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  • Still confused about brite tank issues

    So I have posted a few before, and still chugging my way through this issue. My DIY chiller has worked great for other tanks in recent times with chilling down to 34f. I have a newer tank (manufacturer unknown) using it as a unitank. Here are the conditions:

    ~30bbl tank - with 3 cooling zones. I am currently connected to two of those zones.
    Glycol reservoir temp is 28f
    beer temp is 46f (confirmed with sample temp as well)
    Return glycol temp is 28-29f -- very little if any exchange.

    My goal is sub 36f and I have tried changing pumps out just in case my prior pump (3gpm) was too slow or did not have enough psi. I have adjusted psi of the glycol line to ensure that it is not the issue (higher and lower pressures)... still, the glycol is coming back at the same temp or close to and not reducing the beer temp. I have also switched the direction of glycol flow in the zones just in case I am backwards and it had little to no difference.

    What am I missing here? I realize that if I drop below 28f that I could accomplish a potential reduction in temp but I am still baffled by the fact that my exchange rate of temp is not adding up!

  • #2
    Do you have a pressure bypass valve or equivalent installed at the end of your supply line? That would helobforce the glycol through the jackets. Your new jackets probably have more resistance than your previous tanks.

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    • #3
      How is the tank currently plumbed? How much beer are you putting in the tank? What's the current beer temp at? What's the pressure on the glycol lines? Is the glycol system plumbed to multiple tanks, and if so how are the other tanks working and plumbed? Do you have a way of making sure that you don't have air pockets in the glycol jacket?
      Manuel

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      • #4
        One big question, why are you only using two of the three cooling zones? One thing you can try doing is drain the glycol from the tank and connect a water line to one of the zones and blast it out. Don't just use a spray nozzle to flush but actually get the needed parts to directly hook up domestic water to the tank to flush. Flush each zone separately and see if there is any flow issues. I am assuming that this is a used since manufacture is unknown. I had to deal with an issue similar to yours a few years back with a used tank. Good luck and I hope this helps.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by schmogger View Post
          One big question, why are you only using two of the three cooling zones? One thing you can try doing is drain the glycol from the tank and connect a water line to one of the zones and blast it out. Don't just use a spray nozzle to flush but actually get the needed parts to directly hook up domestic water to the tank to flush. Flush each zone separately and see if there is any flow issues. I am assuming that this is a used since manufacture is unknown. I had to deal with an issue similar to yours a few years back with a used tank. Good luck and I hope this helps.
          Well, since I have posted, we have connected the third zone to the chiller. We are throwing the book at it! Originally, we did not connect since our liquid line was below this zone.. thought I would simplify. But-, JUST IN CASE the thermal mass of the zone above is causing a 15f difference between the glycol temp and the beer, it is now connected.

          So, after connecting the third zone, we have attempted varying the pressure (restricting output)... and we still get a 1-2 degree max heat exchange from glycol in to glycol out. Please note: we ONLY have this vessel connected to the chiller. no other chiller. Also, I have separate pumps on each zone-- again, throwing the book at it and want to have sufficient flow. I have tried multiple flow rates from 3gpm to 10gpm... multiple pressure rates 1-psi to 15psi or so on the glycol... and NO NOTICEABLE difference in the beer temp. My chiller temp still remains at a good 28-30f through these tests.

          COULD IT BE glycol? I am using about a 25% mix right now.. it is not freezing in the reservoir, but does this mean it is not freezing in the vessel? The flow is still good and does not indicate that.

          I am not losing pressure or fluid in the vessel... so we can rule out any sort of major pinhole leaks in the cooling chamber. I have not done a true pressure test though-- and I have beer in it right now.. and hope to do a canning run, thus the need for 35f or less.

          Could I have scale buildup in the cooling chamber? could this cause a 15f difference? If so, how do I check? There is 0-residue or any sort of indication in the chamber openings that suggest scale or rust etc.

          Thanks

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          • #6
            Just a thought, but could there be icing on the interior of the vessel (beer side). That (the ice) could be insulating the beer in the bright form direct contact with the cooling jacket.

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            • #7
              Are you using a temp controller and solenoid on your tank? How do you raise and lower the temp? Be very careful when testing the glycol jackets, they are typically only rate to 1.5 bar.

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              • #8
                25% may be a bit low, depending you may be getting icing of the glycol - but that's most likely to happen in the chiller, not in the tank. I would not lower your glycol set point without adding more glycol to the system.

                I've always run multiple jackets in series, start at the lowest and work up through the jackets. I don't know your set up but it could be that there's air in the cooling jackets and you're not getting optimal heat transfer. I always throttle my glycol flow on the inlet of the tank - Most tank jackets aren't rated above 15 psi and too fast of a flow rate can lower the amount of overall heat transfer. A couple picture of how you have things plumbed may be useful.

                Also - have you tried bubbling some CO2 through the tank? you may be having stratification of the beer and have a colder layer above the temp probe. I've even seen the upper layers of a tank frozen solid. Icing on the inside of the tank preventing heat transfer is another possibility. I would bubble some CO2 through the tank and see if the temperature changes.
                You've probably already checked, but have you taken a temp of the beer itself vs the temp probe. The calibration on the probes can be off, and if the probe and sample port are at different heights they should show stratification.
                Finally - have you tried turning the glycol off for a few hours to see if there's any temp changes? There should be something going on in that tank.
                Manuel

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                • #9
                  I think you all for replying! Let it be known that the simplest troubleshooting did the trick ...and that my probe was misreading! I had tested it early when we had just hooked the glycol reservoir up and it matched... it was calibrated at that time. However I had not checked after we let the chiller do it's job. Long story short I discovered that the beer was actually at 31°F! Let this be a lesson to all and that the simplest troubleshooting should always be observed first!

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                  • #10
                    Occam's razor... "Among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected."

                    Glad it was found and that some of the more serious speculation was not the issue.

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