YORK® YMC² Magnetic Bearing Technology Case Study: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Increase Energy Savings, Reduce Maintenance

Industrial and Manufacturing

Project At-A-Glance

YORK® Chillers Deliver Energy Savings for Sustainable Brewer

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. was founded in 1980 in Chico, California, near the majestic mountain range that inspired its name. Since its inception, the progressive, resourceful brewery, known for creating some of the country’s finest craft beers, has been passionate about sustainability and consciously mindful of its environmental footprint.

Challenges

The brewery's old system was comprised of constant-speed, four-screw and three-scroll chillers. Installed at various times, the equipment had become disjointed on several isolated loops throughout the facility. Heavily used, the chillers were prone to increased maintenance, constant monitoring and greater risk for system breakdowns.

Compounding the need for an upgrade, the mechanical room was located beneath an entertainment facility on the company’s grounds, and noise from the old chillers cycling on and off had become a distraction during events.

Solutions

After analyzing the features of the most efficient chillers on the market, Sierra Nevada collaborated with Johnson Controls in early 2011 to install four 235-ton (825-kW) YORK® YMC² Magnetic Centrifugal Chillers, estimated to be 50% more efficient than the existing equipment. The brewery also installed Johnson Controls Central Plant Optimization™ 10 software, powered by Metasys®, to optimize performance and energy savings in its chilled water plant, thereby eliminating the problems it experienced with multiple operating systems throughout the facility.

Outcomes

The state-of-the-art YORK® YMC² Magnetic Centrifugal Chiller system and optimization software have made a marked impact on the environmental, financial and workplace efficiency levels at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.

The four, 235-ton (825-kW) YORK® YMC² Magnetic Centrifugal Chillers were installed at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. estimated to be 50% more efficient than the existing equipment.

Project Highlights

Increased energy savings
Reduced natural gas consumption
Reduced maintenance and downtime

For more details, download a PDF version of this case study.

YORK® YMC² Chiller Features

Industry-leading, low-entering condenser water temperatures maximize efficiency and deliver as low as 0.175 kW/TR at full capacity and below 0.1 kW/ton at part load
A wide operating range provides versatility to meet the needs of various applications
Fully integrated YORK® chiller design provides reliable operation and reduces the need for maintenance
Minimized sound levels as low as 70 dBA provide unobtrusive operation