What Is A Conical Fermenter

What is the configuration of the conical fermenter?
1. The inner tank is made of international standard high-quality stainless steel material, polyurethane high-pressure foam insulation, and the outer shell adopts stainless steel polishing, matt, carbon steel, spraying and other forms according to customer requirements.

2. Adopt international beer standardized fermentation production technology, online data real-time detection, remote monitoring technology can be realized, mirror polishing in the tank, reach ≤0.8um, ≤0.6um, ≤0.4um and ≤0.2um polishing quality standards, fully meet the PLC Automatic control requirements for automatic cleaning and disinfection systems.

3. The cooling jacket of the conical fermenter also conforms to the technical standards of various countries in the world. It provides a variety of jacket heat exchange methods such as Maitreya plate, arch groove, tile groove, etc., to meet the heat exchange technology requirements of different cooling media and pressure.
 

How many types and fermentation techniques are there for conical fermenters?
Generally speaking, beer fermentation technology can be divided into traditional fermentation technology and modern fermentation technology. Modern fermentation mainly includes cylindrical open-air conical fermenter fermentation, continuous fermentation and high-concentration dilution fermentation. At present, cylindrical open-air conical fermenters are mainly used for fermentation.

The reasons for the short fermentation period and fast fermentation speed of the conical tank fermentation method are the result of the hydrodynamic characteristics of the fermentation liquid in the conical tank and the result of modern beer fermentation technology.

After the yeast is inoculated, due to the coagulation of the yeast, the cell density of the yeast at the bottom of the tank increases, resulting in an accelerated fermentation speed and an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide produced during the fermentation process. The carbon dioxide content changes in a gradient with the change of the liquid layer, so the density of the fermentation liquid in the tank also changes in a gradient.

In addition, since there is a cooling device outside the conical tank, the temperature of each stage of fermentation can be artificially controlled. Driven by the static pressure difference, the density difference of the fermentation broth, the release of carbon dioxide and the temperature difference (1~2°C) generated by the cooling of the upper part of the tank, the fermentation broth in the tank produces strong natural convection, which enhances the yeast and fermentation. The contact of liquid promotes the metabolism of yeast, greatly accelerates the fermentation speed of beer, and greatly shortens the fermentation cycle of beer.

What are the characteristics of a conical fermenter?
1. Cone bottom, it is more convenient to recover yeast after the main fermentation is completed, and the yeast strain used should have good cohesion. The bottom angle of the cone is mostly between 60° and 90°, with 70° being the best, which is conducive to the sedimentation and discharge of yeast.

2. The tank is equipped with a cooling interlayer or coil, and the cooling capacity can meet the cooling requirements of the process. The cylindrical part of the tank is equipped with 2 to 3 cooling jackets, and the conical part is provided with 1 cooling jacket obliquely, which is conducive to the sedimentation of the yeast and can maintain good yeast activity when the yeast is reused.

3. The conical tank is airtight and can be used for carbon dioxide washing while recovering carbon dioxide; it can be used as a conical fermenter or as a wine storage tank.

4. The convection intensity of the wine in the tank is related to the height of the tank, the shape of the tank, the size of the capacity and the cooling system. The conical fermenter has a relatively high height, so the natural convection of the wine in the tank is relatively strong. The height of the fermentation broth in the conical fermenter generally does not exceed 15m, and the ratio of diameter to height is 1:3 to 1:5. If the height of the conical fermenter is too large, the convection of the fermented liquid is too strong, which will easily form agitated fermentation and affect the activity and normal metabolism of yeast.