BTUs required for 55 gallon brew kettle?

[stalski]

Got a deal on a blichmann55 and need to figure out how to heat this hoss.

Have a good welder, just need to know a burner/regulator recommendation...and if my 4ounce residential natural gas service is enough to feed the burner/regulator?

 

[beaksnbeer]

Easy it takes 1 btu to rise 1 pound of water 1 degree. Approx. 8.5 lbs per gallon so about 450 btu per degree or 47,250 btu to strike temp. and another 31,500 btu to get to boil temp. The higher the btu the faster you will get to temps

 

[BadgerBrew3r]

Easy it takes 1 btu to rise 1 pound of water 1 degree. Approx. 8.5 lbs per gallon so about 450 btu per degree or 47,250 btu to strike temp. and another 31,500 btu to get to boil temp. The higher the btu the faster you will get to temps

Isn't that the theoretical definition with perfect heat transmission and no loss of heat from the system?

This site says a good estimate is 50% efficiency: http://www.winning-homebrew.com/Propane-Burners.html So right off the bat you need to double the number of BTUs it will take to get to strike temp and boil temp.

I think you're looking at something rated in the 100,000 range - at least - to get that big a pot boiling in anything approaching a reasonable time. And even then it might take 2 hours to get to boil. Its my understanding that the BTU rating on these burners is per hour. http://morebeer.com/view_product/17...ner_103000_BTUs_Propane?a_aid=winninghomebrew

 

[beaksnbeer]

Heat loss and absorption are based on heat source,fuel,pot material, ambient temp,etc. I think a 30+ tip (wok type) burner as posted above will get you in the area you'll want Except you need Natural gas of course

 

[VladOfTrub]

"and another 31,500 btu to get to boil temp. The higher the btu the faster you will get to temps"

Not really.... To change state of water (vaporization) requires about 1K BTU/hr/lb. It takes a lot of heat energy to boil water. The one pound one degree BTU thing goes out the window, when change of state occurs. You are right on more BTU, quicker boil, as long as the flame doesn't climb the sides of the boiler.

OP. I run NG @ 4.3 osi on Blichmann burners, right off the main gas line in my home without a regulator on the burner. Blichmann's NG conversion kit comes with a needle valve, used to adjust the flame. My wort boiler is a 30G Blichmann. With a Blichmann 50G boiler and a Blichmann burner at 4 osi, there should be no problem heating water to a boil within a reasonable time. The boiler is wide enough to keep the flame under the boiler at full bore, without the flame climbing the sides. My 30 G boiler heats the same volume of water quicker than my 20G boiler, because I can crank the flame up on the 30, without the flame climbing the sides. The flame will climb the sides of the 20. I have to lower the pressure, lowering the flame, to keep the heat under the boiler.

 

[stalski]

Thanks for the replies so far. I spoke with Blichmann and they recommended strongly against using their floor burner, saying it's too small both from a btu perspective and a physical size perspective. So I'm going custom.

Through many other threads, listed below, I think 320,000BTU NG jet burner is what I need for my 55gallon brew kettle. Amazon sells one here (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ADPCSMA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20).

My question is how do I connect/regulate the flow from my natural gas source to this burner? Any safety precautions like a backflow preventer? My source is an old 3/4" OD NG pipe where someone used to hookup their BBQ. Its right next to the meter so flow-drop shouldn't be an issue. Pic attached.

My welder will make the stand, so that's no problem.

My plumber is not helpful. Says "Tell me what to hookup and I will".

Thoughts? Input?

 

[The_Bishop]

You're not going to feed 300k btu from that pipe. In fact, you need to see what BTU rating your meter is, as it may not be rated that high.

Buried cast iron pipe, unless properly done, is a house explosion waiting to happen. That rusty pipe sticking out of the ground tells me it wasn't done right. I'd disconnect that where it originates and cap it off.

You'd have better luck installing a T fitting and a flex line adapter, right at the meter.

 

[stalski]

My service, per my gas company rep, is 320 max cubic feet per hour. Using my google-rule-of-thumb 1cf/hr=1000 BTU per hour, so guessing that's about perfect for a 320,000btu burner if nothing else downstream is using natural gas. Sound right?

I'll dig up that cast iron pipe and tell the plumber to cap it at the meter. I'll then have him install a ball-valve on the empty side of the T at the meter and cap it off. When brewing I will install remove cap and install a 10' flex pipe to my brew stand.

Any recommendations for a regulator on the brew stand? Heard some guys using a regular ball valve, but any other recommendations?

 

[The_Bishop]

That sounds like a decent plan.

For hose/connection options:
http://www.tejassmokers.com/NatGasHoses.htm

 

[Stealthcruiser]

You have your "regulator" on your house gas service, just get yourself a quality ball valve of the appropriate size to "throttle" with.