Our microbrewery equipment is designed with Fermenting Conditioning Unitanks made for 3 bar working pressure, that’s why they can also be used as brite-tanks (serving tanks). This is money saving and can prove priceless for brewing equipment setups to be placed within reduced floor space.
Unitanks are sometimes called fermenters or CCT (cylindro-conical tanks), and they form a substantial part of brewery equipment called Cellar. They are also substantial for brewery system expansion when higher beer production is achieved by installing additional unitanks together with cooling system (chiller package), and control system upgrade.
Unitanks/Fermenters are designed to perform 2 functions:
1) Primary fermenting of wort into beer
2) Secondary fermenting & conditioning/maturation of beer
(for more information on brewing process see Brief Brewing Info)
Materials:
stainless steel AISI 304 (SUS 304)
Internal jacket: 3mm thickness
External-Jacket: 2mm thickness
Inner surface treatment:
cold-rolled lates 2B finish, grinded to Ra 0,8 µm.
External surface treatment:
cold-rolled plates 2B finish, grinded to SB.
Insulation:
Polyurethane 100 mm
Cooling – fully welded cooling-jackets (dual glycol zones):
Cylinder: 1 or 2 cooling-sections (depending on unitank size)
Conical bottom: 1 cooling-section (zone)
Cooling medium: propylene glycol
Unitank working pressure: 3 bar
60 degree cone
Fermenting conditioning unitanks are cylindro-conical stainless steel, vertical, double-walled, jacketed & insulated, dished head pressure vessels.
Cylindrical and conical parts have independent glycol cooling zones controlled by temperature sensors and solenoid valves. Conical part has bottom outlet yeast/sediment removal pipe.
Unitank accessories include:
– side or top manway
– CIP port + sanitation spray-ball Ø 65 mm
– mechanical pressure valve with analogical pressure gauge
– vacuum safety valve (relief) G ½“
– bunging apparatus G ½“ (mounted on the inlet pipe, controlling CO2 level)
– wort output DN32 (butterfly valve)
– yeast/sediment removal bottom valve DN32 (central output)
– level gauge DN12
– sample valve/cock G 3/8“ (butterfly valve)
– thermosensor DN 7
– analogical thermometer
– IN/OUT cooling line valve
– electric solenoid valve
– stainless tube legs with fully adjustable feet (AISI 304)
Fermenting & Conditioning Unitank is designed to perform fermentation and maturation of beer. Aerated wort cooled down to fermentation temperature is transferred to Unitanks. Yeast is added either in Yeast-Addition Tank during transfer of wort through Wort-Cooler (heat-exchanger) to Unitanks/ fermenters or manually directly into wort pumped to Unitanks. About 2 hours after yeast is added to wort, all free oxygen is consumed by yeast and sugars won from malt start to be converted into ethanol (alcohol), CO2 and heat. Wort is thus converted into beer. Main fermentation runs at 9 – 12°C and is completed within 5 – 7 days. Then the temperature must be reduced to 4°C.
Yeast and micro-particles settle down in unitank’s cone during fermenting process, and it is recommended to remove this sediment on a daily basis. Fermentation process is followed by maturation/conditioning which is done at 0 to -1°C. During conditioning process beer absorbs CO2, matures in taste and fragrance. The whole process of fermentation and maturation lasts 16 to 28 days or longer, depending on produced beer type.