Bottling plants already measure the variables that affect performance, from production and throughput to downtime, energy use and material costs.
However, one cost still hits the bottom line quietly: CO₂ that is purchased and never makes it into the product.
Every facility monitors the amount of CO₂ it purchases. It is a major line item, particularly for high-volume bottling operations. What is much harder to determine is how much of that CO₂ actually reaches the product and how much is lost through leaks in piping, valves, fittings and other components.
Those losses increase operating costs, represent avoidable greenhouse gas emissions and can point to gaps in how effectively plant systems are being monitored and maintained.
Even when a facility knows its consumption is too high, pinpointing the sources can be difficult. For example, one plant operated by a major bottling company estimated it was losing $100,000 per month in CO₂.
The team knew consumption was too high but could not locate the losses despite regular audible, visual and olfactory (AVO) surveys and CO₂ sensor maintenance.
Onterris performed one optical gas imaging (OGI) survey and identified roughly 30 leaks. We then quantified each leak, giving the team the data to prioritize repairs based on financial impact. After repairing the most significant sources, the plant reported that its estimated monthly CO₂ loss had fallen by $82,000.
Listening for leaks leaves gaps
AVO is one of the most common methods for identifying gas leaks. A technician walks the facility looking and listening for potential leaks. When they suspect one, they may apply soapy water and watch for bubbles.
It is a cost-effective way to confirm leaks that are already noticeable. It is a poor way to find leaks that not readily detectable or easily accessible during a walkthrough.
Food safety makes the gap worse. Where product is exposed, a traditional leak check can become a contamination risk, so those rooms get skipped. They turn into inspection blind spots.
A plant can have an established leak detection program while still losing significant amounts of CO₂.
Optical gas imaging expands the inspection
OGI shows where CO₂ is escaping. With a specialized camera, a trained technician can see gas leaving piping, connections, valves and tanks, and can often scan the plant in a single day without stopping production or entering product-exposure areas.
It identifies leaks that AVO misses, including hard-to-reach lines, rooms skipped for food safety reasons and silent leaks that would otherwise go undetected.
With greater visibility comes the need to prioritize
Plants do not have unlimited maintenance budgets. A long list of identified leaks without a way to prioritize their significance can make it difficult to determine where to act first.
That is why finding a leak is only half the job. Onterris pairs OGI with direct leak quantification: technicians measure how fast gas is leaving a source, then apply that rate to the plant’s CO₂ cost to estimate the financial impact of the leak. The plant can rank repairs by dollar impact instead of treating every finding the same.
These results can be logged and managed through Target Online, an Onterris proprietary Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) software platform, which provides a central place to track leaks, repairs, and CO₂ loss and the impact of corrective actions over time.
Treat CO₂ loss as a plant performance metric
Bottling facilities already use KPIs and data to manage nearly every aspect of their operations.
Downtime and labor utilization are measured because lost production and inefficient use of resources affect performance. Energy use is monitored because inefficient equipment affects margins and environmental performance.
CO₂ loss should be managed with the same measurement discipline as other operational and environmental performance indicators.
Establish a baseline, inspect for leaks, quantify the big sources, fix them in dollar order and measure what changed. Periodic surveys catch new losses before they harden into another month of purchased gas that never reaches the filler.
CO₂ is already flowing through the plant, and you have already paid for it. The work is to find where it is leaving, put a cost on those losses and repair the leaks that pay back first.
Talk to a leak detection expert today.