Climate-smart cooling with lake water

The Tetra Pak factory in Sunne has achieved significant energy savings via a new cooling system. In collaboration with the Instalco company, LG Contracting, they’ve created a new model for year-round, energy-efficient cooling using lake water.

Machinery used at the factory in the packaging process requires advanced, energy-intensive cooling. LG Contracting was engaged for new installations that are now being used at the factory to extract water from Lake Fryken that is used for cooling purposes, year-round.

“The most significant energy savings are derived from use of the new underground pumps and control system, which is based on the factory’s cooling needs. The older pump system ran at full power 24/7, which consumed massive amounts of energy,” says Martin Folkesson, Project Manager at LG Contracting.

The new pumps run in sequence with each other and they are only running at maximum capacity when the cooling needs require such, or when the lake temperature is warmest. When cooling needs and lake temperature are lower, only one of the pumps needs to be running. This solution ensures that production will be uninterrupted 24/7, year-round.

The amount of water extracted from the lake is measured and the information is stored and reported in accordance with the prevailing regulations. With this system, it is also possible to see the extent to which Lake Fryken has contributed to energy savings.

“Together with the customer, we developed an energy-savings proposal for a new cooling solution. We also performed the installation work on time, without interrupting operations,” says Martin Folkesson