I'm looking to build an immersion chiller for my 15.5 gallon brew pot with a 16 inch diameter. I would like some feedback on this idea of a chiller that tries to retain some of the benefits of a counterflow chiller.
Instead of a helix, the basic shape will be a loosely wound flat coil sandwiched between two disks of roughly the same diameter as my pot. The disks will have some holes pierced through them to allow some wort through but still maintain a separation between the inside of the chiller and the wort under and over the chiller.
To cool the wort, I will let the chiller slowly sink down the pot in a controlled fashion (perhaps guided by a vertical pipe or something else, a string, etc.). As the chiller descends from the top, the hot wort will enter in the chiller through the holes in the bottom disk and will be immediately cooled by the coil occupying most of the space between the disks. As more wort enters, the now chilled wort will exit by the top disk and join the rest of the cooled wort on top of the chiller. When the cooler reaches down the pot, all the wort will be cooled. If it went too fast, a second pass could still be done.
The benefits that I see is that the coil will only be in contact with hot wort like in a counterflow chiller thus maintaining cooling efficiency. The cold break will also form in the pot much like a regular immersion chiller and can be dealt with immediately. The downside is that hypothetical nipples and thermometers would be in the way of the chiller, and that the chiller must be matched to a a pot of specific width.
I calculated that could wind approximately 11 turns of 0.5 inch copper pipe of a total length of 27 feet which I think should provide plenty of cooling. Also, because there will be some wort trying to pass in the space between the wall of the pot and chiller, I plan to have the coldest part of the coil be the exterior one.
So I'm looking to see if this sounds good to others, as I've never brewed before and I'm building my first setup. I could be oblivious to some things.
Thanks
Instead of a helix, the basic shape will be a loosely wound flat coil sandwiched between two disks of roughly the same diameter as my pot. The disks will have some holes pierced through them to allow some wort through but still maintain a separation between the inside of the chiller and the wort under and over the chiller.
To cool the wort, I will let the chiller slowly sink down the pot in a controlled fashion (perhaps guided by a vertical pipe or something else, a string, etc.). As the chiller descends from the top, the hot wort will enter in the chiller through the holes in the bottom disk and will be immediately cooled by the coil occupying most of the space between the disks. As more wort enters, the now chilled wort will exit by the top disk and join the rest of the cooled wort on top of the chiller. When the cooler reaches down the pot, all the wort will be cooled. If it went too fast, a second pass could still be done.
The benefits that I see is that the coil will only be in contact with hot wort like in a counterflow chiller thus maintaining cooling efficiency. The cold break will also form in the pot much like a regular immersion chiller and can be dealt with immediately. The downside is that hypothetical nipples and thermometers would be in the way of the chiller, and that the chiller must be matched to a a pot of specific width.
I calculated that could wind approximately 11 turns of 0.5 inch copper pipe of a total length of 27 feet which I think should provide plenty of cooling. Also, because there will be some wort trying to pass in the space between the wall of the pot and chiller, I plan to have the coldest part of the coil be the exterior one.
So I'm looking to see if this sounds good to others, as I've never brewed before and I'm building my first setup. I could be oblivious to some things.
Thanks
