Energy savings in food & beverage industry

Compressed air is very important in the food & beverage industry. It is often called the 4th utility in these factories due to the high consumption and compressed air being critical in the production process itself.

Compressed air is used in many different areas. Think of compressed air for pneumatic tools, for movement and packaging, cleaning and even for freezing and dehydration of food. Here are just a few examples:

Examples of compressed air usage in food & beverage

For cutting, shaping and sorting. Compressed air is used to cut pastry to ensure the right amount every time, or to push fillings into pie crusts. Raw ingredients and materials are sorted by compressed air upon weight.
Blow off for cleaning. Think of blowing breadcrumbs of the assembly line and cleaning of packaging and containers, within the process and for the end-product. E.g. often fruit and vegetables are frozen and dehydrated, so it is very important that all packaging is proper and fully cleaned.
For automated processes and pneumatic tools; opening of valves and actuators for e.g. filling and bottling.
Packaging, for instance, forming, filling and sealing of carton boxes.
As a source for nitrogen and oxygen generators. For instance, nitrogen is used to create nitrogenized beer. Or to increase nitrogen levels in the packaging area to preserve the freshness of the food, protect nutrients and prevent aerobic microbial growth

Measure & monitor your compressed air

As you can see, compressed air is used everywhere within the food & beverage industry and therefore compressed air can take a significant amount of the electricity bill.

By measuring and monitoring the compressed air consumption, you will get insight into your consumption and your consumption profile. Measuring and controlling dew point is thereby also critical to prevent moisture in your compressed air. Moisture can lead to rust and algae growth, which can result in costly production losses.

With proper insight, you can make the right decisions to improve your compressed air system. This will lead to: