Different wort aeration kits

[Batz]

Here's my upgraded wort oxygenator.
It's the Bunnings Coregas setup with a Cigweld Oxygen regulator.
I'll get some proper tube before I use it for real. Just gave it a test run @5psi in some Starsan & 60sec on that setting will be more than enough. I don't think I'll need a replacement cylinder for quite a while.

20160902_171105.jpg

20160902_170927.jpg

The good thing about these is you can add a 9kg LPG bottle and have cutting, welding in the man shed as well.
I'm lucky as I already own all that gear.

Batz

 

[Mr B]

Just a warning about using an airstone with a really stiff gas tube in a SS fermenting bucket .. you can scratch the inside as you wave it around. A wand is a good option so you can control it better than a tube that's bent and doesn't want to go where you want it to.

scratch SS.jpg


Ed: suppliers of kits might want to mention this on their sites, as it's a recent thingo; affordable SS only been around for a couple of years so a wand is a relatively inexpensive "must" for SS brewers.

Don't worry about the scratch Bribie, you've got a motherf--rking big hole in the bottom of your pot!!

 

[Zorco]

New regulator is working a treat, great quality gear. There is nothing better than the right equipment for the job.

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

scratch SS.jpg

That'll buff right out.

Seriously: take to it with a maroon Beartex pad. Rinse with acid (citric works). Job done.

 

[MHB]

I have always questioned the ability of Citric Acid to passivate stainless steel, just cant see how it would be reactive enough, so have gone and looked it up.
MBAA - Practical Handbook for the Specialty Brewer V3 Brewing Engineering and Plant Operations p74-75 (all 3 books are worth owning)

A safer alternative to nitric acid is citric acid. For passivation, a 0.6 molar solution of anhydrous citric acid (...) adjusted to pH 3.0-3.5 with ammonium hydroxide, is heated to 70oC and recirculated through the CIP... for about an hour. This solution can also be applied to problem areas with a brush or mop for a relatively safe spot treatment.

Personally I just use pickling paste, but it isn't what you would call safe unless you exercise all due care.
Mark

Edit
0.6M Anhydrous Citric is around 120g/L

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

It works because iron citrate forms faster than chromium citrate and is more soluble, so applying citric to the surface increases the ratio of chromium and nickel to iron.

The strength and temperature you recommend would be suitable for post weld passivation inside pipes (where you can't use pickling paste), room temp is fine for minor operations like buffed out scratches.

I use a lot of stainless parts on my bike frames and use citric passivation post brazing. Since the grades of stainless I use are higher strength alloys* with lower corrosion resistance than 300 series alloys, poor passivation becomes obvious fairly quickly.

BTW it also works for taking out iron stains on kitchen benches but oxalic works faster.



*Mostly 17-4 PH and 410.

 

[Coalminer]

Interesting that there are a lot of different Oxygen qualities with a varying amounts of impurities supplied by BOC

One even has 20% CO2 "Food grade quality gas used to speed up fermentation and age wines as well as to form yeast in breweries."



https://www.boc.com.au/shop/en/au/search/oxygen

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

I believe that grade is used for packaging meat so it stays a pretty red in the supermarket. I've never seen it used in a winery or brewery.



Edit: http://www.meatupdate.csiro.au/data/MEAT_TECHNOLOGY_UPDATE_01-4.pdf

 

[BKBrews]

I'm assuming this one has been brought up in this thread previously, but has anyone got experience with this?

http://kegking.com.au/filtration-aeration/wort-aerator-air-pump-kit.html

they recommend 15min of use in the wort?

 

[husky]

I'm assuming this one has been brought up in this thread previously, but has anyone got experience with this?

http://kegking.com.au/filtration-aeration/wort-aerator-air-pump-kit.html

they recommend 15min of use in the wort?

Thats what im using as a stop gap until I sort out an oxygen cylinder. Seems to have worked ok on the two brews I have used it on. The last one was a lager and visible fermentation definitely kicked off quicker than usual.

 

[BKBrews]

Thats what im using as a stop gap until I sort out an oxygen cylinder. Seems to have worked ok on the two brews I have used it on. The last one was a lager and visible fermentation definitely kicked off quicker than usual.

did you run it for 15min as suggested? I must admit I haven't looked into aeration much myself, but a lot of the kits people are using in this thread only require 1min or so?

 

[husky]

I did 15 mins. I dont have a DO meter to validate how long is required so will stick with 15 for now.
1 min only seems the go if you have pure O2.

 

[dcan6303]

OK, so I'm glad I saw this thread.

I have a disposable Tradeflame O2 cartridge and Tradeflame regulator conversion kit from Bunnings, which I now know is not suitable for oxygen so I won't be using it any more.

Can I just unscrew the reg off the bottle while full or are these a single use deal like little co2 cartridges? Do they have a valve in the top or some sort of puncture system? I don't want to vent the entire bottle if I can help it, especially if it's a potential bomb in my hands.

 

[MHB]

It works because iron citrate forms faster than chromium citrate and is more soluble, so applying citric to the surface increases the ratio of chromium and nickel to iron.

The strength and temperature you recommend would be suitable for post weld passivation inside pipes (where you can't use pickling paste), room temp is fine for minor operations like buffed out scratches.

I use a lot of stainless parts on my bike frames and use citric passivation post brazing. Since the grades of stainless I use are higher strength alloys* with lower corrosion resistance than 300 series alloys, poor passivation becomes obvious fairly quickly.

BTW it also works for taking out iron stains on kitchen benches but oxalic works faster.



*Mostly 17-4 PH and 410.

Not sure whether or not Citric is a good option for 410 series, I have done a fair amount of work with 440C and it has its own set of interesting challenges (like don't hacksaw too fast) it blues during heat treatment and cant be brazed without coming out way too brittle to be any use. Different alloy made for a different job.

What I quoted was from a brewing textbook specifically addressing 304 & 316 series brewing equipment.
I think all form of passivation (chemical and electrolytic) work the same way, by reducing the amount of Fe in the surface and by forming a Cr or Ni corrosion resistant oxide or phosphate layer. Citric acid works well if its used appropriately, misapplied it is likely not to passivate the surface and allow corrosion to start.
If the need to use Citric comes up I will do it as described above, as I am confidant that I would then get the result I was looking for.
Mark

 

[Bribie G]

That'll buff right out.

Seriously: take to it with a maroon Beartex pad. Rinse with acid (citric works). Job done.

Thanks
There is a lager in it at the moment but I will get onto it next time.

 

[moonhead]

OK, so I'm glad I saw this thread.

I have a disposable Tradeflame O2 cartridge and Tradeflame regulator conversion kit from Bunnings, which I now know is not suitable for oxygen so I won't be using it any more.

So the consensus is not to use the tradeflame regulator with the tradeflame oxy cylinder?

 

[dcan6303]

So the consensus is not to use the tradeflame regulator with the tradeflame oxy cylinder?

That was my take out. It's designed for shielding (inert) gasses only.

 

[Coldspace]

OK, so I'm glad I saw this thread.

I have a disposable Tradeflame O2 cartridge and Tradeflame regulator conversion kit from Bunnings, which I now know is not suitable for oxygen so I won't be using it any more.

Can I just unscrew the reg off the bottle while full or are these a single use deal like little co2 cartridges? Do they have a valve in the top or some sort of puncture system? I don't want to vent the entire bottle if I can help it, especially if it's a potential bomb in my hands.

The bottle has a non return valve built in, so yes you can just unscrew it.

 

[peteru]

Has anyone contemplated a medical grade oxygen concentrator/generator for O2 delivery to wort? From what I can see, you'd be looking at something like US$300 for one of those units. There are cheaper options too, like this one, which could come in at half the above price.

The advantage is that you would never have to worry about a refill, high pressure regulators and all the safety risks involved with gas under pressure. Flow control seems to be built in.

 

[MHB]

The one you linked can put out 90%+ O2 at 1l/m. That is a big improvement from what was available only a couple of years ago. Could be very effective, the older ones only produced 25-30% O2.

The main concern I had was, how do you tell whether or not it's working and/or how well, at some point the concentrator is going to give up the ghost and it will be pumping air. When I looked at concentrators it was for a bigger application and the purity of the O2 and the extra foaming from having (then) quite a lot of N2 mixed in made it a poor choice.

Would be interested in hearing how one goes, especially from someone with a DO meter.
Mark