Step-by-step optimisation of

a bottle washing machine

CONSERVATION OF RESOURCES I The increasing costs of energy TYPICAL CONCENTRA-
and raw materials lead drinks manufacturers to constantly seek TIONS ...
out and utilise sources of potential savings. In the bottle filling .:. found in practice.

sector, the cleaning of returnable glass bottles is one of the key NaOH Additive
Glass lines 1.3%-2.5% 0;15%"':0.50%
areas incurring costs. To significantly lower the energy consumed PET lines 1.2%- 2.0% OJ5%.-0.35%
in this area, all of the decisive process parameters must be taken !~ Table I

into account. In a range of bottle washing machines, Ecolab has

reduced caustic concentrations and lowered maximum bath tem-
peratures, thereby making a major contribution to energy efficien-
cy and conservation of resources.
IN PRACTICE ONE GENERALLY
FINDS caustic bath concentrations of up to
2.5 percent. Besides the directly associated
costs of raw material and price fluctuations,
high concentrations also cause corrosion
of glass and entail increased expenditure
on washing machines and in the storage of
concentrates. Furthermore, higher caus-
tic concentrations also require greater
amounts of rinsing water to flush out the
caustic introduced into the bottles. Lower-
ing the caustic concentration brings down
purchasing, logistics and storage costs and
is accompanied by beneficial secondary ef-
fects such as reduced bottle corrosion, waste
water with a lower pH and lower fresh water
consumption.
• Energy consumption
Bottle washing machines often run at tem-
peratures above 80°C. The main energy
consumption can be attributed to the bot-
tling and conveying system.
If one considers a bottle cleaning ma-
chine with a capacity of 40000 x 0.5 litre
bottles per hour, then, under current con-
ditions, a mass of around 20 tons of glass
is heated up to 80°C and then cooled down
to a delivery temperature of around 30 °C
every hour. The situation is somewhat simi-
lar with regard to bottle baskets, chains and
carriers. A lesser part of the losses incur
vapour and convection losses. Typical con-
sumption figures in running plants are on
average around 30 MJper 1000 bottles. Val-
ues of up to 120 lvlJ/1000 may be reached,
depending on the plant and conditions
(without energy recovery) of operation.
Hence enormous economic savings can be
brought about by even a relatively small
lowering of temperature by just a few de-
grees Celsius.
To achieve the potential savings in caus-
tic and energy consumption, the following
queries will need to be answered:
!II What cleaning potential exists in the
cleaning solution that is currently used?
II If the potential in the existing cleaning
solution is insufficient. can it be modi-
fied to achieve a lowering of the cleaning
temperature and caustic concentration?
If one considers the cleaning circle ac-
cording to Sinnel; the influencing options
available to the cleaning agent special-
ist become at once apparent (fig. 1). If the
proportional effect of "Temperature" is
to be reduced, measures must be taken to
stabilise Sinners circle. Mechanical action
and time are predetermined constructional
constraints of the machine, which the ma-
chine manufacturer can possibly in!1uence
by installing an additional spray bar or by
extending the caustic contact duration. A
provider of cleaning agents is only able to
influence the "chemical action" section of
the circle.
ICaustic composition and
temperature

In practice one currently fmds highly di

verse concentrations of additives and basic
Authors: Sandra GraBmann,Application caustic in bottle washing machines. Table 1:
Manager, Food & Beverage Region Central, gives an overview. These wide ranges of'
and Dr.Thomas Buhler, Segment Marketing
concentration are partly due to the varia- "
Director Flow, Food & Beverage EMEA, Eco-
lab Europe GmbH, Wallisellen, Switzerland
tion in the degree of cleaning requiredfsefs]
Fig. 1 Sinner's circle drinks -mineral water - beer).

298 BRAUWELT INTERNATIONAL I 2010N


1
I deficiency when
To some extent though, and especially
with the NaOH concentration, the preva-
lent assessment is: more is bound to help.
Laboratory tests are a suitable way of al-
lowing an accurate assessment to be made
of the cleaning potential in a given clean-
ing caustic bath. A systematic comparison
of conditions can be made on the basis of
soiled test specimens. The nature of the
laboratory analysis task is: How far can
the sodium hydroxide concentration and
cleaning temperature be lowered without
any other measures, without giving rise to
a cleaning deficiency or other negative ac-
I minute and less than 4 minutes (fig. 4,
I while lowering the caustic concentration
Ii
Fig.3 Test plates after treatment: cleaning deficiency not evident until 50°C
300 BRAUWELT INTERNATIONAL
Fig.2
Test plates after
treatment: cleaning
sodium hydroxide
concentration is
lowered
companying effects (such as unacceptably
prolonged detaching of labels)?
ITests on lowering the
caustic concentration
Standard soiling applied to stainless steel
plates is subjected to cleaning solutions
with identical concentrations of additives
but lowered caustic concentrations and re-
sults are compared (fig. 2). Soiling residues
are still evident on the test plate that was
cleaned with a solution whose concentra-
tion had been lowered. This shows that
I 2010N
simply lowering the caustic concentration
without taking other measures is not a sat-
isfactory option. The Sinner circle suffers a
deficiency even after only a slight lowering
of the caustic concentration.
I Tests on lowering the
caustic temperature
A preliminary test on temperature reduc-
tion was also carried outin the lab. Test soil-
ing applied to stainless steel plates was simi-
larly used here. The chosen temperature
profile was 80 °C-6S °C-SO°C. The results
of the immersion tests show that cleaning
deficiencies due to lowering the tempera-
ture only appear at a late stage - typically
when the temperature has been lowered to
between 50 and 6S °C (fig. 3).
Investigations on the
I detaching of labels
Customary paper labels, such as those used
to label glass bottles, are manufactured to
exhibit the optimum detachment proper-
ties at a temperature of 80 °C and a caustic
concentration of 1.5-2.0 percent. If these
boundary constraints are now altered by
optimisation methods, it can lead to prob-
lems. For example, if the caustic parameters
are altered and the label is detached from the
bottle too late, it will not be discharged from
the machine properly and will thus cause
problems in the baths. Tests on the detach-
ment of labels were carried out in the labo-
ratory to investigate the effect of altering the
parameters.
Effect of lowering caustic concentra-
tion on label detachment performance
Based on experience, no problems are ex-
pected on the laboratory apparatus or in
practice for a detachment time of over 1
green area). The investigations show that
(at least in the laboratory benchmark) does
have some effect on label detachment per-
formance, it still remains within the accept-
able range. Only after the caustic concentra-
tion has been lowered to around 1 percent
does the curve ascend out of the acceptable
range.
Effect of lowering temperature on la-
bel detachment performance
The effect of lowering temperature on the
 CLEANING I KNOWLEDGE I BRAUWELT INTERNATIONAL

rhment of labels is somewhat more 4,5 rl ------------------------.---

-plicated. As can be seen in figure 5, la-

~ det achment is prolonged dramatically
critical concentration
:._.owering the temperature. 3,5 r------,f-""IH=-------------------:..---l
The prolonging of the label detach-
:5
.§. 3
-..> t shown here is not acceptable in
-~ •• tice. Massive problems with the dis-
.,
,g 2,5

_' arging of labels would be expected .,E

C
~~re. As is clear from the laboratory s:
2
u
=_ IS. it is not possible to simply lower ~
.!!l
1.5
:he caustic concentration and cleaning
remperature. Cleaning deficiencies arise
very rapidly when the caustic concentra- O,5-!---·-----------------------------j
rieu is lowered. Loweringthe temperature
s rongly affects the detachment of labels.
0,5 1,5 2,5 3,5
Only after the cleaning caustic is suita- NaOH concentration ('I.)
ly modified is it possible to lower the tem-
perature and caustic concentration with- Fig.4 Label detachment diagram

out impairing the cleaning performance.

Modification ofthe cleaning solu-
tion and the associated potential
Numerous tests in the laboratory and prac-
tical use have shown that certain caustic
configurations and chemical substitutions
have an extremely positive effect on label
detachment and cleaning performance. Lowering the sodium hydroxide con-
For example, advanced high perfor- centration by modifying the caustic
mance additives can be enlisted, concen- solution
trations can be specially tailored to re- The above-described tests on lowering the
quirements, and dosages optimised so that caustic concentration were repeated with
optimal cleaning is achieved even when a modified cleaning solution (fig, 6). Al-
parameters are altered. though a cleaning deficiency arose as a

GrainSELECT® -
quality-orientated selection
• Optimization of the malting process
• Better quality of malt
• Saves both money and time
Malt production

Curious? We will gladly advise you.

Schmidt-Seeger GmbH
Eichstaetter Strasse 49, 92339 Beilngries - Germany
Telephone: +49 8461 701-0, Fax: +49 8461 701-133
info@schmidt-seeger.com, www.schmidt-seeger.com
 result of simply lowering the concentration,
-+- NaOH I Additive at se-e _~ it was possible to compensate for this by
9 - ----

---",,0" I Additive at 65·C '--I modifying the cleaning solution.

In the end, very good cleaning results
'2 7
were achieved even when sodium hydroxide
IG> Longer detachment time concentrations were reduced.
6
due to temperature
~ reduction
'E 5 Lowering temperature by modifying
G>
E
J:
o
4 I the caustic solution
~G> Simply lowering the temperature of the
I,
I
C ....• cleaning solution gave rise to unacceptably
prolonged label detachment times.

:1~ ~_ However, the basal level can almost be

I,

achieved by using an optimised cleaning so-

0.5 '.5 2.5 3.5
lution (fig. 7).
NaOH concentration ('Yo) '
The optimisation of the cleaning solu-
tion brings about a reduction in label de-
Fig. 5 Label detachment diagram 80'C and 65'C tachment time at lowered temperature.
The normal contact durations in the
washing machine can therefore continue to
be maintained.

I Field trials
Numerous practical trials were carried out
on real bottle washing machines to confirm
the results obtained in the laboratory. The
following parameters were constantly mon-
itored during the trials.

Cleaning performance
Bottles with a standard degree of soiling
were produced to assess the cleaning perfor-
mance.
They were passed through the machine
and assessed before and after adjustments
1,8% NaOH 1,5%) NaOH Modified were made to the machine (fig. 8).

-1:_ 0,2°A. Additive + 0,2% Additive caustic solution

. ""=.,,,:iJ;. • . ".,:.,,,, ",I; Label discharge
Fig. 6 Test plates after treatment: the modified cleaning solution shows a noticeable effect Label detachment was monitored before-
hand in laboratory tests and in practice at
'Or-------------------------------~~=_--------------------_.I the label discharge of the bottle cleaning
-+-NaOH I Additive at 80 e _, 0

machine.
~NaOH I Additive at 65°e
8 ------- -Op'~mi~ed caustic solution at 65°e I
_I

------rr
Microbiology
'2 7 -------1 I The microbiological state of the bottle-spe-
IG> 6 cifically the risk of beverage contaminating
~ organisms - was determined and compared
'E 5
G>
E
against the initial data by the respective
J: 4
o works laboratory of the customer.
~ ~~
c
Temperature control of the bottle
Shorter detachment time due to cleaning machine
1 -- optimized cleaning solution

OL-------~------__--~------------------------------------~
i The exact temperature profile in the ma-
chine was ascertained by means of a data
o 0.5 1.5 2.5 3.5

NaOH concentration ('Yo)

logger (fig. 9).
As a result, the actual temperature in the
Fig.7 Label detachment diagram: the modified cleaning solution restores the label detach- respective zone of the machine is easily cap-
ment time to almost the basal level tured and documented.

302 BRAUWELT INTERNATIONAL I 2010N

 CLEANING I KNOWLEDGE I BRAUWELT INTERNATIONAL

j
...,~~=s .
( \
................)'. .. . ·········r .
~ \

"=;riJT .....
m~i~·~;L:mm~
10:~±OO=--------:.::!.OO::::OO-------=.4:1r:'OO:1------
17=1iI 17JX:~ 11;0:.2010

Fig. 8 Test bottles with standard soiling before and after treatment Fig.9 Temperature control diagram

Energy saving
AN OVERVIEW OFTHE OPTIMISATION RESULTS
The energy consumed by the bottle washing
machine in the form of steam, oil or gas was
determined before and after modification in Customer Temperature reduction I
order to calculate the effective energy sav- Concentration reduction
ing and to compare it against the theoretical from to Remarks
Perfect cleaning results;
energy saving calculated beforehand.
Microbiological sampling indicates
no risk of any kind;
Long-term effects Reduced glass breakage rate;
In order to preclude any long-term effects. Mineral water plant B2°e 75°C Perfect discharge of labels;
complete regular checks of the cleaning Water saving due to reduced use of
machines were carried out. fresh water (cooling water effect);
Further step fortemperature reduc-
I Results obtained in practice tion being planned.
Perfect cleaning results;
Bottle Guard is a concept from Ecolab for Brewery we 6Boe Microbiological sampling indicates
sustained energy optimlsatlon of bot- no risk of any kind;
tle cleaning. From the practical tests that Perfect discharge of labels.
were carried out under the Bottle Guard Perfect cleaning results;
Microbiological sampling indicates
programme, it was possible to confirm the
no risk of any kind;
results obtained in the laboratory. Mineral water plant B2°e 73°C Reduced glass breakage rate;
Both the temperature and the caustic Reduced microbiological risk due to
concentration can be optimised downwards lower bottle delivery temperature;
by making intelligent modifications to the Perfect discharge of labels.
caustic solution. Temperature reduction Perfect cleaning results;
Microbiological sampling indicates
of between 5 and 15°C and caustic con-
no risk of any kind;
centration reduction of between 0.3 and Reduced glass breakage rate;
0.5 percent was achievable, depending on Mineral water plant BlOC 7Boe Reduced microbiological risk due to
the plant. lower bottle delivery temperature;
The result of the optimisation is worth- Perfect discharge of labels;
while energy cost savings. which are Further step fortemperature reduc-
tion being planned.
also coupled to further positive accom-
Perfect cleaning results;
panying effects. The energy saving in Mineral water plant I.B% NaOH 1.3% NaOH Microbiological sampling indicates
the examples cited is of the order of EUR no risk of any kind;
10 000 - 3 5 000 per year. Accompanying Perfect discharge of labels.
benefits include. for example, a lower glass Perfect cleaning results;
breakage rate because of gentler bottle Mineral water plant 1.5% NaOH 1.2% NaOH Microbiological sampling indicates
no risk of any kind;
cleaning. reduced glass corrosion and less
Perfect discharge oflabels.
consumption of fresh water.
I~ Table 2
Table 2 shows the individual improve-
ments at the six ootimised olants. •