Paulaner opts for CoroBev mixing system from corosys
Lemonade production at the brewery
Right on trend | Even though the Paulaner brewery relocated from Nockherberg to Munich-Langwied seven years ago, people still like to talk about the ‘new’ brewery. However, some equipment and systems from Nockherberg also moved to the new building, e.g. the blending plant for beer mixes and non-alcoholic beverages. These segments in particular are growth areas in the beer market, and the popularity of Paulaner's products demanded a significant increase in capacity. This was realised with the installation of a CoroBev blending system from corosys beverage technology GmbH & Co. KG.
The German beverage market has seen two trends in recent years: Sales of alcoholic beers are declining, while non-alcoholic beverages - including non-alcoholic beers - are developing positively. The Paulaner Brewery is a classic Bavarian brewery with a wide range of speciality beers; light beer, which is currently experiencing a considerable upswing, has been brewed for 125 years. However, the brewery has also recognised the trend towards non-alcoholic beverages and offers non-alcoholic beers and mixed beer drinks as well as soft drinks in its portfolio.
Since the beginning of the year, Paulaner Spezi in the trendy retro-look design has also been available in a zero version. Popular mixed beer drinks such as Paulaner wheat beer-lemon or the Hacker-Pschorr brand Naturradler are available both with and without alcohol. With these beverages, the Paulaner Brewery Group is participating in the development of the market and has now also responded to this success in terms of plant technology
The growing variety of products on the one hand and the increasing demand on the other also require a state-of-the-art brewery such as the site in Munich-Langwied, especially for mixed drinks. ‘Our annual output of soft drinks is growing significantly every year. Paulaner Spezi is a significant part of this and the market launch of Paulaner Spezi Zero has been very successful,’ reports Christian Dahncke, 1st Brewmaster of the Paulaner Brewery Group. ‘In recent years, we have also launched new products in the mixed beer beverage segment, which have also seen significant sales growth.’ So the question was not whether to invest in the expansion of the blending plant, which had moved from Nockherberg to the new brewery, but when. An expansion of the plant had already been taken into account during the planning stage. ‘Our forecasts have clearly shown that we are reaching the limits of our capacity with the old line, especially during the seasonal peaks when demand is particularly high. Then the production of different mixed drinks has to run simultaneously. We have six bottling lines that we want to run directly from the mixer at times,’ says Christian Dahncke. ‘So it was clear that if we wanted to meet the growth in sales, we had to ensure that there was no ‘competition’ in production and bottling. Two large mixer systems give us flexibility here.’
Tendering and awarding 2020
The tender for the new blending plant was issued in 2020. The requirements for the new plant included a wide output range from 150 hl/h to 450 hl/h, as well as the switch from IBC containers to the delivery of raw materials by tanker. A system was needed that could produce 400 to 420 hl/h at peak times, an output that would not be used to supply the filling line directly, but would be buffered in pressurised tanks. On the other hand, a reduced output of 120 to 150 hl/h was also required, with which the filler can be supplied directly. ‘Covering this output range and producing an optimally mixed product using dosing technology and continuously good carbonation was probably the most challenging aspect of the tender,’ explains Dahncke.
‘Another concern was the changeover from raw materials in small containers to tank deliveries.’ In order to realise this in practice, two concentrate tanks were to be built. It was also clear that all the systems involved had to be fully automated in terms of the entire process of delivery, quantity recording and data transfer to the ERP system so that billing could be carried out directly there. The automation was carried out by Paulaner itself, but the metrological requirements and the process design had to be in place. For a further requirement, the full integration into the existing control and visualisation system, i.e. into Krones Botec, the willingness for comprehensive cooperation was also a prerequisite.
Last but not least, the existing system also had to be upgraded with a new CO2 injector in order to dose the carbon dioxide in both systems in the same way. ‘Our quality standard is to set a CO2 content with pinpoint accuracy.’ According to Dahncke, in order to guarantee this, it would have been time to replace the carbonation unit in the old system due to its age. ‘Otherwise, major maintenance would have been necessary. In the end, we decided to use the same injector for both systems.’
The project entered the award phase in 2020. In the end, corosys beverage technology GmbH & Co. KG was best able to meet the extensive requirements from various fields of expertise and beat four competitors. ‘It wasn't just a price/performance decision,’ says 1st Master Brewer Christian Dahncke, explaining the decision to award the contract to the Hessian company. ‘We were particularly impressed by corosys' inline carbonation. In other words, the way carbonation is carried out here gives us a certain advantage over our competitors.’ In addition, corosys was a proven partner. In the past, the company has already relied on the water deaeration systems from corosys, which now also feed the blending system, including the blending and carbonation system, with deaerated water.
The CoroBev blending system
The new raw material intake from the tanker now leads into the two concentrate tanks, each with a net capacity of 250 hectolitres. Thanks to the leak-proof valves and the corresponding circuit, continuous production is also possible during reception and cleaning. An additional raw material line to the existing system also makes it possible to mix out from the tank on this or both systems at the same time. Sugar and base material are dosed via a control line with two control valves of different sizes installed in parallel, which adjust the flow of the liquid to be dosed to the volume flow of the deaerated water as the base flow in a highly accurate proportional manner. The mixture is then cooled and carbonised in the GDI gas dispersion injector developed by corosys. The GDI, which was installed in both the new and the existing system, is a good example of how physical understanding and precise engineering make efficient solutions possible.
‘The injector installed in all corosys gas dissolving systems does not require any installations such as frits, static mixers etc., as the CO2 solution is based solely on the Venturi principle,’ explains corosys Sales Manager Stefan Meyering. Thanks to the optimised flow in the injector, the beverage to be carbonated is mixed very evenly with the CO2, which is broken down into very fine bubbles by the turbulence generated by the injector, ensuring that the CO2 is completely dissolved within the subsequent holding section. The homogeneous distribution of the CO2 can be monitored via a sight glass at the start of the dissolving section. The main quality control is carried out downstream of the dissolving section in an inline measuring system for CO2, sugar content for soft drinks, as well as original gravity and alcohol for mixed beer beverages. The measuring technology is located in the recirculation section of the buffer tank to ensure that optimally mixed product is always supplied to the filling system. It is also possible to circulate via the bypass of the system's buffer tank to avoid start-up losses.
Project management during ongoing operations
The handling of the 2021 project was naturally also characterised by the pandemic. The face-to-face meetings required in the run-up to the project were reduced to a minimum. Otherwise, communication took place digitally as far as possible. This included project meetings, but also general dialogue, in particular the discussion of process descriptions, collaboration on programming and much more. ‘The digital communication channels were utilised optimally,’ confirms Christian Dahncke. Another partner was also involved in the project for infrastructure and pipework, but this triangle also managed to coordinate closely during the pandemic. ‘Due to the supply bottlenecks caused by the pandemic, it was mainly a challenge for the dosing technology to get components at all, which is why the installation took longer than planned,’ continues Dahncke. However, everything that corosys had in its own hands was always on site at the agreed time.
During the parallel expansion of the valve manifold, corosys was also largely involved in the process optimisation, as it was integrated into the entire process. ‘The valve manifold was extended to connect the mixer to the pressurised tanks. A new filling rail was therefore built in the pressurised tank cellar,’ says Dahncke, explaining the step. He also emphasises the biggest challenge in connecting the pressure tanks via DN100 double-seat valves, which, just like the installation of the blending system, was carried out while the brewery was in operation. ‘It was the proverbial open-heart surgery. Such expansions to a running brewery in the middle of the season mean that you have to utilise the off-peak times. We were there on many Saturdays, we were also there on Sundays. And corosys was also prepared to carry out the commissioning at the times we specified. We can emphasise that once again,’ continues Dahncke.
Thanks to the new blending plant, however, the company is now well equipped for the developments of the coming years. With the option of blending two products in parallel - the new system is initially intended exclusively for the production of non-alcoholic beverages - the expected growth in the mixed beer beverage and non-alcoholic soft drinks sectors can be met with sufficient production capacity. It goes without saying that it is part of the corosys system concept that these can be expanded on a modular basis; in the future, for example, it would also be possible to add beer or non-alcoholic beer for beer-based mixed drinks.
It is no longer a secret that non-alcoholic beverages and alcohol-free beers are becoming increasingly popular. The trend is clearly recognisable and now is the time for many producers to rethink and optimise their established processes. In future, breweries will have to be even more flexible in their production capabilities. This does not necessarily mean that new equipment has to be purchased immediately. Conversion or integration into an existing process can be just as flexible. This example shows that this is even possible during ongoing production. Paulaner is pleased to have taken this step early on and to be able to continue producing efficiently.
Brauwelt 17/2022
Author: Ole Kohls, Marketing Manager, corosys
beverage technology GmbH & Co. KG,
Hofheim am Taunus
