How to calculate the steam needed in a microbrewery?

A lot should be considered when you open your brewery like craft brewing tech, brewery equipment cost and price,find a location for brewery, license and regulation of a brewery. This article column is specially to answer some common question during brewing.You need to consider a lot when you open your brewery like craft brewing tech, brewery equipment cost and price,find a location for brewery, licenseand regulation of a brewery. This article column is specially to answer some common question during brewing. How to calculate the steam needed in a microbrewery?

To calculate the steam needed in a microbrewery, you need to consider several factors, such as the size of your microbrewery, the amount of beer you plan to brew, the type of brewing equipment you have, and the efficiency of your brewing process. Here are the general steps to calculate the steam needed:

brewery equipment

1. Determine the amount of beer you plan to brew: This will give you an idea of the size of your brewing system and the amount of steam needed.

2. Determine the heat requirement: You need to determine the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of the water from ambient to boiling, as well as the heat required to raise the temperature of the mash water and sparge water to the desired temperature.
Mostly we can consider the brewhouse kettle evaporation rate which is usually 8%.
So if there is a 2000L brewery equipment, the steam boiler can be 2000L*8%=160kg/h.
When there is pasterizer machine, it will also need to consider to add more steam capacity in a commercial brewery.

3. Determine the efficiency of your brewing process: This will give you an idea of the amount of steam needed to heat your brewing equipment and maintain the temperature of your mash and wort.

4. Calculate the steam demand: You can use the following formula to calculate the steam demand:

Steam Demand (kg/h) = Heat Requirement (kJ/h) / (Specific Enthalpy of Steam - Specific Enthalpy of Feedwater)
5. Choose the right boiler: Based on the steam demand, you can choose the right boiler size and capacity to ensure that you have enough steam to meet your brewing needs.

It's important to note that the calculations can be complex and depend on several variables, so it's recommended to consult with a professional engineer or experienced brewer to ensure accurate calculations.

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Ivy Liang(Sales Director)
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