As leading importers of premium scotch whiskey, the success of William Grant and Sons, Incorporated depends on absolute product quality and purity. To that end, the company is continually on the cutting edge of new equipment and technologies to ensure its standards of product excellence. That pursuit led the company to purchase two refrigerated compressed air dryers from Van Air Systems.

On any given day, William Grant and Sons turns out more than 10,000 cases of proprietary and private label scotch. The company's imported Glenfiddich single malt scotch, bottled in Scotland, enjoys a worldwide reputation for superior quality, as does its blended scotch line, Clan MacGregor, which is bottled in the U.S. The company's bottling lines, in turn, depend on pneumatics for continuous, efficient production.

Problem

Two 100-horsepower rotary screw compressors supply air to high speed conveying, filling, labeling and packaging equipment. It was discovered that moisture was appearing in central air lines, air cylinders and actuators, especially during summer months and high humidity conditions when ambient temperatures were high. The plant's maintenance supervisor commented, "Excessive maintenance was needed to continually drain water from our lines and protect our product from potential spoilage."

Solution

To eliminate the time and costs of continually removing moisture from its processing equipment, the company turned to Van Air Systems. Having analyzed the bottler's needs, Van Air applications engineers recommended the installation of two Van Air Systems model RD-500 refrigerated compressed air dryers with instrument panels and high temperature alarm lights, plus and F200-500-B general purpose coalescing filter.

Van Air Systems model RD-500 dryers feature non-cycling operation to ensure a steady supply of dry air with a constant dew point. Operating costs are up to 50% lower than with combined after-cooler-dryer-heater units, an important benefit for cost-effective production. RD-500 units also feature large, easy-to-read gauges that provide simultaneous monitoring of all operating functions. Electronic drain valves keep condensed moisture out of the systems and resist clogging.

Results

Once on line at William Grant and Sons, the Van Air dryers provided outstanding results in keeping processing equipment - and product - completely free of moisture. The plant's maintenance manager said, "We haven't had a drop of water in our systems for over two years. It's absolutely bone dry. Maintenance has been reduced and even during the hottest months, the risk of something going wrong has been eliminated."