Beer making machine with direct steam injection
A beer making system may use direct steam injection during wort manufacturing. Steam may be added directly to the wort, and may be part of a recirculating mash system. The steam may be the primary mechanism for adding heat to the system, and may eliminate many problems that often occur when using conventional heating systems. A water reservoir may feed a stream generator, which may inject steam into wort during mashing or boiling steps. A controller may monitor temperature and other parameters, and may calculate the dilution of wort based on the water added through the steam injection and allow a brewing system to compensate for said dilution and still produce desired results.
1. A system comprising:
a water input;
a pump having an electrical input;
a heater;
a steam injector, said steam injector having a liquid connection configured to inject steam into a processed liquid;
a connection from said steam injector to a reservoir that contains said processed liquid;
plumbing connecting said water input, said pump, said heater, and said steam injector in sequence;
a controller having:
a temperature sensor input;
a temperature set point input for said processed liquid; and
a pump output connected to said electrical input of said pump.
2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a check valve.
3. The system of claim 2 , said check valve being located between said heater and said steam injector.
4. The system of claim 2 , said check valve being located between said pump and said heater.
5. The system of claim 1 , said water source being a water reservoir.
6. The system of claim 1 , said pump being one of a group composed of:
a peristaltic pump;
a diaphragm pump; and
a positive displacement pump.
7. A controller comprising:
a set point input for a processed liquid stored in a reservoir;
a temperature measurement input;
a pump output;
a heater output;
said controller being configured to:
determine a target temperature from said set point input;
determine a current temperature of a processed liquid from said temperature measurement input;
determine that said current temperature is below said target temperature; and
activate said pump output and said heater output to cause steam to be generated and injected into said processed liquid.
8. The controller of claim 7 being further configured to:
determine an amount of water added to said processed liquid over a period of time, said amount of water being added primarily as steam.
9. The controller of claim 8 being further configured to:
determine a second amount of water to be added as liquid; and
activate said pump output to cause said water to be added as liquid to said processed liquid.