Does anyone know of a stainless steel convoluted counterflow wort chiller? Midwest used to have one but all links seem to be broken now.
Not really. They use a wrap outside the inner tube to cause churn in the cooling water. The "convoluted" ones use a spiral-grooved inner tube to churn the wort's flow. Something like this:This one is sort of convoluted right?
Thanks, @Mr. Vern. I was going to reach out to a couple ME's I know but I guess you've saved me the hassle.
I definitely don't want plates. Without starting a religious debate let's say I prefer the SS. I don't suppose you know offhand the factor for thermal conductivity between them? My research tells me it's 296for SS and 401for copper. If that's correct, one would need 35% more surface area in a SS coil to do the same cooling.
Oh crap, you're right. I read my table wrong. Let's make sure I don't do any Apollo missions. That means you'd need 97% more (almost double) in SS.The difference is significantly greater than you think. Copper is generally around 400, SS is less than 20 depending on the alloy.
And there's one with twice the surface area. I like the TC fittings already on that one - saves me from trying to solder.Just for a real world point of reference this chiller works quite well.
The difference is significantly greater than you think. Copper is generally around 400, SS is less than 20 depending on the alloy.
Here is one reference: Heat Exchangers: Copper vs. Stainless Steel - AccuServ Heating and Air Conditioning
I have one of these Exchillerators in SS and like it. I don't think it's convoluted, but that makes it easy to clean. SS doesn't transfer heat all that well, but I prefer an all-stainless system.https://www.exchilerator.com/product/maxx-counterflow-wort-chiller/
This one is sort of convoluted right? For extra $100 it comes in SS. I considered this one a long time before pulling trigger on my Stout chiller.
I've been brewing for 30 years - simple options have long since flown the coop.
I like that so far we're having a good technical discussion - love it when my Engineering brethren stop by for a beer!
I understand the point about probably not needing a convoluted tube. Makes sense I guess.
I mean I'm not made of money but I've wasted more money by trying to save money in this hobby than I care to admit.
This is indeed the info I was looking for... I have some 40 or 50 feet of 3/8" copper and intend to make a counter flow chiller (I guess this is the CFC...) using a water hose. May I ask you the batch size that you can knock down with such a 25' length? Would it make sense to solder a copper electric wire spiral wound on the copper pipe in order to slightly increase the contact surface, and above this, to generate some turbulences in the cooling water flow...?I use a CFC in order to not recirculate - that's the key advantage, for me anyway. Granted my CFCs have been homemade, but I have never had the exit wort a degree or two away from the cooling water input. I want to say we've been using 25' of 3/8" copper (with a garden hose external.) It works fine, I was wanting to move to SS, however.
When I had my 25' (AC lines) with a hose just like you mention, it was not a matter of batch size as flow rate. Basically, we ran it in siphon mode and never restricted it in any way. So, it took a 15-gallon batch however long it takes a 15-gallon batch to pass through the tube once. I also used a small section of cross-drilled racking cane at the end of the line to inject some aeration. I say that to provide some context to the flow rate. It was fast enough to suck in some air and do a pretty good job.May I ask you the batch size that you can knock down with such a 25' length?
I don't think there would be a good return on your time investment there. With a 3/8" line at 25' I think there will be a ton of internal turbulence to make sure things cool down. Keep in mind this was back in the 90's before we knew we were doing things all wrong. Ignorance is bliss, and it worked without over-thinking it.Would it make sense to solder a copper electric wire spiral wound on the copper pipe in order to slightly increase the contact surface, and above this, to generate some turbulences in the cooling water flow...?
I don't think there would be a good return on your time investment there. With a 3/8" line at 25' I think there will be a ton of internal turbulence to make sure things cool down. Keep in mind this was back in the 90's before we knew we were doing things all wrong. Ignorance is bliss, and it worked without over-thinking it.
Not sure if I was clear so I'll re-phrase that part of my answer. You can run any size batch you want through it, the size only matters in that it takes longer to run a larger batch through. I only ever ran my wort through in one pass so there's no pumping/recirculation. The 25' length pretty much guaranteed that the wort coming out was within a couple of degrees of the water going in.One question LBussy did not answer either, what's the size of a batch you can cool down with a 20' or 25' CFC?
very funny indeed!!Right - the answer is "an infinite size batch", as long as time is not a consideration
Cheers!
Thank you, my mistake, I skimmed your first reply too fast, and did not get it correctly. I don't know whether I said so, but my mother tongue is French.Not sure if I was clear so I'll re-phrase that part of my answer. You can run any size batch you want through it, the size only matters in that it takes longer to run a larger batch through. I only ever ran my wort through in one pass so there's no pumping/recirculation. The 25' length pretty much guaranteed that the wort coming out was within a couple of degrees of the water going in.
That is it exactly. I've never tested the dissolved oxygen using that method - all I know is it worked before I knew I "had to" use oxygen and a stone.it looks like a kind of Venturi effect...
Your English is perfect. Every time I converse with a person in English who speaks a different native language, it reminds and saddens me that our kids are not forced to master a second language.I don't know whether I said so, but my mother tongue is French.
Enter your email address to join: