPC = 5,9*1,12 + 2,95*1,02 + 2,95*0,74 = 12,21 MECU/a (597 in EU).

Figures 1 and 2 give extrapolated EU data of TEC and TPC over the years 1980 to 2010 compared to
unchanged energy supply processes.

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