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Full-scale demonstration of a flexible inline production concept for breweries, drawing on water hydraulics

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - HYDRACTFLEX (Full-scale demonstration of a flexible inline production concept for breweries, drawing on water hydraulics)

Okres sprawozdawczy: 2020-08-01 do 2021-11-30

Beverages such as beer, soft drinks, wine, juices but also dairy products are being manufactured by use of the basic processes that always have defined the products (fermentation, milk etc.). The subsequent industrial processes in which the basic products are refined into various consumer products are usually done by traditional batch production.

The Food & Beverage industry is facing significant challenges due to the need for making the production more sustainable and because a still growing global population need more and better food. Finally, customers are asking for more and more different new products, which is difficult for food manufacturers to meet with batch production because of the need for minimum volume, dedicated production lines, long lead time and product waste. Finally, the Food & Beverage industry are being forced to reduce the carbon footprint and to reduce the waste of natural resources.

The Hydractflex project is a new approach that can be part of the solution to the challenges. The objective for the project has been to demonstrate that it is possible to mass produce a few concentrated base products and mix them in a continuous process just before the filling or packaging line. This process applies to beer production and other products where it is possible to differentiate them by producing Just-In-Time and On-Demand. By changing the process from traditional batch production of every individual product with the risk of producing too much or too little, will enable the manufacturer to produce what the market requires, in the right volume and when there is a demand.

The core technology behind Hydractflex is the water hydraulic valve technology Hydract that replaces compressed air with water pressurized to 50 bars in a closed and clean system. The saving of electrical energy is more than 90% vs. compressed air and the precision and reliability by using incompressible water instead of flexible air and springs enable the customer to have a safe, cheap, and more sustainable production.
The Hydractflex consortium specified the new process line at Carlsberg after first testing several regulation solutions in a pre-demonstration at Carlsberg's plant. After adapting the specifications of the plant based on the pre-demonstration, the participants manufactured valves, in-line measuring equipment and software for the final process line. Manufacture of the equipment and installation at Carlsberg was delayed 6 months because of COVID19. After installing the new process line without causing production stoppages at Carlsberg, the consortium began the testing phase which started with a basic verification of all specifications. Carlsberg then began by diluting a strong beer with water and finished mixing 3 different beers with water as well as dosing with color and flavors as well as adjusting CO2 content.

ProLeiT developed a new interface for Carlsberg which also includes a planning tool.

The commercial exploitation of the results will primarily be through the independent water hydraulic business that the Hydract company has built up. Hydract was listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market in Copenhagen in April 2021 to raise capital to commercially exploit the results.

Hydractflex participated on the Brau Beviale tradeshow in Nürnberg in 2019 and the consortium has disseminated the results via TV, newspapers, and articles in technical magazines. The most effective effort was the communication activities related to Hydract's IPO process with active sharing of knowledge about the project and EU’s financial support to the project.

Link to a video where Anders Kokholm, CEO Carlsberg Fredericia explains the results of the Hydractflex project (texted in english)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyUKAtfDeTI&ab_channel=HydractAps(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie)
The idea of mixing beer in a continuous process Just-In-Time and On-Demand is not new, but before Hydractflex there has not been a solution that has been able to mix up to 2 - 5 different liquids together with the flexibility, precision and reliability that was needed. The potential for Food &Beverage manufacturers is that the mass production and storage of a few very strong/concentrated basic products makes it possible to reduce production costs and double the capacity of existing factories. In addition, the production time can be reduced from 3 -6 weeks to a few hours, as each finished product is defined by a mixing ratio as known in advance.
For society, this means reducing the consumption and waste of natural resources, and for the food producer this means that they will become more competitive and that they will be able to meet the needs of the market without having problems with over- or underproduction.
Hydractflex pre-demonstration at Carlsberg Denmark October 2019
Hydractflex poster on Brau Beviale 2019
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