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North Slope Chillers

Industrial Water Chiller Systems

Brooke Loeffler

Counterflow Wort Chillers

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Go With Against The Flow

The brewing process is a roller coaster of temperatures…warm, hot, boiling/roasting, rapid cooling, maintaining warmth, stable aging and storing. Hitting the right temperatures at the right times ensures the chemical reactions finish their work and produce a high quality brew with all the desired flavors, aromas, alcohol levels, and colors intact. Let’s look at the most drastic temperature change in the brewing process…wort cooling.

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Wort Creation

Brews begin their lives as starchy grains that are sprouted, cracked, and then steeped in hot water. After this hot mash converts starches into sugars, the solids and liquids are separated (through lautering) and the result is…liquid wort. Before these sugars can be pitched (fed) to yeast, they need to be sanitized. Wort must be heated to its boiling point (212° F) to kill any harmful pathogens that can compromise the fermenting process that follows.

Wort Cooling

Before pitching wort to your selected yeast strains, it must be cooled, and quickly.

What’s the Rush?

Just like dairy pasteurization, rapid cooling ensures the wort passes through the luke warm zone (80°-140°F) as fast as possible. Unwanted microorganisms, like bacteria or wild yeasts, love the luke warm zone and can infiltrate your brew if it lingers in this temperature zone for too long. A lengthy stay in this zone can also increase the production of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) which will make your brew taste unpleasantly like canned corn.

Prepare to Pitch

Quickly cooling your liquid wort also prepares it to be pitched to your yeast. Yeast only ferments at very specific temperatures, and each strain prefers a different temperature range. If the liquid wort is too hot it, will instantly kill the yeast upon contact and your brew will never ferment. Careful research will let you know what temperatures your chosen yeast cultures prefer so you can prepare your wort accordingly.

There are multiple wort cooling methods, and some are more efficient than others

Counterflow Chilling

The most effective method of wort chilling is counterflow chilling.

North Slope Chillers infographic depicting how a counterflow wort chiller works

A counterflow wort chiller is a coiled section of double layered tubing.  Hot liquid wort is gravity fed through the inner tube in one direction, and cold liquid is pumped through the outer tube in the opposite direction.  This counterflow in opposite directions greatly speeds up the heat transfer process and cools the wort quicker.

Other cooling methods, such as immersion chilling, rely on cool baths to chill the wort.  But still water baths are much less effective than flowing water. Counterflow chilling keeps the cooling liquid and wort continuously flowing in separate tubes so they never come in contact with each other; the only thing that passes between the two liquids is heat.

Wort Chilling With North Slope Chillers

The perfect accessory for your counterflow system is an industrial chiller that can cool your wort down as quickly as possible.  North Slope Chillers’ lines of industrial chillers contain powerful pumps to provide cold water on demand to maximize your counterflow’s effectiveness.

Contact us to find the right wort chilling solution for your needs:

(866) 826-2993 [email protected]

Water Cooled TIG Welding

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Stay Cool Around the Molten Pool

When your hand is inches away from a pool of molten metal, temperature control is of utmost importance. No glove is going to completely protect you when a TIG torch runs too long, and too hot for comfort. Water cooling gives you the time to complete high quality welds without compromising safety or weld integrity.

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Masked welder operating a TIG torch

What is TIG Welding?

Tungsten Inert Gas welding (TIG welding) is also known as Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW). TIG welding creates high quality welds that can be used with a wide variety of metals. TIG welders use a foot pedal or finger remote to control the amperage and the heat while welding. They are thinner and provide the welder with more dexterity and flexibility than other welding torches.

What causes a TIG welder’s temperature to increase?

TIG Welders generate a tremendous amount of heat, and there are many factors that contribute to a torch’s temperature. These temperature variables can create thermal stress that is harmful for the equipment, the welder, and the welds.

Duration of Use

Welders have a duty cycle or period of time in which they can safely and effectively operate. The longer the welder is in use, the heat will continue to transfer through the torch handle.

Type of Shielding Gases

Shielding gases create an ideal atmosphere around the torch. Some gases (like nitrogen and oxygen) can create welding defects if present. Argon is the most common shielding gas used in welding. However including helium in the shielding atmosphere (which increases welding penetration and speeds) the temperature will also increase.

Current

In general, welding requires high currents in order to produce the heat necessary to fuse metal. TIG torches can operate with a number of amperage ranges and for some lower ranges, an air-cooled welding torch is sufficient. However, for any welding applications over 200 amps, a water cooled torch is absolutely necessary.

Distance and Angle of Torch

The space between the torch and the welding material, and the angle at which the torch is being held can also cause overheating.

Why Water Cool TIG Welders?

North Slope Chillers infographic showing the benefits of water cooling TIG welding torches

Using a water cooled welding chiller prevents temperature variables that you have forseen and those temperature variables that have not been forseen.

Water cooled torches have longer duty cycles without damaging the equipment. A water cooled torch is easier to hold and the welder doesn’t have to rush to finish the weld before the torch gets hot.

More effective cooling also enables a welder to use helium in the shielding atmosphere which increases the welder’s performance. Water cooled torches can also operate at a higher amperage and create a deeper fusion in the welds.

One downside to water-cooled torches is that water cooling systems can be bulky and it can be difficult to be as mobile as air-cooled torches.

North Slope Chillers offers a range of portable water cooled chillers that can help you take your welding operation anywhere.

Contact us to find the right welding cooling solution for your needs:

(866) 826-2993 [email protected]

Server Room Cooling

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Save Your Data And Beat The Heat

Server rooms and data centers are the lifeblood of any technology company. The equipment in these rooms generate very high levels of heat and must be carefully climate controlled. Excessive heat in a server room damages valuable equipment, jeopardizes communication networks, and causes data loss and costly downtime.

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According to IBM, the recommended temperature for a server room is 72° F, with 45% relative humidity.  Servers can tolerate temperatures in a range outside that goal (60° – 90° F), however operating with those optimum conditions in mind keeps you better prepared for unintended heat spikes.

Calculating Heat Load:

North Slope Chillers infographic depicting server room calculation steps

The amount of heat a server generates is known as heat gain or heat load. The heat load inside a server room is influenced by 5 different factors:

  1. The floor surface area
  2. The size, position, and coverings of the windows
  3. The number of room occupants
  4. The heat generated by equipment
  5. The heat generated by lighting

You can pull together a reasonable estimate of your cooling needs by using the following calculations.

Floor Surface Area

Length (m) x Width (m) x 337 = Room area BTUs

Window Size and Position

If there are no windows in your server room, proceed to the next calculation.

For Southern Hemisphere, reverse the formulas.

South facing window length (m) x south facing window height (m) x 870 = south facing window BTUs

North facing window length (m) x north facing window height (m) x 165 = north facing window BTUs

If the windows have no coverings multiply the window BTUs by 1.5

Add the window BTUs together:

South facing window BTUs + North facing window BTUs = Window BTUs

Occupants

Number of occupants x 400 = Occupant BTUs

Equipment

The wattage listed on a piece of equipment is its maximum power output, but it is better to overestimate rather than under estimate.

Add together the wattage for every piece of equipment: servers, routers, etc.

Total wattage for all equipment x 3.5 = Equipment BTUs

Lighting

Add together the wattage for every light fixture.

Lighting wattage X 4.25 = Lighting BTUs

Total Heat Load = room area BTUs + window BTUs + occupant BTUs + Equipment BTUs + lighting BTUs

These calculations can give you a rough guide to your cooling needs.  A cooling audit of your server room will provide you with the most accurate information.

Keeping Your Server Room Cool

Residential AC units generally cannot run 24/7/365 without breaking down, and are not a reliable solution for server room cooling.

Re-designing the layout of your server room to accommodate bulky, built in cooling units is expensive and disrupts the usability of your servers. Strategically placing portable server coolers is an easy way to remove heat exactly where it needs to be removed.

North Slope Chillers Solutions

Portable server coolers from North Slope Chillers have a wide range of cooling capacities.

Contact us to find the right server cooling solution for your needs:

(866) 826-2993 [email protected]

Food and Beverage Chilling

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Highway through the “Danger Zone”

Temperature storage zones preserve the flavors, colors, freshness, and health benefits of the food and drinks we all enjoy. The best way to keep food and beverages out of danger is to use industrial food chillers.

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The Food Cooling Process

Some foods are either heat-treated or pre-cooked before storage and transportation. For example, dairy is heat treated during the pasteurization process to kill harmful pathogens. These foods must be cooled down quickly to get past the “danger zone” (between 40° F and 140° F). Cooling food down quickly is critical to keep these harmful pathogens from growing. Industrial food chillers help food and beverages pass through the danger zone quickly.

Types of Bacteria Growth

According to the USDA there are 2 main types of bacterial growth in perishable food products: pathogenic bacteria and spoilage bacteria.

Pathogenic Bacteria

Pathogenic bacteria grows rapidly in the “danger zone” between 40°F – 140°F. This type of bacterial growth is hard to detect because it does not generally affect taste, smell, or appearance.

Spoilage Bacteria

Spoilage bacteria grows slowly in the refrigeration zone and gradually affects the smell, appearance, and taste of food. Refrigeration greatly slows this growth but cannot stop it entirely, which is why refrigerated foods still have expiration dates.

Importance of Refrigeration

Storing perishable food below 40° F slows down bacteria growth and extends food’s shelf life. Storing and transporting foods at the correct temperatures does more than just slowing the growth of harmful pathogens.  Color, texture, viscosity, and flavors are also preserved when foods are stored at their correct textures.

Different Food Groups Have Different Needs

Every food group has different temperature storage and shipping needs. There is no 1 temperature fits all approach to food storage.

North Slope Chillers infographic depecting food groups sorted into proper food storage temperatures: room temperature zone, refrigeration zone, and freezer zone

About 40% of food products rely upon refrigeration in a well-maintained cold chain through the production, packing, storage, and transportation process. The other 60% need to be stored at either freezer temperatures or at room temperature to preserve their freshness.

Organizing and storing food and beverages according to temperature zones saves energy and keeps the cold where it is most needed.  Portable food chillers provide the flexibility and reliability needed to preserve those temperature zones and give you peace of mind.

Contact us to find the right food chilling solution for your needs:

(866) 826-2993 [email protected]

Types of Fermentation

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A Scientific Art

The chemical process of fermentation is relatively consistent no matter what is being fermented: starches are converted into sugars, sugars are consumed by yeast, and at certain temperatures yeast will create alcohol and carbon dioxide. While the science of fermentation may be the same, the art of fermentation creates a bouquet of flavors, aromas, colors, and alcohol levels. The art and science of fermentation uses a language all of its own.

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Selection of alcoholic drinks, brewed and distilled
North Slope Chillers infographic of a fermentation glossary with common fermentation terms and their meanings

Types of Fermented Drinks

Beer

There are 2 main families of beer: ales and lagers.  The type of yeast culture and the fermentation temperature affects whether a beer becomes an ale or a lager. Ales are fermented at higher temperatures and lagers are fermented at cooler temperatures.  Flavors and aromas are cultivated by a variety of starches that are malted, mashed, and then fermented within their respective temperature ranges. Those specific temperature ranges preserve the colors, flavors, and aromas enjoyed in a well-brewed beer.

Wine

Grapes provide the sugar supply for the fermentation process of wine-making.  White wines are fermented at cooler temperatures while red wines are fermented at warmer temperatures. These temperature ranges preserve, color, acidity, tannin levels, and the flavors expected of each family of wines.

Sake

Calling sake “rice wine” is a bit of a misnomer. The rice grains used to ferment sake are more like the starches in beer making, and must be converted from starch to sugar before being fermented. The sugars that feed wine yeast naturally exist in the grapes. Sake fermentation should occur at lower temperatures to slow the fermentation process.

Spirits

For clear fermented drinks, distillation must be used.  The fermented mash is boiled and the flavor infused alcohols evaporate before the water, and are condensed in another vessel.

Kombucha

Kombucha is a fermented drink of SCOBY, tea, sugar, and yeast. Other ingredients such as ginger and fruit can be added to change flavors, acids, and aromas. Maintaining warm fermentation temperatures keeps acid levels steady, reduces mold growth, and encourages yeast activity.

Yeast’s Happy Place

For all these fermented drinks, fermentation is triggered by a happy, comfortable environment for yeast to grow. Temperature is the most important component in this environment and must be carefully maintained.

Put total temperature control at your fingertips for every drink you ferment. Fermentation chillers and Fluxwraps from North Slope Chillers keep your fermentation environment happy and healthy.

Contact us to find the right fermentation temperature solution for your needs at (866) 826-2993 or by email at [email protected].