Brewery: Molson, Toronto, ON

The Molson Canada brewery located in Toronto, Ontario, is one of the company’s largest and most complex facilities. The plant’s size and complexity make it an ideal candidate for a process integration study. In 2008, a team of process integration experts conducted a Pinch analysis-based energy integration study at the brewery. This study helped to identify the plant sectors where heat was being lost and to determine in which areas of the process these heat sources could be used, thereby reducing the use of steam produced in the brewery’s boilers.

By carrying out a comprehensive and systematic analysis of a plant’s overall energy consumption points, process integration goes well beyond traditional energy audits. The process integration techniques used in this study, such as Pinch analysis, can be applied to any industrial facility with complex thermal energy-intensive systems.

$1.8 Million in Annual Savings

All in all, approximately 30 projects were identified to reduce the plant’s natural gas and electricity use, representing potential savings of nearly $1.8 million/year. For instance, one of the projects identified in the brewhouse consisted in heating the hot water storage tanks using kettle vapour condensers. As for the thermal power plant, one of the projects identified there included improving the CO₂ evaporation and liquefaction system.

Many recommendations ensuing from the process integration study were implemented quickly, particularly the process operation projects that were most profitable. Others were added to the plant’s updated “Environmental Improvements To-Do List” and were ranked in order of priority for implementation.

Exceeding Expectations

With support from the brewery’s senior management, the process integration study team was able to obtain information and operating data for the plant’s various departments. It should be noted that the more complete the available information is for the entire process, the better the process integration analysis results will be.

The study results exceeded the expectations of Molson Canada, which considers process integration studies to be an indispensible tool for ensuring synergy between various company departments so as to achieve energy savings, and also for improving productivity and eliminating the points which restrict production.

Molson Canada benefited from a process integration study incentive from Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE) as well as an incentive from Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc.

For additional information about process integration and Pinch analysis, see the:

• Process Integration Brochure
  (PDF, 351 KB)
• Pinch Analysis Guide
  (PDF, 1.2 MB)

CanmetENERGY experts also conducted process integration studies in other Canadian food and drink plants. For more information, see the list of success stories for that industrial sector.