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  • Plate Filter Problems - too

    Didn't want to hijack the other similar thread. I think that our issue is a little different. We seem to be unable to get reasonable flow through the filter. I believe that we are using the Pall hs 4000, shooting for that 5 micron filtration number. We've got pretty brite beer usually, post finings, at appropriate post fermentation pH. Usually at most we are trying to scrub chill haze. Regardless we get no flow. We sanitize with boiling water. One thing that may be an issue is that we immediately push the beer through without cooling down the media. The pressure on the flow side gets very high and beer just trickles through. I want to say we are using 25 plates.

    We have actually used it successfully the very first time that we had it to filter an Oktoberfest, but since then we haven't been able to get anything to flow.

    Was considering switching to the Becopads. Any help?

  • #2
    Are you running a pressure equalizing hose from the fermenter to the brite? Several posts on here have been people trying to move beer through a filter from a fermenter at 4 or 5psi to a brite at 10psi and wondering why it's taking so long.
    Russell Everett
    Co-Founder / Head Brewer
    Bainbridge Island Brewing
    Bainbridge Island, WA

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    • #3
      If you're getting good flow with water, ie. before putting beer onto your filter, then that suggests the bed is adequately porous; so if the pressure differential across your filter is going sky-high almost as soon as your beer hits it, then my first thought is a possible beta glucan issue.

      Other thought are around compatibility of bodyfeed and precoat - is this closing-up your bed prematurely?

      Not comprehensive I admit - I'm sure there are some excellent filtration experts on here who will be able to advise from a far greater level of expertise!

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      • #4
        filter

        Originally posted by TL Services View Post
        If you're getting good flow with water, ie. before putting beer onto your filter, then that suggests the bed is adequately porous; so if the pressure differential across your filter is going sky-high almost as soon as your beer hits it, then my first thought is a possible beta glucan issue.

        Other thought are around compatibility of bodyfeed and precoat - is this closing-up your bed prematurely?

        Not comprehensive I admit - I'm sure there are some excellent filtration experts on here who will be able to advise from a far greater level of expertise!
        We are indeed using a balance line for the pressure. Yes we are getting some pretty good flow with the water.

        I'm not sure how we would know or fix a beta glucan issue, that's gotten somewhere beyond my expertise. We've got someone going through formal training now but I don't think he's gotten that deep. Time to dig out the text book.

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        • #5
          Are you sure you that you are inserting the plates the right way?

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          • #6
            Plate Direction

            Originally posted by magnumhansen View Post
            Are you sure you that you are inserting the plates the right way?
            Yes. We have verified. early on in our attempts we were not and we figured that out.

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            • #7
              Beta glucans would have to be pretty high to blind a filter. It is more likely to be protein. This is likely to be made worse by hitting the hot filter with the beer - think of egg whites going from liquid to solid as a comparison. So if you have high residual proteins, this might be at least part of the problem.

              It is not clear from your description if you are using simple sheet filtration or KG filtration. Whichever you are using, you would be better cooling the filter down first - ideally with sterile water of course.

              My guess is that whilst you have a comparatively high differential pressure when running water to drain, that as noted before, there is insufficient DP across the sheets, and you may need to resort to a pump, though I must admit, if you filtered OK(ish) before, why not now? So perhaps this beer has had less settling time, or the finings are not optimised for this beer. Excessive isinglass finings will also blind filters rapidly.

              If you are backwashing the filter sheets, make sure you backflush them with cold or at best only lukewarm water at high flow rate before sterilising (assuming the filters can be backwashed).
              dick

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              • #8
                Originally posted by dick murton View Post
                Beta glucans would have to be pretty high to blind a filter. It is more likely to be protein. This is likely to be made worse by hitting the hot filter with the beer - think of egg whites going from liquid to solid as a comparison. So if you have high residual proteins, this might be at least part of the problem.

                It is not clear from your description if you are using simple sheet filtration or KG filtration. Whichever you are using, you would be better cooling the filter down first - ideally with sterile water of course.

                My guess is that whilst you have a comparatively high differential pressure when running water to drain, that as noted before, there is insufficient DP across the sheets, and you may need to resort to a pump, though I must admit, if you filtered OK(ish) before, why not now? So perhaps this beer has had less settling time, or the finings are not optimised for this beer. Excessive isinglass finings will also blind filters rapidly.

                If you are backwashing the filter sheets, make sure you backflush them with cold or at best only lukewarm water at high flow rate before sterilising (assuming the filters can be backwashed).
                I did some research and I could see the Beta Glucan being an issue or at least it being protein. I think that this is definitely a problem on two of the worse batches that we have had.

                I will give it a shot next time cooling the chiller back off. It made sense to me that this could cause issues.

                As to finings, I believe that we are using the appropriate amount of biofine clear. Simple Sheet filtration.

                Thanks for all the help and I'll let you all know what we see next run.

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                • #9
                  when i used a plate filter i sanitized it the same way with recirc 180 degree water. We always cooled it down before pushing beer thro it.

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