‹ go back to the case study page

Low cost nitrogen generator for craft brewery

With increasing challenges of rising CO₂ costs and unreliable delivery, Kereru Brewing chose to make the switch to a low cost on-site nitrogen generator, ensuring reliable nitrogen gas supply.

Kererū brewing case study

Overview

Over the last few years, Kereru Brewing has been faced with ongoing CO₂ gas price increases, along with a period of unreliable supply. 

Kereru Brewing required a reliable alternative to CO₂ that was cost-effective – something they could count on going into the future. 

The client

Located in Maidstone, Upper Hutt, Kereru Brewing is a small but multiple trophy-winning and champion brewery. A unique craft brewery, it prides itself on producing and supplying gluten-free beer, made with extra care using only sorghum, rice, millet (certain beers), hops, yeast and water.

With a special commitment to the planet, Kereru Brewing uses ingredients that are locally sourced and NZ-produced whenever possible. They also ensure they use sustainable energy systems. For example, the brewery uses a co-generation heat recovery system – instead of sending the waste heat from their chiller into the sky, they generate their own free hot water year round.

The challenge

CO₂ is an inert gas that is used in many applications in the beer brewing and packaging process, and is a prerequisite for Kereru Brewing.

With the recent reduction of CO₂ supply from the Te Wai Point refinery (a byproduct of the oil refinery process), Kereru Brewing’s price and supply issues compounded. This resulted in entrepreneurial Chris, Kereru’s head brewer and owner, looking at nitrogen (also an inert gas)  as an alternative for processes in the brewery.

After trialling cylinder N₂ gas, Chris found that he was able to use it very successfully for multiple purposes in his production, however, the cost of this gas wasn’t any less than CO₂.

While Chris was looking for an answer to the gas supply challenge, here at Industrial Air Systems we had recently developed our own Nitropak nitrogen generator package, designed specifically for the craft brewing industry. We reached out to Kereru Brewing to see if they had any interest in this new package.

The solution

Kereru Brewing chose to work with Industrial Air Systems, as we were able to supply a skid-mount all-in-one nitrogen generator system, designed specifically for craft breweries.

The Nitropak5-ELP system supplied incorporates a permanent magnet and variable-speed screw compressor (for the most efficient and low cost gas supply), and a modular nitrogen generator capable of producing 5m3/h of nitrogen gas at up to 99.99% purity (and finer if required).

Coupled with both air and nitrogen storage receivers, a refrigerated dryer, and multiple stage filtration, the complete system was supplied on one convenient base plate package that was delivered to Kereru Brewing in a matter of weeks.

The complete Nitropak was delivered on a truck and then forklifted into place, with minimum setup requirements. A plug-and-play system, the Nitropak can be easily relocated by forklift to another position or site.

Throughout the process, our team was available to provide assistance with initial trials and later production processes. This ensured they understood how the generator worked, and could reach out for assistance at any time.

PneuTech Nitropak5-ELP package

The results

In just nine months, Kereru Brewing found that the Nitropak5-ELP had paid for itself in huge gas savings, while bringing peace of mind that they now have a 100% on-site and reliable gas supply.

With fewer truck deliveries and less handling of gas cylinders, not to mention the safety hazard of working with highly pressurised cylinders, Kereru Brewing has taken back control of their gas costs and supply!

Chris Mills, Head Brewer & Owner:

Our shiny blue PneuTech nitrogen generator takes the ambient N₂ from the air in the brewery and through a process of adsorption produces 99.99% pure N₂ gas which has a carbon footprint that is less than 5% of the purchased CO₂ gas. We still require some CO₂ gas to adjust the carbonation levels of our beer, sodas, and other carbonated beverages that we produce for both ourselves and contract customers, but I am sure that everyone would agree that a 95% reduction in the carbon footprint of brewery gas usage is a good thing. Source.

Free guide - nitrogen for breweries and wineries

From the blog

Industrial Air Newsletter

Want to receive helpful tips and the latest promotions? Join our mailing list...

Industrial Air Systems NZ © 2024