snatching air off steamaway

[maplemat1]

Im building an air injecter for my syrup pan . I have a 3x 10 max pans with the enhanced steamaway. was wondering if i could snatch air from steamaway fan to power bubbler? I have 1/2 stianless for the pan and an 1 3/4 stianless pipe for the manifold. could any one help?

[Sugarmaker]

maplemat1
I cant answer your question but my comment is, Wow if you add any more gadgets you will need a license to run the rig:) Most of us would just love to have the max pan and the steam away combo. But like most of us, we can't seem to have enough maple toys:)

What is your evaporation rate? I assume it is a 3 x 10 evaporator?
Are you looking to make lighter grade? Neighbor uses a medium size shop vac in the blowing mode, to power his bubbler and he made a lot of light syrup last year from a sugarbush of mostly reds.

Good luck

Chris

[maplemat1]

been around the maple busness all my life . started out making syrup at 5 years old with 25 taps now at age 33 going big time with about 4000. have been boiling on a old 4x14 for the past 6 years . decided to go with r.o. and break the bank. just picked up mainline yesterday for another 2000 tap woods. gotta get r done. lust want to keep niter from biulding up on syrup pan so bad.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I remember back in the 1900s when Elvis paid the most income tax of anyone in the US. Sounds like he made the most money. Now If a big pile of saw dust is the byproduct of cutting ALOT of wood and niter is the byproduct of making alot of syrup I guess we just have to live with the fact that we just need to plan on cleaning them.

[maplemat1]

has been a proven fact that a air injection system lessens the build up of niter on the syrup pan .just want to know if snatching the air from steamaway will hinder the proformace of the steamaway?

[DrTimPerkins]

Im building an air injecter for my syrup pan . I have a 3x 10 max pans with the enhanced steamaway. was wondering if i could snatch air from steamaway fan to power bubbler?

The Steam-Away fan system is sized to run that unit only. If you substituted a larger fan motor unit you might be able to do this. Air injection units require a LOT of air to operate. You probably should check with Leader Evaporator to be sure this is OK, otherwise you would just compromise the effectiveness of both the Steam-Away and the air injection unit.

Tim P.
UVM PMRC

[DrTimPerkins]

....has been a proven fact that a air injection system lessens the build up of niter on the syrup pan.

Actually, the only research done on this (that I'm aware of) has shown that air injection does NOT actually reduce the amount of niter (scale-type) build-up in pans or the loose niter (sugar sand). Air injection does however make very light syrup, and as a consequence of this, also makes very light-colored niter, thus the appearance is that there is considerably less niter build-up. We actually thought the same thing when we first boiled with air injection, but when the thickness of the niter is actually measured and compared to an evaporator boiling from the same sap source, we found there was no difference.

Of course, many sugarmakers will swear that there is less niter. This is not what our measurements of niter thickness have shown, and I don't believe anyone else has actually done the research to prove differently. Theoretically there shouldn't be any difference....you're concentrating the same amount of sap minerals, and these will come out of solution at a given sugar concentration, which should be the same for both evaporators with or without air injection.

Tim Perkins
UVM PMRC

[brookledge]

One other thing that might be a problem depending on how far the steam has to go from the hood to the blower for your bubbler is if it condensates back to water it will then blow that water that you have already boiled off back into the syrup pan. And the other issue was mentioned by Dr. Perkins that I think will be an issue is the blower on the enhanced steam away is not going to be able to push it through the bubblers with out creating back pressure
Keith

[WF MASON]

I know a sugarhouse in Corinth Vt. where the guy runs a , I believe 40" x 7' rear pan with steamaway , he said it was the same blower used on the bigger unit, he checked with another sugarmaker with a larger steamaway,same blower , he was going to steal part of the air 'before' it entered the steamaway itself. I believe it would work.

[maplemat1]

my thinking was to tap into the air before it got to the steamaway . I know on smaller units that if air is blocked off some the steamaway works a bit better.the unit im talking about are the 2x6,but i don't if it will work on my new unit being a 3x10 with the enhanced steamaway.

[swierczt]

I've been thinking about building a steam-away/preheater hood for my evaporator. I am curiouis, what is the air or fans in the steamaway for? I've seen ome picutes on websites, but never saw any fans? I was under the impression it was just a hood with a heat exchanger in it and the steam made its own way out the stack?

[DrTimPerkins]

my thinking was to tap into the air before it got to the steamaway . I know on smaller units that if air is blocked off some the steamaway works a bit better.the unit im talking about are the 2x6,but i don't if it will work on my new unit being a 3x10 with the enhanced steamaway.

Again, your best bet would be to consult the manufacturer(s)/supplier(s) of the units (both the Steamaway and fan) to determine whether the current fan will be suitable, or whether you need a larger or second fan unit. If your current fan works, great....if not, it doesn't make sense to compromise the efficiency of both units (Steamaway and air injector) by doing it this way.

I know that we had to get a bigger Steamaway fan motor when we switched from a 3' x 6' regular Steamaway (for a 3' x 10' evaporator) to a 3' x 6' Enhanced Steamaway (3' x 10' MAX Evaporator).

Tim P.
UVM PMRC

[DrTimPerkins]

I've been thinking about building a steam-away/preheater hood for my evaporator. I am curiouis, what is the air or fans in the steamaway for? I've seen ome picutes on websites, but never saw any fans? I was under the impression it was just a hood with a heat exchanger in it and the steam made its own way out the stack?

No, a Steamaway is like a supercharged preheater and has a much higher efficiency than a standard preheater. The Cornell Maple Program website has a good description of the different evaporator technologies located at: http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu/produc/evap.htm

The description of a "Steam Enhanced Unit" is at: http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu/produc/steam.htm

Not particularly an easy thing to build yourself.

Tim P.
UVM PMRC

[swierczt]

No, a Steamaway is like a supercharged preheater and has a much higher efficiency than a standard preheater. The Cornell Maple Program website has a good description of the different evaporator technologies located at: http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu/produc/evap.htm

The description of a "Steam Enhanced Unit" is at: http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu/produc/steam.htm

Not particularly an easy thing to build yourself.

Tim P.
UVM PMRC


Thank you for the clarification. I was mistaken to think that the terms preheater and steamaway were one in the same....very different proceses.