A Reminder about Transferring High-Proof Ethanol

I got a note today from David E. Block and Konrad V. Miller at UC Davis regarding the operational dangers of high-proof ethanol. I’m sure that this is all very familiar information to any distillers as well as winemakers making fortified wines. All the same, I’m going to post the note in it’s entirety just in case anyone in the wine industry that doesn’t have experience handling high-proof ethanol is now doing so.

High-proof (e.g. 70%) ethanol can be an effective sanitizing agent against the coronavirus causing COVID-19.  Spraying of small winery surfaces or equipment for sanitization with this solution is not problematic, especially in a well-ventilated area.  However, pumping high proof ethanol (for the purpose of creating sanitizing solution or sanitizing large pieces of equipment) using a normal winery pump could be hugely dangerous (explosion hazard) and should be avoided. 

While winery and distillery pumps are extremely similar, there are critical operational and safety distinctions between the two. High proof ethanol has a flash point of 12~16°C (53°F to 61°F), depending on the concentration, and as such is hazardous at below-room temperature. Distilleries are typically rated by the National Fire Protective Agency as Class 1 Division 1; and spirits blending/bottling plants are typically Class 1 Division 2. As such, all liquid handling equipment, especially pumps, sensors, and valves are typically "intrinsically safe" and explosion proof, where the electrical portions of the equipment are sealed away from access to any combustible gasses (i.e. ethanol). Winery pumps are almost never intrinsically safe/explosion proof, as normal wine is not a combustion hazard. As such, there is a substantial hazard present in using winery process piping and pumps for high proof ethanol movements.  Any such movements of high-proof ethanol should only be made using appropriately rated pumps in facilities designed for this type of work.

Dr. David E. Block
Ernest Gallo Endowed Chair in Viticulture and Enology
Professor, Department of Viticulture and Enology
University of California, Davis

Dr. Konrad V. Miller, P.E.
Lecturer, Department of Viticulture and Enology
University of California, Davis


With regards to the production of hand sanitizer, this reminder is probably a bit redundant since any ASP or DSP in the US should possess the requisite equipment already.  The most common pumps for high-proof ethanol that I see these days are ATEX-rated (Atmosphere Explosive) air-operated diaphragm pumps. The pumps have the distinct advantage of being operated by compressed air rather than electricity. Example pumps may be found be here.

Verder is a pump vendor that doesn't have an obvious presence in the US wine industry, but they make pumps for just about anything. Their reference page for pumping high-proof ethanol is located here.

As noted above, it’s the ethanol vapor from high-proof that is the primary explosion and fire danger. Distilleries should already have one or several sanitary pumps that are ATEX-rated. Wineries, which ordinarily are not obligated to possess an ATEX-rated pump unless they make fortified wines, should acquire one before they start handling high-proof.

Stay safe.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Buildings can Make a Pandemic Worse

Leslie Dietz, Patrick F. Horve, David A. Coil, Mark Fretz, Jonathan A. Eisen, Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg: “2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic: Built Environment Considerations To Reduce Transmission”, mSystems (2020) Like most people, I’ve been holed up and socially isolating during this pandemic. While doing so, I have been thinking a bit about building design and how most people live, commute, and work in environments that seem designed to maximize the spread of disease. The Legionnaires’ outbreak back in 1976 should have served as a wake-up call about pathologically bad building design. Of course, Legionella bacteria are both substantially larger and thanks to antibiotics, infections are easier to treat, than a virus. Coincidentally, UC Davis, my alma mater , has been making an effort to keep the media informed about the latest published research about coronavirus (AKA COVID-19, AKA SARS-CoV-2) and posted a note about a literature review that was just published in the Am...
Read more

Not About a Virus

C. Roullier-Gall, V. David, D. Hemmler, P. Schmitt-Kopplin, & H. Alexandre: “Exploring Yeast Interactions through Metabolic Profiling”, Scientific Reports (2020). How about we discuss some research that isn’t about the current pandemic? One of my college housemates always referred to yeast as “yeast-buddies” when we were brewing or in reference to my work as a winemaker. Let’s look at some recent yeast research in preparation for the impending crush. I came across this paper that was just published by Scientific Reports . Winemakers have to be practical microbiologists as they herd yeast, and bacteria, through their respective fermentations. Few winemakers, however, seem to stray beyond yeast ranching. Metabolomics is a type of systems biology that focuses on the intermediate substrates of metabolism. A textbook definition might read as, “Metabolomics is the study of the unique chemical composition, or fingerprints, of particular cellular processes.” The important concept, at l...
Read more