Miura Boilers Provide Major Bottling Franchise with Cost-Effective Steam Generation for Sterilization System
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Three Compact, Energy-Saving, Low-NOx, Low-CO2 Miura LX-200 Steam Boilers Save Space and Ensure a Reliable Supply of Hot Water for Equipment Sanitization and Water Filtration
NEW YORK, - Pepsi Bottling Ventures LLC, the third largest Pepsi Cola franchise, required an efficient and reliable steam system for their new flagship bottling plant in Raleigh NC. The plant requires a steam boiler system to heat water for sanitizing its filling equipment and water-filtration system as well as a heat source for their bottle warmers. Seeking fuel and water economy, reliable operation, and a compact design, the company researched boilers on an international basis and chose three Miura LX-200 low-pressure steam boilers. Suntory International, one of PBV's owners, assisted in the decision by providing information based on their years of successful use of Miura boilers in their facilities in Japan.
"We use steam running through a heat-exchanger to heat water for our CIP [Clean-In-Place] system, which provides hot water for cleaning and sanitizing our batch tanks, pipes, and other internals of our bottle- and can-filling equipment," says Plant Engineer Dale Stein. "We also use the direct steam for sanitizing our carbon beds for our water-filtration system."
"We originally installed two Miura steam boilers seven years ago when the plant was built," explains Scott Jamison, VP of Engineering at Pepsi Bottling Ventures. "Suntory, our principal owners, recommended that we consider Miuras for energy efficiency and floor-space savings. One of my main concerns in our buildings is saving square footage, which lowers construction costs. After researching industrial steam boilers we decided to go with Miuras."
Miura boilers feature an exclusive "once-through" design, a revolutionary advance that produces steam in just five minutes (or less) and provides high in-service operational efficiencies. In addition to On-Demand Steam, Miura's "once-through" vertical-tube design can, on average, save as much as 20 percent annually on fuel costs over other boiler designs. (This number is likely to increase over time, given the Energy Information Administration's projected 72 percent growth in energy costs during the next 20 years.) Miura's exclusive technology also produces BHP outputs comparable to much larger units, but with far less water consumption and a more compact footprint, which can reduce new construction costs and better utilize existing boiler-room space.
"We recently added a third Miura LX-200 boiler for an expansion that provides 'blow-fill' capabilities," Jamison continues. "We're actually blowing and filling the bottle all in one process. The new system allows us to 'lightweight' our bottle and go from 15 gram-plus plastic down to a 10 gram bottle. The installation of the third Miura LX-200 boiler was done to add additional steam capacity for the CIP processes for that line. We have a central system where we heat cleaning solutions up to temperature and use hot water for sterilization of the contact part of the fillers and where the ingredients run through."
"Because Miura boilers use a lot less floor space, adding a new one was not a big deal," Jamison adds. "We had to change some piping when we added the third boiler, but otherwise the installation was pretty seamless. We are able to fit three Miura 200's in our boiler room, and have other processes in the room along with the boilers, which we would have never been able to do otherwise."
"Having the third boiler is great because we can rotate them in and out - especially when it comes to blow-downs - and not have to worry about taking our production down," Stein notes. "We can keep up with the demand."
Computerized Control
"Miura boilers are very simple to use and operate," Stein says, "and they are very low-maintenance. We do yearly PM's [preventive maintenance] on them and even if we do have to change a burner out, the cost is not excessive."
Miura boilers also feature the innovative BL Mirco Controller Boiler Control System, which enables users to optimize system performance for superior load management, energy efficiency, reduced emissions, and water consumption. System monitoring and diagnostics are also included. A panel on the front of Miura's LX and EX boilers presents instant, easy-to-read status information from multiple monitoring points. Should a condition arise, the system identifies it and suggests a solution in plain, descriptive English. Featuring simple, intuitive programming and operation, the system is easy to set up, program, and operate. Boiler operations can also be monitored via an Online Maintenance System with a "sliding window feature" that records events four seconds before they occur for quick identification and correction.
"The BL Micro Controller is very simple to use," Stein adds. "There's not a whole lot of 'bells and whistles' on it, but it gives you all the information you need, much more than the other boilers that I've dealt with."
A Reduced Environmental Footprint
As a result of their energy-efficient "green" design, Miura boilers output reduced levels of harmful emissions such as carbon dioxide (CO2, a gas contributing to global warming) and nitrous oxide (NOx, a toxic pollutant). Miura Boiler's gas-fired/Low-NOx LX Series steam boilers are designed to eliminate 75 percent of the harmful emissions of standard gas-fired boilers. Miura Boiler's LX Series steam boilers provide industry-leading reduced NOx emissions as low as 9 ppm. (standard gas-fired boilers, meanwhile, produce pollutants at a rate of 80 ppm).
"Low NOx has always been important to us," Stein notes, "we always want to be a 'green' company."
"Miura boilers also use low water - 40 gallons is about all you need in them - and that makes the plant more energy-efficient because you don't need to keep a large volume of water hot all the time. We are always making sure that we're utilizing water in the best manner so we don't waste it. And we recycle everything we can."
"Another good feature are the Economizers that came with our Miura boilers," he adds. "They also help with energy efficiency. You're trying to get that water as hot as you can before you turn it into steam, so if you can grab that energy and transfer those BTU's it means you're using less natural gas."
"Overall, the service on our Miura Boilers has been good," Jamison concludes. "It's done by Boiler Masters Inc., our local rep. Would we buy more? Yes. Any boiler that we would replace in the future would, in all likelihood, probably be a Miura. Pepsi has started to buy Miura boilers for some of its other divisions as well. We are extremely happy with these boilers."
About Miura Boiler:
Miura Boiler was founded in 1927 and has grown to become one of the largest industrial steam boiler manufacturers in the world. In 2009, Miura opened a new U.S. manufacturing facility in Polk County, Georgia. For more information on Miura Boiler, call in the USA 1-888-309-5574. In Canada call 1-800-666-2182. Visit Miura online at: www.miuraboiler.com.
Miura Boiler Website:
www.miuraboiler.com
