Tank Configuration and Process Fit

Wine fermentation is not a fixed process. White juice ferments cool, red must ferments warmer on skins, and some lots get extended maceration. A dimple plate jacket welded to the tank wall lets us hold 12–18 °C for whites or 26–30 °C for reds without putting a coil inside the tank, where it would trap lees and slow down cleaning between lots.

How the Cooling Panel Is Built

Two stainless sheets are spot-welded in a grid pattern, then inflated under pressure to open the internal channels. The finished panel is seam-welded onto the shell and hydro-tested at 6 bar. Glycol enters at the low port and exits at the high port so the panel fills completely instead of short-circuiting. Cooling area is sized by volume and by how fast you need to pull temperature down — typically 0.8–1.2 m² per 1000 L for red fermentation, more if you chill must in a hot climate.

Material and Fabrication Choices

SUS304 covers wine and standard CIP chemicals. We switch to 316L when chloride in the wash water or in coastal plant air runs high, because pitting starts at the weld toes. Interior welds are TIG, ground flush, and passivated; contact surfaces can be finished to 0.4–0.8 µm Ra if you plan to run yeast or bacteria cultures. Manway gaskets are food-grade EPDM or silicone, clamped rather than bonded so they can be changed on site. Insulation is 80–100 mm PU under a 304 outer shell.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a conical bottom? A 60° cone helps when you dump yeast and lees from reds or when the tank doubles as a settling vessel. For white juice handled with a racking arm, a flat bottom with a slight slope works and costs less.

What about pressure and safety? These tanks are not pressure vessels. We fit a breather or relief valve sized to the CO2 rate, plus a vent, so a blocked airlock cannot load the shell.

Can I CIP it? Yes. A rotating spray ball in the top manway with a 2–3 bar pump, caustic, and a rinse cycle is enough. The jacket sits outside the shell and does not interfere with the spray pattern.

Small craft winery versus commercial plant? Small sites usually want 1000–2000 L tanks with one shared glycol chiller and manual valves. Larger plants step up to 5000–10000 L, grouped on a manifold with individual control valves per tank.

Tell us your batch size, wine type, number of fermentation tanks and available space. We can recommend the tank volume, cooling area and configuration for your winery, and confirm port positions against your existing glycol loop and pump capacity.