9000W RIMS Heater

So, here is another part of the build:

oh SNAP! I like where this is going.

Hopefully my "buyer" will still be interested when this is all done. Because I sorta want to build another.

Wowee. I like the design. I could certainly not buy one of your projects any time soon, but if you're still building them in say ten years or so, I'll be in for one.

The U shape is a good idea for fitting in two elements. In designing my future rig in my head I never quite thought of it. I was thinking of a long line, but that would be a little clumsy. The U shortens up the space. Good idea!

I made it as compact as I could, it is just long enough to fit my elements. I was a little worried that it would be too short. It is AOK though.

It is heavy as heck though, soon I will be able to start testing. 4 weeks or so.

What are the three inputs for? In out and temp?

Is the tee for drainage? I hadn't thought about the U-shape. I like...

What did all that SS cost?

klyph said:

What did all that SS cost?

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Oh... about $147, not too bad... it includes a few other fittings too (about 10 of them), not in the photo

bakins said:

Is the tee for drainage? I hadn't thought about the U-shape. I like...

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Yes, drainage after the session and cleaning.

Seems overkill for maintaining mash temp.

Will this be for heating the liquor tank as well?

Edit: Just realized you have no liquor tank

klyph said:

Seems overkill for maintaining mash temp.

Will this be for heating the liquor tank as well?

Edit: Just realized you have no liquor tank

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Oh, it is not for maintaining mash temp... not at all

More of a flash boiler than a RIMS?

is it going to be to heat your sparge water instantly? instead of a flash boiler or pressure cooker or hlt?

klyph said:

More of a flash boiler than a RIMS?

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Pumping at close to 10 gallons/min there wont be much boiling going on.

trailblazer said:

is it going to be to heat your sparge water instantly? instead of a flash boiler or pressure cooker or hlt?

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Nope, sparge water comes from the BK

You just LOOOOOVE being elusive, don't you

I dont know exactly what I am going to do with it... but I think I can think of something cool.

It will be able to heat 10 gallons from 60F to strike temp. in 18 minutes though

This is my engineer, he has all the good ideas, I provide the funding!

scoots said:

What are the three inputs for? In out and temp?

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There is ONE input, ONE outlet, ONE drain.

Hmm, if you used one street L and one regular, you wouldn't need the coupling. Just sayin.

Any thought to a longer tube with an element in each end?

Bobby_M said:

Hmm, if you used one street L and one regular, you wouldn't need the coupling. Just sayin.

Any thought to a longer tube with an element in each end?

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Aesthetics... that is the reason for the coupling, symmetry

Too long, I am also hoping that this will create a little turbulence to combat laminar flow along the elements. Better mixing, better readings, stuff like that perhaps.

The Pol said:

Aesthetics... that is the reason for the coupling, symmetry

Too long, I am also hoping that this will create a little turbulence to combat laminar flow along the elements. Better mixing, better readings, stuff like that perhaps.

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What's done is done. That thing is awesome. :rockin: But, when people copy your design (and they will), you could probably go with an even shorter nipple in the center and decrease heat loss in the system.

Is it 1-1/2" pipe?

I know you've done your power calculations, but why not just go balls out with 2x5500W LD elements and taper the output with the BCS-460?

I haven't been paying attention well enough but does BCS do that? Can you run it in auto mode and also specify a max cycle for limiting effective wattage? If so, I won't even look at hardware PID in the future.

Bobby_M, yes the BCS is capable of that with the latest firmware upgrade. ECC implemented it after the RIMS design by Sizz (where the RIMS was dual purpose mash temps and hot water on demand for spargin).

Facepalm. I believe I participated in that thread. Bad memory.

It happens to the best of us!

Pol:
How did you calculate the time to raise 10 gallons from 60F to 160F? I think you used an oversimplified approach that may not apply to your system. This is complex system involving heat transfer and flow. Furthermore, you will never get wort flows anywhere close to 10 gpm - you will be limited by your grain bed way before you are limited by your LG pump.

stevehaun said:

Pol:
How did you calculate the time to raise 10 gallons from 60F to 160F? I think you used an oversimplified approach that may not apply to your system. This is complex system involving heat transfer and flow. Furthermore, you will never get wort flows anywhere close to 10 gpm - you will be limited by your grain bed way before you are limited by your LG pump.

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I used BTUs to water volume (weight) to get the numbers using a spreadsheet. The RIMS will be insulated as well. It isnt precise, but it is close, testing will tell what it will actually do. The pump flow will far exceed the BTUs applied in the RIMS.

I have built and run recirculating systems before, I am well aware of the limits of flow/BTU output/grain bed compaction etc...

I have never claimed that I would get 10gpm flow from the grain bed, that is silly. The pump will pump much faster than 9000W can heat the water too, all of this has been taken into careful consideration.

The RIMS was limited to 9000W, as was the kettle, because I did not want to go any larger than 50A on the circuit personally. Using PID control, regardless of duty cycle (% output) when those elements fire, you are still drawing full amperage, so I am limited to 50A, 9000W. Which I dont feel is very limiting.

ScubaSteve said:

What's done is done. That thing is awesome. :rockin: But, when people copy your design (and they will), you could probably go with an even shorter nipple in the center and decrease heat loss in the system.

Is it 1-1/2" pipe?

I know you've done your power calculations, but why not just go balls out with 2x5500W LD elements and taper the output with the BCS-460?

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See above post for some answers...

Yes it is 1.5" ID pipe. I could have used 1.25" though... taking notes on these things for next time. The RIMS will be insulated... I will lose more in the plumbing to the pots than I will in the RIMS tube I suspect, when it is all done.

Keep in mind, I dont have all the answers here, this thing will need plenty of testing and the BCS side will require the creation of processes and states that will allow it all to work together. It would be easier, if I had seen it all done somewhere before.

You need to wheel this thing to Dark Lord days in Iindiana in April so we can drool over it is person Surely they have an outlet you can plug into

IrregularPulse said:

You need to wheel this thing to Dark Lord days in Iindiana in April so we can drool over it is person Surely they have an outlet you can plug into

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Dark Lord Days?

I will have to look that up.

May be hard to find a 50A GFCI circuit though! If you are in Indiana, just stop over.

There is a distinct possibility that I will no longer own it in April though.

3 Floyds brewing Company. You should come. Me and the wife are planning on it.

IrregularPulse said:

3 Floyds brewing Company. You should come. Me and the wife are planning on it.

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If I am not flying, that would be fun, the 24th this year!

Do you think cleaning will be an issue?

Since you sourced from Swagman I am kinda surprised you didn't place at least 2 clover connections on this piece. Use them as the heater mounts. Just a thought.

FWIW, I enjoy looking at the pieces you have built verses a whole build. Makes it a bit more interesting. Great stuff so far.

The TriClamps are pretty reasonably priced, but I limited them to where I need to make and break connections. This is not an issue on the heater, so they dont exist here.

Cleaning wont be an issue by recirculating hot Oxi, I used that on my old system and it cleans amazingly well! I built this with a drain, so after cleaning, I can drain/dry the RIMS heater.

hells yeah we are heading to Dark Lord Day as well.

The Pol said:

The TriClamps are pretty reasonably priced, but I limited them to where I need to make and break connections. This is not an issue on the heater, so they dont exist here.

Cleaning wont be an issue by recirculating hot Oxi, I used that on my old system and it cleans amazingly well! I built this with a drain, so after cleaning, I can drain/dry the RIMS heater.

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You running QD's or hose barbs? It looks like hose barbs in you build thread. How do you plan to dry it? Dry fire the elements? Blow compressed air through it?

The condensate will take a while to dry up in there. There wont be any air movement through it. Just another thought.

GreenMonti said:

You running QD's or hose barbs? It looks like hose barbs in you build thread. How do you plan to dry it? Dry fire the elements? Blow compressed air through it?

The condensate will take a while to dry up in there. There wont be any air movement through it. Just another thought.

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I am using TriClamps where I need to break connections.

Barbs on the RIMS

No, I certainly dont plan to dry fire anything

When I said dry it, I should have been much more specific. It has a drain, so the RIMS tube isnt full of water 24-7

I dont need to get it DRY, but I dont want it bathing in water