Mashing and wort heating from heat pumps
How a brewery making four 60 hL brews a day can supply its 50–78 °C mash and liquor heating with heat pumps, and what it saves against a furnace-oil boiler.
▶Video: Process hot water for food, dairy and beverages
V02 · 2–2.5 minPasteurisers, CIP, cooking and washing on stored hot water instead of boiler steam
Video coming soon01Problem statement
- Steam for gentle steps. Mash rests at 50, 63, 72 and 78 °C need a slow, even rise. Steam jackets at 150 °C or more scorch mash on the wall and make the rise hard to control.
- Liquor shortfall. The wort cooler gives back hot liquor, but not always enough at the right temperature. The boiler makes up the difference with live steam.
- Boiler cycling. Brewhouse demand comes in sharp peaks at mash-in and step rises. The boiler cycles heavily between peaks and loses heat each time.
- Losses between fuel and process. Burning furnace oil in a boiler or heater and distributing the heat loses a quarter or more of the fuel's energy before it reaches the process.
- Compliance, safety and handling. Fired equipment brings boiler inspections, fuel storage and unloading, flue emissions and an attendant on every shift.
02Use case
The reference brewery brews four 60 hL batches a day of lager and wheat beer over two shifts. It uses step infusion mashing in a jacketed mash tun, a lauter tun and a hot liquor tank topped up from the wort cooler.
| Heat user | Process temp. | Basis | Heat, kWh/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mash step heating | 50 → 78 °C | 4 mashes × 4,000 L, cp 3.6, ρ 1.1, 10% losses | 542 |
| Brewing liquor top-up | 80 °C | 8,000 L/day, 45 → 80 °C after wort-cooler recovery | 325 |
| First wort preheating | 72 → 78 °C | 4 × 6,000 L, cp 4.0, ρ 1.04 | 166 |
| Storage and pipework standing losses | – | about 5% | 52 |
| Total useful heat | 1,085 | ||
Averaged over 18 running hours, the heat pumps need about 60 kW.
03P&ID
Tags: HP heat pump, TK tank, SG steam generator, P pump, PHE plate heat exchanger, TCV temperature control valve, TIC temperature indicating controller (panel), TT temperature transmitter, MT moisture transmitter, PT pressure transmitter, LT level transmitter, FS flow switch, NC normally closed. Process fluids are heated through their own exchanger, coil or jacket.
04Solution
System description
- 4 × SE-SHT-16C (64 kW total) (SE-SHT cascade heat pump) delivering 90 °C, covering the day's 1,085 kWh in about 17.0 running hours.
- A 2,000 L insulated storage tank decouples the heat pumps from the process peaks.
- The furnace-oil fired steam boiler stays connected behind a normally closed valve as standby.
- The mash tun jacket is fed with 90 °C hot water instead of steam, giving a controlled rise of about 1 K per minute without scorching.
- The heat pumps top up the hot liquor tank to 80 °C after the wort cooler has done its share.
- Storage covers the mash-in peak, so the heat pumps run steadily through both shifts.
Selected equipment
| Model | SE-SHT-16C × 4 |
|---|---|
| Heating capacity | 16 kW each, 64 kW total |
| COP | 2.7 at A20 °C / W90 °C (data sheet T1) |
| Power input | about 23.8 kW total at rated conditions |
| Rating | cascade R410A + R515B, rated 90 °C, 95 °C maximum |
| Supply temperature | 90 °C |
| Storage | 2,000 L insulated tank |
Ratings from the Sunniva TDS 2026 data sheets.
Control philosophy
TT-101 at the tank top calls the heat pumps on below 85 °C and off at 90 °C. TT-102 at the bottom starts a unit early before each mash-in. TIC-201 follows the mash rest programme, TIC-202 holds the hot liquor tank at 80 °C and TIC-203 sets the wort outlet temperature. The boiler stays as standby.
05Energy saving and ROI
Change any input to match a customer's site. Defaults are typical Indian prices for October 2026. The installed cost is a placeholder; replace it with the actual quotation.
| Existing | Heat pump | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily consumption | – | – |
| Annual energy cost | – | – |
| Cost per 1,000 L wort | – | – |
| CO₂ per year | – | – |
06Benefits
No scorching
A 90 °C jacket cannot burn mash onto the wall the way steam can, so cleaning is easier and flavour is cleaner.
Repeatable rests
Rest temperatures are held within a fraction of a degree, which keeps attenuation and body consistent.
Liquor always ready
The hot liquor tank stays at temperature between brews without live steam.
Lower energy cost
Each kWh of electricity delivers about 2.7 kWh of heat at the required temperature, against well under one kWh of useful heat per kWh of fuel burnt.
No flame on site
No burner, flue or fuel tank for this duty, and no fuel deliveries to schedule.
Built-in redundancy
Several machines share the load. If one is serviced, the others and the storage carry most of the day, with the existing heater in reserve.
07Engineering pointers
Site data to collect
- Brews per day and batch size
- Mash programme and jacket area
- Wort cooler hot liquor volume and temperature
- Hot liquor tank size
- Present fuel use per brew
- Present fuel or electricity use and monthly bill
- Sanctioned electrical load and spare capacity
- Space for the heat pumps and storage, with service access
- Winter minimum ambient at site
Design notes
- Jacket area. Steam jackets are sized for a large temperature difference. Check the jacket area is enough with 90 °C water, or add a wort PHE loop.
- Liquor treatment. Brewing liquor is heated through a coil or exchanger, so its mineral treatment is unchanged.
- Electrical. About 24 kW of heat pump input at rated conditions, plus pumps and fans. Check spare sanctioned load before ordering.
- Winter output. The SE-SHT cascade gives about 80% of rated output at 7 °C ambient and still runs at −20 °C. Size on the coldest design day for northern sites.
- Water quality. Scale forms quickly above 60 °C. Use softened make-up and keep the heat pump loop closed, with process fluids on the far side of an exchanger or coil.
Service and warranty
Sunniva has supplied 5,000+ heat pumps since 2012, with nine service technicians across India, including remote sites such as Leh. All components carry a one-year warranty.
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Mashing and wort heating from heat pumps
How a brewery making four 60 hL brews a day can supply its 50–78 °C mash and liquor heating with heat pumps, and what it saves against a furnace-oil boiler.
▶Video: Process hot water for food, dairy and beverages
V02 · 2–2.5 minPasteurisers, CIP, cooking and washing on stored hot water instead of boiler steam
Video coming soon01Problem statement
- Steam for gentle steps. Mash rests at 50, 63, 72 and 78 °C need a slow, even rise. Steam jackets at 150 °C or more scorch mash on the wall and make the rise hard to control.
- Liquor shortfall. The wort cooler gives back hot liquor, but not always enough at the right temperature. The boiler makes up the difference with live steam.
- Boiler cycling. Brewhouse demand comes in sharp peaks at mash-in and step rises. The boiler cycles heavily between peaks and loses heat each time.
- Losses between fuel and process. Burning furnace oil in a boiler or heater and distributing the heat loses a quarter or more of the fuel's energy before it reaches the process.
- Compliance, safety and handling. Fired equipment brings boiler inspections, fuel storage and unloading, flue emissions and an attendant on every shift.
02Use case
The reference brewery brews four 60 hL batches a day of lager and wheat beer over two shifts. It uses step infusion mashing in a jacketed mash tun, a lauter tun and a hot liquor tank topped up from the wort cooler.
| Heat user | Process temp. | Basis | Heat, kWh/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mash step heating | 50 → 78 °C | 4 mashes × 4,000 L, cp 3.6, ρ 1.1, 10% losses | 542 |
| Brewing liquor top-up | 80 °C | 8,000 L/day, 45 → 80 °C after wort-cooler recovery | 325 |
| First wort preheating | 72 → 78 °C | 4 × 6,000 L, cp 4.0, ρ 1.04 | 166 |
| Storage and pipework standing losses | – | about 5% | 52 |
| Total useful heat | 1,085 | ||
Averaged over 18 running hours, the heat pumps need about 60 kW.
03P&ID
Tags: HP heat pump, TK tank, SG steam generator, P pump, PHE plate heat exchanger, TCV temperature control valve, TIC temperature indicating controller (panel), TT temperature transmitter, MT moisture transmitter, PT pressure transmitter, LT level transmitter, FS flow switch, NC normally closed. Process fluids are heated through their own exchanger, coil or jacket.
04Solution
System description
- 4 × SE-SHT-16C (64 kW total) (SE-SHT cascade heat pump) delivering 90 °C, covering the day's 1,085 kWh in about 17.0 running hours.
- A 2,000 L insulated storage tank decouples the heat pumps from the process peaks.
- The furnace-oil fired steam boiler stays connected behind a normally closed valve as standby.
- The mash tun jacket is fed with 90 °C hot water instead of steam, giving a controlled rise of about 1 K per minute without scorching.
- The heat pumps top up the hot liquor tank to 80 °C after the wort cooler has done its share.
- Storage covers the mash-in peak, so the heat pumps run steadily through both shifts.
Selected equipment
| Model | SE-SHT-16C × 4 |
|---|---|
| Heating capacity | 16 kW each, 64 kW total |
| COP | 2.7 at A20 °C / W90 °C (data sheet T1) |
| Power input | about 23.8 kW total at rated conditions |
| Rating | cascade R410A + R515B, rated 90 °C, 95 °C maximum |
| Supply temperature | 90 °C |
| Storage | 2,000 L insulated tank |
Ratings from the Sunniva TDS 2026 data sheets.
Control philosophy
TT-101 at the tank top calls the heat pumps on below 85 °C and off at 90 °C. TT-102 at the bottom starts a unit early before each mash-in. TIC-201 follows the mash rest programme, TIC-202 holds the hot liquor tank at 80 °C and TIC-203 sets the wort outlet temperature. The boiler stays as standby.
05Energy saving and ROI
Change any input to match a customer's site. Defaults are typical Indian prices for October 2026. The installed cost is a placeholder; replace it with the actual quotation.
| Existing | Heat pump | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily consumption | – | – |
| Annual energy cost | – | – |
| Cost per 1,000 L wort | – | – |
| CO₂ per year | – | – |
06Benefits
No scorching
A 90 °C jacket cannot burn mash onto the wall the way steam can, so cleaning is easier and flavour is cleaner.
Repeatable rests
Rest temperatures are held within a fraction of a degree, which keeps attenuation and body consistent.
Liquor always ready
The hot liquor tank stays at temperature between brews without live steam.
Lower energy cost
Each kWh of electricity delivers about 2.7 kWh of heat at the required temperature, against well under one kWh of useful heat per kWh of fuel burnt.
No flame on site
No burner, flue or fuel tank for this duty, and no fuel deliveries to schedule.
Built-in redundancy
Several machines share the load. If one is serviced, the others and the storage carry most of the day, with the existing heater in reserve.
07Engineering pointers
Site data to collect
- Brews per day and batch size
- Mash programme and jacket area
- Wort cooler hot liquor volume and temperature
- Hot liquor tank size
- Present fuel use per brew
- Present fuel or electricity use and monthly bill
- Sanctioned electrical load and spare capacity
- Space for the heat pumps and storage, with service access
- Winter minimum ambient at site
Design notes
- Jacket area. Steam jackets are sized for a large temperature difference. Check the jacket area is enough with 90 °C water, or add a wort PHE loop.
- Liquor treatment. Brewing liquor is heated through a coil or exchanger, so its mineral treatment is unchanged.
- Electrical. About 24 kW of heat pump input at rated conditions, plus pumps and fans. Check spare sanctioned load before ordering.
- Winter output. The SE-SHT cascade gives about 80% of rated output at 7 °C ambient and still runs at −20 °C. Size on the coldest design day for northern sites.
- Water quality. Scale forms quickly above 60 °C. Use softened make-up and keep the heat pump loop closed, with process fluids on the far side of an exchanger or coil.
Service and warranty
Sunniva has supplied 5,000+ heat pumps since 2012, with nine service technicians across India, including remote sites such as Leh. All components carry a one-year warranty.