GEA is expanding its VARIVENT valve portfolio with Hydract water-hydraulic actuation technology, designed to improve valve control, reduce compressed-air consumption and increase efficiency in hygienic processing plants. The technology replaces compressed air with a closed hydraulic system that uses treated water or an approved water-glycol mixture. A compact pump station supplies the valves through supply and return lines. The hydraulic fluid helps maintain precise valve positions even when process pressure and flow rates change.
The system has been operating in industrial production at Carlsberg’s brewery in Fredericia, Denmark, for several years. The brewery uses the technology to blend high-gravity beers from multiple tanks and route them directly to the filling line. Valves in the bright beer tank matrix also perform control functions, allowing the brewery to manage production more flexibly.
A plant design based on this operating principle can reduce the number of required bright beer tanks from 26 to 14. Average tank utilisation rises from 54% to 90%, while the time between production and filling can fall from weeks to hours.
GEA said electrical energy consumption for valve actuation at the Carlsberg facility has declined by more than 95%. The reduction is mainly due to the removal of compressed-air requirements for the process valves. Hydract technology can also be retrofitted to existing process valves and used alongside pneumatically actuated valves. Carlsberg operates both types within its facility.
“Precise valve control gives us significantly more flexibility in process design,” said Bastian Tolle, Head of Business Development and Digitalization at GEA’s Business Unit Valve & Pumps. He said the technology allows breweries to differentiate product variants later in the process, use existing tanks more efficiently and plan new facilities with less buffer and tank capacity.
Anders Kokholm, Brewing and Quality Director at Carlsberg Supply Company, Denmark, said the valves’ ability to remain closed and regulate precisely enables late product differentiation. He added that the technology helps reduce inventory, improve bottling plant efficiency, support on-demand and just-in-time production, and reduce waste.
GEA is initially introducing Hydract actuation for VARIVENT type N single-seat valves, type W divert valves, and type R and type D double-seat valves. Further valve types are expected to be added gradually. The expansion gives food and beverage manufacturers another option for improving process control and reducing energy use in hygienic production environments.
