Presenter: Jason P. Smith, Miura North America, Inc., Atlanta, GA
Boilers account for nearly half of industrial energy consumption
and represent one of the most energy-intensive systems
in the brewing industry. Breweries must manage production
cycles that include highly variable heating loads that coincide
with intermittent brewing, pasteurization, and CIP processes.
Boiler energy management in brewery applications can often
be constrained by the performance limitations of conventional,
large-mass boilers that often exhibit overshoot and lag when
operating in response to load swings resulting in a “tail wagging
the dog” situation whereby the operation of the utility is
driven by the capabilities of the boiler rather than by following
sound energy management best practices. Tapping into years
of experience with Japan’s most well-known breweries, Miura
has learned many lessons from lean manufacturing (“kaizen”)
principles that can be translated to the U.S. brewing industry to
address waste related to overproduction via a “just in time” approach
to process heating utilizing on-demand boiler systems,
eliminating excessive energy consumption related to boiler
idling, and stand-by losses during periods of reduced process
loads. Much like tank-less/instantaneous water heaters in residential
applications, compact on-demand boiler systems offer
increased energy efficiency (approximately 20–30%) adapted
to larger industrial applications. Given the large amount of
energy consumed and the sharp minute-to-minute variations
in process steam demands in the brewing industry, on-demand
steam generation can play a significant role in reducing utility
costs per unit of production, achieving the primary goal—more
beer, fewer BTUs. These technology advances offer breweries
significant benefits in their utility-side management, including
reduced boiler footprint for optimized space utilization of utility
versus production equipment; optimized energy management
of variable loads during production; optimized back-up capacity
with built-in N+1 via modular design; flexibility to grow
utility capacity with production via modular design; optimized
staff utilization via on-demand operation and system automation;
optimized boiler system O&M via plug-and-play design;
optimized safe operation due to minimal water content design;
and reduced environmental impact from harmful emissions.
Jason Smith has a background in architecture and engineering
with more than 15 years of experience with the design and
construction of high-performance “green” buildings and
more than 8 years of experience as an LEED Accredited
Professional integrating sustainable design solutions into
facilities that address energy efficiency and contribute to
reducing their environmental impact. Jason is celebrating
four years with Miura North America directing energy and
environmental initiatives with a focus on energy efficiency
advocacy and education in the area of thermal energy systems.
Jason currently chairs the Energy Efficiency Deployment Subcommittee
of the Department of Energy’s ITP Steam Systems
Best Practices Steering Committee and is an active member of
the following organizations devoted to energy efficiency and
sustainability: ESC, ACEEE, ASE, IDEA, APPA, ASHE, AEE,
and USGBC. Jason is an active member of MBAA, having
provided technical presentations for several MBAA Districts
across the United States and Canada, as well as having
presented at the 2012 World Brewing Congress.
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