Divided Pan divider calculations?
Wrong time of the season to be asking this but does anyone known if there is a proper formula for calculating the amount of space to leave at the end of a divider strip to allow the gradients to flow properly to the next section?
2nd question.
What actual cause the sap to separate into gradients? I'm thinking it must be density but maybe it's temperature or both?
Inquiring minds needs to know.
Thanks
Last edited by Trends; 03-27-2023 at 05:30 PM.
Black Walnut tapping
2021 - 3 trees 5 taps enough to boil a sample.
~ 2 acres, 35+ mature Black Walnut
2022 - 30 Southern Ontario Walnuts tapped, 69 spouts.
650 litres (143 Imp gals) on sap bags, 14 litres (3 Imp gals) walnut syrup on turkey fryer.
2023 - 35 trees tapped, 28 mech vacuum & 7 on gravity. Propane fired custom evaporator, 2'x2' divided pan, 2'x1' preheat pan.
882 litres (194 Imp gals) mechanical & gravity vac turned into 18.25 litres (4.8 Imp gals) syrup off my DIY evaporator
The addition of sap at one end and the evaporation of water is what causes a gradient to form. I think the holes between the partitions don't really need to be that large. The flow between them is quite slow.
60ish taps on buckets
D&G Sportsman 18x63
Turbo RB15 RO Bucket
Not sure what you mean by allowing the gradient to flow properly. The gradient is simply created because sap is flowing in from one end. So that end is always fresh sap. The other end gets more and more condensed as the water evaporates. And in the middle is... something closer to one end or the other.Originally Posted by Trends
GO
2016: Homemade arch from old wood stove; 2 steam tray pans; 6 taps; 1.1 gal
2017: Same setup. 15 taps; 4.5 gal
2018: Same setup. Limited time. 12 taps and short season; 2.2 gal
2019: Very limited time. 7 taps and a short season; 1.8 gals
2020: New Mason 2x3 XL halfway through season; 9 taps 2 gals
2021: Same 2x3, 18 taps, 4.5 gals
2022: 23 taps, 5.9 gals
2023: 23 taps. Added AUF, 13.2 gals
2024: 17 taps, 5.3 gals
All on buckets
I've seen passages from one section to the next in a wide range of sizes, from quite small to quite large. I vote for middle range.
Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.
If you want a good reading, search gradient and Haynes. The gradient is the density and the longer it is in the pan the higher the density. As water is evaporated off it is replaced with liquid from the previous channel. The first channel is replenished with the lowest density sap and is in the pan the least amount of time.
Smoky Lake 2x6 dropflu pans and hoods on homemade arch
Smoky Lake 6 gallon water jacked bottler
Concentric Exhaust
250 Deer Run RO
325 taps
Thanks for all the suggestions and comments. I think I have a good grasp of the hows & whys of the divided pan now.
I'm running a 2x2 divided pan, after about 1/2 hr I see the gradients forming and when I get 2-3hrs in the boil the middle and draw off sections seem to be the same color and the feed section is about half clear as expected. This was at 1-1/2" depth. Net boil I'll go to 3/4-1" to try getting the syrup drawn off faster.
I may not be able to get it to work properly due to the limited qty of sap I can collect (walnut) and boil before the sap spoils.
Black Walnut tapping
2021 - 3 trees 5 taps enough to boil a sample.
~ 2 acres, 35+ mature Black Walnut
2022 - 30 Southern Ontario Walnuts tapped, 69 spouts.
650 litres (143 Imp gals) on sap bags, 14 litres (3 Imp gals) walnut syrup on turkey fryer.
2023 - 35 trees tapped, 28 mech vacuum & 7 on gravity. Propane fired custom evaporator, 2'x2' divided pan, 2'x1' preheat pan.
882 litres (194 Imp gals) mechanical & gravity vac turned into 18.25 litres (4.8 Imp gals) syrup off my DIY evaporator
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