Non-invasive determination of the cooling capacity at an ammonia gas stream

In a brewery, energy is the second most important resource after water. This applies, first of all, for process heat for the preparation of the brew, and also for the cooling required for the controlled process management of the fermentation process and finally for the storage cellar.

The cold supply for fermentation and the storage cellar is normally generated in a central refrigeration plant. Most often ammonia is used as a refrigerant. Within the scope of an integrated energy management system the continuous monitoring of the chiller’s efficiency is mandatory. Besides the measurement of the electric power consumption the generated cooling power has to be recorded.

Non-invasive flow measurement of the ammonia gas stream proves to be a convincingly elegant solution for this measuring task. Using the FLUXUS ultrasonic system, the flow rate of the - in the here described case - 15 bar hot ammonia gas stream can be measured from the pipe wall outside. Direct work on the piping is not necessary and the involved risk of the ammonia’s toxicity can be eliminated.

Since pressure and temperature are recorded at the same time, FLUXUS can directly calculate the plants cooling power. The plant operators are thus able to check the efficiency of the compressor at every moment and can consequently find starting points for further optimisation of the cooling plant.

Advantages

• Determination of the cooling capacity provided and thus, the energetic rating of the compressors (CoP)
• No opening or costly emptying of the pipe is necessary
• No wear and tear, no risk of toxic medium leaking, no pressure loss

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