Siemens drives are saving energy and money at Glenfiddich whisky distillery.

Installation of variable speed drives at the Glenfiddich whisky distillery in the Scottish Highlands has helped to improve process efficiency and reduce energy usage and costs. Supplied by Siemens Automation and Drives, the drives form part of a water level control and pumping system that is critical to the distillation.

Water from a storage dam is used for cooling of condensate in the process; this dam being kept full by pumping from a nearby pond formed by the Glenfiddich river. In the existing system two pumps were being run at a fixed speed for 24 hours, every day of the year and a solution was being sought to increase efficiency without compromising supply.

The EnviroRanger ERS500, an ultrasonic level measurement and water distribution system from Siemens Process Instruments was highlighted by the distillery as a possible solution. This accurately monitors and controls liquid levels providing control outputs to variable speed drives for more efficient pump operation and eliminates the need for further control equipment. MicroMaster drives were recommended by Siemens for use with the EnviroRanger.

Two Siemens MicroMaster inverters were linked by Profibus to the EnviroRanger, which provides control signals based on the water level in the dam. The pumps now no longer need to be driven at fixed speed, plus the MicroMaster drives give gradual changes to the pump speeds reducing maintenance and increasing lifespan.

The installation was completed by Siemens working alongside the distillery’s in-house team.

Source

Electrical and Mechanical Contractor