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VatControl Automation Cabinet
Model VC-PLC
A free-standing stainless cabinet running the brewhouse steps, the cellar setpoints and the cleaning cycles from one recipe library, with every action written to a batch record.
- Connected load
- 12kW
- Vessel count
- 24
- Lead time
- 8 – 10weeks
- Material
- 316 stainless enclosure, IP66
Description
Most brewery control problems are not control problems. They are record problems: something drifted, nobody noticed, and by the time the beer tasted wrong the evidence was gone. VatControl is built around keeping that evidence.
One recipe, many vessels
A recipe is a sequence of steps with setpoints and hold times. The same recipe runs on any vessel the cabinet controls, scaled by the vessel profile stored against it. Move a beer from a UT-10 to a UT-30 and the programme does not change.
Failure behaviour
On a sensor fault the system holds the last known good state and alarms rather than driving to a default. On a power loss it resumes the step it was in, with a gap logged in the record. Neither behaviour is exciting, and both matter at three in the morning.
Engineering highlights
- One cabinet runs the brewhouse ramps, the cellar setpoints and the clean-in-place cycles from a single recipe library.
- Hot-swap input and output cards mean a failed channel is a five minute job, not a lost brew day.
- Every step writes to the batch record: setpoint, actual, duration and who confirmed it.
- Washdown rated to IP66 in 316 stainless, because it will get hosed whether or not you intend it to.
Specification
Technical data
| Model | VC-PLC |
|---|---|
| Vessel count | 24 |
| Connected load | 12 kW |
| Material | 316 stainless enclosure, IP66 |
| Lead time | 8 – 10 weeks |
| Controller | Industrial PLC, hot-swap I/O |
| Display | 15-inch capacitive touch |
| Controlled vessels | Up to 24 |
| Temperature accuracy | ±0.3 °C at the probe |
| Recipe steps | Unlimited, versioned |
| Alarms | Email and SMS relay |
| Enclosure rating | IP66, washdown safe |
Dimensions are nominal and exclude platforms and insulation. Voltage, frequency and connection standards are built to the destination market.
Process flow, stage by stage
Select any stage to read what happens inside it, the process parameters we hold it to, and exactly which systems in the catalogue cover that part of the line.
Grist milling and dry handling
A two-roller mill cracks the husk without shredding it, then a dust-tight auger drops the grist straight into the hydrator. Gap is set from the panel so the same recipe delivers the same crush every single brew day.
Step mashing under recipe control
Steam or electric elements drive the mash through each enzymatic rest. The controller holds every step within a tight band and logs the whole curve, so a recipe written once repeats on any vessel in the range.
Wort separation and sparging
A fine stainless screen and slow-moving rakes draw clear wort from the grain bed without compacting it. The system watches the flow continuously and adjusts itself before the bed can stick.
Wort boiling and evaporation
An internal steam heater gives a rolling but gentle boil at a controlled rate, driving off unwanted flavours while protecting the colour of the beer. Steam vapour goes to a condenser so the brewhouse stays dry and the heat is recovered.
Settling and clarifying
The wort enters at an angle that sets up a smooth rotation, and the solids gather into a tight cone at the centre of the floor. A short rest leaves bright, clear wort ready for cooling, with very little lost.
Heat exchange and aeration
A two-stage heat exchanger takes the wort from the kettle down to fermentation temperature in a single pass, recovering the heat into the hot water tank along the way. Sterile air is added inline, ready for the yeast.
Fermentation and conditioning
Conical fermentation tanks carry the beer all the way from yeast to packaging without a transfer. Two independent cooling zones let different parts of the tank sit at different temperatures, and every tank holds its own setting.
Counter-pressure filling and seaming
A rotary counter-pressure filler purges each can, fills it under pressure and seams it under a carbon dioxide blanket. Low dissolved oxygen pickup is what keeps the beer tasting the same on week six as on day one.
Systems covering this stage
Also in the range
Systems that pair with this one
VatControl Recipe & SCADA Suite
Plant-wide supervision over the top of the cabinets: live mimic of every vessel, recipe versioning with sign-off, and batch records that export…
- Connected load 0.3kW
- Vessel count 60
Enquiry
Ask about the VatControl Automation Cabinet
Tell us the beer you plan to brew on it and where it will stand. We will confirm sizing, utilities and delivery, and send a firm quotation.
- Sized general arrangement drawing for your floor plan
- Steam, glycol, power and water loads confirmed in writing
- Delivery window and commissioning plan with the price
Request a quotation
A process engineer replies to every enquiry, usually within one working day.