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  • Sterile membrane foaming issue

    We are using a Microvantage 0.45um Code 7 membrane to sterile filter our beer, at least we tried. We have excessive foaming caused by the lack of flow through the membrane. We fill 2x 500mL at a time with blichmann beerguns (yeah hello oxydation!). It looks like there isn't enough beer being pushed through the membrane to feed the beerguns at the correct flow.

    I tried our BBT at 10psi and then at 15psi with no noticeable improvement.

    Could it be that this cartridge requires more than 15psi to keep up with the filling demand?

    The beer in BBT is filtered with 1.0um absolute membrane, could it be that proteins smaller than 1.0um are blocking the membrane within a few seconds?

    Water flow through easily during sanitizing.

    Thanks for any insight!
    Cheers!
    ______________

    Mario Bourgeois
    www.CasselBrewery.ca
    Casselman ON Canada

  • #2
    I have a few questions to try and help you find the problem. What what is the dissolved CO2, doesn't have to be an exact number if you don't have a Zahm just high/medium/low? How cold? How far from the tank are you packaging? What size filter membrane and housing? what size fittings? Is the first time you have used the membrane? Do you prefilter sanitizer and cleaning water to 0.45uM with a seperate membrane? Basically, the problem could be coming from a multitude of places but these are the first factors that came to mind. Let us know if you can.

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by Randy.Cockerell View Post
      I have a few questions to try and help you find the problem. What what is the dissolved CO2, doesn't have to be an exact number if you don't have a Zahm just high/medium/low? How cold? How far from the tank are you packaging? What size filter membrane and housing? what size fittings? Is the first time you have used the membrane? Do you prefilter sanitizer and cleaning water to 0.45uM with a seperate membrane? Basically, the problem could be coming from a multitude of places but these are the first factors that came to mind. Let us know if you can.
      Thanks for your reply Randy!

      - C02 sits at 2.8
      - Beer at 42F
      - 1.5" hose 5 feet long from BBT to filter. From filter there is a 3/8 line that is feeding the beerguns. The line is 25 feet long. We use the same line to connect directly to BBT when we don't package pre-filtered beer.
      - 30" candle type filter housing with Code 7 membrane
      - From BBT to filter the fittings are 1.5"
      - Yes first time using a membrane while packaging
      - No we dont pre-filter the sani or water before
      Cheers!
      ______________

      Mario Bourgeois
      www.CasselBrewery.ca
      Casselman ON Canada

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by CasselBrewery View Post
        Thanks for your reply Randy!

        - C02 sits at 2.8
        - Beer at 42F
        2.8 volumes?

        If that's true, then there's you issue. At 42F you need 17psi to keep 2.8 volumes in the beer.

        Comment


        • #5
          Ah I knew I was missing something basic! so we have to dial the BBT to 17PSI... We a PRV set at 15psi we might have a 2psi buffer until it opens. Will test and see! Thanks!
          Cheers!
          ______________

          Mario Bourgeois
          www.CasselBrewery.ca
          Casselman ON Canada

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by CasselBrewery View Post
            Ah I knew I was missing something basic! so we have to dial the BBT to 17PSI... We a PRV set at 15psi we might have a 2psi buffer until it opens. Will test and see! Thanks!
            Getting the beer colder will also help. Your PRV is most likely adjustable as well.

            Comment


            • #7
              It might be, will check! Thanks again!
              Cheers!
              ______________

              Mario Bourgeois
              www.CasselBrewery.ca
              Casselman ON Canada

              Comment


              • #8
                Confused

                We have a very similar problem bottling cider with a homemade CPF, made using MoreBeer fillers, as has been much discussed elsewhere on this website. Our cider is at 40 F in the brite tank and saturated up to around 12 psi. We bottle using this gas pressure to push cider through a 10" filter and into our CPF, where we typically run our bottle pressures between 6 & 9 p.s.i.
                The cider runs through 3/4" line from brite to filter, and from filter to a manifold on the back of the filler.

                This arrangement works fine with no filter in place, but when we install a membrane filter we very quickly run into major foaming issues. The foaming occurs in the filter housing, and in fact the filter appears to "clog" up with foam, so that despite the fact that the filter is clean pressure builds up on the incoming side. If we relieve this pressure and allow the housing to fill up with liquid again the system works for a while, but slowly foam builds up and the whole thing slows to a crawl.
                If I take the whole system apart I can run water through the filter with very little drop in pressure, so I don't believe the filter to be clogged. There is some imbalance in the whole system that I seem unable to resolve.
                Any suggestions?

                Thank you!

                Jason MacArthur
                Whetstone Cider Works

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