Continuous Mash Stripper

bluc

Hey all,

I have built a 2.5" stripper still for processing grain mash. It's still a work in progress, trying to get the mash slurry drainage right.

Stats are 10 X 2.5" plates 16 X 6mm holes 1x 8mm hole in centre for plate tree. My stats.

I have a 3600w continuous steam generator built in a Cornelius keg.

Feel free with questions,comments suggestions. For thin wash works very nicely at 3l/hr at 60abv 500ml/min flow rate through 6mm hose.

Here's a few videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CoVUkg7Eo4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9pdPNaSMB8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s883POCT7Mc

bluc

Problem I have is getting the drain to flow. I currently have a 1/2" X 3/8th" wort chiller on the bottoms, I am going to change this to a 1" over 3" Liebig hx. If that fails I will go to a 2" waste drain with a shotty for heat recovery..

I am going to purchase a spike flow brew pump, macerating or emulsion style pump, to bust up clumps and keep everything suspended.

The question would the Spike flow pump me suitable to push grain through column it has 9.5psi pressure.

bluc

That should be 1" over 3/4"

Smaug

Are you going to push your effluent through the shell or through the tube?

Can you post a diagram that somewhat mimics the effluent circuitry with respect to the elevation changes in your piping?

I personally would use a dedicated emulsion pump to recirculate the beer in your beer well. You're going to want that thing running full blast in order to chew up as much material as possible as well as keeping the solids in a constant suspended state.

Then use your metering pump to feed the still. Trying to use an emulsion pump to meter in feed stock is the wrong tool.

Smaug

There is probably not a whole lot of back pressure on that little system. I don't think you'll generate enough pressure to drive your solids up hill in order to discharge. Imo, you'll need to utilize gravity to discharge your effluent. You may also need the assistance of a metering pump if you need to transfer your effluent very far away from the still?

You'll need to maintain your trap in order to not loose steam out of the ass end of your beer column. So basically, spent beer exits the column, turns downward into your heat exchanger that will also double as your trap.

bluc

Ye I have been worried about the pressure and effluent. I will have to try a few things I will report back. I was going to send the spent mash through the middle of Liebig and reclaim some heat with the shell to pre heat the beer .

bluc

@Smaug what do you think of I put a small U trap on end of condenser to slow but not restrict flow.

I am going to replace bottom piece of stripper with a tee. Side effluent 2" out into elbow down into a 3/4" Liebig. Adjust amount of fall for drain small tube on end to be sure of vapour lock. It also has a 3/4" port I plan to use for a thermometer.

bluc

Sorry not a small tube a u bend tube on end of effluent hx to prevent vapour bypass. The amount of fall on drain adjustable by the side exit on a triclamp and elbow.

bluc

Just going to bucket waste to final destination for now only 8l ever 22mins.. Maybe a pump, auto level sensor setup in future.

crozdog

Could you use a macerator pump on the bottoms out? You'd still have to manage the bottoms out / trap

Smaug

This is how we do it.

bluc

Smaug do you seperate the effluent over a screen then seperate pumps to move it or just internal column pressure to move the effluent?

Smaug

One of the guys that runs a smaller system chooses to pump his grain in beer into a beerwell that has a screen. Most of the solids are left out of what gets pumped to the injector.

On the 12" there is enough pressure that the effluent can be driven a out 75' and lifted about 7'. Any more than that a pump is needed.

bluc

Ok awesome. One of my goals for building the stripper was to process all ethanol including what's trapped in the grain.I am thinking pre sifting the grain but clumps will form during fermentation anyway. So as suggested I think an emulsion pump on the fermenter is in order and should allow me to pump entire contents of fermenter through the stripper...