by Aron Butler Sam Firke and others Electric Brewing in the AABG Electric brewing typically refers to the heat source elements designed for electric water heaters basically a big resistor inside a SS sheath ID: 178271
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Slide1
April 2014by Aron Butler, Sam Firke, and others
Electric Brewing
in the AABGSlide2
“Electric brewing” typically refers to the heat source– elements
designed for electric water heaters (basically a big resistor inside a SS sheath).
An electric element requires some level of electronic control, and this can easily escalate to automating other processes (flow, fill, etc.).Motivated by the “geek factor” versus adding a practical tool to save time and effort on particular steps?
Electric Heating vs. AutomationSlide3
Manual
control. Has a
basic switch (or timer) that applies full power to heater. Folks use bucket heaters like this.
Thermostat control. User sets temperature, controller turns heater fully on when temp is below
setpoint
, then off when above
. A
Ranco
controller woul
d work this way
.
?
Power control. User sets the percent power output of the element (pulse-width modulation or phase control
). A PID controller combines thermostat and power control functions.
ImplementationSlide4
Required Infrastructure & Investment
With 120V and ~$100... bucket heater with heavy-duty timer can provide hot strike and sparge water if turned on several hrs before dough-in.
With 120V and ~$500… RIMS system with element, temp controller, pump, and fittings can provide mash temp control (as well as hot strike water).With 240V and $1000+... full electric mash
and boil.
Best value for your brewing style?Slide5
Example: Brian Lagoe’s e-RIMS
10 gal BIAB with bucket heater for strike, 120V RIMS heater with Auber PID for mash, and propane burner for boil Slide6
Example: Aron Butler’s e-BIAB
One-vessel BIAB keggle system, single 240V element for boil and mash (RIMS-like), custom microprocessor controllerSlide7
Example: Mark Z’s e-HERMS
15
gal 3-vessel system with 240V electric boil and HLT, mash heating via HERMS, commercial PID & timer controls (similar to Kal Wallner’s setup)Slide8
Example: Sam Firke’s e-HERMS
20 gal 3-vessel system with 240V electric boil and HLT, mash heating via HERMS, commercial PID & timer controls (similar to Kal Wallner’s setup
)Slide9
Example: Matt Becker’s 50kW RIMS
Pilot-scale system with 120 gal MLT@22kW, 55 gal HLT@16.5kW and 55 gal BK@11kW. Controls include industrial PLCs and SCRs.Slide10
Depends on power (or watt) density of heater, meaning how much power must be transferred to the wort per area (square inch).
Typical element power density ranges from 50 W/in
2 (ultra-low) to 150+ (high). Ultra-low density elements present similar (or lower) temperatures to the wort as flame-fired kettles, and will not scorch as long as they remain immersed.Will I Scorch My Wort?Slide11
Is Electric Heat More Expensive?
No… for two big reasons:
All the electrical heat goes into the water, versus only about ⅓ for a typical propane burner.Retail propane is very expensive energy (about 5x more per BTU than natural gas).Rough numbers: A typical 5-gal brew session uses ~4 lbs propane, or about $5 worth. Electric equivalent uses about 8 kWh, or about $1 worth.(But per-batch savings are offset by higher equipment costs.)Slide12
That GFCI Seems Expensive…
It’s
a clever device that can save your life!
From Siemens website (GFCI vendor)Slide13
Summary (vs. Propane Burners)
Pros:
Precise mash control with RIMS/HERMS for greater repeatabilityBrew indoors with full electricMany options for automationWon’t run out of gasLower energy cost
Educational process
Quieter
Cons:
Equipment expense
Complexity
Time to build
Nonzero risk of electrocution (use GFCI!)
System is less portable
May require mods to your home’s wiring (grounds, 240V/30A outlet) or infrastructure (exhaust, sink)Slide14
Lessons Learned
Always
use grounded cords and a GFCI upstream of breweryDon’t fire elements dry (or with bubbles in RIMS tubes)Use proper wire gauge, make tight connections
Decide what you really want/need (brewday experience, features) before starting the buildSlide15
Resources
Inspiration:
www.electricbrewery.com (Kal Wallner)Aron’s build: limbrewing.wordpress.com
Parts:
www.homebrewing.org www.oscsys.com
www.brewershardware.com
www.brewhardware.com
www.auberins.com
www.stainlessbrewing.com
Advice:
Aron
Butler, Sam Firke, Mark Zadvinskis,
Brian
Lagoe, Matt Becker, Mike O’Brien, others