Choosing the Right Cold Water Tank Capacity and Cooling Methods
What is a cold water tank?
The cold water tank is used to cool and store the cold water required in the beer brewing process, and the cold water flowing through the plate heat exchanger cools the wort. The excess heat generated during this process is transferred to the water, thereby heating the water, which is then stored in a hot water tank, making the entire process both energy and water efficient.
What are the cooling methods for cold water tanks?
There are three ways to cool the cold water tank: cold water jacket cooling, coil cooling in the cold water tank, and external heat exchanger cooling. The heat exchange efficiencies of these three methods are different, and the applicable process conditions are also different. In general, external thin plate heat exchanger cooling is higher than coil cooling, and coil cooling is higher than jacket cooling. Therefore, when the outside temperature and the ice water temperature are constant, the time required to obtain cold water of 2-3 degrees Celsius is also different among these three methods. For example, ice-water jackets are suitable for small batches of non-continuous brewing, and ice water can fully cool down cold water during non-brewing times such as at night. Thin plate heat exchangers are suitable for large-scale multi-batch continuous brewing. They not only meet the cold water demand of each batch, but also can replenish the cold water needed for the next batch in time. Therefore the cooling design of the brewing system is very important.
What capacity does a cold water tank need?
The size of the cold water tank must be able to meet the needs of the process. The demand for cold water is about 1.13-1.25 times the amount of cooling wort, usually calculated based on 1.2 times the theoretical working condition. Let’s take the amount of saccharified wort of 20 tons as an example. The amount of cold water required for a batch of brewing is 20*1.2=24 tons. If two batches are produced continuously, the interval will be at least 2 hours to 4 hours. Here we Taking 3 hours as an example, during the continuous brewing process, ice water cools 20°C normal temperature water to 2-3°C cold water within 3 hours. Based on this time, calculate the required replacement efficiency and select appropriate equipment.
However, when actually making cold water wort, the capacity of the cold water tank is generally increased based on theoretical calculations and some uncertain factors encountered during the actual production process. The volume of the cold water tank is usually configured to the wort cooling capacity. 2-3 times, the amount of cold water required for 20 tons of saccharified wort is about 48 tons. When the brewing batch is small, 1.5 times can also meet the needs.
The above is the relevant knowledge about cold water tanks. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Tiantai.
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