From Hot Side to Cold: Getting cooler wort

[RJS]

Anyone else feel like their transfer from kettle to fermentor could be cooler?

From the brewhouse, I run off wort from kettle, to heat exchanger, through pump and over to the cold room where the tanks live.

Whenever I adjust the valve position in an attempt to slow the flow I get some air bubbles in the line so I have to open up the handle slightly more than I'd like in order to not beat up the hot wort.

I'd love the wort to hit the same temp as the ground water going through the plates, but the wort just moves too fast.

Any thoughts?

 

[doug293cz]

Is your flow throttling valve on the output side of the pump? If not, then that is at least one of your problems. Pumps do not behave well when the input side is throttled.

Brew on

 

[RM-MN]

Anyone else feel like their transfer from kettle to fermentor could be cooler?

From the brewhouse, I run off wort from kettle, to heat exchanger, through pump and over to the cold room where the tanks live.

Whenever I adjust the valve position in an attempt to slow the flow I get some air bubbles in the line so I have to open up the handle slightly more than I'd like in order to not beat up the hot wort.

I'd love the wort to hit the same temp as the ground water going through the plates, but the wort just moves too fast.

Any thoughts?

You'll never hit the same temperature as the ground water as there has to be a difference in temperature for the cooling to work. Slowing the wort will get you closer but not equal to that temp. A smaller volume pump or a bigger heat exchanger will be a possible solution if the wort is too hot when it hits the tanks or colder water than ground water which means some type of refrigeration.

 

[MagicMatt]

I don't understand what's wrong with bubbles in the line during transfer? Oxygen is a good thing prior to fermentation. Food for the yeasties.

 

[acidrain]

It should be BK> Pump> Valve> HE> Fermenter.
Chilling to near ground water temp should be obtainable.

 

[andrewmaixner]

I recirculate my wort for the first drop (200F --> ~110F) then change the chiller output to a carboy and slow the pump so it's at pitch temp (about 68-70F) then put them in my temperature chamber set at whatever temperature is appropriate (usually around 64F).

 

[bigdawg86]

I chill my wort from boil to 100° using standard house water supply. I have a 5 gallon bucket with 10lbs of ice and water on standby with a pond pump... all my fittings are quick connect so I simply snap the wort chiller from the wall to the pump to bring me down to final pitching temps. Works great!

 

[RJS]

You'll never hit the same temperature as the ground water as there has to be a difference in temperature for the cooling to work. Slowing the wort will get you closer but not equal to that temp. A smaller volume pump or a bigger heat exchanger will be a possible solution if the wort is too hot when it hits the tanks or colder water than ground water which means some type of refrigeration.

Ah, I see. Thanks. So maybe I never upgraded properly. I still have the same 20 plate chiller I used when I did small batches, now I attempt to chill 1BBl batches with it. Maybe time to get a big ass chiller.

 

[RJS]

Is your flow throttling valve on the output side of the pump? If not, then that is at least one of your problems. Pumps do not behave well when the input side is throttled.

Brew on

The throttling is going on directly from the kettle valve, then that restriction goes to the chiller which then goes to the pump which then goes to the fermentor. This is about a 20 foot operation. From brewhouse to cold room.

 

[RJS]

It should be BK> Pump> Valve> HE> Fermenter.
Chilling to near ground water temp should be obtainable.

Ok I see what you are saying. I need some kind of in-line valve AFTER the pump and going nice and slow into the chiller

 

[RJS]

I don't understand what's wrong with bubbles in the line during transfer? Oxygen is a good thing prior to fermentation. Food for the yeasties.

The aeration is happening directly out of the kettle, before the wort is cooled. So it's all hot and beat up at that point.

 

[RJS]

I chill my wort from boil to 100° using standard house water supply. I have a 5 gallon bucket with 10lbs of ice and water on standby with a pond pump... all my fittings are quick connect so I simply snap the wort chiller from the wall to the pump to bring me down to final pitching temps. Works great!

hmm, I'm all quick DC as well. You gave me an idea of possibly putting my plate chiller into a bucket of ice water to chill the entire thing down as wort flows.

 

[doug293cz]

The throttling is going on directly from the kettle valve, then that restriction goes to the chiller which then goes to the pump which then goes to the fermentor. This is about a 20 foot operation. From brewhouse to cold room.

Ok I see what you are saying. I need some kind of in-line valve AFTER the pump and going nice and slow into the chiller

Ideally you would rearrange the plumbing so that the pump is immediately after the BK, then then the flow control valve, and then to the chiller, since the plate chiller can represent a flow restriction. You want all of the possible flow restrictions after the pump.

Brew on

 

[RJS]

I'm also currently looking into a bigger and better Duda Diesel chiller. I have the 23A right now, 20 plate, but will most likely upgrade to their 30 plate long. I think running off into ferment takes about ten minutes right now, so the chiller gets worked hard.