BREWING AND DISTILLING

WORT BOILING AND CLARIFICATION

Brian Eaton
©BE Inspired 2011 “Be Inspired”
 Wort Boiling and Wort
Clarification

Brian Eaton
“BE Inspired”

©BE Inspired 2011

Wort Boiling
• Key Operation - essential for quality
1. Stabilisation
Halting of enzyme activity
2. Sterilisation
3. Colour/Flavour development
Increase in wort colour and flavour-active components
Formation of reducing substances
4. Concentration
Evaporation of water and other volatiles
5. Extraction/transformation of hop components
6. Trub formation
Formation/precipitation of protein-polyphenol complexes
7. pH Decrease
8. DMS and SMM

©BE Inspired 2011

1. Stabilisation, 2. Sterilisation
• Enzyme activity halted - tertiary structure
disrupted above 750C.
• All yeasts, bacteria and spores eliminated
• Wort sterility achieved

• Note: this step is missing in the production of

distillery wort, so that enzyme activity is retained
into the washback (fermenter)

©BE Inspired 2011

3. Colour/Flavour development
• Wort darkens -melanoidin formation, polyphenol oxidation.
• Key reactions
– amino compounds and the carbonyl group ( C=O) of
reducing sugars → unstable carbonyl-amino compounds.
– on heating, they condense with polyphenols to produce
darker melanoidins
– also flavour-active compounds formed.
• Wort colour < 1/3rd from wort boiling, mostly malt kilning.
• Colour decreases during fermentation
– unboiled wort 8.8 EBC units
– boiled wort 13
– finished beer 12.3
©BE Inspired 2011
The Maillard Reaction

Melanoidins R
O
(pigments)
Amadori re- Furans
Reducing arrangements -H2O
sugars.
Reductones
+NH3
+ (α
α-Diketones) + Amino R
acid N

Amino acids. H

Pyrroles
α-Amino ketones +H2S
O2
R
S

N
R Thiophenes

©BE Inspired 2011 Pyrazines

3. Colour/Flavour development
Reducing substances

• Substances, which can react with oxygen in wort,

exert a reducing effect and are called reductones
e.g. melanoidins
• melanoidins
– malty aromatic flavour
– reddish-brown colour
– formed by Maillard reactions -reducing sugars
and amino acids. These are non-enzymic
browning reactions
– acidic
– main beer colour (also main malt colour)
©BE Inspired 2011
4. Concentration
• Water is driven of as steam, concentrating the
wort.
– Evaporation rates of 4 - 10% now common.
– High energy usage. Energy recovery important
• Years ago, 15 -20% was not uncommon – why?
– important in achieving the high strength worts,
for barley wines, strong ales and lagers.
– But easier to: -
• Partigyle - collect and boil the first (strong)
worts separately.
• Use Kettle adjuncts - sugar and syrups to
raise the wort OG.
©BE Inspired 2011
5. Extraction of hop components
• Hop resins and hop bitter substances
– most important - impart bitter taste
– α-acids insoluble in cold wort
– isomerisation during boil
– iso- α-acids much more soluble
– incomplete isomerisation - only 30 - 35 % of α-
acids are converted.
• Hop oils
• Hop polyphenols

©BE Inspired 2011

Figure 1.5.9.2 STRUCTURE OF α−ACIDS
α− & ISOMERISATION TO ISO-α
α-ACIDS
OH O

R
H

HO O OH
HO O

O OH
HO
cis-iso-α-acid
wort boil Each a-acid is transformed
to two diastereoisomers
reaction accelerated by making a total of six
α−acid heat, higher pH divalent iso-a-acids
cations (esp. Mg++& Ca++)

O O
three forms of α-acid are present
in all hop varieties: R
H
R= % OH OH
O
humulone 35-70

cohumulone 20-55

adhumulone 10-15 trans-iso-α-acid

5. Extraction of hop components
• High pH - better isomerisation
• Lower pH - better balanced bitterness, subtle??
• iso-humulone lost in break
• Milling of hop - better extraction and yield
• Pre-isomerisation – even better yield, 90%
• Isohumulone
– different α-acids isomerise to different
extents
– cohumulone gives best yield
– hops with high cohumulone (>37%) - Admiral,
Wye Target, Pioneer
– longer boil - better yield
©BE Inspired 2011
Dissolution of Iso-alpha-
acids during wort boiling
(bench-scale)
Utilisation
60.0
Iso-Pellets IKE
50.0

40.0 Min. 50%

30.0 Type 90
20.0

10.0 CO2 Extract

0.0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65
Boiling Tim e (m in.)
Comparison of Utilisation of Pellets at
Different Times of Addition to the Kettle
80
70

60
50

40
30
20

10
0
0 mins. 30 mins. 50 mins.
% Utilisation T90 Pellets % Utilisation Iso-Pellets
5. Extraction of hop components
• Hop Oils
– oils vary in aroma and character
– volatile, need to retain at least part in the wort
– aroma hops selected and added 15 - 20 mins before
cast, or later – even in whirlpool.
• Hop polyphenols
– water soluble, very easily dissolved
– hops contain anthocyanogens, tannins and catechins
– essential role in break formation
– less reactive than malt polyphenols
– polymerise - endanger beer stability
– contribute to palate fullness and astringency

©BE Inspired 2011

 Classification of Hop
Polyphenols
Polyphenols

Monomeric Polyphenols Polymeric Polyphenols

Phenolic Heterocyclic Polyphenols High MW Polyphenols Low MW Polyphenols

Flavanoids Proanthocyanidins Tannins

8-Prenylnaringenin Xanthohumol Catechins Prodelphinidin

 Why Use Hops?
Resins Oils Polyphenols

Precipitation
Bitterness
of proteins

Biological
Aroma
Stability

Taste
Foam
Stability

Anti-Oxidant Health ?
6. Trub (Break) formation
• Break - flocculent particles formed
• Need to precipitate and remove them
• Promoted by:-
– longer boiling times - 2 hour boil - all precipitated
– higher temperature
• e.g at 1400C – complete in 3 to 5 mins
– vigorous movement
– low pH - optimum 5.2
– some only precipitate as cold break when wort is cooled
– some high mol wt coagulable nitrogen-containing
substances (20mg/l) remain dissolved in the wort -
contribute to chill haze in beer
– Copper finings improve break - covered later
©BE Inspired 2011
7. Wort acidification - pH drop
• pH decreases during boil – acidic melanoidins, hop acids
but mainly the calcium precipitation of polypeptides and
phosphates, releasing H+

• phosphates : 3Ca2+ + 2 HPO42- ⇒ + Ca3(PO4)2⇓ + 2H+

• polypeptides : polypeptide --H + Ca 2+ ⇒ polypeptide---Ca⇓ + 2H+

• unboiled 5.8 - 5.9, boiled at cast 5.2 - 5.4

• Lower pH favours
– good precipitation of protein-poyphenols
– increase in wort colour
– a better, clean tasting hop bitterness
– micro-organisms less resistant
– but lower hop utilisation
©BE Inspired 2011
8. Dimethyl sulphide (DMS)
• (CH3)2S - very volatile sulphur compound.

• Garlic/onion/cooked corn aroma.

• Taste threshold 40 -45 ppb

• Munich lager style

• Precursor in malt is s-methylmethionine (SMM)

• SMM decomposes on heating to DMS i.e. in malt

kilning and wort boiling.

©BE Inspired 2011

8. Dimethyl sulphide (DMS)
• However it originates from two sources:
- Hydrolysis of malt S-methylmethionine (SMM)
during mashing
- Reduction of dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) by
yeast during fermentation
- It is thought by many working in this field
that 80% (approx) of the DMS comes from DMSO.
The variety of malt used has a direct influence on
the DMSO quantity and therefore an indirect
influence on the fermented beer DMS level.
•

©BE Inspired 2011

8. Dimethyl sulphide (DMS)

• DMS evaporates during boiling

• Long, intensive boil = more breakdown, more loss

• However, SMM into whirlpool is converted, but

can’t evaporate - closed vessel.

• Fermentation temp, warm storage affects DMS

content

• Increase during or after fermentation could also

be from bacterial infection
©BE Inspired 2011
 CH3

CH3SCH2CH2CHNH2COOH
CH3S+CH2CH2CHNH2COOH
Methionine
SMM

H3C H3C

S SO

H3C H3C

DMS DMSO

©BE Inspired 2011

Zinc content of wort
• Most important trace element in wort - need >
0.2ppm
• assists protein synthesis in yeast cells, and
controls their nucleic acid and carbohydrate
metabolism
• deficiency = fermentation problems (cofactor of
enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase)
• deficiency = reduced foam stability
• deficiency was rare until stainless steel vessels
were used.
• Often added to boil or fermenter as zinc chloride
• excess = rapid initial fermentation, slow end

©BE Inspired 2011

Boiling equipment - kettle, copper

• Types
– direct fired
– steam heated - internal or external calandrias
– hot water heated

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Direct fired

– oldest form is coal firing - rare

– gas or oil

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 Rolling Boil
Small size <200 brls
Copper Design To Avoid dead spaces
Burn on - Carameusation
a) Direct Fired often copper > heat transfer
Cleaning Problems
Labour Intensive (coal/wood)
now Gas or Oil

Cover Optional

Currents

Firebox
Enclosure Brick
Support
Traditional Bottom Fired Copper
Fig 1.8.4.1.1.

©BE Inspired 2011

 Direct-fired Open Kettles
Caledonian Brewery, Edinburgh

©BE Inspired 2011

Steam or Hot Water Heated
• Steam heating
– most common
– large surface area - reduces ∆T, reduces film boiling
and fouling of heat transfer surface
– Q = UA ∆T
• If A is big, ∆T can be smaller for the same heat
transfer Q.
• Hot Water heated
– 160 - 170OC available
– no losses due to condensate
– but heat transfer coefficient not as good as steam
– need large high pressure pipes
©BE Inspired 2011
Figure 4.03 Modern Kettle with internal verticle tube heater.

Vapour Stack

Back Pressure

Manyway door

CIP

Sight glass

Wort in

Internal Heater

Steam Condensate
Wort outlet

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 Motorised
Air Induct Fan Gearbox

Air Induct

Currents
Agitator

Steam

Asymmetric Copper e.g Steineker design

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©BE Inspired 2011
 Wort Heater Surface Area

Open Tangential Return

Above Wort Surface

Wort Kettle Wort Kettle

Typical Internal Heater Typical British External

Thermosyphon
Heater Surface Area
1.83ft 2/ US Brl
0.73ft 2/ US Brl 2
2 0.2 M / HL
0.08 M / HL
©BE Inspired 2011
 Wort Heater Surface Area
Temperature Profile Across
Clean Heater Surface
Steam Boundary Layer Wort Boundary Layer

Internal Heater WORT

Steam 34psi 2.3 Bar Heater Surface Contact Temperature

279 °F 137 °C

External Heater WORT

Steam 10psi 0.7 Bar
239 °F 115 °C
Heater Surface Contact Temperature

Wort Boiling Point (212 °F 100 °C)

Higher surface area lowers heater surface
temperature in contact with wort.
This lower Delta T is considered beneficial
for foam, flavour & flavour stability
©BE Inspired 2011
 Heater Surface Fouling - Evaporation Consistency

Steam Pressure Increased

Clean Heater Surface
(to compensate for fouling)
Steam Wort
Steam Wort
Boundary Boundary
Boundary Boundary
Layer Layer
Layer Layer
Steam
22psi 1.5 Bar
262°F 126°C

Steam
10psi 0.7 Bar Heater Surface
239°F 115°C Heater Surface
Contact Temperature Contact Temperature

Wort Boiling Point (212 °F 100 C)

°
Wort Boiling Point (212 F° 100 C)°

µ = 0.85
µ = 1.57
Clean Heater Surface Steam Pressure Increased
Evaporation Rate Evaporation Rate
7% Hr
7% Hr

©BE Inspired 2011

Wort boiling - External calandria
• Advantages of using an external boiler:-
– Heating area independent of vessel shape
– Easier to alter in future
– Large area - ideal for MVR or TVR
– Flexibility for varying kettle contents
– evaporation rate and boiling temperature easily
controlled
– controlled circulation
– tangential inlet enables copper/whirlpool option
– pressure release strips volatiles, e.g. DMS
– lower wort colour, cleaner beer, better flavour
stability
©BE Inspired 2011
Wort boiling - External calandria
• Disadvantages
– pump energy to circulate before thermo-syphon
– heat losses, need good insulation
– higher capital cost
– shear forces in tubes can result in very fine
trub, difficult to remove in the whirlpool
– need to achieve the required heat transfer area
by adding height, so that the tube flow area is
low giving high velocity and thermo-syphon
– alternatively, pump all through the boil!

©BE Inspired 2011

Wort boiling - Internal calandria
• Vertical tube bundle
– “china man’s hat” to distribute the wort - reduces foaming
– Backpressure in the tubes = higher temp 102 - 103 OC
• Advantages
– lower capital cost
– energy efficient - less heat loss and no pumping costs
– foam free boiling, once circulation starts
– low shear in the tubes
– no agitator required, although often fitted!
• Disdavantages
– Less flexible - tubes need to be covered
– Cleaning more difficult
– overheating of the wort is easily done, due to low flow in tubes =
high colour, poor flavour, initial & stability
©BE Inspired 2011
Energy efficiency
• Vapour Heat recovery ie condensation

o
90 C
Cooling Water 10oC

10000 kg/h
o
105 C
Vapour
condenser
Wort Kettle

©BE Inspired 2011

Energy efficiency
• Vapour recompression - pressure raises temperature
- thermo or mechanical (TVR or MVR)
Wort Vapour
1 Bar, 100oC

Compressor

Wort Kettle
Compressed vapour
3 Bar, 133.5oC

Steam Main
3 Bar, 133.5oC

Mechanical Vapour Recompression - MVR

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Mechanical Vapour Recompressor (MVR)

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Thermal Vapour Recompression

Venturi principle –
same as a paint spray

Paint Reservoir

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Energy efficiency
Kettle
Warm Water Fresh water K Plant

Fresh vapour
Brewhouse vapours 50-80%
Steam Jet Vapour
Compressor

Wort Kettle

Compressed steam
Internal
Boiler 1.101.4 bar absolute

Pump

Fresh water
Mixed steam condensate
Brewhouse condensate
cooler
Warm Water
Waste Water
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Boiling Regimes
Boiled Wort
Tube sheet

Steam Supply

Internal tubes

Pipe

Condensate outlet

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Factors effecting heat transfer
• Steam side film coefficient - normally good
• Thermal conductivity of tube - not ususlly significant
• Wort side film coefficient - sensitive to ∆T
Models of wort boiling heat transfer

Forced Convection Nucleate Boiling Film Boiling

Turbulance through Turbulance through Laminar vapour film

high liquid velocity bubbling and two phase blankets surface
flow
Low ∆ T Moderate ∆ T High ∆ T
High back pressure "Wettable" surface "Non -wettable" surface
High flow rate Minimal back pressure Rapid fouling
Multi pass heat exchange
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Hot & Cold Break Formation

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Hot Wort Clarification

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Merlin System

hop dosing system

vapour condenser

wort cooler
whirlpool to fermenting
cellar
Wort receiver

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PDX (Pursuit Dynamics) Wort Boiling

• A novel approach using

supersonic shockwave
technology
• Savings of up to 50% in
energy claimed and
reduced evaporation
• Was on trial at Coors,
Burton after trials at
Bri
• Installed at Sheppard
Neame

©BE Inspired 2011

 Wort Stripping

©BE Inspired 2011

 Wort Stripping

4. Description of the Wort Stripping Column :

Wort distributor
Steam Cooling water out

Preheater
Condensor
Packing
Stripping Condensate
Condensate
Cooling water in
Steam Injector
Stripping steam in column
Wort in
Support grid Wort Buffer
Wort out
Bottom tray
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 Wort Stripping

4. Description of the Wort Stripping Column :

Packing:
Internal structure of
the stripping column

General View
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Wort Clarification
What are the objectives?
• Removal of coagulated protein/polyphenol flocs
• Removal of hop debris and other solids
• Processing and disposal of trub
• Maintaining sterility
• Control of the flavour active reactions e.g.
DMS/SMM
• Cooling the wort to fermentation temperature
• Recovering high grade heat
• Aerating (or oxygenating) the wort
• Dilution to collection gravity
• Maintaining overall cycle time, minimising
effluent and energy usage
©BE Inspired 2011
 Process Flows
Boiled Wort Boiled Wort
Whole Hops Hop pellets, extracts

Hop Separator
Hopback Hop & Trub Separator
Hop separation
Hop separation Whirlpool, Centrifuge,
Trub separation Sedimentation, Filtration
Trub Separator
Whirlpool, Centrifuge,
Sedimentation, Filtration

Wort Cooler
Cooling, aeration, oxygenation, dilution

Fermentation
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 Whole Hops
Hopback or Hopjack

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 Whole Hops
Comp. Air
Hop Strainer
Wort Inlet Sparge Hops
Supply Out

Level
Control Screw
Mesh

Wort Out

C.I.P.
©BE Inspired 2011
Outlet
Wort Recovery from Hopback
• 1 kg of whole hops can retain about 5 litres of
wort.
• Sieving alone can recover all but 0.5 litres of wort
• The remaining 0.5 litres can be virtually all
recovered by hot water sparging, provided the
wort gravity can take the dilution
• Hop disposal -
– sent to spent hops tank, then to farmers,
gardeners
– dumped onto spent grains in Lauter Tun/ Spent
grains tank - cattle feed.
• In the hopback, the hops acts as a filter bed to
retain the hot break.
©BE Inspired 2011
Spent Hops

Percentage
Dry Matter 25
Crude Protein 17
Digestible Crude Protein 5

Crude Fibre 24
Ether Extract 8

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Hot break
Made up of:-
Coagulated Protein, Malt Tannin, Hop Tannin, Hop Resin,
Heavy Metals, Lipids
• Coagulated protein 50 - 60 %
• Bittering substances 20 - 30 %
• Organic materials 20 - 30 %
• Minerals 3 - 30 %
• Large Particles 20 - 80 µm
• Quantity
– copper cast 6000 - 8000 mg/l
– after separation (efficient!) 100 mg/l
– but can be up to 1000 mg/l
©BE Inspired 2011
Beer Stability
• protein-polyphenol complexes
– chill haze
• forms at low temperature, 00C say and
below
• redissolves on warming
• very small particles 0.1 - 1.0 µm
• precursor to permanent haze
– permanent haze
• as particles get bigger, > 1.0 µm, they don’t
redissolve.

©BE Inspired 2011

Protein-polyphenol haze

Hydroxyl group -OH of the polyphenol and the peptide

group -CONH- of the protein interact with hydrogen
bonding

A) B) C)

Polyphenol monomer Polyphenol polymer

unit
Protein/polypeptides

©BE Inspired 2011

 A)
Polyphenols
Flavanol type

Polyphenols important in
haze formation.
B)
A) Procyanidin B-3
B) Prodelphin B-3

Monomeric flavanol
C) Catechin

C)

©BE Inspired 2011

 Beer Stability
• protein-polyphenol complexes
– process is catalysed by Cu and Fe and goes much faster in the
presence of oxygen
– as a general rule, the higher the molecular weight of the
polyphenol, the more reactive.
– This means that compounds bigger than dimers or trimers are
lost in the boiling process and trub separation
– Monomers, such as catechin, don’t appear to react in beer
– this leaves the dimeric and trimeric flavanols as the
troublesome precursors
– Total N (nitrogen = protein) is not a good guide to haze
potential in a beer
– “Sensitive” protein (those that precipitate with tannic acid) is a
good guide

©BE Inspired 2011

Action to prevent non-biological protein haze
• Proanthocyanadin free barley - Brillant, Gallant. Low
polyphenol content.
• But lower yield on farm and more susceptible to
disease and infection

• Lower nitrogen malt or increase adjunct %

• Optimum proteolysis in mashing.

• Stop lauter tun run-off early - polyphenols not

extracted

• Increase hop rates - augments polyphenol content -

promotes haze precipitation.
©BE Inspired 2011
o Reduce hop rates - reduce wort polyphenol content and
therefore, its haze potential.

o Concentrated hop extracts

o Longer copper (kettle) boil

o Efficient hot break removal after boiling

o Use of stabilising processing aids at maturation/filter:-

o tannic acid to precipitate proteins
o bentonite to absorb proteins
o silica gel to absorb protein
o proteolytic enzymes (papain) to degrade proteins
o PVPP (polyvinylpolypyrolidone) to absorb polyphenols
©BE Inspired 2011
o Low iron and copper metal ion concentrations -
promote haze formation by catalysing oxidative
reactions

o Lower green beer maturation temperatures

o Longer green beer matuaration (lagering)

o Exclude oxygen prior to packaging to prevent oxidation

of the polyphenols

o A balanced approach to reducing, or removing, both

polyphenols and proteins is best

©BE Inspired 2011

Kettle Finings
• Carrageenan from red and
brown seaweeds
• Active components -
carregeenan, alginate and tannic
acid
• Negatively charged - attracts
proteins
• Large molecular weight
• 100,000 - 500,000
• Available as Irish Moss (raw) or
blended, formulated product
• Forms elastic, sponge type
sediments, precipitate fast
©BE Inspired 2011
Kettle Finings
• Added to the Wort Copper at the end of boil or
into the whirlpool - better for safety.
• Can be in tablet form with bicarbonate to aid rapid
dispersion.
• Faster and tighter trub compaction, leading to:-
– Faster wort run-off and reduced losses
• Improved colloidal stability and beer filtration
• Need to optimise the addition rate for each wort.
– Imhoff cones or measuring cylinders with
various addition rates, select the sample with
brightest wort and most compact sediment.

©BE Inspired 2011

Kettle finings
Visual judgement of clarity 0 to 10
0 is very bright, 10 is cloudy

10
8
6
4
2
0
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
mg/litre
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 Kettle fining to clarify wort
Copper finings addition to a standard boiled wort
Imhoff Cone settlement mm after 24 hours Cold wort haze EBC after 24 hours
8
15

6
10
4

5
2

0 0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Copper finings addition in ppm
Sample of boiled wort was removed at the end of boil and appropriate kettle finings added.
Measurements were made after 24 hours

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Hot Break Removal
• Sedimentation
• Centrifugation
• Filtration
– Screen
– Leaf or Candle -Kieselguhr and Perlite
• Whirlpool

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 Sedimentation
It can be shown that a sphere of density ρs and diameter d, falling through a liquid
of density ρ and viscosity µ, will reach a terminal velocity u, such that:-
2
d g(ρ − ρ)
s
u=
18µ
where g is the acceleration due to gravity
In any given situation, µ , ρs and ρ are fixed, so to reduce the time taken for a
particle to settle, we must increase g and/or decrease the distance that the particle
must travel.
Shallow settling lagoons, called cool ships, made use of this by reducing the settling
distance ie the depth, but g is still earth’s gravity
The centrifuge achieves rapid separation of particles from a fluid by decreasing the
settling distance and increasing acceleration to 10,000+ times that of earth’s
gravity.

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Coolship

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 Sedimentation Tanks
Wort Inlet

The wort from the kettle

is transferred to the
settlement tank.
Float Offtake Arm
The wort is allowed to
stand for 20 to 40
minutes and the
clarified wort is drawn
off from the surface to
go to cooling.
Wort Outlet
Trub Outlet

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Settling Tank

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 Centrifugation

2
d g(ρ − ρ)
s
u=
18µ

Replace g with the centrifugal acceleration, rω2

2
d ( ρ − ρ ) rω 2
s
u=
18µ

where ω is the angular velocity and r is the radius of the circular path
©BE Inspired 2011
Disc Centrifuge

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Disc Centrifuge

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Disc Centrifuge

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 Solids and wort flow in the disc stack
The settling distance is reduced by filling the bowl with inclined discs, so that particles move
onto the underside of each disc and slide to the discharge area. The liquid flows towards the
centre and is discharged on the central axis

Clear
wort Centifugal
force

d= 0.3 - 0.4 mm

50 - 600
©BE Inspired 2011
Disc Centrifuge

• High capital cost

• Expensive in energy to run
• Stone damage to jet nozzles - hard metal or
synthetic semi-precious stones e.g. agate used for
the nozzles
• Effective trub removal - 15,000 g
• Low wort loss 0.2 - 0.3%

©BE Inspired 2011

Hot wort filtration
• Screens
– Inclined screens have been used to catch the
flocs - high losses, cleaning
• Powder Filtration
– Vertical Leaf
– Horizontal leaf
– Candle

• But: Labour intensive, Powder cost &

safety, Iron pick-up?, Powder disposal
• Although: Excellent clarity

©BE Inspired 2011

Whirlpool
• Most commonly used
• Simple, no moving parts
• Operation
– Wort is transferred from the kettle with high
kinetic energy - up to 4000 hl/hr- into the
whirlpool at circa 20 -30o to the tangent
– Pipe diameter is large to keep wort velocity low
< 2.5m/s - to reduce shear on trub particles.
– A nozzle is sometimes fitted but care must be
taken that the entry velocity is less than 5 m/s,
again to prevent trub shear.
– Stand time circa 30 minutes - flavour effects?
©BE Inspired 2011
Whirlpool

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Whirlpool action

Centrifugal force drives particles outwards Friction against the bottom and wall surfaces
drags particles towards the centre

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Whirlpool action

Eddy currents impede good settling in the Denk rings, or grating, breaks torus eddies
centre - torus, planetary and Taylor eddies and restores proper flow
©BE Inspired 2011
Whirlpool design
Vent Stack
H:D ratio ideally 0.75:1
range 0.5:1 to 1:1
Clockwise or
anti-clockwise spin? Whirlpool design

Tangential Wort Inlet in bottom

50% third of vessel, typically about
1m above the floor
15% Floor slope 1o to 2o
1m

Wort to FV

Water Inlet to disperse trub cone

©BE Inspired 2011 Drain
Whirlpool design
* “Flat” base as previous
* Convex
* Concave
* Centre sumps (trub
bucket) in flat base -
sized to hold the trub
volume
* Conical base - often
used with a centrifuge

Trub Outlet to
Centrifuge/Decanter
©BE Inspired 2011
Trub processing
• Trub cone stability.
– Trub cone can break up at the end of vessel
emptying. Run-off rate decreased so that wort
can escape from the cone and not wash it
towards the outlet

Wort from from out of cone

©BE Inspired 2011

Trub processing
• Cone often broken up with a water jet in flat
vessel, or gravity flow in conical
• Options for trub processing
– Process with its “mother” batch
• sediment the trub in the whirlpool
• run a decanter or screen on the trub
• add centrate/filtrate back into main wort
flow
• “solids” added to lauter tun or spent grains
tank

©BE Inspired 2011

Trub processing

• Options for trub processing

– Process trub separately -collect in trub tank
• add to Lauter tun at end of run-off
• run on decanter/screen and add wort to
copper and thickened trub to lauter
tun/spent grains
• Worst option - disposal to sewer/ drain due to
very high BOD and temperature, low pH

©BE Inspired 2011

Trub processing

Whirl-pool

Wort

Clear wort

Recovered wort

Trub

©BE Inspired 2011

Trub processing Wort Recovery from Whirlpool Bottom
Temperature 95 - 100 o C
High sugar content - caramelisation
Frequent CIP required

Wort Outlet
Trub/Wort
Inlet

Trub Outlet

©BE Inspired 2011

Vibrating Screen Separator

Trub slurry
in

Mesh Screen

Trub
Eccentric
out
WORT Weights

out

Motor

©BE Inspired 2011

 Wort Cooling
• Plate Heat Exchangers

Corrugated
Pattern
Gasket

Supply

©BE Inspired 2011 Return

Wort Cooling
• Advantages
– Good heat exchange due to :-
• very thin chrome nickel steel plates
• turbulent flow due to plate profile
• very narrow flow area between the plates
• reduced fouling due to turbulence and high velocity
– Flow direction can be easily and frequently changed - at
design stage
– Good liquor:wort ratios
– Low space requirement
– Low residence time for the wort
– Easily cleaned by CIP systems
– Low pressure drop

©BE Inspired 2011

Plate Heat Exchangers
• Disadvantages
– Vulnerable to pressure shocks - can “pop” a
gasket or deform the plate
– Chrome nickel steel has relatively poor
conductivity - but need the strength and
corrosion resistance
• Stainless steel 321 15 W/mK
• Stainlees steel 316 25 W/mK
• Copper 403 W/mK
– Heavy solids can block the narrow flow passages
– but the only realistic option!

©BE Inspired 2011

 Plate Heat Exchangers
• Design options
Co-current Flow Counter-current Flow
Temp. Temp.

T1 Wort T1
Wort
T4
T2

T4
T2
Cold fluid
T3 Cold fluid T3

Counter-current is more thermally efficient since better use is made of

the low temperature of the cold fluid, with the wort leaving at a low
temperature for fermentation and the cold fluid being heated to a
relatively high temperature, for use as mashing liquor etc.
So in counter current, T2 is lower and T4 is higher for same T1 and T3
©BE Inspired 2011
• Design Options - Single or two stage cooling?

Glycol
Hot Liquor
Tank

FIC

TIC

©BE Inspired 2011

Wort Inlet Wort to FV
• Design Options - Single or two stage cooling?

LIC

Hot Liquor Chilled Liquor

Tank Tank, 40C say

FIC

TIC

©BE Inspired 2011

Wort Inlet Wort to FV
 Single Stage cooling
• Advantages – The risk from glycol
– Simpler construction etc pick-up is moved to
– Simpler operation & the liquor exchanger,
control where pressures can be
– Cheaper capital cost conveniently flexed to
prevent a contamination
– Higher grade heat
recovered • Disadvantages
– Chilled liquor – A second exchanger is
temperature can be required - but not
flexed to optimise necessarily a plate heat
energy and flows exchanger
– Peak loads are
smoothed
©BE Inspired 2011
Liquor Addition
• Common practice to slightly dilute the wort into
FV
– to achieve a consistent original gravity at the
start of fermentation
– to flush through all wort to the FV
• Batch or continuous addition?
• Hot side or cold side of paraflow?

©BE Inspired 2011

 Liquor Addition

Batch Continuous

Strong
Wort Diluted
Wort

Liquor

©BE Inspired 2011

Batch or continuous dilution?
• Batch
– simple, cheap
– poor mixing in FV,
– flushes all wort through system
• Continuous
– more costly equipment
– ratio control based on measured wort OG
– in-line OG measurement and closed loop control

©BE Inspired 2011

Liquor Addition (wort breakdown)
• Before or after cooling?
– After
• requires sterile liquor
• smaller Heat Exchanger since wort only flow
• need to compensate for liquor temperature,
or heat/chill the liquor.
– Before
• sterility easy to guarantee
• good mixing through the HE
• easy control on a feedback loop
• energy in lot liquor totally recovered

©BE Inspired 2011

 Ratio Control Loop

Water

Ratio Ratio
Setpoint Controller

F
F flow QIC
measurement

flow original gravity

Wort
measurement measurement

©BE Inspired 2011

Oxygenation or Aeration?
Position of injection?
• Up to 8 mg/l - Air, above 8 mg/l - Oxygen
• Solubility versus Sterility
– Hot side
• wort oxidation and colour pick-up
• low solubility until cooled, but heat exchanger acts
as a mixer
– Cold side -
• better solubility
• Air will require filtration and line steaming
• Oxygen (Food Grade) is sterile
• need turbulence to achieve solution
©BE Inspired 2011
 Methods of Wort Aeration
• Candles - sintered metal or ceramic
– simple, effective but difficult to clean
• Venturi pipe Air or O 2

– simple, cleanable Wort

• Mixers - centrifuge (if used for trub separation)

• Mixers - static

©BE Inspired 2011

 Aeroset

Air/O2

Steam

Wort

©BE Inspired 2011

 Aeration control
• Best to use mass flow meter, due to pressure
fluctuations
• To dissolve air/O2, require turbulence and very small
bubbles
• In practice only 10% of air/O2 injected dissolves
• Open loop control is therefore problematic
• Closed loop better, O2 meter sited well downstream -
but time lag can make control difficult

©BE Inspired 2011

Cold Trub Formed at Various
Temperatures
C o ld B r eak (m g /m l) 350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Temperature (Centigrade)
©BE Inspired 2011
Cold break
• Wort goes cloudy as it cools below 60o C
• Small particles formed - 0.5 µm - cold break
• Protein-polyphenol complexes - similar in
composition to hot break
• Can coat the yeast - reducing fermentation rate
• Some Breweries choose to remove

©BE Inspired 2011

 Cold break removal
• Sedimentation
• shallow collecting vessel, rest, then move to
fermentation vessel - slow, labour intensive and
inefficient at removal - <50%
• risk of infection if wort is left unpitched
• Filtration
• kieselguhr or perlite - efficient -90% removal
• Floatation
• Cold break attracted to very small air bubbles
and rise to the surface, then removed - 60%
removal
• risk of infection if wort is left unpitched
• foaming
• cheap method
©BE Inspired 2011
Cleaning & testing

• Hot caustic
• Acid rinse if in hard water area
• Counter current to wort flow - removes solids
back out of the heat exchanger
• Velocity - twice the wort flow
• Regular pressure test of plate pack to ensure
integrity

©BE Inspired 2011

 Measurements of success?
• Do we have:-
– Bright, sterile wort?
– At the correct temperature?
– Diluted to the desired gravity?
– Aerated to the desired level?
– With good colloidal stability?
– With good filterability potential?
– With desired flavour components present?
– With undesirable flavour components absent?
– Is it all there! - low losses?
– Have we been energy efficient?
– Have we collected to schedule, no delays?
©BE Inspired 2011