How to equip glycol cooling system for microbrewery?
- Mar 04, 2022
- 121
- tiantai
Curious about what it takes to configure glycol cooling system for a micro brewery? Looking for advice? I've got some. A lot of it, in fact. I've come to a general theory of brewery glycol cooling system configuration as below:
1). Here are usually two alternatives for the cooling system for microbrewery:
The first option include 1xglycol water tank, chiller, pumps.
The chillers cool the glycol water tank, and then the glycol water tank cool the fermentation tanks/BBTs and wort.
At this time, the glycol tank is normally 2-3 times bigger than the brewhouse, as the glycol tank also need to cool the wort temperature
down to fermenting temperature via the plate heat exchanger quickly within short time (30-40 minutes). If long time cooling,it will improve
the microorganism reproduction chance in the wort.That is why should be quickly cooled down.
So glycol water tank needs to store the enough coolant in advance.
This is our standard configuration now for brewery below 2000L.
2). The second option include 1xGWT, 1xCWT, chiller, pumps.
The chillers cool the GWT, and then the GWT cool the FV/BBTs and CLT,and then CLT cool the wort independently.
At this time, the GWT can be smaller as it will just cool the FV/BBTs/CLT who DO NOT need the coolant in very short time ,
but the CLT should be 2-3 times bigger than the brewhouse to cool the wort quickly.
Advantage of this option:
For bigger system, it is more necessary to pay more attention on the safe quality of wort, as the wort amount is so large.
So a suitable CLT is more necessary than smaller brewhouse to ensure the safety of the wort. So once here is any
unknown leakage in the plate heat exhanger(some brewmaster may disconnect the plates to clean completely, then the
plates may be not completely sealed after re-assembly etc.), we do not need to throw out all the wort as only the clean
cold water rather than glycol is mixed into the wort, we may just get lower alcohol beer.
Shortage:
Require extra cost for CLT.
If you need any help for building a brewery,please feel free to discuss together.
Edited by Alisa
Email:[email protected]
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