Das Projekt "Kontinuierliche Erhitzung von Bierwuerze" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Hannen Brauerei GmbH durchgeführt. Objective: Maintaining the product quality when applying the continuous heating process, and evaluation of the savings. General Information: In the conventional process the wort is boiled for about 90 to 150 min. in a brewing kettle; at the same time as various chemical reactions are going on, water is evaporated. After separation of hop residues and albumen, the wort is cooled down, then yeast is mixed ; the wort is then fermented and seasoned until the actual beer is ready. The main feature of the process is to separate the individual process steps such as wort heating, reaction and water evaporation, in order to reduce energy costs by heat recovery. The wort is fed at 75 deg. C from a feed tank into a pre-heater where it is heated to 95 deg. C by steam. Final heating up to 120 deg. C takes place in a live steam heat exchanger. The wort flows through a residence section where the necessary reaction takes place without evaporation. Then the required evaporation is done in a 4 stage flash column. Then the wort is cooled down in a plate heat exchanger. The heat released from the vapours produced in the first flashing stage of the column is used in the heat exchanger in order to preheat the wort. The vapours of the other flash stages are condensed in the condensers and heat the brewing water up to 80 deg. C. The vapour condensate is cooled down to below 30 deg. C. Having reached this temperature, the condensate is directly discharged. Change-over to a different beer is simply achieved by displacing the wort with hot water and then displacing this with the new wort. Monitoring of energy consumption was done with the 'CAPO' data acquisition system between the end of December 1985 and middle of July 1986. Achievements: In January 1985, tests had to be stopped due to corrosion and subsequent leakage in the four heat exchangers. Attempts were made to continue operation until delivery of new heat exchangers. Despite repairs one of the exchangers began to leak with a consequent mixing of vapour condensate and brewing water. It was then decided to operate the system by isolating the leaking exchanger and with only two exchangers to heat the brewing water. Although difficult, this proved possible. Evaporation was limited to 8 per cent (max) and major fluctuations in the control loops had to be avoided. Brewing water temperature was maintained at 80 deg.C. As evaporation was limited to 8 per cent max. a premise and exact operation was required when producing the primary wort. The only disadvantage is that malt extract losses must be expected. The Hannen brewery opted for the Heidelberg process due to its promise of low (comparatively) energy consumption, although a higher evaporation rate of 10 per cent is necessary to guarantee known high standards. However, up to the end of the period under review (ending 12.2.86) it was not possible to verify the energy savings which may be obtained with an evaporation rate of 10 per cent. However, the quality ...