Distillery & Brewery Water Treatment for Boilers

May 3, 2024

Water quality and temperature are two important factors for distilling and brewing various kinds of spirits. Boilers are utilized to heat several processes in these operations. Ethanol, water, and other ingredients will differ in taste and quality if the right procedures are not used.

Best Steam Boiler Type for a Brewery or Distillery?

There are three main types of steam boilers found in breweries and distilleries: Watertube, Firetube, & Modular.

• Watertube: These can be more efficient for large operations, which require a significant amount of steam. They can handle much higher pressures than firetube boilers can. However, it has a high up-front cost. The way it works is that water circulates its tubes and surrounding combustion gases turn it into steam. 

• Firetube: These have a lower upfront cost and are less efficient. The upfront cost is lower, creating an opportunity for smaller distilleries and breweries. It operates with combustible gas flowing through its tubes, heating surrounding water.
• Modular: For small or variable operations, modular boilers could be the right choice. Modular boilers are efficient in low-demand situations or can aid in high-demand situations. They are typically a water tube design but only go through one pass instead of multiple.

Sanitization of Distillery and Brewery Facilities

Steam is an easy, low-cost way to sterilize brewery and distillery equipment. It is also convenient, as it is already set up for the brewing/distilling operations. Whether cleaning stills, mesh, kegs, bottling lines, fermenters, kettles, etc. steam is the ideal choice.

The CDC recognizes four processes to effectively sterilize with steam: “steam, pressure, temperature, and time.” Dry, saturated steam completely kills bacteria because of its unique qualities. Water’s state (solid, liquid, gas) depends on its temperature, and the dryer the steam, the hotter the temperature. Wet steam can still harbor bacteria/viruses and is less effective at penetrating biofilm. The ideal pressure allows for the steam to meet the temperatures required for sterilization of 250 °F and 270 °F as a minimum. The greater the temperature, the less chance bacteria/viruses have of surviving. Besides these and other factors, a certain duration of time is required to effectively sanitize brewing and distilling equipment. 15-20 minutes at a temperature of 250°F is a common duration for many facilities.

How Boilers Impact the Brewing Process

In traditional breweries, microbreweries, craft breweries, and brewpubs alike, steam boilers play an important role in the brewing process. For lautering, the temperature involved is especially important for certain steps.

1. Mashing: malted barley is mixed with heated water and breaks down into fermentable sugars. If overheated, there will be longer sugar molecules that are more difficult for the yeast to convert.
2. Recirculation: The purpose is to remove wort and reintroduce it so the enzymes and liquid can interact to convert more carbohydrates into sugars. Low temperatures lose wort body and high temperatures cause sugar to become difficult to ferment.
3. Sparging: rinsing mashed grain to extract sugars and not husk tannins. The pH of the water will impact this process and impact the husk tannins solubility. Overheating can cause astringency (a strong vinegar flavor) and a higher pH.

Boiler’s Importance for Distilling

In addition to mashing, recirculation, and sparging boilers are important for heating during distillation.

1. Heating Stills/Pots: the alcohol is boiled at a particular temperature based on the concentration of ethanol (pure ethanol’s boiling point is 175°F as a reference). As a still or pot runs, the temperature increases. Temperature is useful for knowing when to seal the still and when to shut it off. Boilers have temperature probes and automatic controls that can turn on and off hands-free for the ideal temperatures.
2. Types of Spirits: Different spirits such as vodka, whiskey, rum, bourbon, and tequila require different temperatures and procedures. The temperature of the mash should be boiled depends on the ABV of the mash. Higher wash ABV requires less heat than lower wash ABVs.
3. Taste: The taste of spirits is impacted by the distilling temperature. For instance, with rum, a “butter” flavor can be achieved by increasing the diacetyl. Diacetyl is achieved at higher fermenting temperatures.

Boiler Issues at Breweries & Distilleries

Problems

• Scale: Calcium and magnesium buildup from water deposits. Hard water with high mineral contents causes this. Over time, the scale thickens, and it insulates the heat transfer surfaces, which limits the thermal conductivity and efficiency of the boiler.
• Corrosion: Over time, boilers can rust or have pitting. This is caused by dissolved oxygen interacting with the metal on the boiler surfaces. Higher temperatures and pressures amplify the oxidization. This can cause mechanical issues and impede heat transfer.
• Foaming (Carry Over): Solids in the water form bubbles that will accumulate on the surface. Priming is when these particles cause water to mix with the steam and cause wet steam.

Solutions

• Scale Prevention: Water softeners and scale inhibitors. Water softeners remove minerals from the water before it enters the boiler. Scale inhibitor dissolves minerals and prevents scale formation. When scale forms it usually takes as much time to remove as it has taken to accumulate. We are so confident your system will not scale up with us servicing it that we offer a Scale Free Guarantee.
• Avoiding Corrosion: An oxygen scavenger is typically used. The most common oxygen scavenger chemical for boilers is sulfite. The oxygen scavenger absorbs oxygen, hindering the oxygen’s ability to react with the boiler’s metal surfaces and causing corrosion.
• Defoaming: Anti-foaming agents reduce surface tension, preventing bubbles from forming in the water.

Boiler Water Treatment Maintenance for Alcohol Production

Processing Efficiency

Untreated steam boilers will significantly reduce the efficiency of your brewing or distilling equipment. Impeded heat transfer will drive up energy and water usage. 

Manufacturing Downtime

Utilizing a remote monitoring system identifies patterns before they become issues. Many of the water treatment maintenance requirements can be done by automatic controllers. These controllers activate and shut off chemical feeds, ensuring your boiler is regularly maintained.

Cost Management

How much does it cost to replace a steam boiler in a brewery or distillery? Replacement, significant cleaning, and repair are all preventable. In addition, an efficient system will pay for itself.

Water Filtration

Water makes up most of the composition of alcoholic drinks. This explains why water quality has such an important impact on the taste, consistency, acidity, and potential contaminants in alcoholic drinks. There are various types of filtration systems to choose from for breweries and distilleries. These filters remove contaminants such as sodium, chlorine, sulfates, magnesium, and calcium.

• Reverse Osmosis (RO System): This is a popular potable water system for brewers and drinking water applications. It involves the application of force to a semipermeable membrane which removes up to 99.99% of particulates.

• Absorption filters: Absorb and trap particulates. Carbon is the most common one due to its structural properties that allow it to trap impurities.

• Particle filters: A physical screen traps contaminants too large to pass through. The smaller the microns in the filter holes are, the smaller the particles it can trap. Common materials for this include ceramic and polypropylene.

Boiler Water Treatment Services

Chardon Labs offers regular chemical water treatment services for boilers at breweries and distilleries. Ensure consistent operations and the quality of your beverage products. We perform scheduled services and can provide all of the relevant chemicals and equipment necessary. Our valuable customers are brewing and distilling without running into issues with their boiler. Get in touch by calling (380) 224-7395 or leaving a message!

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