The Cooling Jacket Method In Beer Fermenter

The cooling jacket method in beer fermentation equipment

The fermentation tank is one of the important equipment in the beer brewing process. The beer fermentation process is a normal life activity carried out by yeast under certain conditions using the fermentable substances in the wort. Yeast generates heat during fermentation, which must be cooled in order for fermentation and maturation to take place at a set process temperature. There are two ways of cooling: indirect cooling mode: the cooling jacket passes through ethanol or a mixture of ethylene glycol and water (refrigerant), and the direct cooling method: the refrigerant in the cooling jacket is liquid ammonia. There are two types of cooling jackets commonly used in beer fermentation equipment, one is Miller plate, and the other is coil. 

Miller plate definition: Miller plate is made of two thin stainless steel plates, which are firmly bonded on both sides of a thicker honeycomb core after perforation, also known as honeycomb sandwich structure. It has the characteristics of light weight, sound insulation effect, and good elasticity. Function: The function of Miller plate is to reduce the temperature of the fermenter, compared with the general jacket, the honeycomb jacket equipment greatly reduces the wall thickness of the jacket and the wall thickness of the inner cylinder, and the manufacturing cost is reduced. From the perspective of heat transfer, the gap of the honeycomb jacket is smaller than that of the ordinary jacket, the flow area is smaller, the flow velocity of the fluid in the cavity increases significantly, and a large number of honeycombs play the role of spoilers in the jacket, and the fluid continuously changes the flow direction and flow speed when it flows through the honeycomb point, forming turbulent vortex to accelerate the heat exchange and greatly increase the heat transfer effect. 

Coil Definition: A coil consists of a set of parallel metal tubes that are bent into a round or oval shape to form a coil. It has the characteristics of high heat exchange efficiency, simple structure, easy installation and maintenance. Principle: In beer equipment, coil jackets are often used to control fermentation temperatures and cool beer. It is achieved by using the heat exchange area of the coil jacket to achieve the effect of cooling and insulation. In a coil jacket, a heat transfer fluid, such as cooling water or refrigerant, flows through a metal tube to carry heat away from or to the beer equipment. Due to the large heat transfer area of the coil jacket, the temperature of the beer equipment can be controlled more effectively.