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  • sterile filtration clogging

    Our sterile filters have been having low volume through them before binding (500hl). Specs: Single step infusion (unfortunately). 80 ppm calcium in water. BG is 117 and increasing. Cleaning and sterilizing H2o is filtered to .5 um. Filtration is DE, .6um trap, .5 um and .45um. I'm thinking it's the beer. Comments? I'm looking toward adding enzymes, anyone with any experience?

    Thanks

    j

  • #2
    Which of the three filters is clogging? The three seem almost too close to each other in size. Are they absolute or nominal? I usually use a trap after DE of at least 1 micron before a sterile filter. I assume that you've spoken with you're filter supplier? Are you washing and reusing the filters? Are they single 20" filter housings?
    Phillip Kelm--Palau Brewing Company Manager--

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    • #3
      All filters are absolute, it looks like the .45um are clogging. The .5 um don't show much difference in pressure. De trap is 30" 7 sticks, .5 um are 30" 3 sticks and .45 um are 30" 5 sticks. Regenerating has very little effect (caustic or acid). We are filtering our CIP sterilizing water cold then heat in a HLT (could be mineral dropping out?). How easy is it to breakdown Beta Glucan with caustic? Supplier says everything looks good...

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      • #4
        What is your 0.45 membrane constructed of?

        Have you done any bacterial counts?

        Liam
        Liam McKenna
        www.yellowbellybrewery.com

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        • #5
          PES and no counts up stream or down.

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          • #6
            Does anyone know if carbonation affects the "filterability" when using a sterile filter? We're using a .2 micron filter. Does it matter if the beer is carbonated or not? The manufacturer wasn't sure so I wasn't able to get a good answer from them.

            Thanks for the response.

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            • #7
              I guess your filter supplier would be the best person for advice.

              Not knowing your set up, I guess I would try/ask a few things.

              Have you tried running with just the 0.5's? Does it make a difference in flow rate. Are you ensuring that all housings are bled properly (ie. they're always full of beer, not air/foam/gas)

              My gut tells me that having 0.6, 0.5, and 0.45 in series like that will cause a significant pressure drop. From filter resistance alone. Is your pump strong enough?

              Each 30" filter element should allow a certain flowrate and offer a certain pressure drop. Is your calculated flowrate/pressure drop significantly different than you are achieving? THe three 0.5's will likely be your flow bottleneck (ie 7-- >3-->5).

              Do they pass bubble point/integrity test each time? Do they work fine with water in terms of throughput/flowrate? Is this a new problem or historical? Has anything changed (recipes, water treatments, filtration materials/procedures, equipment, operators - brewhouse or cellar)?

              Have you looked in your HLT for any mineral deposits? When you heat sanitize before using and then cool it down, are you using city water or carbon filtered water? Does it come from a CLT? Does that get regular CIP?

              Sorry for the barrage of questions and please don't misconstrue the intent. Trying to help/stimulate some thinking.

              Luck,

              Pax.

              Liam
              Last edited by liammckenna; 05-04-2011, 02:41 PM.
              Liam McKenna
              www.yellowbellybrewery.com

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              • #8
                Originally posted by froptus
                Does anyone know if carbonation affects the "filterability" when using a sterile filter? We're using a .2 micron filter. Does it matter if the beer is carbonated or not?
                Not in my experience.

                I will offer that 0.2 micron is a pretty damned small pore though. Surely you're not filtering beer through that?

                I would use a 0.2 micron for:

                Gas? - for sure
                Water? - only if I knew it had been seriously prefiltered - you can gum up that size pore pretty quickly with pretty much anything.
                Beer? - never tried it. Don't imagine it would go well. Love to hear others chime in Though.

                Pax.

                Liam
                Liam McKenna
                www.yellowbellybrewery.com

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                • #9
                  Hey,

                  One word on PES. It is an excellent filtration material (higher specific flowrate), but we had some issues with our specific beer and had to swap to nylon. The PES only lasted about 80HL, and the nylon sterile filters have lasted about 8,000HL (there, or thereabouts). The filterability can be seriously impacted by your malt, residual extract, adjuncts used, amounts of hops added, etc. Seems PES is more sensitive than nylon... only issue is that your housing may have been sized for PES.

                  So that might be something to seriously consider....

                  Cheers,

                  Alex

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                  • #10
                    If filters are blinding due to BG you should be able to regenerate with warm water. That is to say warm water will decrease your dpressure.

                    For DE you should be good with a 3um or really tight 1um trap filter that is back washable.
                    Downstream at packaging would not waste you money on an absolute pre filter but tight nominal filter like a 0.45 nominal - which is close to 0.65 absolute. The idea is to let you cheaper pre's bind up and swap them out more often. Hope you have not attempted to back wash any pleated filters.

                    Buy your filters from a reputable company like Pall, Sartorius or Meissner
                    All filters are not built the same.

                    If you are blinding them and cant regenerate sounds like you are overloading them or hate to say this - mistreating them or cheapo filters. Even if you had a high bug load or BG issue you should see your filters regenerate (DP drop) with caustic and warm water.

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                    • #11
                      Hey ID Rinks,
                      I just wanted to add my 2 cents, since I work for a filter company (Pall Corporation) and every once in a while I deal with brewers who are experiencing shortened filter life.

                      1. Can you tell me how you came up with that filter chain?

                      Typically we will use a 5um abs filter as a trap. If we will be finishing with a 0.45um final, then we will use a 1.5um abs as a pre filter, but 0.6 to 0.5 to 0.45 is unusual from what I have seen. Also, as you get tighter in grade, you normally flow more slowly, so typically the housings would get larger. To go from a 7 rnd to a 3 rnd to a 5 rnd seems a bit strange without knowing more, but maybe I am missing something. As always, I am not inferring anything, just trying to help if I can.

                      2. As Liamm said, are you sure that you are venting them properly? If not, and you get an air lock, then you are essentially only using part of the filter.

                      3. Is the filter train direct? Does it go into a bright tank between any of these steps, or is it direct from the 0.6 to 0.5 to 0.45?

                      4. How are you regenerating? What temp and concentration?

                      You can contact me direct if you want (Milton.Leland@pall.com), but I think it would be great if we found out what the issue was here, since I am sure there are other brewers going through the same thing.

                      Thanks!

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