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Temp controlling non-jacketed fermenters

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  • Temp controlling non-jacketed fermenters

    Hey All,

    Talking with a potential employment prospect, they have non jacketed 10 bbl fermenters that they are building a cold room for. It's turning me off to the opportunity. Is there a product for commercial nonjacketed fermenters to aid in temp control? This industry is too competitive to not have the basics to make beer to style with consistency, so maybe I've already talked myself out of it.

  • #2
    Originally posted by adw1984 View Post
    Hey All,

    Talking with a potential employment prospect, they have non jacketed 10 bbl fermenters that they are building a cold room for. It's turning me off to the opportunity. Is there a product for commercial nonjacketed fermenters to aid in temp control? This industry is too competitive to not have the basics to make beer to style with consistency, so maybe I've already talked myself out of it.
    10 bbl seems pretty big for the immersion coil approach you see on smaller vessels. Its basically a stainless thinwall tubing coil in the vessel, usually goes in through the top but I've seen some (blichmann, I think) that goes in from the side.

    I've been playing with adding jackets to a smaller stainless FV, but again, this doesn't seem practical at 10 bbl. Essentially it's a copper sheet wrapped around and strapped (with large hose clamps like you use on ductwork) to the fermenter with thermal compound underneath. A copper manifold made from thinwall copper tube that's been run through a die to flatten the bottom is silver brazed to the sheet. A manifold at each end, connects to the glycol chiller. It's not yet complete, so I can't comment yet on how well this will work.

    Although, maybe a stainless immersion coil would work on a fermenter in a cold room, if you're just using it to crash. You will probably have to temporarily wrap the FV in insulation to let it free-rise.

    Regards,
    Mike Sharp

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    • #3
      This is typically how its done and can work fine if your room is sized and built out correctly, as in a " REAL " walk in cooler with a correctly calculated, redundant cooling system of Extra Duty capacity. This is opposed to some kind of hack room job and an attempt to run on window AC units.
      These types of systems have limits and you are also dealing with CIP in that space, so there is a lot to consider in planning and mechanical system layout.
      I have seen them work just fine for smaller volume situations.
      Warren Turner
      Industrial Engineering Technician
      HVACR-Electrical Systems Specialist
      Moab Brewery
      The Thought Police are Attempting to Suppress Free Speech and Sugar coat everything. This is both Cowardice and Treason given to their own kind.

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