Brewing Rocket Beer

[dylan]

Hello all!


I have been doing my best to get my head around rocket stove technology…I am a newbie but have done a lot of reading and have a design that I would love everyone’s input on.


see my design here:
www.dropbox.com/s/fvuidnz9cxe547i/diagram%2001.jpg?dl=0

Basically I need to boil beer in an open pot for 60-90mins. Ideally I would like to be able to scale up my design to boil quantities of up to 200L at a time. The system here is for a 100L pot (70L) boil so I am looking to double the amount of beer I need to boil. I have been trying to find something similar or that does the same job but haven’t seen anything yet, although Donkey mentioned something about using a Bell approach instead of cookpot approach. 

As you can see the design is a hybrid of an institutional rocket stove (Apravecho research centre) and a J-tube rocket system. I haven’t included any trip wire or Peter Channel yet as first of I am just wondering if the basics of this design are actually going to work. I will be using highly insulative bricks throughout to ensure all of the heat hits the pot and doesn’t get lost on the way.



Questions:

is this any good? Are there better ways? Does anyone have any more info on a similar setup using the bell approach Donkey mentioned?


If it might work, what tweaks could I do to improve it? Or have I got it all completely wrong!?


What would be the best way to scale this up to double the size? Could I keep the J-tube the same but make a wider/taller barrel configuration to hold a bigger pot, or would I need to increase the rocket stove itself?


I am using an 8inch (20.3cm) system – do I have the J-tube set up correctly? I have used a 1:2:4 ratio shown by the dotted line.



Thanks 

Dylan

[rakettimuurari]

Hello dylan,


I see your post was already a while ago; did u finish your plan? 

Its really cool to find a brewer around rockets Maybe we could exchange some ideas? I've been home-brewing three years now and using the wood operated water boiler of my sauna. I've been figuring out improved system but I still get around fine with my ad hoc one. Water boiler is 80l large -> I fill 45l of water -> 25l steel pot with malts inside is inserted into the boiler. Then the boiler is heated gradually increasing heat and adding fuel (and water to malts and mixing the malts) every 30 min for 5-7 hrs and raising the temp of the malts from 30c to 80c gradually; during which the malt releases the sugars. Water in between lets me to be away from the boiler 30 min at times because malts wont burn in the steel bottom... Example of the boiler: www.puuilo.fi/epages/puuilo.sf/fi_FI/?ObjectPath=/Shops/2014011303/Products/10028914

These are essentially metal drums, inner surface coated with light but solid insulative refractory. Chimney opening is up very near the upper edge. Pot with sleeves on its top edges is inserted to a tightly fitted opening and supported by its sleeves thus closing the top cavity between the pot and the refractory coated metal drum. There is a normal stove fireplace in bottom and the bottom of the water pot is essentially roof of the fireplace enabling direct heat conduction.

What comes to your design - it is very interesting! If u dont mind I could suggest something. I would try to make the riser exit cavity under your beer bowl so that it would force the gases to flow along the opposite side of the pot relative to chimney opening first. Then turn towards the chimney opening at chimney hole level. This way it could be easier to make sure that u get the riser exit gap large enough. Also would like to divide the stream horizontally in the dead middle of the stream to guide it on both sides of pot before exit... Could this spread the heat bit more. drive.google.com/open?id=0B_O6G3ixIMfHSVd6R2cyeWoxcnc

I also once saw a picture about old Finnish water boiler where the smoke channel spiraled up along the huge water boiler pot before exiting to chimney; I wonder if upwards spiraling heat riser was ever tried?

About the bell option... how about like this; u can heat the brewery too and beer is not burning into the pot...?

drive.google.com/open?id=0B_O6G3ixIMfHQml4ZERMVjh4eVE

U would need stairs though...



Let me know how have u ended up with brewer!


Cheers,

-Antti-

[Jura]

Sept 1, 2017 1:54:04 GMT -8 rakettimuurari said:

Its really cool to find a brewer around rockets

I Just wanted to tender the presence of another brewer here .
(also willing to scale up his production volume form 25 l up to some 100)