Fully Automated Brewing System Design

[Bandito]

I have been planning an automated brewing system for a couple of months now. I started designing a process flow diagram tonight, which is the first real step towards making it a reality. I am doing the reasearch and development at the same time, so far I have worked out how to automate valves: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...mp;#entry571367

I am a draftsman and have drafted a few manifolds for commercial brewerys. I also have a fair bit of experience in reading process flow diagrams (PFD's) and modeling pipes and equipment to achieve the process. I work in 3d cad on xsteel, prosteel, autocad, solidworks and inventor, so I model the parts in the true 3d scale in x, y and z to ensure it all goes together.

Anyway, I am going to design and build an automated system to: mill, mash, lauter, boil, add hops, chill, culture yeast, mix yeastwith the wort, ferment, rack and clean everything including the mash tun.

Due to the space requirements and cost I am planning for the system to have about a 5 litre fermenter capacity. If it is a fully automated system, I think this should work well, as it will be able to run night and day until all fermenters are full. I have desided to use Labview software to control it all, as it is very graphical and easy to use. I expect the cost to come in around $2000 to $3000 excluding software, and take about 7 months.

I should have a preliminary process flow diagram in a week or so. But if anyone as already done one or knows where to find one please let me know, as I am expecting the PFD to take 2 months to complete minimum.

 

[LethalCorpse]

Subscribed.

 

[MattC]

I have been planning an automated brewing system for a couple of months now. I started designing a process flow diagram tonight, which is the first real step towards making it a reality. I am doing the reasearch and development at the same time, so far I have worked out how to automate valves: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...mp;#entry571367

I am a draftsman and have drafted a few manifolds for commercial brewerys. I also have a fair bit of experience in reading process flow diagrams (PFD's) and modeling pipes and equipment to achieve the process. I work in 3d cad on xsteel, prosteel, autocad, solidworks and inventor, so I model the parts in the true 3d scale in x, y and z to ensure it all goes together.

Anyway, I am going to design and build an automated system to: mill, mash, lauter, boil, add hops, chill, culture yeast, mix yeastwith the wort, ferment, rack and clean everything including the mash tun.

Due to the space requirements and cost I am planning for the system to have about a 5 litre fermenter capacity. If it is a fully automated system, I think this should work well, as it will be able to run night and day until all fermenters are full. I have desided to use Labview software to control it all, as it is very graphical and easy to use. I expect the cost to come in around $2000 to $3000 excluding software, and take about 7 months.

I should have a preliminary process flow diagram in a week or so. But if anyone as already done one or knows where to find one please let me know, as I am expecting the PFD to take 2 months to complete minimum.

so about $3000 for parts and what would you charge me for 7 months labour?

Seriously it sounds like a mammoth effort, to do all those things??? the only thing you will need to do is pour your own beer! Good luck on your efforts. It would be good to give as regular updates as your can on this thread so as we can see your progress!!

Cheers

A member on this forum "Johnathon" has an automated system as well. Might be worth having a look.

Cheers and good luck

 

[seemax]

push a button and it does it all for you?

hmmm... doesn't sound like much fun to me :huh:

 

[MarkBastard]

the only thing you will need to do is pour your own beer!

pfft that is so noughties. maccas drive throughs dont even do that anymore.

He can rig up a set of scales under his tap that holds the glass, and the scales shut off the tap when the glass is full. Maybe even some hydraulic glass tilting would be in order.

 

[bum]

Bandito, 7 pages of jealous bickering will probably occur here but don't let that think there aren't people interested in what you're doing. Please keep us updated.

 

[johnw]

How will you burn yourself on brewday? How will you leave a fermenter tap open once you start transfering hot wort?

These are key issues to all homebrewers.

DrinkBeer

 

[Bandito]

I would have to empty the bin that the grain get tipped into. and will have to punch in the recipes - thats one of the driving forces - being able to make small adjustments to each half slab brew.

Dont worry, it will be open source. no charge for the program or design. I will try to find this "Johnathon", that's the sort of info I am after.

Push a button? More like program a recipe on the pc, same same I spose.

 

[kirem]

<_<
http://www.brewtroller.com/

 

[LethalCorpse]

pfft that is so noughties.

It starts.

 

[pdilley]

I've been looking into automation gear but low level and not just for brewing but for aquaculture and garden automation mostly through stringing USB IO boards on a Linux plug computer that runs on less than 2W and gives full programmable brains for all these sensors and relays. I was going to program my own microcontroller but found a decent priced full built IO board at $60 or $99 with 8 240VAC 25Amp relays to control. I was going to pick up some temperature sensors at $7 each from the same outfit and build a smarter than TempMate controller with full stepping and time control for just a little more than the cost of a TempMate. Not including plug computer which is size of a small wall wart and goes right in the wall with SD card, 1 gig Ethernet and USB connectors on the bottom. If only they had wifi as well I could have Garden Net running with fully autonomous smart nodes that talk to each other and update themselves and pull down weather data from BOM online.

Lot of ideas just need to get to writing the Linux daemons to do all I want it to do in proper languages no limited to microcontroller op codes.

If you want to use anything like this in your setup let me know and I'll get you sorted on where to go.

And yes you can use the to drive electronic valves or motors as well.

Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[Franko]

Anyway, I am going to design and build an automated system to: mill, mash, lauter, boil, add hops, chill, culture yeast, mix yeast with the wort, ferment, rack and clean everything including the mash tun.

There goes all the enjoyment of brewing your own beer.

Franko

 

[davewaldo]

Sounds like a great project. I'm curious though why you chose to only do 5L batches?

Having done many 5L mead batches I can tell you that once you account for trub and yeast you'd be lucky to get 4L. Which means you have 20% waste, and this doesn't factor dead space in tiny mashtuns and kettles etc.

I'm not trying to pick holes, I'm just interested to hear how you came to this decision.

Cheers,

Dave

 

[Zwickel]

Im very interested in automations, although I think it isnt possible to build a system that matches to all brewers demands.
There are so many different brewing systems out in the world, guess there are only a few looking and working identically.

Anyway, Ill be watching this venture with interest.

Cheers

 

[Pumpy]

There goes all the enjoyment of brewing your own beer.

Franko

Exactly Franko,

Yep bandito you are still going to build a big robot to empty the mashtun and clean out the kettle with a scrubby .

sounds like a university assignment to me .

You have to be able to mash a beer before you can automate a system.

I am sure you will enjoy building it more than brewing the beer .

Dont encourage him Zwickle remember Zizzles posts 10000 posts later and the auto brewery still looked like mine with a computer in front of it

pumpy

 

[LethalCorpse]

So what if it is a university assignment? It'd still be a project of his own choosing, and an admirable one at that. Many folks like to open and close valves by hand. Some like to build stuff to do things for them. Maybe that would take the enjoyment out of it for the former crowd, but for the latter, the enjoyment is in the solving of these problems through careful design. Every person on this forum is a geek, in one way or another. We're just geeks in different ways.

 

[Bandito]

Sounds like a great project. I'm curious though why you chose to only do 5L batches?

Having done many 5L mead batches I can tell you that once you account for trub and yeast you'd be lucky to get 4L. Which means you have 20% waste, and this doesn't factor dead space in tiny mashtuns and kettles etc.

I'm not trying to pick holes, I'm just interested to hear how you came to this decision.

Cheers,

Dave

It just seems like a small enough volume to reduce the total size of the system including vessles to hold idophor solution etc. and total cost of vessels, valves and pumps to a level I can handle and afford. I am using successive approximation for this - I am making a guess and will size everything off it, and adjust it later if need be. It does effect required flow rates and this allows me to specify smaller pumps.

I plan on using HERMS to heat the mash, and a peristatic pump for pumping.

 

[rwmingis]

Subscribing myself too.

Wow, it's quite the undertaking, wish you the best of luck. Reckon you'd be doing REALLY good to keep to that budget; for example just my RIMS system alone (here) has already surpassed a grand, and that's just the Mash, mainly because I bought my components here in Australia, and stuff cost's 3 times as much here than over seas. I did use the higher quality parts buuuuuut...

Looking forward to seeing your updates.

Cheers,

Rob

 

[Mickydp1979]

Sounds like great project.

Being an electronic engineer, this type of engineering appeals to me.

Also being an engineer, I like to get away from it all and make a big mess crushing grain, boiling wort and making beer

Keen to see your progress though Bandito.

 

[komodo]

I am a draftsman and have drafted a few manifolds for commercial brewerys. I also have a fair bit of experience in reading process flow diagrams (PFD's) and modeling pipes and equipment to achieve the process. I work in 3d cad on xsteel, prosteel, autocad, solidworks and inventor, so I model the parts in the true 3d scale in x, y and z to ensure it all goes together.

I don't doubt your skills as a drafty - but this is a serious undertaking for a hobby.
From one drafty to another - good luck.
I've worked with some of the best drafties out there and theres only a small handful that I believe could achive such a project single handedly. Even then I'd still not like to hold my breath for them. Good luck.

Personally if it were me I'd be looking to do at least half size (12L) batches. I actually think that hands on tinkering is going to be way more valuable than any amount of CAD work. Something I've learned alot about now that I run a fabrication workshop. You can spend 10 hours working something out in CAD that someone can work out in 5 minutes when manufacturing.

Once again good luck - I'm definately subscribing to this!

PS what field of drafting are you in? Sounds like your in mechanical trades?