Chilling Needs on Mash Tank

[RicdeMont]

Hello all,

Hoping to gain some group knowledge here while setting myself up in the most efficient way.

I've noticed when sizing chilling needs that the big draw (for my setup) is the mash tank. I imagine everyone else is the same. I came here looking for sage advice on how to not spend an exorbitant amount of $$ cooling mash, when the condenser and fermentation chilling needs are pretty minimal.

I should probably state that I live in Florida where the ground water reaches about 77F in peak summer, but I am trying to not waste a bunch of water. Any ideas on a recirc system that would do the job (and cheaply)?

Thanks,

Ric

[Patio29Dadio]

Talk to Paul Hall at Affordable Distilling Equipment.   I am doing this...

 

[indyspirits]

Have Paul build you a cart-mounted  "foldback" style wort/mash cooler .   You can build one for yourself out of copper for about $1,500 if you're willing to permanently affix it to the wall.  I'd by lying if I said it wasn't a PITA.

 

 

 

 

[Southernhighlander]

4 hours ago, RicdeMont said:

Hello all,

Hoping to gain some group knowledge here while setting myself up in the most efficient way.

I've noticed when sizing chilling needs that the big draw (for my setup) is the mash tank. I imagine everyone else is the same. I came here looking for sage advice on how to not spend an exorbitant amount of $$ cooling mash, when the condenser and fermentation chilling needs are pretty minimal.

I should probably state that I live in Florida where the ground water reaches about 77F in peak summer, but I am trying to not waste a bunch of water. Any ideas on a recirc system that would do the job (and cheaply)?

Thanks,

Ric

Shoot me out an email Ric and let me know what you have now including how much and what type of mash that you want to cool and we will take a look at the least expensive and best way to accomplish what you want to do paul@distillery-equipment.com

[MG Thermal Consulting]

The mash cooling will probably put you in the market for a chiller due to where you're located.

Depending on the volume of mash, I have some factory refurbs that you can use with one of Paul's coolers to get the job done.  If it's a small volume, less that 150 Gal, I have a copper/steel one that you can use to get you there in less than a couple hours.

Once you get close to 80F city water, about the best you can get down to is around 100F mash, if you're lucky.  I've seen adapting old milk coolers to make chilled water to pump through a mash cooler, and since you're in a big farm area, you may be able to latch onto one.

Good luck!

[Silk City Distillers]

I concur with MG, with 75 degree water supply it's difficult to get below 100 degrees without wasting hundreds of gallons of water.  More water than you could ever realistically save, reuse, etc.  That's with full jacket tanks.

We use both water and chillers for cooling.  Cooling from approximately 200f to 150f (corn gelatinization to malt addition) for example, city water is very efficient.  Big delta T.  Very fast.

From 150f to 100f, much slower.

From 100f to 80f, brutal, we use chillers here.

And we're up here in the Northeast.  Hell, I bet we could make a business case for shutting down production in July and August, just because of the increased cost of cooling.  In the depths of winter, with 50f temp on the water supply, it's amazingly efficient, and very easy to recover cooling water.

[MG Thermal Consulting]

Yep, here is where you start the cooling with a full reservoir of cold chilled water at near 45F.

For those that want to mash twice a day, figuring they can just do  mash #1, still run#1, mash run#2, still run#2 with the same chiller and reservoir...trouble is you are not starting mash run #2 with a 45F reservoir, more like 70F and can't get the second crash done.  Then they add a second reservoir to remedy that...but, can't figure why the same chiller can't get both reservoirs back to 45F by sunrise...and so it goes.

[Southernhighlander]

Ric,

Mike at MG and I have worked together a lot.  He has sold chilling systems to several of my customers.  He really is the go to guy for your distillery cooling processes. 

If you need a tube in tube heat exchanger for cooling just give me a holler.  I have some other options aside from the tube in tube as well.  Also we have pumps for mash and coolant if you don't already have them.