What is the difference of NPT and TRI-CLAMP connection in brewery equipment?
- Mar 04, 2022
- 168
- tiantai
Notional Pipe Threaded(NPT) connection is very usual in brewery machinery for its low cost, high strength and stiffness. But take a look in any commercial brewery (or dairy for that matter) and look to see what they are using to make their connections. They will almost certainly be using Tri Clover type sanitary connections. The advantage to these connectors is how easily they are cleaned and how sturdy the are. With no nooks or crannies for nasties to hide, they clean like a breeze.
Tri Clover Compatible Fittings
Tri Clover compatible fittings can be a little confusing at first. But there are no ball-sockets like a conventional brass, plastic or stainless quick disconnect. You can see every surface that meets your precious wort. If that weren't reason enough: they don't leak. I had been using brass garden-hose type quick disconnects for years and I was always fighting sticky dripping wort getting on the rest of my brewery every batch. That slight leak would also create an air-bleed into the line that would inevitably cause my March pump to cavitate.
As you can see from the two basic requirements above, it's pretty difficult to maintain a truly sanitary installation of Tri Clover Compatible fittings at the home brewery scale. So why bother with them? Because they make excellent connections. They are very easy to clean since there are no pockets, nooks or crannies and they don't leak. All other quick disconnect designs on the market depend on an o-ring captured in the QD body or on the plug. Unless you remove the o-ring every time you clean them, they tend to trap sticky wort. These o-rings are also susceptible to tearing and leaking. Used on the inlet side of a pump that can lead to an annoying air bleed that will cause the pump to cavitate. That's not to say that quick disconnects are bad, they are certainly easier and faster to use and if the o-rings are properly maintained, they will offer years of service.
Edited by Alisa
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