Silk City Distillers

You can drive those pinned hoops a little bit tighter without removing the nails.  Usually a couple good whacks around will get you a quarter inch.

A bit more complicated than that.  I'll post some pictures once we're setup.

We are dry milling so no need for shear mixers.  Expensive and delicate - a stray rock or metal would destroy it.

Approach is more similar to jet cooking, the steam jet provides some additional shear as well to speed gelatinization.

We can probably run the inline cook at 5-7psi, meaning we can hit mash temperatures above atmospheric boiling point.  Depending on the total dwell time this might result in faster gel times.

Our target is around 1000 pounds per hour, which is the top end speed of the hammer mill with corn.

2” for grain in mash.  We’ve found that 1.5” can clog with high solids or thick mash.  We have both sizes, but are pumps are all 2” or 2.5”.

1.5” works great for CIP, Rum Wash, etc - the flexibility difference between 1.5” and 2” is night and day.  It’s much easier to work with 1.5” hose otherwise.

By chance anyone out there utilizing a "continuous" mashing/starch gelatinization process?  I know this is the realm of the big plants.

In an effort to eliminate any and all dust from the mashing process, we've been working on an in-line masher, directly connected to the hammer mill, which will provide for continuous milling, mixing, and heating (utilizing direct steam injection).  Essentially a smaller version of a mill-fed starch cooker.  Instead of conveying grain to the mash ton by air, as we do it today, or even through an auger, we're planning to pump liquid mash at near-gelatinization temps.

Being able to generate continuous mash isn't necessarily the end-goal here, it was to minimize dust and make for an easier and faster mash day.  But, given we have enough clean steam to bring the mash to gel temps in-line, we thought why not just do it all in a single pass.  By the time we're done milling, we're already at temp.  Not to mention we can go down a screen size without creating a disaster of fines.

Thoughts?  Feedback?  Are we crazy?

There is a government that accepts "ish" for excise taxes, proofing, and gauging?

Keep in mind switches can be challenging to make XP - as the switch really can't switch any appreciable current, or require enough energy to operate that the power supply poses an issue.  Instead, the switch can only switch a tiny sensing current, likely through a barrier, and the switching actually be done through a relay at the panel side.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrinsic_safety

Utilizing intrinsically safe techniques can often make compliance much easier.

@richard1 - You would need a different sensor and an approach to intrinsic isolation.

If you want to stick with Endress, see part number FMI21 and the associated application note for how to use an intrinsic isolation unit in your controller.  I don't know the ATEX to US conversions, this may only get you to C1D2.  Either way, the approach is similar.  Compliant on the sensing end, intrinsic barrier (if necessary) on the controller end - this keeps your controller out of compliance scope (however distance may still be required).

https://www.e-direct.endress.com/us/en/two-rod-capacitive-probe-liquicap-t-fmi21-for-level-measurement-in-liquids

If you only need a point switch, you can probably go through the other sensors to find one that's appropriate.  I don't really see a way to make FTL31 compliant.

Subject to interpretation, and there is little consistency across jurisdictions.  Even your initial premise is an interpretation that might not be shared:

Quote

The area around parrot and manhole is is Cl 1 / Div 1 and other areas immediate to still are Cl 1 Div 2.

5-10% backset/stillage.  This generally gets us close to the ballpark, with only small additions of citric being necessary to adjust our large batch volumes (2000l).  Our water is a little bit on the alkaline side and on the hard side, so it would require larger acid adjustments.

 Find a local chemical supplier and buy USP citric from them, you'll probably pay less than $2 a pound.

Looking for a couple skids of 30g racks.

How many lb/hr is pushing you to 4”?  That's like 2mmbtu territory.  We run a teeny 16hp with a 4" header and 2" steam lines to the still and mash tun.  The 2" and 4" is sweat copper by the way.  Why not just rent a threading machine and use black pipe?  Welding seems silly.

On the temperature probes, you can argue intrinsically safe, if your control panel is using Intrinsic Safety Barriers for the RTDs, like this:

https://www.pepperl-fuchs.com/usa/en/classid_4.htm

But this requires panel certification, which we were not required to have.

In the end, the XP probe housings were easier.

No just the immediate area, as illustrated in your drawing, 5' from all points on the still.  We actually just removed circuits and outlets that were in the area, as opposed to replacing them.  Cheaper to achieve compliance by tearing out circuits.

The control panel is about 15' away from the still, but in a place that's visible from the parrot, that side of the conduit has similar explosion proof sealing fittings prior to entering the fiberglass NEMA housing (for the still controls) and steel housing for the motor controls.

All joking aside, we were required to go C1D1 in the still area.

Explosion proof motor, wiring, conduit, even the temperature probe housings and steam pressure sensor.

Class 1 Div 1 isn't really a worry, any distiller making vapor at the levels necessary to support combustion as part of normal operating conditions would likely go out of business very quickly.  I mean... Looking at it from a practical perspective.

For what purpose?

Paging Dr. Dunbar, Dr. Dunbar.

Hendricks is labeled as "Gin", not does not include a type or "further designation".

(c)Class 3; gin. “Gin” is a product obtained by original distillation from mash, or by redistillation of  distilled spirits, or by mixing neutral spirits, with or over juniper berries and other aromatics, or with or over extracts derived from infusions, percolations, or maceration of such materials, and includes mixtures of gin and neutral spirits. It shall derive its main characteristic flavor from juniper berries and be bottled at not less than 80° proof. Gin produced exclusively by original distillation or by redistillation may be further designated as “distilled”. “Dry gin” (London dry gin), “Geneva gin” (Hollands gin), and “Old Tom gin” (Tom gin) are types of gin known under such designations.

How I interpret this is you *may* label as a distilled gin, or a redistilled gin, if you fit those designations, but you do not need to.  But this is another area where the CFR and the BAM appear to not be in 100% alignment.  The CFR does not reference "compounded gin" at all, but the BAM is specific:

“Gin” is sufficient as class and type designation. “Compounded” may appear but is not required as part of the class and type designation. Compounded Gin may not be referred to or described as “Distilled”

I think the big key to interpreting this is focusing on the "may" and "may be" in the language.  Why anyone would label as "redistilled gin" or "compounded gin" is beyond me, just take the class and be done with it.  No confusing terminology.

We label as "Gin", and we do rotovap neutral with specific parts of a specific type of cucumber to produce the second "half" of what becomes our gin.  Vacuum distillation or Rotovap is the superior way to distill botanicals that are heat sensitive.  I've distilled cucumber at absurdly low pressures, where my boiling point was less than what a cucumber would be exposed to on a hot summer day, it creates a very pure, clean, distinct cucumber flavor.  Hot vapor distilling cucumber is a far second or third place, and is distinctively "cooked".  Maceration/infusion might edge out slightly, but leaves color problems, and subtle off flavors (sulfur).

Not to confuse things further - but low pressure steam in Europe is 0.5 bar, about 7.25psi.

So something built to EU steam code, you shouldn’t automatically assume US low pressure standards.

Gee, wonder how that got in there...

Basic Permit and DSP, basically the same as a distillery.

Butterfly Pea Flower (pH color change) is not GRAS.

Stephen you are always welcome to come down if you want to put it into practice.

We have Pombe, we know funk.

The double retort should be up and running in a few weeks.

Is there some sort of diagram that outlines how it actually functions?

Love using 5 gallon corny kegs (with the seals swapped for compatible ones).

Stainless, sealable, sanitary.  Doesn't hurt they are durable, cheap, have comfortable handles.

If you have a fire inspector who is a stickler, they are easily stored in a yellow fire cabinet.

Obviously, you aren't proofing, gauging, blending in, or bottling from these tanks.  They are just convenient working storage.

Kegs are another cheap alternative, but it's a two person job to dump, or you have to pump.

I've tried to find a reason to get rid of them, but they are so handy.  Filling barrels and end up with 4 gallons extra?  Throw it in a corny.  Feints from a crazy mash bill run that I want to keep to use in case I ever run it again?  Throw it in a corny.