Atlas Copco Drives Water & Cost Savings at Widmer Brothers Brewery with Waterless Vacuum Pump

Atlas Copco, recently partnered with Widmer Brothers Brewery to improve their bottling process and eliminate excess water consumption with the first-known waterless vacuum pump in the craft beer industry.

Originally, the brewery used a liquid ring vacuum pump to bottle their beers but quickly realized the technology was consuming roughly 5,000 gallons of water per day, which cost an annual $5,000 in water and $30,000 in sewer costs, including extra strength charges. After consulting Atlas Copco, Widmer Brothers Brewery decided to upgrade their liquid ring pump to the GHS VSD+ rotary screw vacuum pump. 

In partnership with Widmer Brothers Brewery, Atlas Copco designed the Foam Dampening Water Trap, which features: 

• Built-in foam dampening mechanism
• Low level and high level sensors to activate drain sequence
• Automatic drain
• Vent line
• Purge tank with isolation, vent and drain valves to allow unit to gravity drain while under vacuum
• In-line liquid separator with ball float for secondary failsafe

Although the equipment upgrade was originally driven by the desire to save water, Widmer Brothers Brewery has avoided wastewater and sewer impact and also saved on energy consumption. In switching to a variable speed drive rotary screw vacuum pump, the system now produces a deeper vacuum with half the horsepower, saving the brewery close to $4,000 in energy costs. 

For more ways to save water, time and energy, make sure you subscribe to our bi-weekly blog posts.