What a 5,000 L pressurized tank actually does for you

Sparkling wine and carbonated fruit wine have to hold CO2 in solution, so an open-top fermenter will not get you there. A 5,000 L vessel built for this work carries the same pressure rating through the shell, cone, and dished top, because the weakest weld decides the limit. We fabricate these as cylindrical bodies with 60° or 70° cones, dished tops, and dimple or channel jackets on both the shell and the cone.

Materials, welds, and surface finish

SUS304 covers most wine and cider duty. For high-acid product or chloride-based cleaning chemicals, we put 316L on the wetted parts. Internal welds are ground flush, then pickled and passivated. Interior finish normally runs Ra ≤ 0.8 µm, with 0.4 µm available when yeast removal matters. Exterior is 2B mill finish or mirror polish if the tank sits where customers walk past. Manways are 400–450 mm, gasketed in food-grade EPDM or silicone.

Cooling area is sized from your process, not the volume

Jacket surface comes from your crash-cooling time. A 5,000 L tank pulled from 20 °C to 4 °C in 20 hours needs more jacket than one held steady at 16 °C. Glycol at -5 to -8 °C through a two- or three-zone dimple jacket gives you control without overshooting. Each unit ships with a mechanical relief valve set to the design pressure, a pressure gauge, and a sample valve. Relief setting and vessel rating must agree; a 2 bar valve on a 3 bar tank, or the reverse, is one of the more expensive mistakes we see during commissioning.

Cleaning and connections

CIP runs through a rotating spray ball in the top. Standard ports include CIP supply and return, glycol in and out, racking arm, CO2 in and out, and a bottom drain, all DIN or tri-clamp. We can pre-pipe a manifold or leave loose ports for your own crew.

Common questions from buyers

Can I ferment and carbonate in the same tank? Yes, if the pressure rating suits your carbonation level. Many small producers do both; larger ones split the duty to keep tanks turning.

Do I need 316L? Only if your acidity or cleaning regime calls for it. Otherwise 304 with proper passivation lasts decades.

What glycol capacity do I need? Send us your crash-cooling target and ambient conditions, and we will size the jacket and estimate the chiller load.

Tell us your batch size, wine type, number of tanks, and available floor space. We can recommend tank volume, cooling area, and port layout for your cellar.