Brewmaster Edition Chronical Fermenter 1 Barrel Supplemental Report FTSS Chilling Options, Configurations, and Best Practices Purpose Congratulations on your new purchase, and thank you for choosing SS Brewing Technologies for your fermentation capacity needs. This supplemental report is designed to share common cooling configurations, and inform our users on the best practices for setup and operation of your new fermenter. Whether you re using the vessel as part of a pilot system, nano brewery operation, or in an advanced home brewing environment; this report will offer insight into professionally recognized cooling techniques to derive the best possible performance out of our Brewmaster Edition 1 BBL Chronicle Fermenters. Typical Chill Water Sources With our line of small and medium capacity fermenters, 7 Gallon-1/2 BBL, several cooling options have evolved to offer users excellent performance alongside cost effectiveness. Of those options the three most popular chill water sources to feed the overhead mounted FTSS coil have included a passively managed cooler filled with water and ice, the more active method of plumbing a reservoir inside a keezer or refrigerator, and lastly a commercial grade glycol chiller. In smaller capacities each of these methods have worked exceedingly well despite each method s inherent positives and negatives. However, with a larger 1 BBL vessel size, the first two options become performance prohibitive as a result of load demand, recovery rate, and thermal mass considerations. These factors ring even more true when viewed through the lens of meeting the demands that advanced fermentation practices such as crash cooling and lagering place on a cooling device. Through our own rigorous product testing, we have ascertained that for the best possible results users should consider a trunk line type glycol power-pack chiller or technical equivalent to effectively operate our line of 1 BBL Chronicles. Chillers have built-in design efficiencies such as a direct-to-glycol-contact with the refrigeration system s evaporator, in addition to oversized condensing units which optimizes the removal of large amounts of heat from the chill water source. These efficiencies combined with our integrated side mounted chill coil make for a superior solution to controlling temperatures. Reasons to Consider Glycol Product Quality - When a nano brewery is just beginning to introduce themselves to a community, they should want to put their best foot forward as local beer lovers begin to acquaint themselves and critique their first run of brews. The same applies to pilot systems where brewers are considering a recipe for full production, since the ultimate goal would be to emulate the traits of a much larger and more advanced cellaring installation. A properly sized glycol chiller should not only give you the ability to quickly and efficiently regulate and remove heat generated by active yeast, but also crash cool the product once fermentation is complete. The end result will be crystal clear beer, that is virtually ready
for packaging. Furthermore, precise temp control is one of the most important basic fundamentals of the fermentation process, and consistently producing quality product will be important to the long term success of your brewery. Speed Where the cost of dedicated bright tanks for clearing outweigh the needs, brewers need to make sure their putting the clearest beer possible directly into packaging/kegging. Possessing the ability to crash cool and knock the yeast out of suspension gives them leg up on the process. In addition, since the finished beer will already be at roughly 34-36 degrees directly out of the fermenter, users can segue into the carbonation process immediately. The result is faster product/vessel turn times. Flexibility - If a brewery is producing and offering good product, they are likely to run out quickly, which would be a good thing. In fact, many nano breweries begin as a proof-of-concept to establish or solidify their market, recipes, and branding. Investing in even a relatively small truck line chiller means that when it s time to bring additional fermenters online, they can quickly consolidate the vessels into an existing cooling setup. This rings even more true if the decision was made to purchase more cooling capacity than what was required on day one, so that bringing additional vessels online is as easy as installing a new loop. A Word About Cooling Capacities When sizing any cooling option for your fermenter, be mindful of your local ambient temperatures, heat generated from active fermentation, and lastly stress loads for lagering or crash cooling functions. When commercial brewing operations size their chillers, they factor in the need for both BTUs/Hr and glycol capacity. The best way to visualize these key characteristics is bandwidth and thermal mass sizing. To calculate the load burden that 1 BBL capacity of active fermentation places on a chiller: Multiply number of Barrels with 15 Bricks (1 x 15 = 15) Multiply 15 by 280 BTU per Brick (15 x 280 = 4200) Lastly divide 4200 by the length of an average fermentation heat gain period of 72 hours (4200 / 72 = 58.3 BTUs/Hr) To calculate the stress or pull down load to crash cool a 1 BBL vessel: Calculate liquid weight by converting gallons to pounds using a weight factor of 8.33. (31 x 8.33 = 258.23 lbs) Crash cool differential based on 75 degrees ambient and 34-degree target temperature. (75-34 = 41 Degrees) Multiply liquid weight by crash cool temperature differential. (258.23 x 41= 10,587.43 BTUs) Required to crash 31 gallons of liquid in 1 hour. Divide BTUs by number of hours desired, In this case overnight 10-hour crash.** (10,587.43 / 10 = 1058.7 BTUs/Hr) Required to crash 31 gallons of beer in 10 hours. **Commercial Brewing operations typically target a 24-hour or less crash time.
While these calculations represent the raw chilling capacity required to overcome heat generation, or pull down a given volume of liquid in a predetermined length of time, they don t factor in losses from tubing runs and fermenter insulation properties. However, these factors change depending on installation materials and fermenter location. Be mindful to insulate any bare tubing and attempt to keep fermenters out of heated spaces or direct sunlight to optimize performance. Examining the other side of the equation, sizing the thermal mass of the system, will ensure that the chiller s compressor cycle frequency leaves a sufficient duration of rest time so the refrigeration system does not become overloaded. Envision it this way, if 6 fermenters are drawing off 3 gallons of glycol, the chiller will have to run almost constantly as the alternating loads of each loop will ultimately raise the bath temperature with little down-time. This is overcome by sizing the bath so that enough thermal mass is reserved for each fermenter to draw from before eventually tripping the chiller s thermostat. The results of our own product testing have indicated the minimum amount of glycol dedicated to each fermenter should be 1.5-2 gallons, with a more optimal amount being 3-4 gallons if the fermenter resides in an area with higher ambient temperatures. Choosing a Glycol Chiller Selecting the appropriate chiller size for your installation depends on the factors listed above in addition to the number of fermenters that you ultimately plan on operating. Adding the fermentation load and pull down load figures together equals 1,117 BTUs/Hr of potential load. For a single 1 BBL Chronical installation, users should target a chiller with at least 1150 BTU s of output, and at least 1.5-2 gallons of bath capacity. Examining the choices readily available on the market and the price per BTU; a few of the most cost effective options that we recommend are either the UBC H35G 1/3 HP Power Pack with a 5 gallon reservoir, or the BVL Controls ECO 33 1/3 HP Power Pack with a 3 gallon reservoir. Both units feature enough cooling capacity to run (2) 1 BBL Chronicles, leaving room for expansion for single vessel users. Following along the same line of progression, users that would like chilling capacity for up to (3) 1 BBL Chronicles should consider a 1/2 HP or larger unit such as the UBC EXTRA ½ Power Pack or the BVL Controls CWA-2 Power Pack. Both chillers feature roughly 4K BTUs/Hr of chilling bandwidth and 12 or 15-gallon glycol bath sizes. Lastly for users seeking to operate up to (6)1 BBL Chronicles, a 3/4 HP unit with at least 15-gallons of bath capacity would be required. Options such as the UBC EXTRA ¾ Power Pack, or the BVL Controls CWA/CWW 34 Power Pack make excellent options, just keep in mind that ¾ hp BVL Controls model require 220v for operation.
Installation and Operation Glycol Installs 101 The 1 BBL Chronicle was designed for flexibility, offering its users a myriad of installation configurations and options. From permanent installs to mobile installations utilizing the threaded legs and casters. Commercial breweries typically design their glycol systems in a first-in, last-out piping configuration, where the first tank connected to the supply line is the last tank connected to the return line. In this type of array, a constant-on pump circulates glycol through a loop and each fermenter necessitates its own temperature switch and solenoid valve to control the flow of glycol to each individual vessel. This configuration has become an industry standard because of the sheer size of the fermentation vessels in most commercial cellar installations. It would be space prohibitive to arrange vessels around a single chiller with individual dedicated loops. The downside to this configuration is that if the main pump were ever to fail, the entire array goes down. Furthermore, often times pumps need to be upgraded with the addition of piping runs that add significant length to the loop size. The FTSS for our line of Brewmaster 1 BBL Chronicles was designed to be run in independent loops from one vessel to the next. Meaning, each vessel possesses its own pump, temperature switch, and return loop. This configuration is superior in a few specific ways; namely that each fermenter has its own dedicated equipment, in the event of a failure, other vessels are insulated from the effects of one component going down. Furthermore, expandability is made easy since additional fermenters can be added or rearranged without re-plumbing the entire system. Lastly, shorter piping runs mean less temp loss between the chiller and fermenter. Setting Up Your Individual Installation Once you have decided on a location to install your new fermenter, the next step is orientating your chiller so that your piping runs are as short as possible. This limits temp loss and insures a sufficient flow rate through the FTSS chill coil. The great thing about utilizing a truck line glycol power pack is that their factory installed fittings are almost always 3/8 hoses and hose barbs to mate up with draft towers or other accessories. This also happens to be the same size as all of the FTSS hardware supplied with your fermenter. We recommend the use of thick wall silicone tubing (3/8 ID, 3/4 OD) for your install as a result of its durability, ability to remain flexible at extremely low temperatures, kink-resistance, non-reactivity to common brewery chemicals, and lastly the added insulation properties over vinyl or PVC. Connections can be made with common SS hose clamps or SS Oetiker fittings for permanent installations. In addition, make sure to sufficiently insulate all of your hosing runs with a flexible closed-cell elastomeric pipe insulation material such as K-Flex Insul-Lock or equivalent. This can be purchased at virtually any home improvement store. Lastly, there are many different glycol suppliers, yet we have performed virtually all of our testing using Dow Chemical s 99.9% Food Grade Propylene Glycol with rust inhibitors. Rust inhibitors insure that any
ferrous metals within a glycol system don t begin to rust as a result of the distilled water mix. Furthermore, we recommend a mix rate of one third (1/3) glycol to two-thirds (2/3) distilled water, which provided freeze protection down to roughly 4-7 degrees Fahrenheit. Yet, also prohibit the viscosity from becoming too heavy and hindering FTSS pump performance. While there are many glycol distributors out there, we recommend www.dudadiesel.com because of their competitive prices, reasonable shipping costs, and the ability to purchase Dow s glycol in virtually any amount. After you have sourced all of the desired hardware and glycol for your installation, getting started is as simple as submerging the FTSS pump within the chiller s glycol bath then running your supply line to the fermenter and the return line back to the chiller s designated return barb. Be mindful to orientate the pump(s) so they are at opposite ends of the glycol bath as the return feed, insuring the return supply will have to pass back over the evaporator coils. If you are performing an installation requiring multiple supply and return feeds, you will likely have to modify the chiller s glycol bath lid to add additional 3/8 hose barbs for each fermenter s supply and return header. Off the shelf brass hose barbs available online or at nearly any home improvement store can be utilized to create a bulkhead for each additional supply and return line. Testing and Operation Once you are confident that all glycol and electrical connections have been setup correctly, it s important to test the system both with and without liquid volume to insure there are no leaks. Begin by switching the chiller on and allowing it to bring the glycol bath down to the desired temperature, which is typically in the 25-28 Degrees Fahrenheit range. Then go ahead and turn on the FTSS temperature control switch and set it below the ambient temp reading. You should immediately hear the pump turn on and the coil become cold to the touch. Examine closely for leaks on the inside of the vessel. Once you are sure there are no leaks anywhere in the system, fill the vessel with water to begin running your first set of tests. We highly recommend you acquaint yourself with how your system performs in a typical operating environment so it becomes easy to identify and overcome any anomalies that might arise sometime in the future. Useful performance tests include: 1 Hour Timed Pull Down. This gives you an idea of how quickly the chiller can pull down temperatures in a pre-designated time frame. Icing Test. Set the FTSS temp control to roughly 36-37 degree and monitor closely for potential icing problems over a number of hours. Overnight Crash Cool. This insures that your chiller can meet the requirements of your crash cool needs depending on how many fermenters are in your array.
Lagering Performance. Measure the number of times the compressor has to cycle during a onehour time frame when temps are held steady at 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Congratulations on the purchase of your Brewmaster Edition 1 BBL Chronicle Fermenter and the successful installation of a dedicated glycol system. With proper maintenance and operation, the fermenter will provide you with many years of reliable service and excellent brews!