Rotating spray ball seizing up in bright tank

[fmeric]

We are having issues with the rotating spray ball in our BBT seizing up. We clean it under CO2 pressure (10-15 PSI) using a nitric/phosphoric acid blend. We blow down and do caustic CIP every 4-6 batches. Our FVs have the same model spray balls, but none of those have failed yet (granted they've seen many fewer CIP cycles than the BBT).

First symptom was a knocking noise as the spray ball would presumably seize and restart once every minute or two. Over the next few recircs it would become more and more frequent until it seized completely. We blew down the tank, removed the spray ball, and it was indeed seized. But with a twist of the wrist it popped and spun freely. Put it back into the tank, seized up immediately. It will spin freely in my hand, but the rotation is much rougher than a new sprayball. I do not believe foreign debris is the problem. You can hear and feel the roughness of the bearings (or perhaps the surface they're riding on).

These are the stock spray balls on our PBST tanks, though now I am getting knocking from the GW Kent rotating spray ball we replaced those with (slightly different setup, but basic design with SS bearings).

Has anyone else run into this problem? Does anyone use a bearing-free sprayball or PTFE bearing? Can a static sprayball function well in a 30 bbl tank? Are we inviting this "bearing wear" by running our balance line from the BBT CIP arm to an FV when we rack? The pressure equalization causes a few moments of fast spinning.

Cheers,
Eric

[mmussen]

I had a sprayball size on me in a brite tank before. It ended up being rust building up on the ball bearings themselves. The manufacturer claimed they were SS bearings but they corroded quite quickly. Ended up having to replace it.

[DaveSixSeven]

Sounds like the bearings themselves have a manufacturing defect or are just wearing out. We have stationary spray balls in our 30 bbl tanks, and have no issues.

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[jebzter]

I havent had any problems with our spray balls, also PBST, seizing, but I do notice that if hops are not properly rinsed from the tank before CIP starts, they will plug up the spray ball and it will stop spinning.

[SouthHouseBrew]

Service Life / Options

We are having issues with the rotating spray ball in our BBT seizing up. We clean it under CO2 pressure (10-15 PSI) using a nitric/phosphoric acid blend. We blow down and do caustic
...Has anyone else run into this problem? Does anyone use a bearing-free sprayball or PTFE bearing? Can a static sprayball function well in a 30 bbl tank? Are we inviting this "bearing wear" by running our balance line from the BBT CIP arm to an FV when we rack? The pressure equalization causes a few moments of fast spinning...

Pushing CO2 through the spray ball definitely doesn't help the service life. Every make/model is different, but most all-SS models rely on the process liquid (CIP solution, rinse water, etc) for lubrication. Running them dry may encourage friction and galling followed by corrosion/seizing.

The service life of cheap rotary cleaning devices are never very good, IME. You pay for the nice unit or you pay for the maintenance. This is why rotating spray balls have become less popular in the food & beverage world: the 'maintenance' is replacement.

You can try a static spray ball, especially in a BT that should see significantly less soil than a FV. Lots of brewers use them, but they are often ineffective if other CIP factors are out of whack (temperature, chemicals, fluid flow/pressure, or time). I would do ribo testing or frequent visual inspections at first.

You might try a PTFE rotating spray nozzle from GEA or TankJet. They are more expensive than spray balls but are less likely to wear while spinning on CO2.

http://www.tankjet.com/products/pdf/TankJet_28500_Tank-Cleaning-Catalog.pdf

http://www.gea.com/global/en/products/spray-cleaner-torus-50-75.jsp

They are also supposed to save time/water, but this may be more dependent on whether your system can provide ideal pressure/flow and how comfortable you are with reducing your cycle times.

Please note that the ideal pressure/flowrate for a rotary nozzle is often different than a rotating spray ball, so you may have to configure your system accordingly (same goes with static spray balls).

Let me know if you do try a new device - I'm always looking for first-hand experience on what works and what doesn't.

Cheers and good luck!

[BrewinLou]

Had the same thing happen with PBST on our first CIP. Kent and PBST are imported and not very good quality. I took the rotator out and replaced it with a static. I had to drill a hole for the cotter pin, but no problems at all since. All of our tanks have static spray balls, many 60s and 30s, they work perfect in them. If you want a rotator there are several companies that specialize in them, and make a hell of a lot more dependable product. Joel

[dick murton]

I've used sprayballs in 2000 hl + FVs, MVs and BTs, so yes, they can be used in much bigger vessels. All the comments about cheap stainless corroding, wear on cheap stainless if you blow gas through are valid - you really do get what you pay for. The comment about saving water can also be true, but only if you have fully automated CIP systems and spend time optimising them. If you have crude auto control, or manual control, then chances are you will not save money on water and effluent consistently. Sprayballs themselves are a lot cheaper than (good) rotaries, but as noted before, you may have to change the pump to match the increased flow / lower pressure requirements of a fixed SB compared to a rotating head. Consider also that in a vertical tank, you may have to introduce pulse / pause delivery to reduce the flooding, and thus poor cleaning, because the outlet diameter and scavenge pump is too small compared to that required for a rotary head.

So not necessarily a simple decision.

[fmeric]

Thank you all for the feedback and info. We might try a static ball before we call in a welder to modify our inlet pipes for a more expensive PTFE nozzle. They all seem to have a 1 inch pipe with pin fix connection, or smaller. Our tanks have a 1.5 inch pin fix pipe. Will report back.

Eric