Distillation and Geothermal cooling
Last Post 18 Jul 2015 10:34 PM by engineer. 6 Replies.
Printer Friendly
Sort:
PrevPrev NextNext
You are not authorized to post a reply.
Author Messages
WhiskeyDaveUser is Offline
New Member
New Member
Send Private Message
Posts:3

--
17 Jul 2015 11:26 AM
Good Morning

I am in the process of opening a distillery in Southeastern VA. I am looking to use a geothermal loop for cooling in my condensing worm. The vapor coming in to the coil will be between 175F and 212F. I will need cooling for at least 7 hours per run to cool the vapor back below the condensation point of ethyl alcohol.

I will be cooling the vapor in a worm submerged in a 53 gallon barrel. The barrel has an overflow tube to collect the return and a supply line for water into the barrel.  I will have a 60 gallon HDPE tank to use as a makeup water tank for the loop. I have attached a basic drawing of what I think I need.

So if I am using a horizontal loop buried 2 feet deep, how long do I need to make the loop? Any recommendations or suggestions are appreciated.

thanks
Dave
www.threebrotherswhiskey.com


Attachment: geothermaldraft.pdf

mtrentwUser is Offline
Basic Member
Basic Member
Send Private Message
Posts:128

--
17 Jul 2015 01:14 PM
You need to know your production rate. Ethyl alcohol has a heat of vaporization of 364 BTU per pound, a density of 6.59 pounds per gallon.

If you assume production of 10 gallons per hour it looks like
10 Gal/Hr * 6.59 lb/gal * 364 btu/lb = 23,988 btu/hr

So for 10 gallon per hour production, you need 2 tons of cooling capacity.

There is software to help design an earth loop, but there is a starting point for you. There are some rules of thumb, but too many nuances to be reliable. The two foot depth is shallower than GHX loops in general. Most commonly, you'll see 6 foot depth to avoid variation caused by proximity to the environment. At 6 foot, you'd be looking at 400-600 feet of pipe per ton.

Next time I am in Chesapeake, I'll be looking for some George Rye Whiskey. Trent


WhiskeyDaveUser is Offline
New Member
New Member
Send Private Message
Posts:3

--
17 Jul 2015 01:22 PM
The still currently has an 8" column and can support up to a 12" column. The rule of thumb for production is 1 gallon per inch of diameter.

What software would you recommend and thanks for the input!

As it stands now, we will be open for production in October, George Rye will take 24 months from then or you can have some unaged rye before 2018. The great thing and the terrible thing about great whiskey is it can not be rushed. I look forward to seeing you come out and visit.

David
 


mtrentwUser is Offline
Basic Member
Basic Member
Send Private Message
Posts:128

--
17 Jul 2015 02:05 PM
Maybe a 3 ton loop would meet your requirement. Climatemaster has a software product called "geodesigner" which helps in design of geothermal loop fields. May be a good starting point. As you get further into the weeds on this idea, you'll need someone with more hands on to implement details. What kind of water flow rates and pumps/piping that will handle that, what kind of water treatment in your loop. Since you'll be rejecting heat only, antifreeze is not much concern, but microbial growth in the loop should be considered. Most GHP have heating and cooling and balance load through a year. Since you are only rejecting heat, that could lead to long term temperature increase in your loop field. If this will run occasionally may not be much concern, but if you'll think to run 2 ton heating load continuously, the loop may need to be upsized...............There are quite a few expert installers who frequent this site and may chime in with more tactical advice........ANother site to check is www.geoexchange.org which is a site dedicated to geothermal with a standalone section for ground loop design.


WhiskeyDaveUser is Offline
New Member
New Member
Send Private Message
Posts:3

--
17 Jul 2015 02:10 PM
The cooling is only required at peak capacity 8 hours per day..... and increasing to 6 days a week over the next 18 months......

I appreciate the input and I will check out the other site as well...

David



jonrUser is Offline
Senior Member
Senior Member
Send Private Message
Posts:5341

--
18 Jul 2015 11:08 AM
Note that when you can make use of high temperatures (> 100F), a ground loop can be smaller than typical loops. In your high temp, unbalanced case, shallower than typical is beneficial since it allows more heat flow to the air.

I'd consider alternative designs too - for example, spray or trickle water on the north side of a wall (a cooling tower) and circulate it through the heat exchange barrel. Or pump/use/discharge (water the grass) using well water.


engineerUser is Offline
Veteran Member
Veteran Member
Send Private Message
Posts:2749

--
18 Jul 2015 10:34 PM
Vapor at >175*F is pretty high "grade" heat. Maybe this is being "over-thought". Going to all the trouble to design and install a ground loop to reject high grade heat may be overkill.

I would first look at economizers - ways to use this heat for process inputs. Then consider a simple "dry" cooling tower, AKA automotive radiator or hydronic coil. Another option could be a small pond in the form of a stock tank or similar open body of water. During winter the waste heat could warm a building.


Curt Kinder <br><br>

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is - Winston Churchill <br><br><a href="http://www.greenersolutionsair.com">www.greenersolutionsair.com</a>
You are not authorized to post a reply.

Active Forums 4.1
Membership Membership: Latest New User Latest: hudson2000 New Today New Today: 0 New Yesterday New Yesterday: 2 User Count Overall: 34707
People Online People Online: Visitors Visitors: 140 Members Members: 0 Total Total: 140
Copyright 2011 by BuildCentral, Inc.   Terms Of Use  Privacy Statement