Steam Boilers
(book excerpts)Brewhouses need to be able to heat water used for mashing, sparging, and wort boiling. To do this, they need to heat water to a specific temperature using steam heating. Steam is used because it is an efficient carrier of heat. Steam is produced in the boiler and carried to the brewing equipment by a pipework distribution system. At the process it gives up heat and condenses. Steam boilers contribute more to the craft brewing process than just heating ingredients. There’s also the matter of cleaning and sterilizing the tools and equipment that are used in brewing, including the mash tuns, brite beer tanks, fermenters, etc. In addition to the beer brewing process requirements steam is often required for the heating and air conditioning system in a brewery.
Click on the following topics for more information on brewery steam boilers.
Topics Within This Chapter:
- Steam System Operation
- Generation
- Distribution
- End Use
- Recovery
- Steam Boiler Types
- Fire-Tube Boilers
- Water-Tube Boilers
- Modular Boilers
- Boiler Specifications
- Plate Heat Exchangers
- Steam Boiler Components
- Boiler Feed System
- Burner
- Valves
- Accumulator
- Deaerators
- Economizer
- Control Panel
- Combustion Chamber
- Boiler Level Gauge
- Exhaust Stack
- Blowdown Tank or Cooler
- Boiler System Performance
- Capacity
- Efficiency
- Startup Time
- Steam Quality
- Furnace Size
- Total Contained Energy
- Operation and Maintenance
- Keep the Boiler Clean
- Perform Regular Blowdowns
- Boiler Water Treatment
- Check Steam Traps
- Keep a Maintenance Log
- Safety Issues
