Oven saves energy

Britvic has saved £10,000 worth of energy at its Leeds plant and saved factory space, thanks to the installation of a carbon infra-red oven from Heraeus Noblelight.

The Britvic plant at Bramley handles a range of fruit juice, which is easier to pump at high temperatures due to its consistency. All juices are heated to arrive at the bottling line at a temperature of around 80°C. Before the new installation, bottles were rinsed in warm water then passed through a steam oven before being filled to avoid cracking the glass. The hot water was, inefficiently, drained away.

Not only is the new bottling line's medium wave infra-red technology ideally suited to heating glass, the new system allows bottles to be cold rinsed before heating. As Britvic's project engineer Steve Duckworth explains: "This is important as it means that the rinse line can now be shared with the carbonated drinks line, without major modifications and associated cost, as it is impossible to fill carbonated drinks into heated bottles."

Contact: Heraeus Noblelight Tel: 0151 353 2710​