Cold Liqour tank questions

[TGTimm]

We've been having some problems with our city water temps in the last couple of summers. We're looking to get a CLT that we can cool with out glycol system.

What do you all use for a CLT?

Would a plate HX be better for chilling the water, or directly immersed coils within the tank?

I'm not currently sure what capacity we'll need. Our brewers are still arguing it out, but I'd like to have some options to put on the table.

[mmussen]

Personally I would go with a HX and a small pump to recirculate the CLT. I've seen a couple tanks with coils freeze up around the coils - If you can figure out a way to keep the tank moving enough to not worry about the coils icing up you can probably go either way.

[lhall]

Tim,

Go with a brazed heat exchanger and a circulation loop. Only caveat I would say is make sure to tie the solenoid for the glycol supply to a flow switch in the cold water loop. We had a HX freeze up and bust, leaking glycol into our cold liquor tank, because the glycol to the HX was open while the CLT pump was not on. Now, if there is no flow in the cold liquor side of the HX, the glycol solenoid won't open.

[TGTimm]

I've got some hard numbers, finally. We're looking at 1,000 gallons, delta T of around 10* F. I have a smallish Mueller Accutherm HX and a home-brew sized brazed plate HX, so I'll use one of the two. We'll have 2-hours between castbacks to chill the water, so I don't need much HX. Flow will be the problem, as our glycol is ~26*F. An interlock with the circ pump will definitely be a part of the design.

[Matt Simpson]

[QUOTE=TGTimm;199104]We've been having some problems with our city water temps in the last couple of summers. We're looking to get a CLT that we can cool with out glycol system.

What do you all use for a CLT?

Would a plate HX be better for chilling the water, or directly immersed coils within the tank?

I'm not currently sure what capacity we'll need. Our brewers are still arguing it out, but I'd like to have some options to put on the table.[/QUOTE

Our ground water is luke warm in the summer. I use a HX that ties into our glycol system on a re-circulation loop in our CLT. 30- 40 minutes later, the water is 34 degrees. It is extremely efficient compared to an immersion loop in the tank.


Matt Simpson
Tennessee Brew Works

[TGTimm]

Thanks, Matt. Plate Xchanger it will be!

[nationramps]

Enterprise. Oregon.

[TGTimm]

Another thread brought back from the dead.

We finally analyzed our problems, and realized that our existing HX for cast-back was badly undersized. We replaced the HX with a larger one, and our castback times are around 15-20 minutes for 18 bbl, with our castback water now at ~165F.

No need for a cold liquor tank.