MG Thermal Consulting

A small carbon absorber would look like this (attached) good for about 1 GPM flow of product. Your time exposure is the key. Probably a lot cheaper methods out there, this absorber is around $2,500 plus the AC. SRID Filter or Absorber Housing.pdf

I have put several potential distillers with production questions, onto a consultant I have worked with on brewery and distillery start-ups. But the same goes for having someone in place with experience!

My bro started his teaching career in Deposit, NY, not that far away. Sure are a lot of great barns in upstate- and a lot of them turning into wineries or distilleries!!

Exactamundo!

Terry, I know a guy that does consulting on breweries and distilleries who is down across the Hudson near you. I can give you his #, just PM me. I am from the Finger Lakes in Wine country (Corning), so good luck on your farm remodel! (if you need any info on cooling systems, drop me a line as well) Mike G

Most systems are hybrid, so would common glycol loop interconnected in one way or another with a chiller component, either evaporator or refig condenser, so I don't see the practical use for today's distillery equipment to make runs and efficiencies better, you need colder water than a dry cooler can possibly provide except in winter, when you need glycol in the water.

Scott, most all chiller manufacturers will not allow additives that have a refrigerant evaporator. Unless it is a commercial glycol mix, the manufacturer will disallow any warranty from its use. For example, automotive glycol cannot be used, it clogs the refrigerant exchanger and ruin the chiller.

Devin, I've driven through that part of PA many times, taking Rt15 up through to my childhood home in Corning, NY. Hope to talk to you soon. Regards, Mike

I have a 5 HP factory reconditioned chiller available soon, 230/3/60 with 1 yr parts only warranty, pump is iron, tho. Cost around $8K plus freight.

The primary use for the buffer tank is the concentration of mash or wort cooling. When you start the cooling run, without the tank, the heat would overwhelm the chiller causing problems like burning out compressors when water passes through the water circuit at above 75-80F. If your reservoir gets above 80F constantly, you need more chiller or make smaller runs. I have photos from a W. CT distillery that shows the concept. Because they have good ambient temps for the winter (constantly below 32F) I added an air glycol cooler which allows power saving from the chiller from Nov to March. I have another install in Pittsburgh without the air-glycol cooler. For a 10 T chiller the added air-glycol cooler is an extra $3,500, saves what amounts to 10 HP of power usage during winter months. I would say this would be worth it near the Finger Lakes (I remember some of those winters). If needed, I'll walk it though for anyone interested.

Kara, I have a consultant I work with over by the Hudson who does both breweries and distilleries who could help you. Send me a PM if you're interested. I grew up in Corning and knew most of the wineries over there from when I repped out of Buffalo.

Av, you may be able to increase the efficiency of the distilling system by using colder water/glycol, the opposite is true of the chiller itself- by operating it at a colder supply temp, you get less and less btu/hr (tons) capacity. This is because of the thermodynamics, which is why you need more than twice the HP on a chiller to make ice for an ice rink where the output glycol is about 15F. Typically, about the maximum tons output per HP input is around 55F for a refrigeration compressor. Running with glycol mix to to make 28F supply glycol for brewery applications you are around half the tons output per HP input. It's a trade off, but only go as cold as you need to to save the KW on your electric bill. This is why I offer ambient outdoor glycol cooler for winter operations up North, when it's below freezing outdoors, you can make a lot of cold water for your CW reservoir.

Remember to purchase a chiller with non-ferrous pump and evaporator passages- you don't want iron bleeding into your mash, yech.

I will be introducing a higher temperature heat recovery chiller where you can make both hot water and chilled water for a distillery. It will use a new refrigerant which will allow the refrigerant to operate at higher condensing temperatures for the refrigerant and thus higher water temperature for the water used to condense it.

The closest practical "approach" is around 15 degrees, approach being the leaving water temp minus entering air temp. This is why you can get a "radiator" type devise, hook it up with a glycol solution, run it with a coil or plate exchanger to your water tank and you can get the water to near freezing with 20F glycol. In a warm processing space, you won't see much cooling because your space is going to get warmer as you transfer Btu's to the air getting it hotter. It all depends how hot the reservoir is, in other words.

Usually vendors get free passes to the expo part if the foot the bill for a booth. I've worked a booth with companies that purchase equipment from me as auxiliary to their products and get in on their pass, too.

Exactly, Paul,,,no floor traffic for vendors!

I supplied the chiller system for this distillery- if you need any further info on it or something smaller, you can contact me for chiller systems or parts.

The bottle neck on the cooling system is the mash cooling- recovering it gives you hotter water to capture and more of it. On the chiller side, the refrigeration unit must have a couple things in order to reclaim it from straight water- non ferrous water passages (plumbing, evaporator and circulating pump. The chiller normally is indoors to prevent freeze-ups or is a split )refrig condenser outside and the indoor chiller section indoors (this set up requires extra refrig piping and refrigerant gas done by a hvac/r mechanic).

Having worked with manufacturers, I usually got in with their pass, but $600, wow! The most I ever had to pay was about $25. I'm getting old!

I have done several up North set ups you describe, one in W. CT that uses the "dry" cooler cooling glycol all winter until end of March before he switches over to the refrigeration chiller. Indoors he has a larger poly reservoir for water chilled by either chiller or drycooler by means of a isolation plate exchanger. This means he saves on the running of his 10 HP chiller for almost half the year, payback less than 2 years for the drycooler with it own circulating pump. There are more exotic ambient coolers that are hybrid and can use water spray to extend the drycooler function further.

Hey Paul, Did you get a little bit of drink to go along with it

Happy New Year to you! Can't wait to see your installation pictures when you're all finished. We have another chiller going into San Diego in a few months. Mike

Have I discussed your set up with someone in your area? If not, contact me anytime for a quick call, 770-995-4066. Regards, Mike

My dear friend lived in Morgan City for quite a while. Great peeps to have a crawfish boil with! Give me a shout if you need any help on the cooling side with chiller systems.