Heinz saves on three fronts

London - Heinz is highlighting the progress of its environment and energy saving programme with news of significant project advances at three factories: Kitt Green, UK; Dundalk, Republic of Ireland; and Escalon, California. 

The Heinz Kitt Green canning site in the UK processes 1.34 billion cans of  food every year, including Heinz Baked Beans. Because of the large volume of steam required for the canning process, a new energy center has been built at Kitt Green that generates up to 140 tonnes of steam per hour using the latest technology and a condensing economiser.

The new facility has improved efficiency by 88%, making it more environmentally friendly than the system it replaces, while yielding substantial cost savings. The facility now houses four of the largest shell boilers in the U.K., each capable of delivering 35 tonnes of steam per hour.

To maximize energy efficiency and minimise environmental impact, a condensing economizer has been installed and each boiler has been fitted with low nitrogen oxide burners. A monitoring and control system provides real time meter acquisition, reporting and billing to ensure ongoing performance.

Heinz's Dundalk facility in Ireland produces frozen ready meals, primarily for the UK markets. Recognising that refrigeration was the greatest drain on the plant's energy, Dundalk's employees committed to reducing their energy consumption through a clear and methodical system that would embed energy-saving initiatives into the very culture of the operation.

The 12-month plan included examining the refrigeration system, compressed air system, steam boiler system and turning off equipment when not in use. Multi-focused teams assessed every aspect of the operations and took a whole-plant approach as opposed to piecemeal remediation.

Substantial savings were achieved across the entire refrigeration system. Gas usage was reduced, as much as 57% on weekends. Leaks in the compressed air system were fixed within 24 hours. And additional improvements are underway that continue to meet Dundalk's ambitious energy-saving goals.

The facility also now enjoys cost savings in chemical reductions, reduced production downtime and increased labor savings. The employees have taken individual ownership of the plant¹s energy program resulting in increased teamwork and personal pride. In recognition of Dundalk's efforts to integrate energy management into its operations, the plant recently achieved certification under the Energy Agreements Programme (EAP) to IS393:2005.

In California, meanwhile, Heinz has reduced the environmental impact of its Escalon facility and lowered its natural gas consumption in the process. The improvements focused on reducing emissions of nitrogen oxide to meet the new regulations in the San Joaquin Valley.

Two idle boilers were transferred from the Heinz facility in Stockton to replace two aging boilers in Escalon, while keeping two other active boilers in Escalon intact. Heinz then retrofitted four boilers at Escalon with selective catalytic reduction technology that treats boiler exhaust gas with ammonia to convert nitrogen oxide into nitrogen and water vapor.

The two-step combination was a success. Escalon sharply reduced nitrogen oxide emissions to levels that average well below the tough new emissions limits of 9 parts per million, and it also lowered carbon monoxide emissions by 2.5 tonnes a year.

There was also an added environmental benefit: Escalon reduced its natural gas consumption by 7,000 MMBTUs, reflecting the success of the boiler replacements and efficiency upgrades.