I got a free tank...Fermenter??

[GusWatab]

I recently acquired this stainless tank and thought maybe I could use it as a fermenter. I would bet it to be somewhere around 30-40 gallon capacity. All I could find on it was that it was a "Trim Squirt Accumulator". From what I can find on the web, a trim squirt accumulator was used in the paper-making industry. I really wanted to know what was stored in this tank before I used it for brewing. I found something that explained that this was used to pressurize water and sprayed out at a very high pressure to cut fibers or something. Not exactly sure...

It has a fitting on top (Blow off tube)
Fitting on bottom (collecting yeast)
a fitting about a foot up from bottom (removing fermented wort)
a large opening on front (cleaning)
and a fitting about a foot from top (???)

Any insight as to what this tank was used for would be great and whether or not any of you other homebrewers/nano breweries would consider this to be retrofitted to a fermenter.

Thanks in advance!

 

[VanHorneDog]

wowza, if it holds pressure, id say bright tank. then get a few plastic 30 gallon fermenters.

 

[cl330b]

Far as I can tell, it was used to trim paper before the paper was dried. It's vague as to what liquid was used other "white water" (water with paper debris and ?).

It might be safer as a Chiminea. Good luck.

 

[bendiy]

Put a heat exchanger coil inside of it using the side ports. Put a heating element in the bottom port and a blow off pressure valve in the top. Use it as a steam boiler replacement for a HLT.

 

[wailingguitar]

Can you get a camera inside?

 

[GodsStepBrother]

That thing looks awesome. You could fit it to hold pressure and use steam to boil and mash. Hit that thing will multiple rounds of caustic, PBW, and Star San.

Looks like it could be used as a conical to, but it looks thick. Controlling temp in that would be hard without glycol.

I do not know what you can do with that.

 

[GusWatab]

Yea I can get a camera in it. The opening in front is probably 8 inches in diameter. Here are some pics from the inside.

 

[wailingguitar]

Can't be 100% certain, but those welds look rough in the pics... they need to be polished smooth. Using it for a fermenter might not be a great idea, but HLT and so on sounds dandy

 

[kladue]

What does the manufacturers ID plate say the pressure and temp rating is?, I would expect something in the 300 PSI range @ 150 degrees. Trim squirt is used to cut the wet paper sheet to width using a water jet, typically white water from the white water chest, pressurized to around 200-300 Psi. The flange on the front looks like a 6" 150 Lb raised face flange based on size and bolt count.
The dry end is where the water knife is used to cut dry paper during transfer, using 30K Psi -50K Psi through a .030 sapphire nozzle.

 

[GusWatab]

I think you nailed it Kladue. That is exactly what I was reading...I just wasn't sure WHAT I was reading.

Anyways...The ID plate says 150psi @ 120F.

0014
1982
whatever that means.

@wailing guitar - They are rough welds and would need to be smoothed.

It seems my fermenter idea is becoming less and less likely. However it would make a sweet Mash Tun or HLT. I didn't know exactly what I was going to do with this thing, I just knew stainless tanks don't come cheap.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I look forward to more ideas and thoughts.

 

[kladue]

The pressure temperature ratings are self explanatory, the next number 0014 is the tank serial number, and the last was when it was manufactured. There should be a four leaf clover symbol stamped into the ID tag, or another test agency stamp. White water was the liquid use to suspend the fiber and for the most part was not chemically hazardous, just could contain fiber, clay, calcium carbonate, and starch binders used in paper making.
I have a bit of experience with paper mills, from chip pile to automated packaging/palletizing of finished product, and most of systems in between.

 

[GusWatab]

WOW!! Thanks so much for the information Kladue. You basically described my tank to a T...or should I say, "The Clover". It does have a 4 leaf clover looking stamp on the ID tag. Very cool to know.

Thanks Again...Cheers!

 

[brianj434]

You could always sell or scrap it an get exactly what you want. I would have a hard time with that though. A tank like that is pretty cool. Nice score.

 

[Redogus]

Better yet it would make a dandy smoker I would think.

 

[Zamial]

You could cut off/move the legs, so that the tank was was horizontal, with the 8" port facing up. You then would have the biggest hop torpedo a homebrewer could ever dream of...

You may actually be able to resell it to a brewery for that purpose...

 

[Jaysus]

You could cut off/move the legs, so that the tank was was horizontal, with the 8" port facing up. You then would have the biggest hop torpedo a homebrewer could ever dream of...

You may actually be able to resell it to a brewery for that purpose...

that is good thinking!

 

[GusWatab]

I was actually looking at it last night and thought about that...What if I tipped it on it's side, then what use could I have?? A HOP TORPEDO!! I like it. That would be a hell of a lot of hops though for a homebrewer. I bet the thing weighs over 200lbs.

 

[zepolmot]

Better yet it would make a dandy smoker I would think.

Yes. Use the port on the bottom to let the smoke in, you could easily have a nice hot or cold smoker right there. Home made bacon yesplease.