Husky's 2.5BBL Collaboration Brewery Build - 3V 300L

[Thefatdoghead]

How will you be cleaning the mash tun?
Will you have sight gauges on all vessels?
I was thinking of selling cubes once my rig is going. Maybe another idea for your setup?

 

[husky]

How will you be cleaning the mash tun?
Will you have sight gauges on all vessels?
I was thinking of selling cubes once my rig is going. Maybe another idea for your setup?

Mash tun has a manway on the front for spent grain removal. Brewery cleaning will be done with a pressure washer as none of the pumps will deliver enough pressure for a spray ball.

Provision for sight gauge on HLT only. HLT will have pressure transmitter for volume indication via PLC calculation. MT don't think needs level and kettle also has provision for a pressure transmitter if required. Can see into the MT and KT easily so not really worried about sight gauges.
Kettle volume calc with a ruler.
MT liquor volume will be calculated in the PLC by the volume removed from the HLT.

Selling cubes may be an option although I don't think there will be too many issues getting collab brewers in this part of the world. There seems to be a bit of interest in bigger batch brewing in SE Melbs and the 10-12 cubes this could be ran at won't take long to disappear.

 

[husky]

It's been like Christmas lately with deliveries every day! we know the postie quite well now. Almost all the equipment has been delivered, pumps, PLC, HMI, valves, temperature, flow and level transmitters, heat belts, heating elements, sight glass etc. The nano pump is just awesome, put a gauge on it and get approx. 60kPa from it dead headed so will be trying a spray ball to see if there's enough pressure for a CIP of the kettle, generally you need 100kPa but will see how it goes.
Spent a good 50-60 hrs building over the past couple of weeks and have finished most of the mechanicals to the point where today I filled the HLT with water and transferred it to mash and HLT and then back to HLT again checking for leaks. Also wired up one of the 5kW HLT heaters temporarily to prepare for a brew day next weekend, plan to do a 100ish L batch to test the system just manually switching pumps and heaters etc as the electrical is still a while away.
Still finalising electrical design and ordering all the required electrical parts but I have got the panel backing plate cut and ready to start assembling once all parts arrive. I have got the PLC and HMI temporarily wired to start working on the programming side while I spend the next couple of months on the electrical panel.
Decided to incorporate a HERMS/RIMS on the mash tun. It has a central tube of heated oil with a 4500W element surrounded by a 12mm jacket of wort and then some insulation on the outside. The surface area is less than a coil style herms but I wanted to give it a go anyway. The mash tun also has 4kW of heating in a heat belt so mash ramping should be ok even though I don't plan on doing much step mashing on this system, it's really just for fun at this stage.
Really really happy with how it's shaping up.

 

[Mardoo]

Wow. Again.

 

[malt junkie]

there really are no words......

 

[homebrewnewb]

so husky, after you're done you can sub-contract to the semi pros. no need to reiterate but this build looks amazing, very polished.

 

[Zorco]

It could be his plan... aspiring programmers create some killer software solution for free, blog and update it then Google says, like your work - wanna come to the best?

Husky is next level. Love all his threads...

 

[husky]

so husky, after you're done you can sub-contract to the semi pros. no need to reiterate but this build looks amazing, very polished.

It was a thought early on to justify the costs to the missus but the reality is it would be a pain to transport and it's too small for gypsy brewers but I think. Might be an ok size for a pilot rig for some medium sized breweries to run trial batches perhaps. By making it equivalent or better quality to what is commercially available certainly allows for future options

 

[malt junkie]

You know you're eventually going to run out of shed room, maybe you should just skipped ahead and built the 50hec

 

[husky]

Shed definitely full, this one set up outside, lucky its all stainless and IP rated!

 

[Mardoo]

I'm really interested in the heat exchanger idea you're working with. It seems like dialling in the flow rate will be crucial with that design. Any chance you can post some design drawings, or is that proprietary? I mean, Husky WOULD be a good name for a manufacturer of innovative brewing equipment

 

[homebrewnewb]

It was a thought early on to justify the costs to the missus but the reality is it would be a pain to transport and it's too small for gypsy brewers but I think. Might be an ok size for a pilot rig for some medium sized breweries to run trial batches perhaps. By making it equivalent or better quality to what is commercially available certainly allows for future options

i'm not talking about your gear mate, sub contract your smarts - i bet that's portable right?
consultant i believe they call it design and fabrication etc, etc...

 

[husky]

I'm really interested in the heat exchanger idea you're working with. It seems like dialling in the flow rate will be crucial with that design. Any chance you can post some design drawings, or is that proprietary? I mean, Husky WOULD be a good name for a manufacturer of innovative brewing equipment

Initially I will use flow as a guide only as I have no way of automatically varying it and it's a calorific flow meter so it's got good repeatability but not as accurate as some other types.
Due to the smaller surface area it mat need to be run slow but only testing will tell. I'll send you a drawing, it's not proprietary but it's based on my ideal process and still un tried and may not work. The heating control has the ability to be set up as a cascade control loop using one control loop on the oil temp to set the setpoint of the second control loop on the wort outlet temp, massive overkill but will keep me amused for a while.

 

[husky]

i'm not talking about your gear mate, sub contract your smarts - i bet that's portable right?
consultant i believe they call it design and fabrication etc, etc...

That's what I do for work just not in the brewing industry. I'm pretty sure the craft guys don't get too much stuff custom designed & engineered, there just not the $$ there for them to do it.

 

[Mardoo]

When I win the effin' lottery, yer my goto man.

A couple things come to mind, and I'd guess you've already thought of this stuff, but since you ask for input... On the HEX, a tangential inflow seems like a good idea to create turbulence and step up the heat exchange process. Or then there's the very interesting effects you get from a cylinder spinning within a cylinder, separated by a fluid filled space (in this case wort), but that would just be a bitch to engineer, I would think. The oil filled cylinder inside the HEX spinning around? Fun little thought game for me of how to achieve that, knowing SFA about engineering.

 

[husky]

Gearing up for a trial run this weekend manually switching elements and pumps since the electrics are still a while away. Keen to know how the mash/lauter process is going to go and also the un tried false bottom so doing a 100L batch to kick it off. This means that every night this week is shed night! Spent 4 hrs insulating the HLT tonight which was about 4 x longer than I thought it would take as it has a lot of cut outs and gets permanently glued to the HLT, budget dictates no stainless cladding so armaflex will have to do for now.
Also temporarily wired up 24v to all the temperature transmitters which will be required on the weekend and did some test heating up of the HLT with only the 4kw element.
Had a go at making a mash/spent grain removal tool which is a bit dodgy but will see how it goes.

 

[homebrewnewb]

*heavy breathing*

 

[Zorco]

*tingling sensations*

 

[mofox1]

*tingling sensations*

That could just be a STD...

 

[malt junkie]

*heavy breathing*

*tingling sensations*

You two have a romance brewing? .... I'll be voting yes just for you guys