Economise on power consumption at Unilever

Unilever Ice Cream UK produces a wide variety of ice cream worldwide. Since the factory opened 25 years ago, the product range and internal manufacturing processes have undergone considerable modification to keep pace with hygiene guidelines and an ever-evolving product range. With a Grundfos Pump Audit, Unilever saw an opportunity to economise on power consumption, to reduce their carbon footprint and to save operational costs.

After an initial survey of some 60 pumps on the site, a detailed evaluation was performed on ten supply systems. The evaluation highlighted numerous sources to energy wastage, such as over-pumping, valving back, oversized pumps and inefficient motors. 37 kW pumps the Pump Audit were costing more than €20,000 per annum to operate, and once the correct duty point had been calculated, it was agreed that replacement pumps could be rated at 15 kW. Reducing motor size from 37 kW to 15 kW meant that even a fixed-speed pump could be operated at less than half the cost.
To further increase savings by 20%, Unilever opted to install Grundfos variable-speed pumps. The variable-speed solution has given Unilever greater control over the process, and the new pumps need only operate at a running speed of 45 Hz to supply the process. The payback period for the new pumps was a mere 12 months. The new pumps installed at Unilever Ice Cream UK are: Grundfos NBE end-suction E-pumps, CRNE multistage centrifugal E-pumps, F&B-HYGIA single-stage end-suction sanitary pumps, multi booster sets and NOVAlobe rotary lobe pump with positive displacement.