Wort boiler heat recovery by means of a vapour recompressor and an oversized external wort heater.

Wildhagen, H.

Abstract
The wort boiling system of a 2-mash line brewhouse was equipped with a heat recovery boiling system. The wort is heated to 100 degrees C in an external wort boiler with steam from the boiler house. When 100 degrees C is reached, the vapour from the wort is directed to the turbocompressor and is compressed to 1.7 bar absolute (170 degrees C). The compressed vapour is then sent to a specially made heater in which the wort is heated. After boiling starts the wort is heated only by the oversized external heater which gets the vapour from the turbocompressor. During the whole boiling process there is no other primary energy used than that from the motor of the compressor. The wort temperature leaving the wort heater is 106 - 108 degrees C. The hot condensate is led to a cooler where it is cooled to 20 degrees C. The whole system is thermally insulated since the heat loss must be as small as possible. Heat recovery is 50%.
Keywords: brewhouse compressor energy economisation external wort boiling heat heating recovery wort