How long to oxygenate 40 gallons

[Rob2010SS]

Hi everyone. Doing our first 1bbl batch tomorrow and thinking about oxygenation. Everything I’ve read thus far implies that oxygenation time is directly proportional to batch size. So if I was oxygenating 5 gal for 2 min with pure o2, 40 gal would be 16 min. Is that The case or no? Using the stone on the wand.

 

[PCABrewing]

Hi everyone. Doing our first 1bbl batch tomorrow and thinking about oxygenation. Everything I’ve read thus far implies that oxygenation time is directly proportional to batch size. So if I was oxygenating 5 gal for 2 min with pure o2, 40 gal would be 16 min. Is that The case or no? Using the stone on the wand.

Do you have a flow meter?
That's really helpful if you want to establish an accurate log to guide you.
They are pretty cheap.
As the pressure changes in the tank, your volume/minute will decrease so just using time alone is not terribly accurate.

 

[McMullan]

I'd say it really depends on the O2 flow rate, the yeast strain and pitching rate. Don't assume you need to scale up linearly either.

 

[Rob2010SS]

Do you have a flow meter?
That's really helpful if you want to establish an accurate log to guide you.
They are pretty cheap.
As the pressure changes in the tank, your volume/minute will decrease so just using time alone is not terribly accurate.

Nope, no flow meter yet. That’s on my list though

 

[PCABrewing]

Nope, no flow meter yet. That’s on my list though

You can do a rough calculation as you described. It may come out to be slightly less than the small batch but not likely to cause a noticeable difference.

 

[Rob2010SS]

You can do a rough calculation as you described. It may come out to be slightly less than the small batch but not likely to cause a noticeable difference.

Appreciate that info. That’s probably how I’ll do it for starters

 

[IslandLizard]

Factors to consider:

• A taller column of wort will be able to absorb/dissolve more O2 than a shallower one at the same flow rate.
• Any O2 that didn't get dissolved on its way up will present itself as surface bubbling or rippling.
• Are you agitating, moving the wand around constantly during oxygenation, or letting it sit in one place for a minute, then moving it to the next for another minute, etc.?
• Any O2 not absorbed will make the headspace richer in O2, adding oxygenation at the surface, given time.