Still Behavior Contest

punkin

Kapea

Damn gingers!

Kapea

Smaug

@Kapea said: Something is causing pressure fluctuations, and I think is due to the cooling side.

No sir.

Cooling side does not have enough influence to telegraph all the way to the ,,,,,,,beginning. Cooling side would only affect one plate at a time (starting from top down). Not simultaneously.

Kapea

Oscillating fan blowing on the column?

Littlechicago

Bad Pressure relief valve? Brownout or a dropped phase in electric service/ sine wave visibility via use of dirty generator power? My still did this once with a bad seal with a temp probe. (pressure would release stopping boil, pressure builds back up and boil takes off again.)

captainshooch

Bad prv on kettle

Smaug

@Littlechicago said: Bad Pressure relief valve? Brownout or a dropped phase in electric service/ sine wave visibility via use of dirty generator power? My still did this once with a bad seal with a temp probe. (pressure would release stopping boil, pressure builds back up and boil takes off again.)

Good theory. It's what I thought also. We were able to eliminate that variable by metering all related components.

No leaks either.

Littlechicago

Was the distillery door open by chance? seriously.

Smaug

@Littlechicago said: Was the distillery door open by chance? seriously.

No sir

mark85

It looks like something is wrong in the pot. As though something is causing sudden surges in hard boiling?

You said there is. I thing wrong with power control/input but are all the elements ok and working as intended?

Kapea

The mixer is creating a vortex that affects the contact area between the low wines and the boiler?

grim

Why does it sound like there is a little squeak every time it surges?

richard

Nope its pressure related, potentially parrot side... maybe blockage.

Smaug

@mark85 said: It looks like something is wrong in the pot. As though something is causing sudden surges in hard boiling?

You said there is. I thing wrong with power control/input but are all the elements ok and working as intended?

You're getting warmer.

Yes all elements functioning correctly.

Smaug

@richard said: Nope its pressure related, potentially parrot side... maybe blockage.

Pressure but no blockages.

grim

Vapor building up in the dip tube and collapsing? Or blowing out?

Smaug

@grim said: Vapor building up in the dip tube and collapsing?

No sir.

Go back further,,to the origin. To the begining.

FloridaCracker

ABV?

FloridaCracker

3 phase single phase screwup?

Littlechicago

is the jacket not filled correctly? or is it being circulated by a chugger pump?(jk)

Smaug

@Littlechicago said: is the jacket not filled correctly? or is it being circulated by a chugger pump?(jk)

Ding Ding Ding!!! Winner winner chicken dinner!!!

Smaug

Reservoir under filled. Care to theorize?

Smaug

Some background:

• We changed the kettle design to solve a couple of problems. The old design with two reservoirs was not as user friendly to fill or drain. The user had to do do both twice. Not a big deal,,but not optimal.
• Also we figured a single reservoir would allow for more optimal heat distribution.
• And finally we needed a slightly lower column connection since so many of our customers do not have unlimited ceiling height.

The old pair of reservoirs were about 10 or 12 inches deep. The new design has a 5 inch deep reservoir. And then perhaps an average of another average of 3" to the floor of the kettle. The floor is flat/pitched toward the drain rather than the dome bottom of the old kettles.

The new reservoir (on the 500L) holds 12 gallons of water.

However, when brought to a boil and vapor begins to occupy the head space within the jacket, the liquid level in the reservoir is no longer 5" deep. To solve the issue, the user added another 5 or 6 gallons of water.

Now can you theorize about the behavior?

Littlechicago

My guess is there was some vapor cycling in a pattern or violent volume shifts from the steam due to the unequal jacket shape. Thus causing the elements to be dryish in regular intervals.

Smaug

I think you are right.

As we can see on the video, there appears to be some localized heating occurring at intervals. I reckon this occurs as water phase changes to vapor and reduces the volume in the reservoir. The result also reduces the insulating property against the floor of the kettle and allows for that bubbling we see in the kettle at that specific spot where the element is running,,,,,is what I reckon.

Interestingly the operator had perhaps 10 or 12 runs under his belt with this kettle and no issues. He subsequently changed water to check and acid wash the reservoir and jacket. I assume he didn't quite fill to the same liquid level afterwards?

Littlechicago

Could have been a number of issues. I have seen some odd vapor locks. Could have been a 1 in 10000 chance that the viscosity of the liquid and escaping air locked up in the shallow part of the jacket causing an uneven or consistent jacket fill.