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TherminatorTM Performance Data
How to use this graph: This graph is used to predict the gallons per minute (gpm) of wort you'll be able to chill from boiling down to 68oF (ideal fermentation start temp) using water from your garden hose as the cooling media. 1) Measure the cooling water flow rate in your brewery using a bucket of known volume and a stop-watch (gal/min). Then measure the cooling water temperature using an accurate thermometer. 2) Choose either the blue (5.0 gpm), cyan (3.0 gpm), or green (2.0 gpm) line that best matches your cooling water flow rate. If your flow lies between these lines, it is acceptable to interpolate between them. 3) Go to the point on the Y axis labeled "Cooling Water Temp (F)" to your cooling water temperature measured in step (1). 4) Draw a horizontal line to intersect the cooling water flow rate line you selected previously (Blue, Cyan or Green) in step (2) 5) Draw a vertical line at the intersection point down to the X axis labeled "Wort Flow (gpm) and read the wort chill flow rate you'll get at your brewery! Example: If you have 58F cooling water and 5 GPM of flow, draw a horizontal line (see dark line in graph above) at 58F over to the blue line. Draw a vertical line (see dark line in graph above) from the intersection point down to the X-axis and read 2.0 GPM. That's it!
Notes for Southern Climates: Brewers in southern climates have a particular challenge chilling wort due to the elevated ground water temperature. Although 58oF water is easily attainable in most of the country during the Fall/Winter/Spring brewing season, this is not usually the case in the South, particularly in the summer when cooling water temperatures can exceed 80oF in the summer, making chilling wort to the ideal temperature (68oF) impossible. However, the incredible cooling capacity and efficiency of the TherminatorTM chiller will allow chilling wort much closer to ground water temps, at faster rates, and using less water than any chiller on the market. Obviously, wort flow rate and wort outlet temperature are trade-offs. A good rule of thumb (assuming 5gpm of water flow) is that the TherminatorTM will chill about 3-5oF above the cooling water temperature at moderate wort flow rates (about ¾-1gpm), and about 10oF above the cooling water temperature at higher wort flow rates (about 1.5-2 gpm). Chiller performance is not linear, so it is difficult to predict exact performance at conditions not shown in the graph above. Bear in mind that the performance graph is based on cooling the wort to 68oF. If your cooling water is still too warm to cool to your desired wort temperature, you will need to use an immersion chiller in an ice-bath in conjunction with your TherminatorTM chiller to lower the cooling water temp the additional degrees. Simply place a 1/2" or 5/8" diameter copper coil in-line with the cooling water hose (prior to entering the chiller) and immerse the coil in an ice bath to "pre-chill" the cooling water temperature. Since the TherminatorTM chiller is so fast, much less ice will be consumed in comparison to other chillers.
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