Wort boiling steam made from kettle vapour heat
How a brewery making four 60 hL brews a day can raise kettle steam from its own vapour-condenser water, and what it saves against a furnace-oil boiler.
▶Video: Low-pressure steam from waste heat
V07 · 2–2.5 minWater-source R245fa heat pumps making 2 bar steam up to 120 °C
Video coming soon01Problem statement
- Evaporation heat goes up the stack. About half the kettle's steam ends up as vapour leaving the stack. Without recovery that heat is lost.
- Steam really is needed here. The calandria is built for steam and the wort must boil hard. Hot water alone cannot drive a vigorous boil.
- Too much low-grade heat. Breweries often recover more 60–80 °C water from the vapour condenser and wort cooler than the brewhouse can use.
- 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 boils four 60 hL brews a day in a kettle with an internal calandria, each for about 60 minutes at 4% evaporation. A vapour condenser on the kettle stack feeds an energy storage tank.
| Heat user | Process temp. | Basis | Heat, kWh/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heating wort to boil | 78 → 100 °C | 4 × 6,000 L, cp 4.0, ρ 1.04 | 610 |
| Evaporation during boil | 100 °C | 4% of 24,000 L = 960 kg × 0.627 kWh/kg | 602 |
| Storage and pipework standing losses | – | about 5% | 61 |
| Total useful heat | 1,273 | ||
Averaged over 12 running hours, the heat pumps need about 106 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-WWUHT-27 (108 kW total) (SE-WWUHT water-source, R245fa) delivering 120 °C, covering the day's 1,273 kWh in about 11.8 running hours.
- Heat source: kettle vapour-condenser water at about 60 °C. Cooling the vapour-condenser water lets the condenser take all the kettle vapour, so the stack stops venting wort odour.
- The furnace-oil fired steam boiler stays connected behind a normally closed valve as standby.
- The kettle vapour condenser and energy storage tank supply water at about 60 °C as the heat source.
- The heat pumps lift this heat to 2 bar steam, about 120 °C, which feeds the existing calandria.
- In effect the evaporated water vapour is reused for the next boil, which is the same idea as vapour recompression without compressing the vapour directly.
Selected equipment
| Model | SE-WWUHT-27 × 4 |
|---|---|
| Heating capacity | 27 kW each, 108 kW total |
| COP | 2.93 at the data sheet's rated condition (60/55 °C source water) |
| Power input | about 36.8 kW total at rated conditions |
| Rating | water or steam to 120 °C, R245fa |
| Supply temperature | 120 °C |
| Steam | 40 kg/h at 2 bar per SE-WWUHT-27 module |
Ratings from the Sunniva TDS 2026 data sheets.
Control philosophy
PT-101 on the steam header calls the heat pumps on below 1.8 bar and unloads them at 2.0 bar. TT-102 on the energy storage tank stops the heat pumps if the source falls below 50 °C. TIC-201 on the kettle sets boil intensity through the calandria steam valve. The boiler stays connected to the header as standby and for the first brew of the day.
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
Boil heat recycled
Heat from the last boil's vapour drives the next boil, so fuel use per brew falls sharply.
Uses the surplus warm water
Recovered 60 °C water that the brewhouse could not use becomes a valuable heat source.
Calandria unchanged
The kettle and calandria keep running on steam, so wort quality and boil behaviour stay as they are.
Lower energy cost
Each kWh of electricity delivers about 2.9 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, batch size and evaporation rate
- Calandria area and design steam pressure
- Vapour condenser and energy store size and temperatures
- Present steam 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
Design notes
- Steam temperature. 2 bar steam at about 120 °C is cooler than typical boiler steam. Check the calandria area gives the required boil rate at this temperature.
- First brew. The energy store needs a boil before it is charged. Plan for the boiler to cover the first brew after a weekend stop.
- Condensate. Return calandria condensate to the heat pump steam generator as feedwater to keep water treatment simple.
- Electrical. About 37 kW of heat pump input at rated conditions, plus pumps and fans. Check spare sanctioned load before ordering.
- Source stream. The source must give up roughly two-thirds of the heat delivered. Confirm its flow and temperature over a full production day, and filter it before the evaporator.
- 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.
Talk to us
Wort boiling steam made from kettle vapour heat
How a brewery making four 60 hL brews a day can raise kettle steam from its own vapour-condenser water, and what it saves against a furnace-oil boiler.
▶Video: Low-pressure steam from waste heat
V07 · 2–2.5 minWater-source R245fa heat pumps making 2 bar steam up to 120 °C
Video coming soon01Problem statement
- Evaporation heat goes up the stack. About half the kettle's steam ends up as vapour leaving the stack. Without recovery that heat is lost.
- Steam really is needed here. The calandria is built for steam and the wort must boil hard. Hot water alone cannot drive a vigorous boil.
- Too much low-grade heat. Breweries often recover more 60–80 °C water from the vapour condenser and wort cooler than the brewhouse can use.
- 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 boils four 60 hL brews a day in a kettle with an internal calandria, each for about 60 minutes at 4% evaporation. A vapour condenser on the kettle stack feeds an energy storage tank.
| Heat user | Process temp. | Basis | Heat, kWh/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heating wort to boil | 78 → 100 °C | 4 × 6,000 L, cp 4.0, ρ 1.04 | 610 |
| Evaporation during boil | 100 °C | 4% of 24,000 L = 960 kg × 0.627 kWh/kg | 602 |
| Storage and pipework standing losses | – | about 5% | 61 |
| Total useful heat | 1,273 | ||
Averaged over 12 running hours, the heat pumps need about 106 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-WWUHT-27 (108 kW total) (SE-WWUHT water-source, R245fa) delivering 120 °C, covering the day's 1,273 kWh in about 11.8 running hours.
- Heat source: kettle vapour-condenser water at about 60 °C. Cooling the vapour-condenser water lets the condenser take all the kettle vapour, so the stack stops venting wort odour.
- The furnace-oil fired steam boiler stays connected behind a normally closed valve as standby.
- The kettle vapour condenser and energy storage tank supply water at about 60 °C as the heat source.
- The heat pumps lift this heat to 2 bar steam, about 120 °C, which feeds the existing calandria.
- In effect the evaporated water vapour is reused for the next boil, which is the same idea as vapour recompression without compressing the vapour directly.
Selected equipment
| Model | SE-WWUHT-27 × 4 |
|---|---|
| Heating capacity | 27 kW each, 108 kW total |
| COP | 2.93 at the data sheet's rated condition (60/55 °C source water) |
| Power input | about 36.8 kW total at rated conditions |
| Rating | water or steam to 120 °C, R245fa |
| Supply temperature | 120 °C |
| Steam | 40 kg/h at 2 bar per SE-WWUHT-27 module |
Ratings from the Sunniva TDS 2026 data sheets.
Control philosophy
PT-101 on the steam header calls the heat pumps on below 1.8 bar and unloads them at 2.0 bar. TT-102 on the energy storage tank stops the heat pumps if the source falls below 50 °C. TIC-201 on the kettle sets boil intensity through the calandria steam valve. The boiler stays connected to the header as standby and for the first brew of the day.
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
Boil heat recycled
Heat from the last boil's vapour drives the next boil, so fuel use per brew falls sharply.
Uses the surplus warm water
Recovered 60 °C water that the brewhouse could not use becomes a valuable heat source.
Calandria unchanged
The kettle and calandria keep running on steam, so wort quality and boil behaviour stay as they are.
Lower energy cost
Each kWh of electricity delivers about 2.9 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, batch size and evaporation rate
- Calandria area and design steam pressure
- Vapour condenser and energy store size and temperatures
- Present steam 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
Design notes
- Steam temperature. 2 bar steam at about 120 °C is cooler than typical boiler steam. Check the calandria area gives the required boil rate at this temperature.
- First brew. The energy store needs a boil before it is charged. Plan for the boiler to cover the first brew after a weekend stop.
- Condensate. Return calandria condensate to the heat pump steam generator as feedwater to keep water treatment simple.
- Electrical. About 37 kW of heat pump input at rated conditions, plus pumps and fans. Check spare sanctioned load before ordering.
- Source stream. The source must give up roughly two-thirds of the heat delivered. Confirm its flow and temperature over a full production day, and filter it before the evaporator.
- 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.