Improving efficiency at the Maggi plant: reducing heat loss through precise measurements
Katronic demonstrates how the Maggi factory in Singen is cutting costs and boosting efficiency
Making invisible energy losses visible
The food giant Nestlé operates a Maggi factory in Singen that is over 125 years old. This is one of Nestlé’s largest production sites in Germany: every year, just under 40 million bottles of Maggi seasoning and over 30 million tins of ravioli leave the historic production halls. To make production carbon-neutral in the long term, a detailed analysis of the heat demand is a key step – particularly with a view to future electrification using heat pumps.
The infrastructure on site comprises 40 buildings with a wide variety of media: from steam to hot and cold water and condensate. A total of 16 measurement points had to be taken into account for a realistic assessment – a challenge given the multitude of physical states and lines in the system.
We at Katronic were happy to take on this challenge. Given their ability to measure heat flow, the KATflow 150 – which is actually intended for permanent installation – and the portable KATflow 230 were the ideal measuring instruments for the task. One measurement point was also covered by a KATflow 200 unit, as temperature measurement was not required at this point.
Water flow measurements were carried out at twelve points in the system, mostly for hot water. Steam measurements were also to be carried out at five points. To this end, a trial measurement was first carried out to assess feasibility. This yielded isolated readings; however, due to condensation forming on the inside of the pipes and irregular flow rates, the measurement conditions were generally insufficient to produce clear results. For this reason, water flow measurements of the condensate were carried out at four locations within the plant as an alternative.
Among other things, the measurements revealed excessive heat losses in a pipe supplying hot water to the plant. These losses were rectified by rerouting the pipe in a targeted manner – with measurable success: the plant now saves around 10,000 euros in energy costs each year.
The investment in the measurement technology will therefore pay for itself within a short period of time and not only delivers financial benefits but also contributes to reducing the site’s CO₂ emissions.
