MG Thermal Consulting

If anyone needs the cooling or heating systems to go-along, I do have some reconditioned chillers available along with new chillers and boilers. Call Mike 678-773-2794. Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!!!

You have more options if you are simply cooling wort or non-whiskey liquids. I most commonly recommend the Trident U-tube, for whiskey mash- they had the unit designed by a PE and have great success with it. Jackets can be problematic for larger mash tuns above 500 Gal, and generally an external exchanger is used or even added as a booster. Cooling with a coil dipped into a fermenter with mash because the circulation is not there for the mash over the tubes, unless you constantly pump the mash around, and even then you really can't do the job 100%. When you get into very large mash tuns, "wide gap" plate exchangers are used as well, but the starting price tag on these is over $15K for the smallest ones I've quoted.

You have more options if you are simply cooling wort or non-whiskey liquids. I most commonly recommend the Trident U-tube, for whiskey mash- they had the unit designed by a PE and have great success with it. Jackets can be problematic for larger mash tuns above 500 Gal, and generally an external exchanger is used or even added as a booster. Cooling with a coil dipped into a fermenter with mash because the circulation is not there for the mash over the tubes, unless you constantly pump the mash around, and even then you really can't do the job 100%. When you get into very large mash tuns, "wide gap" plate exchangers are used as well, but the starting price tag on these is over $15K for the smallest ones I've quoted.

240/1/60 can be built on new units or reconditioned to units where the compressor needs to be replaced. Right now I have no units I can recondition over to 230/1/60, sorry. I was thinking you could purchase two of the 3 HP chillers. It would be cheaper to buy one 5 HP 240/1/60 new at this point.

Here's a flow chart for the cooling side. FLOW CHART- DISTILLERY WITH WINTER COOLER.pdf

You need a 2400 L reservoir for the mash cooling, unless you can use that much well water and it's in great shape (treatment). Most use a chiller with either treated water (process water treatment) or glycol mix (if your chiller is outdoors). I would say a 5 HP chiller would do it for the mash cooling with the reservoir with either a second process pump or the chiller pump diverting some of the chilled water back to the reservoir since your mash tun won't be able to accept all the flow from the chiller pump. The still should be ok as well with that size chiller. I take it you're up in Canada. I do have a couple 3 HP reconditioned chillers available- what voltage are you running the equipment? Mike Gronski

I can supply you a 20 HP boiler, shipped from Nashville. Re-done dimensional sheet available next week. Mike G 770-995-4066

Good luck! We have quite a few chiller systems in TN, latest in Sevierville.

I would think you would have to weld up frames around them to stack and pour a lot of concrete beneath... These dairy tanks are meant to hold milk temps down after milking and came with either one or two 3 HP refrigerant compressors that expand cold refrigerant into a internal jacket. This jacket is low pressure and not meant for cold glycol, so using the jacket for anything other than refrigerant would limit you somewhat. I used to sell OEM compressor units to the dairy people back in the 1980s, when there were many more dairy farms, so there are bunches of them around because they were mainly using R-12 refrigerant (it became harder to get when it was banned) until you got into huge ones that were probably using ammonia refrigerant. If you find one that the compressor works, you may be able to switch it over to another refrigerant. Give me a call if you find some likely "suspects". Mike

If you need chiller systems to match up, feel free to contact me. I am from Corning originally and have driven thru the Catskills many times. Good luck on your venture. Mike

I am shipping a chiller to near Traverse City, they will be opening soon.

Your water treatment company that you are using for your potable process water would know what chemicals need to be added to make the tower sump safe from such things as Legionnaires bacteria that make a non-contact process water safe.

"process water" is your city water with treatment (making it non-potable). A cooling tower requires continuous treatment because water is continually being used and made up due to evaporation. Mike

I offer small (1 GPM output) absorber column with steel filter basket to hold granules for clients purchasing chillers either for their distillery production or their chill filtration. The basket can be fitting with bag filters as well. $1,700 for the absorber column, extra for activated carbon and bags. Good luck, Mike Gronski

I think what the other fellow did was to just use the inside of the tank for glycol storage from his chiller, others have been able to make the refrigeration work and used the tank to keep spirits cold (for chill filtration), the most common use I have bumped into.

The tubing is where the the low pressure refrigerant would be expanded via a thermal expansion valve, so inherently this is the low pressure side of the system. The tubing is circuited for a gas, so you would take that into consideration and see how it goes. I have talked to someone who has done it, but it has been years back and it turned out ok for him but I don't recall who it was, unfortunately.

I can't be sure, but the jacket since initially set up for refrigerant, is of a low pressure design, do you need low pump pressure or pressure reducing valve.

Welcome, Formerly from Corning, NY & Buffalo. I used to take my sone to Lacrosse tourneys up in Clayton. Beautiful in summer, gotta love bein a shut-in in winter (your spirits should help!).

Welcome, I hope your permitting & equipment schedule is going smoothly. I have heard from some clients a bit of a slow-up on the permits- "summer govt>?). If you're still looking at chiller systems, give me a shout. I have a system down the road at MB Roland and various chillers, pumps, heat exchangers spread out over TN & all points E, W, N, S. Good Luck!! Mike Gronski

Good luck Thomas, if you need amy mash coolers, give me a shout. Mike Gronski 678-773-2794 Cell

what did you wind up using for a chiller system? I have both new and reconditioned systems available. Mike Gronski

Can help you out on a small glycol chiller, 3 HP, for sale & is reconditioned with a 90 day parts warranty. Mike Gronski 770-995-4066

You can look up freezing and boiling points of various aqueous solutions on Dow's website, I believe. Another good resource is Engineering Toolbox website.

Welcome & Good Luck! I just supplied cooling systems to two Frederick distilleries, so activity is really growing in MD! Mike Gronski MG Thermal Consulting