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Waste heat recovery, Tube-in-tube exchangers and chillers


Brian

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We are looking at running more batches and have been puzzling how to provide cooling for mash cooks and the subsequent fermentation temperature control.

Seems that against a theoretical maximum yield for alcohol we are pissing away more than 10% of the alcohol....talk about low hanging fruit!!

This happens for two reasons: 1) runaway LAB infections (see LAB posts in "Technique") and 2) not operating our fermentations at low enough temperatures, (see "suntory" pdf).

We have a couple of wells on the property and have added VSB's to take up the waste. We have a screw press and a recessed filter press to reduce the TSS in our mashes (whole grain process throughout our whiskey production).

So I could use well water to cool stuff off except that I married a climatologist....we have oodles of hot water, in excess of 140F, mostly non-contact cooling water from the condensers, some of which is consumed for the next cook.

We are farmers so we operate on the edge of town with no sewer available. We have three phase power on the pole but not in the building.

I have tried to hoodwink someone into running a greenhouse to use the waste heat. I have added forced air cooling coils to cool the mash (GS2011) and non-contact water and melted a bunch of plastic tanks with water that is too hot. I puzzle about the middle of the summer when wet bulb temps preclude cross flow chillers from doing spit.

We need cooling badly. One of my guys said I should look at adsorption chillers (yes, that is spelled correctly). Historically, these devices use ammonia in vacuum to perform the phase change cooling magic or lithium bromide which apparently is a bit corrosive to plumbing.

Then what appears to be nirvana: http://www.eco-maxchillers.com/common/content.asp?PAGE=363

Voila!! consume the waste heat to chill the mash and ferments...who knew!!! Take a look at the PR on these folk's page....drop out the plate frame exchangers for tube-in-tube (thick mash)---- no Ronster 3 phase power/installation bill, compressors, no ammonia to burn your nostrils, you can still run closed glycol loops, if you want.

So cool I might even go clean the bathroom to keep the wife happy....

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We are looking at running more batches and have been puzzling how to provide cooling for mash cooks and the subsequent fermentation temperature control.

Seems that against a theoretical maximum yield for alcohol we are pissing away more than 10% of the alcohol....talk about low hanging fruit!!

This happens for two reasons: 1) runaway LAB infections (see LAB posts in "Technique") and 2) not operating our fermentations at low enough temperatures, (see "suntory" pdf).

We have a couple of wells on the property and have added VSB's to take up the waste. We have a screw press and a recessed filter press to reduce the TSS in our mashes (whole grain process throughout our whiskey production).

So I could use well water to cool stuff off except that I married a climatologist....we have oodles of hot water, in excess of 140F, mostly non-contact cooling water from the condensers, some of which is consumed for the next cook.

We are farmers so we operate on the edge of town with no sewer available. We have three phase power on the pole but not in the building.

I have tried to hoodwink someone into running a greenhouse to use the waste heat. I have added forced air cooling coils to cool the mash (GS2011) and non-contact water and melted a bunch of plastic tanks with water that is too hot. I puzzle about the middle of the summer when wet bulb temps preclude cross flow chillers from doing spit.

We need cooling badly. One of my guys said I should look at adsorption chillers (yes, that is spelled correctly). Historically, these devices use ammonia in vacuum to perform the phase change cooling magic or lithium bromide which apparently is a bit corrosive to plumbing.

Then what appears to be nirvana: http://www.eco-maxchillers.com/common/content.asp?PAGE=363

Voila!! consume the waste heat to chill the mash and ferments...who knew!!! Take a look at the PR on these folk's page....drop out the plate frame exchangers for tube-in-tube (thick mash)---- no Ronster 3 phase power/installation bill, compressors, no ammonia to burn your nostrils, you can still run closed glycol loops, if you want.

So cool I might even go clean the bathroom to keep the wife happy....

Have you guys installed the cooler ?

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Have you guys installed the cooler ?

no....inquiries are out to them....actively looking...the PR seems decent enough to review..."the bloom is on the rose"...looking at BAC cross flow chillers and may use this "free" cooling in the short term since wet bulb temps are better now (summer over?)...have only read the PR/manuals for these "refrig" guys...they have capacities in the range I need and decent installed base it "seems".

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