Wort Kettle Vapor Compressor Heat Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Brewing plants face inefficiencies in energy management, particularly in wort boiling, where significant thermal energy is lost as exhaust vapor, and reliance on external fossil fuels increases CO2 emissions.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a wort kettle with a heat exchanger, where high-pressure vapor is generated using external low-temperature energy and boosted by a vapor compressor, allowing thermal energy reuse and reducing external energy consumption during boiling, with mechanical energy sourced from regenerative or CO2-free sources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If external thermal energy is supplied to boil wort in a wort kettle, then the wort boiling process can be maintained, but significant thermal energy is lost as exhaust vapor and fossil fuel consumption increases CO2 emissions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent captures the harmful exhaust vapor that would otherwise be lost and converts it into a useful resource. The exhaust vapor containing thermal energy is directed through a heat exchanger to preheat the wort before it enters the wort kettle, transforming the waste heat into beneficial preheating energy that reduces the burden on the boiling system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary heating of the wort using exhaust vapor before the wort enters the wort kettle. This preheating action reduces the temperature difference that the boiling system must overcome, thereby reducing the external thermal energy required for boiling and lowering fossil fuel consumption.
2Loss of energy
If heat exchange circuits are provided to recover thermal energy from exhaust vapor, then thermal energy efficiency improves, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the exhaust vapor handling system with the wort preheating system into an integrated heat exchange circuit. The exhaust vapor pathway and the wort preheating pathway are merged through the heat exchanger, allowing thermal energy transfer between them. This integration achieves heat recovery while minimizing additional system complexity by combining functions rather than adding separate systems.
3Loss of energy
If a vapor compressor is used to boost thermal energy of exhaust vapor, then thermal energy recovery is enhanced, but mechanical energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a vapor compressor to change the pressure parameter of the exhaust vapor. By compressing the exhaust vapor to higher pressure, the system can transfer thermal energy more effectively to the wort and maintain the boiling process more efficiently. The pressure parameter change enables enhanced thermal energy recovery that outweighs the mechanical energy consumed by the compressor.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method significantly reduces external thermal energy use during wort boiling, minimizes CO2 emissions, and enhances thermal energy recovery, making the brewing process more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.
Implementation Method 1
boosting at least a portion of a thermal energy of the exhaust vapor by the at least one vapor compressor
Implementation Method 2
flowing high-pressure vapor through the at least one wort heat exchanger, emitting thermal energy from the high-pressure vapor to a supply side of the at least one wort heat exchanger and emitting thermal energy to the wort from a secondary side of the at least one wort heat exchanger
Implementation Method 3
when reaching an evaporation temperature of the wort, wherein exhaust vapor is generated from the wort at the evaporation temperature of the wort
Data Source
AI summary
In a brewing system with a hot water layered storage tank (2) having a high-temperature area (2′) and a low-temperature area (2″), which has at least one high-temperature water inlet (20, 21, 22), at least one high-temperature water outlet (23), at least a low-temperature water inlet (24) and at least one low-temperature water outlet (25), with a mash vessel (3), a lauter tun (4) or mash filter fluidly connected to the mash vessel (3) via a mash line (34), a wort kettle (5), which has a lauter wort inlet (50), a wort outlet (51) and a vapor condenser (6) with a low-temperature water connection (60) and a high-temperature water connection (61), the lauter wort inlet (50) being connected via a lauter wort line (52). is fluidly connected directly or indirectly to the lauter tun (4) or the mash filter, the low-temperature water outlet (25) of the hot water stratified storage tank (2) being connected to the low-temperature water connection (60) of the vapor condenser (6) and the high-temperature water inlet (21) of the hot water layered storage tank (2) is in fluid connection with the high-temperature water connection (61) of the vapor condenser (6), it is provided that the hot water layered storage tank (2) is connected to a fresh water supply (7′) via a fresh water supply line (70).) is in fluid communication and that the high-temperature water outlet (23) of the hot water stratified storage tank (2) is in fluid communication with a hot water inlet (33) of the mash vessel (3) via a mash water line (32). Alternatively or additionally, it can be provided that a wort cooler (9) is provided in the fresh water supply line, to which cold water is supplied via an external inflow line (71) which is fluidly connected to the fresh water supply (7′), which is heated in the wort cooler (9), and which is fluidly connected via an inner inflow line (72) to the high-temperature water inlet (20) of the hot water stratified storage tank (2), the outer inflow-line (71) and the inner inflow line (72) being the fresh water supply line (70) of the hot water-Layered memory (2).