Plumbing

Thermann Commercial lifts production at Cullen Wines

Project

Installing a Thermann Commercial 'tankless' gas solution

Client

Cullen Wines

Location

Wilyabrup, WA

Date

2018

Aerial view of a winery with solar panels on buildings, surrounded by neat rows of grapevines and forested areas.Case Studies

Cullen Wines has a proud history of sustainable wine production in the renown Margaret River region of WA. Cullens was one of the original wineries in the region, and specialises in the production of biodynamic and carbon neutral wines.

A constant supply of hot water at 80°C is a very important part of the production process. High temperature hot water is used to sterilise the barrels before the fermentation process can begin. The previous diesel powered boiler simply couldn’t be relied on for stable sterilisation temperature, and the diesel sometimes caused contamination in the lines. Cullens decided to replace the old boiler with a Thermann Commercial ‘tankless’ gas solution to help avoid these production related impacts.

The new system consisted of three, 32L/min Thermann Commercial continuous flow models manifolded together and electronically connected via an intelligent system controller. Featuring condensing technology, each continuous flow model contains two heat exchangers for both primary heating and scavenging waste heat from flue gases to achieve a maximum thermal efficiency of 96.4%.

The combination of greater efficiency and a cheaper LPG energy source (relative to diesel), has resulted in significant savings for Cullens.

Three Thermann Commercial water heaters mounted on a stone wall with connected pipes and plumbing system.
Stone wall entrance sign for Cullen Wines in Wilyabrup, Margaret River, with green shrubs at the base and eucalyptus trees behind.
Aerial view of vineyard rows stretching across rural landscape with forest boundary in the background under cloudy sky.
Aerial view of a winery with solar panels on buildings, surrounded by neat rows of grapevines and forested areas.

Other advantages of the Thermann Commercial system is that it can be controlled via a system controller, which ‘connects’ the manifold and controls the operation as if it were a single heater. This is the brains of the unit and allows for rotation of the units to spread the load evenly across all units for greater durability, whilst the cascading function increases the capacity of the system.

The new manifold arrangement can deliver up to 40L/min flow rate, twice that of the previous hot water plant, providing an increase in production capability. Cullens have been very happy with their Thermann Commercial system. The system which was installed in 2018 has not only proved to be reliable, its saved on running costs and lifted production capability for the winery.

It also has sped up clean up times by being able to supply instant 80°C hot water on demand. A win, win all round. Thermann Commercial Continuous flow models feature robust, commercial grade heat exchangers and are available in 28L, 32L & 50L/min sizes. For more information, visit your local Reece branch or download the Thermann Commercial Guide.

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