Global English

Energy savings at new Budweiser China plant

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Ziyang Budweiser Factory, China

In 2011, the first facilities for production of Budweiser beer in China were established in the Sichuan province. In order to keep pace with the ambitious commissioning plan, the construction period of the refrigeration system for the fermentation area was limited to four months and called for fast design and construction.

To deliver on the tight time schedule, the Danfoss ICF valve stations were chosen for the Ziyang plant. Compared to assembly of traditional components, the ICF solution greatly reduces the time spent on welding. At the same time the reduced number of welds prevents leakage and provides high safety.

According to calculations after the installation of the 178 sets of Danfoss ICF control units, the Budweiser Ziyang factory has achieved savings of 50 % in the installation phase and savings of 30 % for maintenance and operational costs.

In addition to the ICF valve stations in the fermentation area, Danfoss supplied a number of other refrigeration components for de-oxidization, hops storage and icy water control. The applied solutions help Budweiser achieve significant energy savings on its first Chinese plant.

The use of ICF valve stations effectively shortened the installation period of the new refrigeration system and in daily operation allows easy maintenance. In addition, the solution helps achieve remarkable energy savings.

"We are proud of the successful application of Danfoss industry refrigeration solution to the new Budweiser's factory. Specially designed for the refrigeration system, the ICF Control Solution is an innovative design, boosting efficiency, safety, and convenience. Furthermore, the ICF solution ensures constant reliability in operation, while also protecting the environment", says Industry Refrigeration Sale Director of Danfoss China, Mr. Zhang Anning.

As the first production base of Budweiser in southwestern China, the Ziyang factory plays a strategic role in Budweiser’s presence in China. In order to keep pace with the commissioning plan, the construction period of the whole fermentation area refrigeration system had to be completed within less than four months. The short construction period gave the ICF valve station a chance to show its extraordinary potential for fast installation with only few welds. 

The compact design of the ICF valve station reduces the need for space. The Thick Layer Passivation (TLP) surface treatment of the ICF is ideal for the beer tank environment with changing levels of humidity and temperatures. 

The choice of ICF valve stations helped Budweiser to cut down the installation costs by 50% and subsequent maintenance costs by 30%.

Besides the fermentation area, a series of Danfoss components have been mounted in deoxidization, the hops storage area and for icy water control. The products help Budweiser achieve significant energy savings in the daily operation.
The ICF valve station has been awarded as a Golden Product by ASHRAE (American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineer). The Danfoss ICF valve stations have been installed in more than 15,000 industrial refrigeration applications across the world.

The ICF is designed and tested to withstand a maximum working pressure of up to 52 bar (750 psi) in a media temperature range of –60/+120°C (–76/+248°F), making the ICF suitable for the natural refrigerant CO2 and other future high-pressure refrigerants.

  • The company is no 1 beer manufacturer in the world and no 3 in fast moving consumer goods.
  • The planned annual production at the Ziyang plant is more than 1.2 million ton beer.