I've mentioned this idea floating around in my head a few times in previous recirculating icewater chiller threads and although I don't like to post anything without test results, I'm taking a chance.
First, this concept isn't chiller design specific meaning it would work for anything from IC, CFC, to plate chillers. The basic limitation of all of them is the temperature of the coolant water going in which can get into the mid 80's for most of the summer for people on municipal water systems. (you year round 45F well water rednecks can skip this altogether ).
Many folks combat this with either an inline prechiller (copper coil submersed into icewater) or supplying their chiller with icewater directly by pumping with a pond or small sump pump.
Prechiller:
Pros: no need for electricity as pressure is supplied by tap water.
Cons: Copper prices, an additional layer of thermal transfer, no direct reuse of output water, and the need to agitate or stir the icewater to keep stratification down.
Icewater pump:
Pros: Very fast chilling due to coldest possible coolant, possible to recirculate for less water use.
Cons: Price of pump, need for electrical power.
I tried to combine the pros of both of these solution into what I'm calling an in-line ice prechiller. Call it whatever you want. The income tap water encounters a large container of ice and is then forced into your wort chiller under the original tap pressure. The only gotcha here is finding a vessel that has a large enough opening to pour ice in but also take a good 10 psi of pressure.
I've seen these barrels in both 13 and 8 gallon from various container recyclers. I used it for fermenting at first, then grain storage, and now this:
The lid gets a 5/8" hole and I threaded in a 1/2" male NPT to male garden hose fitting. An Oring goes in between the fitting and lid and it looks like I don't even need to back it with a locknut because it threaded in nice and tight.
Then I did the same thing through the side wall of the barrel with a female garden hose fitting. On the inside of this fitting, I clamped on a short piece of PVC tubing.
So, the water flows from the tap into the sidewall fitting and goes down to the bottom of the barrel. As this fills the barrel, the air is forced out of the lid fitting and through the chiller. Eventually the icewater is forced out. It doesn't need to take the full city water pressure because you'll never fully block the outflow. It will only see your chiller's typical backpressure and I don't recommend running it full blast either. I MAY need a screen on the output for when the ice pieces melt small enough to lodge into the ID of the fitting.
The other alteration I'm thinking is to reverse the fittings so it outflows from the "dip tube" since the coldest water will be down there and I would be able to swap out the lid fitting to a schrader valve to force the last of the water out with compressed air.
I'll be back with the results after my next brew day whenever that is. I welcome your criticisms and your opinion of whether this will work or not.
First, this concept isn't chiller design specific meaning it would work for anything from IC, CFC, to plate chillers. The basic limitation of all of them is the temperature of the coolant water going in which can get into the mid 80's for most of the summer for people on municipal water systems. (you year round 45F well water rednecks can skip this altogether ).
Many folks combat this with either an inline prechiller (copper coil submersed into icewater) or supplying their chiller with icewater directly by pumping with a pond or small sump pump.
Prechiller:
Pros: no need for electricity as pressure is supplied by tap water.
Cons: Copper prices, an additional layer of thermal transfer, no direct reuse of output water, and the need to agitate or stir the icewater to keep stratification down.
Icewater pump:
Pros: Very fast chilling due to coldest possible coolant, possible to recirculate for less water use.
Cons: Price of pump, need for electrical power.
I tried to combine the pros of both of these solution into what I'm calling an in-line ice prechiller. Call it whatever you want. The income tap water encounters a large container of ice and is then forced into your wort chiller under the original tap pressure. The only gotcha here is finding a vessel that has a large enough opening to pour ice in but also take a good 10 psi of pressure.
I've seen these barrels in both 13 and 8 gallon from various container recyclers. I used it for fermenting at first, then grain storage, and now this:
The lid gets a 5/8" hole and I threaded in a 1/2" male NPT to male garden hose fitting. An Oring goes in between the fitting and lid and it looks like I don't even need to back it with a locknut because it threaded in nice and tight.
Then I did the same thing through the side wall of the barrel with a female garden hose fitting. On the inside of this fitting, I clamped on a short piece of PVC tubing.
So, the water flows from the tap into the sidewall fitting and goes down to the bottom of the barrel. As this fills the barrel, the air is forced out of the lid fitting and through the chiller. Eventually the icewater is forced out. It doesn't need to take the full city water pressure because you'll never fully block the outflow. It will only see your chiller's typical backpressure and I don't recommend running it full blast either. I MAY need a screen on the output for when the ice pieces melt small enough to lodge into the ID of the fitting.
The other alteration I'm thinking is to reverse the fittings so it outflows from the "dip tube" since the coldest water will be down there and I would be able to swap out the lid fitting to a schrader valve to force the last of the water out with compressed air.
I'll be back with the results after my next brew day whenever that is. I welcome your criticisms and your opinion of whether this will work or not.