38% energy savings
Retrofit using EC+ concept achieves 38% energy savings in ventilation. Learn more about the project with Danfoss partner NOVENCO.
ITALY: At Unilever’s plant in Caivano, Italy, home to the renowned Algida brand, upwards of a billion ice creams are produced annually, including the beloved Magnum. As a leader in industrial ice cream manufacturing, the factory is committed to operational excellence and ambitious efficiency goals.
Danfoss and its partner NOVENCO Building and Industry supported this commitment by installing an optimized ventilation system, enabling the factory to achieve substantial reductions in energy consumption and corresponding greenhouse gas emissions.
The challenge: Reaching net zero by 2030
With highly advanced production technologies in use, the electrical consumption at Unilever's Caivano facility was significant. As a step towards meeting its ambitious target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 100% by 2030 (from a 2015 baseline), the Caivano plant needed an innovative solution to enhance energy efficiency in its production processes.
This ambition was supported by Danfoss, in partnership with NOVENCO, through the implementation of high-efficiency axial fan solutions powered by Danfoss drives.
The primary challenge was to improve electrical consumption and increase efficiency. In the last stage, it was also to address the obsolescence of our devices.
The solution: Reducing energy consumption with a high-efficiency ventilation system
In collaboration with Danfoss, NOVENCO replaced the existing ice cream tunnel system with the EC+ concept, a high-efficiency combination of fan, motor, and drive. The upgrade of the ice cream tunnel system included:
- 6 ZerAx® axial fans (900 mm diameter, 15 kW each)
- 6 permanent magnet high-efficiency IE5+ motors
- 6 VLT® HVAC Drive FC102 from Danfoss
Additionally, all direct-on-line applications were fitted with new drives between the power supply and the fan to introduce variable speed control.
“The old fans in the factory had an efficiency of approximately 50 to 60%. The EC+ solution comes with a high-efficiency fan of 92% efficiency, fitted with a super-premium-efficiency motor reaching up to 95%, all controlled by a Danfoss drive with 98% efficiency. In total, this gives a system efficiency of up to 85%.”
- Jonas Bitsch Kuhlmann, Product Manager, NOVENCO
Condition monitoring with VFDs
The addition of Danfoss drives in all fan installations not only benefits operational efficiency. It opens the door to condition-based monitoring with DrivePro® Site Assessment, enabling the move toward condition-based maintenance strategy.
Based on what we have seen in factories around the world, we expect a percentage of savings on this project of approximately 30 to 40%. Unilever is leading the way, arranging a global agreement with NOVENCO and Danfoss to reach the net-zero goals.
The outcome: 38% less energy consumption with a short payback period
The EC+ system has enhanced ventilation efficiency at the Caivano plant, with measured energy consumption showing substantial improvement. This retrofit achieved 38% energy savings, reflecting similar results achieved in comparable projects. With a projected payback period of two years, this retrofit not only supports Unilever’s net-zero ambitions but also reinforces its leadership in efficient manufacturing.
Power, cooling, and energy efficiency are key factors in Unilever’s success.
What is the EC+ Concept?
When building an HVAC system, to get the highest performance and system efficiency, the individual components – motor, drive and fan – need to be flexible and broadly compatible with each other. For instance, if you specify a high-efficiency motor that is only compatible with lower efficiency fans, the overall system efficiency would suffer and would not reflect the high performance – and investment – in the individual components.
Danfoss Drives’ EC+ concept allows ventilation system designers to combine a VLT® HVAC Drive with the most efficient fan and permanent magnet motor.
Advantages of the EC+ concept:
- Free choice of motor technology: PM, asynchronous or synchronous reluctance with the same AC drive
- Device installation and operation remain unchanged
- Manufacturer independence in the choice of all components
- Superior system efficiency thanks to a combination of individual components with optimum efficiency
- Retrofitting of existing systems is possible
- Wide range of rated powers for standard, PM and synchronous reluctance motors
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