Beer Tank Insulation From NanoTech – Nano Shield
Overview
Temperature control equals better beer. Nano Shield sprayable insulation is an economical approach to keeping beer fermentation tanks cooler for longer, reducing the use of glycol and maintaining cooler temperatures longer, providing better process control.
A craft beer brewery approached us with a request to help reduce the use of glycol in their beer fermentation and better manage and control temperatures in their tanks.
4 mm of Nano Shield Insulation was sprayed on the outer jacket of the tanks increasing the thermal insulation to a new level.
Nano Shield Coated Beer Tanks
BEER TANKS BEING SPRAYED
Nano Shield can be sprayed onto virtually any surface from an airless sprayer with little to no surface prep. A beer tank can be coated (including prep time) in about an hour, saving significant labor costs.
HOW IT WORKS
The emissivity of the surface of a material is its effectiveness in emitting energy as thermal radiation. Nano Shield has a high emissivity rating which protects the asset from UV degradation.
The thermal conductivity of a material is a measure of its ability to conduct heat. Nano Shield has one of the lowest thermal conductivity values commercially available. Keeps cold in and heat out.
BEER TANKS WITHOUT NANO INSULATION
Maintaining fermentation temperature requires a lot of glycol and good insulation to keep heat from penetrating the tanks and spoiling the beer fermentation process. Temperature control equals better beer.
THE OLD WAY - SPRAY FOAM
4mm of Nano Shield has the equivalent insulation as more than 4 inches of spray foam. Spray foam can be difficult to apply, absorbs moisture, and takes up space.
SOLUTION - NANO SHIELD
4 mm of Nano Shield insulation was spray applied to the outside jacket of the beer tanks. Each tank takes about an hour to apply to the tank. The tanks then cured for 24 hours and results were measured.
The Test
As the temperature gradient between the inside of the tank and the outside was improved, so was the condensation issues that are common to chilled liquid tanks. Very little condensation was observed after the coating was applied, another indicator of the efficacy of the product.
Nano Shield helped hold chilled water near freezing for 5 hours longer that the uncoated tank, without the use of Glycol.
Chilled water was used in a test to verify the improvement and benefits of Nano Shield on the beer fermentation tanks. The results, of which, can be seen in the accompanying graph.
Results
We tested a beer tank holding chilled water without glycol as a baseline. We then compared that to the same volume of chilled water in a tank coated with Nano Shield:
The tank without Nano Shield showed a rapid increase in temperature from the onset.
The Nano Shield coated tank held the chilled water at nearly freezing for 5 hours longer than the uncoated tank.
Nano Shield insulator helps maintain temperatures gradients longer thus reducing your operational costs. Other applications include:
Download the PDF
