BAD BRAMBACHER INSTALLS TWO WATER VACUUM DEGASSING SYSTEMS
With the installation of two modern vacuum degassing systems in the existing well system of Bad Brambacher Mineralbrunnen GmbH, corosys GmbH from Hofheim am Taunus shows that, despite the relatively large capacity of the systems, only low operating costs and a small installation area are required.
Bad Brambach is the southernmost community in Saxony, located in the Vogtland. Around 1800 the use of the springs around the then still called Brambach began. Thanks to its excellent water quality, the Brambach water was already in 1905 purchased in considerable quantities by the court supplier of the Bavarian Prince Regent Luitpold. In 1908 the Brambacher Sprudel GmbH was founded, from which the present Bad Brambacher Mineralbrunnen GmbH & Co. Betriebs KG emerged.
Increased demands on soft drink production made it necessary to install a water degassing system in the existing well system. Bad Brambacher Mineralbrunnen has always used only batch-pure water, which is pumped separately from four wells. Each well has its own reverse osmosis system with subsequent pressure tanks.
In order to guarantee the flow resistance through the systems, the feed pumps are designed with 15 m3/h and 4.5 bar each. One vacuum water deaeration unit each should be installed in two delivery lines with a corresponding capacity and the required deaeration target of < 20 ppb O2.
Using a 3D CAD model, it was no problem to adapt the plant to the structural conditions.
Stripped with CO2
The technological principle of vacuum water deaeration is based on the principle that the water to be deaerated is trickled into a column under vacuum and stripped with CO2 in countercurrent. The columns contain structural packing elements which create the necessary increase in surface area between gas and liquid to improve gas exchange. Stripping under vacuum reduces the gas solubilities of O2 and CO2 by a factor of 10 to 15. In the degassed water a maximum of 0.2 g/l of the stripping gas quantity of 0.3 g/l CO2 is dissolved.
Many older spray vacuum degassers consume a lot of CO2 and energy. In addition, they do not reach the oxygen values required today in breweries and other industries. They are usually noisy and also require a lot of space. So why should you decide on a spray vacuum degassing system at all?
Low energy consumption
For the newly developed spray vacuum degassing systems of corosys GmbH the mentioned disadvantages do not apply. Even more – there are some advantages by adapting the plant technology to the current requirements of modern industry. To maintain the vacuum, each column is equipped with a vacuum pump free of sealing water, which also reduces the costs for process water and makes the plants operate quietly. Low CO2 and energy consumption reduces operating costs. Nevertheless, the plants achieve residual oxygen values below 0.010 ppm (10 ppb).
The niche in the hall wall, formed by two concrete columns, 5.60 m wide and 0.5 m deep, in which the degassing systems now stand, was already partially occupied by piping and cable routes.
Their space requirements have been significantly reduced compared to the systems of the previous generation. The systems are usually delivered on pre-assembled frames, as so-called skid units.
In addition to the above-mentioned features, it was also the space-saving design that convinced the customer in Bad Brambach. The customer had planned a niche in the hall wall, formed by two concrete columns, 5.60 m wide and 0.5 m deep, which was already partly occupied by piping and cable routes. In order to be able to install two plants close to the wall, they both had to be mounted on the width of one plant. The height of the columns in the Bad Brambach plant is six meters with an external flange diameter of 50 centimeters. Because of the pipe routes mentioned at the beginning, it was necessary to proceed very carefully in the structural planning. Using a 3D-CAD model, it was no problem to adapt the plant to the structural conditions. The measurement equipment and components provided by corosys were professionally installed on site by the Wellmann company.
The control hardware for both independently running degassing plants could also be realized in a space-saving way with only one control cabinet. The corresponding software based on Siemens S7 was also part of the scope of delivery. The plant can be operated via an integrated touch panel on the control cabinet.
Technical Challenge
A technical challenge arose from the installation of the vacuum degassing systems for the described overpressure system, which is necessary to overcome the reverse osmosis system. Not only the fact that the inlet to the column does not provide any appreciable counter pressure, but on the contrary, that it is put under vacuum, inevitably led to the fact that the pressure of the reverse osmosis plant in the inlet of the water deaeration was too high. To save the costs for new pumps or intermediate buffers, it was decided to install adjustable pressure holding valves in the coupling bends on the panel. This compensated for the overpressure and guaranteed a smooth production run with the vacuum degassing.
The commissioning of the system went smoothly within one day. Degassing results of < 10 ppb were even achieved, thus exceeding the required specifications.
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Armin Burkert
Project manager corosys Prozeßsysteme und Sensoren GmbH, Hofheim am Taunus
M. Sc. Stefan Meyering
Project manager corosys Prozeßsysteme und Sensoren GmbH, Hofheim am Taunus
Getränkeindustrie 11/2014
