3 Valve Brewery Design

[leahy268]

Can anyone see any issue here with my design?

Other than the obvious lack of skill in photoshop at least that is.

This is using just using 3 x 3way motorised ball valves and 1 x solenoid valve.



It seems you need to enlarge this to actually see it animate.
Obviously this doesn't show the heating states and so forth, just the states that the water/wort moves through.

Anything I haven't thought of?

 

[gava]

if your using 3way moterized ball valves im sure there's other conifgurations... Can even get away with one pump.. whats driving this? maybe look at the site and get some recommendations..

 

[leahy268]

if your using 3way moterized ball valves im sure there's other conifgurations... Can even get away with one pump.. whats driving this? maybe look at the site and get some recommendations..

Microcontroller will eventually be driving this.
I'm sure there are other configurations as well.
This seemed simple though and pipes aren't reused either which should allow me to brew another brew once the first is in the boil kettle.

As far as recommendations. Hoping for some.
I have searched far and wide on the site though already for ideas.
Came up with this after a lot of research and thinking. If someone has some simpler ones I'd love to see them.
I am however minimising the number of valves though due to the expense.

 

[gava]

I assume you'll be using brown pumps then?

I run a brewtroller and some of the guys have some really good rigs, can copy their plumbing I guess.

Although they've updated the forum software it seems and sucks so might be a bit harder to search.

http://www.embeddedcontrolconcepts.com/ might be another good spot to check out.

Microcontroller will eventually be driving this.
I'm sure there are other configurations as well.
This seemed simple though and pipes aren't reused either which should allow me to brew another brew once the first is in the boil kettle.

As far as recommendations. Hoping for some.
I have searched far and wide on the site though already for ideas.
Came up with this after a lot of research and thinking. If someone has some simpler ones I'd love to see them.
I am however minimising the number of valves though due to the expense.

 

[leahy268]

I assume you'll be using brown pumps then?

I run a brewtroller and some of the guys have some really good rigs, can copy their plumbing I guess.

Although they've updated the forum software it seems and sucks so might be a bit harder to search.

http://www.embeddedcontrolconcepts.com/ might be another good spot to check out.

Brown pumps for sure..
Just did a bulk buy with I think it was 75 all told in the end.
No shortage of pumps..
Although they haven't arrived as yet.
This week I presume.
Yeah have looked at the brewtroller stuff as well.
Didn't want to go too complicated with the plumbing though.
The simpler the better.

 

[mr_tyreman]

can you deliver hot liquor to the top of the mash bed whilst lautering?

 

[leahy268]

can you deliver hot liquor to the top of the mash bed whilst lautering?

That's a good point.
Hadn't thought of that.
Although I should imagine it wouldn't be a problem.
Stop recirculating for a few minutes to add the extra water then restart recirculating.

Anyone see any issues with doing that?

 

[glenwal]

Anyone see any issues with doing that?

Why build in a limitation from the start?

 

[leahy268]

Why build in a limitation from the start?

Sorry not sure what you mean by that.
Most of the other designs that I've seen with similar setups would have the same 'limitation'.
Just that they use 6 x 2 way valves.

Does anyone have a different thought as to how to connect this up?

 

[glenwal]

Sorry not sure what you mean by that.
Most of the other designs that I've seen with similar setups would have the same 'limitation'.
Just that they use 6 x 2 way valves.

Does anyone have a different thought as to how to connect this up?

Sorry - that came out wrong. Didn't mean to be rude.

Is there any reason (and I may be missing something obvious) that the "feed" from the HLT to the MLT has to join into the HEX recirculation pipe, and doesn't just feed directly into the top of the MLT (using Pump 1 to push it, with Valve 1 on the out side of pump 1 instead)?

 

[leahy268]

Sorry - that came out wrong. Didn't mean to be rude.

Is there any reason (and I may be missing something obvious) that the "feed" from the HLT to the MLT has to join into the HEX recirculation pipe, and doesn't just feed directly into the top of the MLT (using Pump 1 to push it, with Valve 1 on the out side of pump 1 instead)?

No No.. Didn't take that the wrong way at all.
I had thought of putting it on the outside of pump 1..
Not sure if I want the pipes to be filled all the time. More thought required there.
However the other thought is I could do it this way:



Better perhaps?

 

[glenwal]

I wouldn't worry about adding the extra solenoid valve. If you are going to re-circulate the water in the HLT when heating, then (i imagine) you're going to open the valve soon after you fill it anyway, and once there is water in there, it'll stay there, so closing the valve off won't really achieve anything.


Also thinking you could also do the same change to the MLT -> BK pipe (move Valve 2 to the out side of pump 2) and eliminate pump 3 all together.

 

[leahy268]

I wouldn't worry about adding the extra solenoid valve. If you are going to re-circulate the water in the HLT when heating, then (i imagine) you're going to open the valve soon after you fill it anyway, and once there is water in there, it'll stay there, so closing the valve off won't really achieve anything.


Also thinking you could also do the same change to the MLT -> BK pipe (move Valve 2 to the out side of pump 2) and eliminate pump 3 all together.

Point taken although pump 3 is still needed at this stage. For whirlpooling. Although I haven't had enough coffee yet to be certain of that logic.

 

[gava]

Has anyone done whirlpooling tests with a brown pump?

Point taken although pump 3 is still needed at this stage. For whirlpooling. Although I haven't had enough coffee yet to be certain of that logic.

 

[glenwal]

Point taken although pump 3 is still needed at this stage. For whirlpooling. Although I haven't had enough coffee yet to be certain of that logic.

Ah missed that bit - makes sense.

 

[leahy268]

Ah missed that bit - makes sense.

So then perhaps more like this:

 

[glenwal]

So then perhaps more like this:

Nice.

 

[kymba]

why do you need to recirc the hlt?

 

[leahy268]

why do you need to recirc the hlt?

At the beginning there will be cold water in the pipe.
Recirc evens the temp out and also stirs the HLT which creates a nice even temp.