Cooling characteristics of uni-tanks.

Larson, J.W. and Brandon, H.J.

Abstract
To optimise the design of vertical fermenters the heat transfer of the tank cooling process of beer from fermentation temperature to temperatures slightly above freezing is theoretically and experimentally investigated. The general heat transfer formula is applied to jacketed tanks and complete axial and radial temperature profiles during unitank crash cooling are measured under different conditions of geometry and jacket configurations. Tank wall and boundary layer temperature are monitored. Bulk beer temperature and the overall heat transfer coefficient are calculated from this data. The cooling characteristics of a unitank can be represented by an overall heat transfer coefficient, depending on tank geometry, cooling jacket arrangement, cooling medium, beer temperature etc. Flow mechanism in the boundary layer is turbulent, mixing or convection is an important aspect of the cooling mechanism.
Keywords : beer cooling flow temperature unitank wort