I forgot to mention, I have the inlet pipe about 1/3 up in the wort.
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Recently had same immediate plugging problems while making a double IPA. 72 pounds of pellets in 14 bbl in a 6' 5" dia kettle-no whirpool or finings could possibly prevent the 6 inches of hop sediment from getting into the heat exchanger. I made a kettle dam which was very effective for lesser-hopped worts, but this time required a ss McMaster-Carr inline filter. They are available in many screen sizes and while not cheap, proved very effective.
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Crimini Brian! - Did you say 72 lbs??? I'm surprised there was any unabsorbed liquid left in the kettle to run off.
Makes me wish I was back out in your neck of the woods to drink your beers.
Any tips on the creation of a kettle dam? Did you have a piece of stainless sheet welded in place, or was it removable?
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My kettle has a flat bottom and a horizontal drain at the perimeter. To secure the dam I used a piece of stainless tube extending into the drain a few inches. To this was welded two short tabs to a 3" high x 3.5' long arc of thin stainless, paralleling the curve of the tank, a couple inches from the kettle wall. Some fine tuning will be required so cleanout is easiest and liquid extraction is most efficient.
For whole (esp. fresh) hop separation I have used a 4 foot square of nylon mesh (McMaster-Carr) over a cut-off Grundy bottom as a hop back. This could be done over a cut-open keg, sink, or whatever a creative brewer could find. It also doubles as a collection for cleaning out the kettle and not putting all the hops/ trub down the sewer.
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After noting I had missed out the wort inlet speed, I found a couple of old articles on whirlpool design, and have a few corrections to an earlier response (if you are really that bothered !|)
one article mentions an optimal wort depth to diameter ratio of 0.6:1 rather than 1:1, another gives effective results with WPs with ratios of 1.42:1 down to 0.22:1 - so it looks like almost anything goes !!
Inlet height should be 0.5 to 1 metre above the base
Wort inlet speed should be in the range 1.5 to 12.2 metres / second, such that the liquid rotates for longer than the time required for the trub to settle. I seem to remember 7 metres / second being quoted as an optimal flow rate.
Effective rotation time > stand time > settling time
I have also seen retaining rings in whirlpools, though I can't remember where arranged in two overlapping "semi circles" a few inches high, such that the wort is swept into the centre during casting and the subsequent stand time, but wort can drain out when the whirlpool was virtually emptied. I seem to remember the guys had installed the ring due to hop overload and found it pretty effective.
Scott, I wasn't suggesting the trub cone should end up 1:1, this was meant to be wort depth to diameter. The trub cone you have sounds fine
Cheersdick
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