No end of benefits

With a total of six production sites and beer sales of around 17 million hectoliters per annum, SUN InBev is number three among the breweries of Russia. The company has continually invested in KHS technology since the 1990s. At its Omsk plant alone, the largest SUN InBev brewing company in Russia with a yearly production volume of about four million hectoliters, there are three KHS glass lines, three KHS PET systems and one KHS keg and one KHS canning line. Just recently the company decided to invest in the Innopro Ecostab, a new system that has been specially developed by KHS for regenerative beer stabilization. Compared to conventional regenerative candle gap or horizontal mesh filter systems, investment costs for the new equipment are lower and less polyvinylpolypyrrolidone is required. Another plus point is that its reduced media consumption minimizes the operating costs. The Innopro Ecostab is also advantageous in that if required it will operate continuously – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The system's compact design is yet another benefit; mounted on two frames, it can be flexibly adapted to suit conditions on site.

The situation at SUN InBev in Omsk to date was as follows: two filter lines, each fitted with a candle filter, filtrated and stabilized all of SUN InBev's brand beers. In this twin usage disposable PVPP was added to the beer to be filtered and stabilized and then discarded together with the diatomaceous earth once the process had finished. Pavel Trenev, project manager for SUN InBev in Omsk, explains. "Our costs were high for the disposable PVPP. At the same time the highly concentrated filtration and stabilization process within the system shortened the filter service lives. These disadvantages have been eradicated by our new Innopro Ecostab. Thanks to the fact that in the future we'll be able to spend a lot less on PVPP alone, we're reckoning on a return on investment for the system in under two years. We're also greatly profiting from the huge benefit of much increased line availability, for the Innopro Ecostab always fully flexibly adjusts itself to the two upstream filter lines, taking up filtered product from the relevant designated line. The filter lines are connected up to the Innopro Ecostab by a panel which can be flexibly switched over. The filter lines themselves thus concentrate on what they're actually designed for: filtering beer. This considerably increases their service life."

KHS supplies six versions of the Innopro Ecostab at present. Each has three stabilizing modules which can be equipped with one to six stabilizing columns apiece depending on the required output. In addition to the above modules each Innopro Ecostab system has a PVPP dosing vessel and a regeneration unit. The system is designed to stabilize 150 to 900 hectoliters of beer per hour. 

SUN InBev opted for an Innopro Ecostab that processes up to 600 hectoliters an hour. Each module has four columns allocated to it. Two stabilizing modules are always in operation during the stabilization process, with the third stabilizing module acting as a standby module. When module one reaches its maximum PVPP retention capacity, this module is regenerated and module three goes into production. If module two needs to regenerate, module one then again goes into action. In this way the Innopro Ecostab is always in operation, continuously picking up the pre-filtered beer from the two filter systems. The PVPP is dosed in full accordance with the amount of beer provided, ruling out understabilization and overstabilization. Says Trenev, "This method also means that PVPP is only involved in the process for a short period and thus regenerated quickly. Compared to classic PVPP regeneration systems, our Innopro Ecostab consumes up to 70% less PVPP. This setup also gives us outstanding technological values and cuts down on the amount of polyphenols needed by over 40%."

The fact that the Innopro Ecostab in Omsk has been running to everybody's utmost satisfaction since being commissioned is no great surprise. Trenev smiles. "After visiting Olympic Brewery in Greece, one of the first breweries to invest in the Innopro Ecostab, we were totally convinced by this system. We watched the stabilizer at work and heard nothing but praise from the people responsible for it there." 

After delivery the Innopro Ecostab at SUN InBev was quickly connected up to the upstream filter systems. Pre-piped and pre-wired by KHS, once in operation the new regenerative beer stabilization system was linked up to the media supply and integrated into the existing filter lines. Trenev is pleased. "The motto here is literally 'Plug & Produce'."

To date, the rule of thumb was that it was only worth investing in a classic system for regenerative beer stabilization from a minimum beer output of approximately 400,000 hectoliters per year. The Innopro Ecostab has completely changed this, making it just as suitable for small and medium-sized breweries as for large breweries. Those small and medium-sized breweries who wish to profit from the benefits of the Innopro Ecostab but do not require continuous beer stabilization in their production environment can do so, for the system is soon to be launched to market in a new batch version. 

SUN InBev OJSC (www.suninterbrew.ru) is one of the leading makers of beer in Russia. The company was founded in 1997 by the world's biggest brewery group InBev and the Russian SUN Group. SUN InBev's range of products includes various beer brands of renown, such as Stella Artois®, Tolstyak®, Klinskoye® and Sibirskaya Korona®.

KHS GmbH is one of the leading manufacturers of filling and packaging systems for the beverage, food and non-food industries. Headquartered in Dortmund, Germany, the company has an international production network with over 4,500 employees worldwide. In 2014 KHS was presented with the Innovation through Research seal. With this the Stifterverband, a nationwide German patron of education and science, honors companies' outstanding commitment to research and development and their particular responsibility to state and society.

KHS GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Salzgitter AG. With around 25,000 employees throughout the globe the German steel and technology group achieved a turnover of over €9 billion in the 2014 business year. Within the Salzgitter Group the KHS Group and two other special machine manufacturers make up the Technology Division and are part of the core business of the MDAX-listed corporation.