Arla Foods Cuts Spray Dryer CO₂ with GEA AddCool System

The AddCool^® heat pump solution from GEA significantly reduces CO₂ emissions associated with operating a spray dryer plant at Arla’s milk powder factory in Svenstrup, Denmark, by 1,500 tons per year.

Spray drying is one of the most energy-intensive processes in dairy production, and Arla aimed to reduce CO₂ emissions without disrupting production or profits. To solve the challenge, a collaborative partnership between Arla and GEA was formed. Together, the partners have achieved a world first: the integration of GEA’s AddCool^® high-temperature heat pump system into an operational spray dryer. The result is a 59% reduction in natural gas use for heating of primary air, cutting 1,500 tons of CO₂ emissions in the first year of operations.

The challenge: significantly and profitably reduce CO₂ emissions in spray drying

As a longstanding GEA customer, it was straightforward to organize a joint investigation into possible options for decarbonizing the plant with the Arla team. This was carried out by means of a holistic energy audit, which was conducted in 2018. The challenge of reducing CO₂ emissions by means of profitable investment was evident from the subsequent analysis, however the findings also presented less obvious opportunities to the partnership that would prove to be impactful.

“Arla has committed to reduce scope 1 and 2 by 63% by 2030 and the high temperature heat pump project at AKAFA is a key step in that journey,” says Line Brandt Pedersen, Director, Supply Chain Sustainability, Arla Foods.

The solution: integration of a tailor-made high-temperature heat pump system

Having identified energy consumption as an area of significant importance, a highly focused team of GEA and Arla experts worked closely to design a tailor-made solution which could achieve outstanding reductions of natural gas consumption and therefore CO₂ emissions. Through a combined heating and cooling process delivered by a high-temperature heat pump system, the GEA AddCool^® solution at Arla’s Svenstrup site became the first installation of its kind in a dairy production plant globally.

“The collaboration with GEA has been very positive because we have developed as a team together. We have met a lot of obstacles and some complex situations, but together we have developed creative solutions to overcome them. That’s only possible when you work very closely together and understand each other. The spray drying process is highly complex, and GEA’s expertise within this field has shown us that they were the right partner,” remarks Jens Løkke Ganderup, Project Manager, Arla Foods.

The results: outstanding decrease of CO₂ emissions and operating costs in spray drying

Reduced demand of natural gas for heating of primary air of 670,000 Nm3 per year, equal to a 59% reduction compared to the previous operation. This results in the yearly abatement of 1,500 tons per year of CO₂ emissions while operating with electricity from renewable energy sources.

• Electricity savings on the existing chiller installation, achieved by providing 430 kW of useful cooling while delivering high-temperature heat to the dryer.
• Reduced load and noise from the existing cooling tower, achieved by precooling the wastewater from the system.
• Clear overview of the current and historical performance of the system by means of GEA InsightPartner monitoring solution.

“A key learning from the AKAFA project is that sustainability and performance, including financials, can go hand in hand,” adds Line Brandt Pedersen.