Good to see you back here Steve. I'm hoping that you will build this thing and report on it so I can learn from your mistakes rather than my own. :cross:
Actually, I have done my first two BIAB batches, both still in the fermentors, so I am starting to learn what will be feasible for the single-vessel, electric, recirculating, no-sparge, no-chill, clean-in-place version. Well, at least I am learning a few things that will not work.
For example, it is now obvious to me that without a rigid basket the recirculation is not going to result in clear wort, because the shifting of the grain bed when pulling out the bag releases a bunch of particulates.
Additionally, I found that there were hot and cold spots in the folds of the bag material. I probably did not stir enough in the first batch to get an accurate temperature reading, and ending up mashing high. Another argument for a rigid basket.
I also think that I will need both a traditional lower-side valve with a pickup tube for draining the wort, and a dead-center bottom valve to get complete draining for clean-in-place. The amount of break material with these BIAB batches would either clog a filter, or result in a filter that is a bear to clean. I think whirlpooling with a side pickup tube will be a better approach for draining wort. Of course this means that the clean-in-place line will have to be teed off to both feed the spray ball at the top and feed through the valve and pickup tube, draining through the dead-center bottom valve.
I am still wondering for the recirculation whether the grain bed filtering will be adequate with a basket with holes on the sides and bottom, or will require holes only on the bottom. I do not think I can figure that one out without trying it, or hearing from someone who has done so.
All that said, I am finding that BIAB is a perfectly feasible method without the bells and whistles. Planning and building this thing is for my own entertainment rather than necessity. It will be great to end up with a shiny, new system for 10 gallon batches, though.