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  • oxygen for yeast growth

    Hi, I was wondering if anyone had a formula for converting ppm O2 levels to liters O2 gas per barrel? Thank you very much!
    Doug A Moller
    Brewmaster
    The Moller Brew House
    (405)226-3111

  • #2
    32 grammes O2 occupies 22.4 litres at STP, i.e. zero deg C, and one atmosphere pressure.

    (P1 * V1) / T1 = (P2 * V2) / T2

    Where P = pressure in atmospheres, V = volume, T = Temperature in Degrees Absolute = deg C + 273.

    Crudely, this means for example, if you double the pressure, you double the mass of gas in a given volume, or for a given mass, you halve the volume, providing the temperature stays constant.

    Not being used to American barrels, I don't know how many litres there are in a barrel. But at least you now have the basics

    Cheers
    dick

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    • #3
      Thanks that will get where I am going

      I once set up a spread sheet for this but between windows crashes I have lost it and could not find my referance to the equation.
      Doug A Moller
      Brewmaster
      The Moller Brew House
      (405)226-3111

      Comment


      • #4
        There is a limit of Oxygen absorption but it varies depending if you're using pure medical grade O2 or filtered air. Which are you using? It is very easy to over oxygenate your wort stream with pure O2.
        Mike Jordan
        Brewmaster
        Boxing Cat Brewery
        Shanghai, P.R. China
        michael@boxingcatbrewery.com

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        • #5
          The limit for solution of oxygen in wort when the source of the oxygen is closer to 8 ppm. If using pure oxygen I am told you can get near to 32 ppm, though the most I have ever used is 22 ppm. I suspect that this would only be achievable if the temperature was down to zero deg C, so not a realistic option for brewing.

          However at these levels we found if you need to get such high levels for yeast to ferment properly (very strong worts) you were actually better off aerating the wort for a time shortly after pitching, once the yeast had mopped up the oxygen dissolved on the way to FV

          Cheers
          dick

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          • #6
            I wish this were the case so brewers didn't have to spend extra money for in-line DO meters on their wortway. Generally only 8-10 ppm of DO is needed for sufficient yeast growth and alcohol production. The problem is you can over oxygenate your wort and cause your yeast to grow excessively and not produce enough alcohol. This is great if you're growing yeast but not so good when trying to make beer. The fermentation can be too vigorous and the beer flavor and ester formation will be off. I have seen very high DO levels (24 ppm) using Orbisphere inline meters and agree that some of it will come out of solution when filling a fermenter. The problem is you can flash the fermenter enough to get foam out the blow off line (especially on mutli-fill tanks). If this isn't the case then you have to assume the yeast is already mopping the O2 up as it has been reported that this can occur within 3 hours for some yeast strains. All this can really be if concern if using pure O2 as it has also been reported levels of 50-60 ppm DO are attainable. Personally I would rather aerate on the high side but I think it's too easy to overshoot especially when using pure O2. Usually comes down to trial and error if you don't have a DO meter.
            Mike Jordan
            Brewmaster
            Boxing Cat Brewery
            Shanghai, P.R. China
            michael@boxingcatbrewery.com

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            • #7
              Thanks for the help

              Hi everybody, THanks for the help.
              I am also looking to get a O2 meter and was needing help on how to mount the sensor probe through a TC fitting(1.5"). Can any one help, for that matter I need to mount a pH probe through a TC fitting also.
              Doug A Moller
              Brewmaster
              The Moller Brew House
              (405)226-3111

              Comment


              • #8
                O2 meter trials (years ago at Old Dominion) largely reflected Mike's. Further, we found that over oxygenation of ales could lead to excessive diacetyl production, which would not be fully taken up at the end of fermentation. There is some old literature to support this theory, but it doesn't seem to be a concern to most brewers. It might be a good subject for further experimentation. (Note: in our experience, lagers were not prone to the higher diacetyl production with higher O2 levels).

                Dean

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