BLUF: Slowing my flow rate during the mash and runoff seemed to do what I was looking for. With all else being equal, I saw a slightly better extract efficiency.
I installed a rotameter in my flow path and received some interesting feedback from it. Here’s the results of my effort:
With water alone the rotameter registered well over 1 gal per minute flow at my normal flow valve gap setting developed from trial and error. So, I lowered the flow and took a new measurement of the gap between the cap and body of the pump linear flow valve.
On my most resent brewday using the lowered setting it was so low it was nearly not flowing at all. That makes sense to me given the grain load restriction in the MLT vs water. This I believe is my initial differential pressure. Starting slow is a good thing.
So, I increased the flow and took a new measurement. But a few minutes later, it again had fallen below my intended flow rate. Again, I believe this makes sense as the grain bed begins to compress and differential pressure increases. So, I again increased the flow.
After a few iterations of this set, fall, set, fall, the bed must have found a differential pressure/grain bed compression equilibrium ‘sweet spot’. It did not fall again throughout the rest of the mash. The final gap measurement was more narrow than my original trial and error derived measurement prior to the rotameter install but wider than the test run with water alone.
However, keeping the same ‘sweet spot’ flow rate, once I redirected the flow into the BK, I noticed the flow reducing as the wort level in the BK increased/MLT decreased. I believe this also makes sense given the smaller and smaller qty of wort to grain ratio increasing the load and affecting the differential pressure further compressing the grain bed.
Slowing my flow rate during the mash and runoff seemed to do what I was looking for. With pH at 5.4 and all else being equal, I saw a slightly better extract efficiency. ...but I am intrigued with what to do about the runoff flow slowing at the same mash recirculation flow valve gap setting as the MLT drains.
I may increase mash temp prior to runoff in an attempt to lower viscosity. I usually do not increase to mash out temp.
Wort velocity, flow resistance, load, differential pressure, viscosity ...what a concept.
Ref:
http://brewlikeapro.net/lautering.htmlSent from my iPad using Tapatalk