PROCESS EQUIPMENT UPDATE
A proud brewery owner showing off the first beers produced since his factory installed its Flecks Mixer
BREWING SUCCESS T
Vincent Fleck details a case study that showcases the merits of an innovative pneumatic agitator that’s proving popular in the craft beer industry
here are increasing numbers of craft beer breweries across the world. As the products in this flourishing sector become more popular, plenty of operations are moving away from the ‘home shed’ type
of model to near-industrial facilities. Part of the process of producing special beers – such
as the very popular India Pale Ale (IPA) – takes place in a brew kettle size of 5,000-10,000 litres. Suspending a big quantity of dry malt grist into water (1:3), at a viscosity of approximately 200 mPas, it is necessary to keep the different particles sizes and densities well suspended. A fast heat transfer is required in order to measure the right temperature for process control. A fast ‘bottom up’ homogenisation in a bigger and higher vessel is also needed, alongside as little shear force as possible for the following filtering process. The Flecks Mixer has gathered a great deal of
positive experience in this application since it was launched two years ago. The mixer is already being deployed in five of the larger craft breweries. The advantages of this system include: simple
application; low cost investment; low energy demand; robust design and reliable operation. The combination of the Flecks Mixer with conventional low powered agitators is also a key selling point.
10
www.engineerlive.com Another important application in the brewery sector
is that of fermentation tanks up to 7m height that have the problem of temperature segregation. Because of the exothermic reaction during yeast fermentation, a
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52