GEA valve technology reduces tank requirements in breweries through precise inline blending

• GEA introduces water-hydraulic Hydract actuation technology as a new option in the modular VARIVENT valve system

• Precise valve positioning enables continuous inline blending and subsequent product differentiation

• In a proven industrial application, the technology reduces the power consumption for valve actuation by more than 95 percent

• The Carlsberg example demonstrates the potential: In a greenfield scenario, the number of bright beer tanks required drops from 26 to 14, while average tank utilization rises from 54 to 90 percent

GEA is adding the water-hydraulic Hydract® actuation technology to its VARIVENT® valve portfolio. At launch, it will be available for select single-seat, divert, and double-seat valves. GEA acquired the Hydract technology and is now rolling it out as an additional actuation option within the established VARIVENT system. Because VARIVENT valves run across a wide range of industries, the new actuation option targets not only breweries and beverage manufacturers, but also dairies and other manufacturers with demanding hygienic process-control requirements.

Hydract replaces compressed air for valve actuation with a closed hydraulic system that uses treated water or an approved water-glycol mixture. A compact pump station supplies the valves through supply and return lines. Because the hydraulic fluid is virtually incompressible, it holds the valve position stable even as process pressure and flow rates fluctuate.

For breweries, that control accuracy opens up new possibilities in inline blending. The valves let producers blend product streams together continuously, so a shared beer base can stay in process longer and product variants can be blended directly into the filler. Measurements from industrial use at Carlsberg show the technology holding Brix, alcohol, and CO₂ stable even through significant changes in throughput.

Fewer finished variants tied up in tanks

The Carlsberg brewery in Fredericia, Denmark, illustrates the approach. There, the technology has run in industrial production for years: Carlsberg continuously blends high-gravity beers from multiple tanks and routes them directly to the filling line, while the valves in the bright beer tank matrix simultaneously handle control tasks.

In a plant design built on this principle, the number of bright beer tanks required drops from 26 to 14, and average tank utilization rises from 54 to 90 percent. Lead time to filling shortens from weeks to hours. Fewer tanks and fewer finished-product variants held in parallel also cut cleaning effort; GEA's figures for the Carlsberg scenario point to substantially lower tank cleaning costs.

That reshapes production planning, especially for seasonal products and shifting demand. Thanks to late blending, Carlsberg can make extra product volumes available within hours, rather than producing whole variants weeks in advance against a sales forecast and tying up tank capacity to do it.

“Precise valve control gives us significantly more flexibility in process design,” says Bastian Tolle, Head of Business Development & Digitalization at GEA’s Business Unit Valve & Pumps. “Product variants can be differentiated later, existing tanks can be utilized more efficiently, and new plants can be planned with less buffer and tank capacity. For breweries with growing product portfolios, this is a very concrete economic lever.”

A 95 percent cut in electricity for valve actuation

Beyond process flexibility, switching from compressed air to hydraulics also delivers a major energy benefit. For the Carlsberg application, GEA reports a reduction in electrical energy consumption for valve actuation of more than 95 percent. The saving comes mainly because these process valves no longer need energy-intensive compressed air.

In new plants, that also lets engineers size the compressed-air infrastructure smaller. Breweries will still need compressed air for other applications, but the demand created by large valve populations can drop significantly.

Retrofit instead of complete overhaul

Hydract is not limited to greenfield plants. Brewers can retrofit the technology onto existing process valves and run it alongside pneumatically actuated valves within a single plant – Carlsberg, for example, operates both actuation types in parallel. GEA sees particular potential for brownfield projects, letting operators upgrade individual process areas selectively wherever high control accuracy or continuous blending adds the most value.

A complete switch from pneumatics to hydraulics is neither necessary nor practical for every application. Pneumatic valves remain the established solution for many standard and utility tasks. Hydract complements that portfolio wherever precise control, process flexibility, or lower compressed-air consumption become economically significant – a trade-off that arises just as often in dairy processing as it does in beverage production.

“The fact that GEA Hydract valves can stay closed and regulate precisely gives us at Carlsberg the process advantage that we can make a very late product differentiation. We can cut down on our inventories to achieve higher efficiency at the bottling plant and we can produce on-demand and just-in-time while reducing our waste,” says Anders Kokholm, Brewing and Quality Director at Carlsberg Supply Company, Denmark.

Launch with four VARIVENT valve types

For the market launch, GEA is integrating Hydract actuation technology into the VARIVENT single-seat valve (type N), divert valve (type W), and double-seat valve (types R and D). Additional valve types will follow gradually.

GEA will present the new valves at BrauBeviale from November 10–12, 2026, in Nuremberg, Hall 9, Booth 362.