28 BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS News PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT Hardknott Brewery and Siemens are working together to develop an ideal temperature control solution for the microbrewing sector, as the popularity of craft-brewed beers soars. Dave Bailey, founder of the Hardknott micro-brewery in Cumbria, is a prime example of someone with an entrepreneurial spirit who believes in developing the very best product he can. Since establishing Hardknott in 2005, Dave and his small team have continued to develop, invest, innovate and drive forward their goal of producing stunning craft beers. Now, with the help of Siemens technology, he is tackling a vital part of the brewing process – control of the fermentation process – so that it is more efficient and reliable going forward. He explained: “Control of the fermentation temperature helps to considerably improve the quality and consistency of beer. It takes place over several days and on a practical basis the process cannot be watched continually. Temperature control systems can be expensive and complex to set up and micro-breweries tend to use fairly rudimentary on/off controls, or even manual ones, which by definition are not overly accurate. However, some sort of automatic temperature monitoring and control system is essential in my view.” Searching for a cost-effective and usable solution, Dave began a dialogue with Siemens. This led to a working relationship matching Siemens technology answers with the particular processing needs of the microbrewery. Dave continued: “It was clear to us that there was work to be done to find a suitable solution for the small-scale, independent brewing sector, that could overcome cost barriers and technical hurdles around automated temperature control. We have successfully used discrete controllers for the past five years, but an inability to integrate with other equipment easily, a lack of a logging facility and the rising cost of replacement units when failures occur, encouraged us to seek out an alternative solution. At this stage, I offered to investigate whether the proposed Siemens solution – LOGO; an intelligent logic module that is ideal for small-scale automation tasks – could provide the answers and support we needed to control the fermentation temperature process.” With simple installation, minimum wiring and easy programming, the LOGO control system is perfectly suited for small automation projects, enabling the replacement of time switches and relays, counters and protective relays. Dave was already aware of LOGO from using it to control a simple keg washing solution, and was pleased with its performance and potential. He was keen, with Siemens‘ help, to see if it could also be the basis of an automated control system that was appropriate, fit-for- purpose and cost effective for his fermentation control needs. Temperature control of fermentation is a challenge, with tight control to a stability of around 0.1 degree being the desired target. Utilising the LOGO module, which offers a logging facility and trend display courtesy of a HMI screen, is now providing access for Dave to a far more intuitive set-up, as well as generating better information on which to base internal analysis of the controls and assess how stable the process actually is. Dave is pictured (bottom left) using the Siemens system. LOGO! 8 is the first of a new generation of successful Siemens logic modules, with on board SD memory support. It fulfils customer requests for easier handling, featuring a large display and full communication options via Ethernet. The web server application has also been simplified. Remote communication via the cellular wireless network rounds off the offer, enhancing the potential range of applications using LOGO. Cost-effective fermentation control ‘Beer & BBQ’ event at Core A leading supplier of innovative beer-making equipment, Core is holding a ‘Beer & BBQ’ open day on Friday 30th June 2017. The event will take place at Core’s head office in Daventry, and is being held to allow brewers to enjoy a day of beer tasting, unlimited BBQ food, and the opportunity to see a monoblock brewhouse in action. This informal event will allow brewers to visit the Core head office, get to know the latest brewing equipment on offer and enjoy a variety of different beers made using the brewhouse, whilst networking around a barbeque. The invite is open to anyone from the brewing industry. Brewers are free to visit between 11am – 3pm on Friday 30th June, at the following address: Core Equipment Ltd 3 Everdon Park, Heartlands Business Park, Daventry, Northamptonshire NN11 8YJ Attendance is free, but registration is required for catering purposes. For more information, brewers should visit www.core-equip.com or e-mail info@core-equip.com to register their interest. www.siemens.com For more information visit: 28_Layout 1 16/05/2017 14:09 Page 1