What is Cook?

• Cook is the process of taking starch and making it into simple sugar.

• How do we do this?• We use corn and grain

sorghum (Milo).• The grain is brought into

the plant by truck and is stored in two grain storage bins.

Exposing the Starch• From storage we convey

the grain to a grain leg which drops the grain into the hammer mill hopper.

• From the hopper the grain is metered into one of our two hammermills.

• The mills have screens in them to control the coarseness of the ground grain.

• The baghouse assists in the milling process by pulling a vacuum on the mill that pulls the ground grain through.

The Dust Collection System• The dust collection

system consist of: a baghouse and fan.

• This system has two purposes.

1) To remove fine dust from the air stream.

2) To assist in the milling process by pulling a vacuum on the mills.

• From here the ground grain is conveyed into the mingler.

The Slurry Tank• Here the flour is mixed

up with recycled water and backset to make an aqueous solution called mash and is dropped into the slurry tank.

• The slurry tank is where we establish solids, ph and cook rate to correct parameters.

• Temperature should be around 148°F.

• From here the mash is pumped up to the hydro-heater.

SlurryBackset

Mingler

Ground grain

Recycle water

Ammonia

To the Hydro-heater

Slurry Mixer

The Hydro-heater

• The hydro-heater is a very sophisticated heat transfer device capable of 100% heat transfer and precise temperature control.

• The operating temperature is 250-270 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Its purpose is to start the initial breaking down of the starch bonds to complex sugars and to sterilize the mash.

Hydro-Heater

• Click on hydro-heater picture to learn how to adjusting the hydro-heater

Inside the Hydro-Heater

The CookTube• From the Hydro-Heater

mash enters the cooktube.• The purpose of the

cooktube is to maintain a temperature at or above 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

• This helps in the sterilization of the mash.

• Also, it helps to continue the initial breakdown of the starch bonds.

• The Back Pressure Valve keeps the hot mash from flashing off inside the Cook-Tube.

• From here the mash enters the Flash tank.

Flash Tank• The Flash tank is used

to cool the mash down from 250 degrees to 189 degrees Fahrenheit.

• This is done by pulling a vacuum on it.

• The vacuum lowers the boiling point therefore the heat is flashed off the mash.

Flash Tank and Vacuum Cooler

• The mash from the Flash tank drops down into the Vac cooler.

The Static Mixer is where enzymes and mash are mixed

Mash from Cook Tube

To Liq #1

Alfa amylase (Enzyme) added

Flash vapor to east vacuum tank

Flash tank

Vac Cooler

Mash out lineRecirc line

Vapor is flashed off of the mash in the flash tank

Vacuum Cooler• The Vac cooler has

two pumps the purpose of one of the pumps (P-305B) is for the recirculation of the mash back into the Flash tank, this is where we add Alpha Amylase to break the starch down to complex sugars.

• It is mixed with the mash by a static mixer.

Enzymes and mash exit thoroughly mixed

Mash and enzymes enter separate

The inner w

orkings o

f

a static

mixe

r

Vacuum Cooler

• The other pump (P-305A) controls the level in the Vac cooler by pumping the mash out to Liquefaction tank #1.

Liquefaction Tanks• Mash enters Liq tank #1 from P-305A and is then pumped

into Liq #2 and Liq #3. • In the Liq tanks the temperature is 185-188°F and it is

maintained for about 120 minutes to allow the Alpha Amylase time to break down the starch bonds.

• From Liq #3 the mash is pumped through a Plate and Frame Heat Exchanger.

Beer/Mash Plate and Frame Heat Exchanger

• The heat exchanger cools down the mash from the Liq tank.

• The Heat Exchanger uses the Beer as an agent to cool down the mash.

• The temperature reaches approximately 130-150 degrees Fahrenheit.

• From here the mash goes to the 310 ph adjustment tank.

310 pH adjustment tank

• Sulfuric Acid is added to the 310 tank to bring the pH down to 4.2-4.6

• Next the mash is pumped to another set of heat exchangers.

Mash Coolers

• The mash from the 310 tank now goes through the mash coolers to cool the mash down to 94°F.

• There are 4 plate and frame heat exchangers that make up the cooling deck.

• Cooling tower water and/or chiller water is used as the cooling agent in the heat exchangers.

• From here the mash goes to the Fermenters or to one of the two Prop Tanks.

Mash from 310 tank

The first heat exchangers use cooling tower water to cool the mash

The second heat exchangers use water from the chiller loop to cool the mash

Mash to fermenters or props

Cook &FermentationFour basic steps

• Gelatinization: Is the stage where starch granules absorb water, and lose their individual structure to become a viscous liquid or mash.

• Liquefaction: The gelatinized starch is broken down to Complex Sugars.

• Simultaneous Saccharification (SSF): The addition of gluco amylase in a fermenter instead of a saccharification tank it helps avoid infection.

• Fermentation: The glucose formed by the SSF and Fermentation due to the gluco amylase is converted to ethanol and carbon dioxide by the addition of yeast which secretions are CO2 and ethanol.

Flow Diagram

Hammermills

Slurry Tank

Hammer Mill Hopper

HydroHeater

Cook Tube

Backpressure Valve

GelatinizationGelatinization

LiquefactionLiquefaction

Simultaneous Simultaneous SaccharificationSaccharification

FermentationFermentation

Mash

Ste

am

Flour

Flow Diagram

Backpressure Valve

Flash Tank

Vac Cooler

GelatinizationGelatinization

LiquefactionLiquefaction

Simultaneous Simultaneous SaccharificationSaccharification

FermentationFermentation

310 tank

Liq 1

Mash/BeerPlate & Frame

HX

Ph adjustment tank

Liq 3Liq 2

4Mash

coolers

Mash to Fermenters