Foaming and a Burnt Smell on Stripping Run

grim

I almost wonder if you could run a grain in mash in a keg boiler, 4x ULWD elements at 120v, and limit the PWM to 50% max - using a pump to increase startup agitation - or run the pump the whole time more likely.

If you wanted to get fancy, put a temp sensor on one of the element sheaths and control the max PWM power input keeping the sheath temp under 250F or so.

zymurgybob

I'm not sure about which element who is calling "low", but there are 3 basic configurations of heating elements, single fold (what I'd call "high" watt density), double fold ("low"?), and double fold wavy, which I think we all agree is ultra-low watt density. Because all 3 can dissipate the same number of watts, and the "low" is close to twice the surface area of the "high" element, the "low" watt density should be close to half of the "high" density. I'm not sure how much longer the "wavy" element is but I seriously doubt, it's twice the length of the "low", so I'd not expect a huge improvement from "low" to "ultra-low wavy".

I'd avoid the single-fold elements at all cost.

CothermanDistilling

Homebrewers do a RIMS tube with great success, mine on my 10gallon system was 3kw 12" foldback running at 50-75%, and a temp probe immediately after the element.. I scorched a mash maybe twice while building it, and it was somewhat hands-on getting it running, but once running, it could do a very rapid step up(maybe 2 degrees a minute?) in temperature just by setting the PID to the new temperature..

richard

Interesting as to how the definition changes depending on whom one speaks to. Most certainly one now can only get confused.

Just spoke to my element manufacturer again and I will leave the units in W/sq inch. (On this side we work metric).

So I asked him for element diameters and what he considers Standard, Low and ultra Low.

Available diameters are 8mm and 11.2mm. Sugar he would have used 11.2mm.

Standard if there was sugar involved he would have said 20.65 W/sq inch . If it was clean water, then up to approx 60 to 77 w/sq inch.

Low (again for sugar) he would have used 15-20.6 W/sq inch and similarly for ULD he would have used approx 8 W/sq inch.

jacksonbrown

Starch and protein are the killers. Sugar is no big deal.

In the kitchen I have never had a sugar syrup catch, ever. Regardless of how may BTUs you blast the pot with. The water just boils off.
Proteins, on the other hand, will denature and stick which allows them to dry and burn on.
While starches increases viscosity which reduces convection. That allows them to dry and burn on.
It's fine until the water is removed which is why agitation fixes it. If a RIMS system is burning, one way to fix it is to see if you can increase the flow rate to get turbulent flow. Same principle as a correctly designed CIP flow rate. (sometimes you're restricted to the lautering rate though).

It should have fermented all the sugar out anyway but even high sugar content won't cause any problems until all the water is gone.
You need to get past 'hard crack' before it even takes on any colour.

punkin

Yes, hopefully you told the element guy there was no sugar in the wash ideally.

richard

It can be up to 25 to 30 g/L of sugar if we are trying to recover past bottled / kegged cider product.

grim

If 2:1 simple syrup (2000g/liter) doesn't burn on a stove (65 Brix) - I don't think that residual sugar is a problem.

Agitation looks like it gets you about double the recomended watt density.