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Separation
The whirlpool separator is an upright cylindrical vessel with a dished base.
The boiling wort is pumped at a high velocity into the vessel at a tangent to the circumference of the vessel in such away that a vortex is created in the liquid.
One of the properties of a vortex is that any solids contained in the liquid tend to be drawn into the centre of the vortex. As the vortex slows the solids gather in the base of the vessel.
30 minutes after the finish of pumping the wort will have separated out into a cone of “trub” made up of spent hops and precipitated protein/ tannin in the dished base of the vessel and clear bitter wort all around it.
When required aroma hops are added to the whirlpool.
These hops contain a high proportion of aromatic oils and resins which are volatile and would be driven off with the steam created during the boil if added to the wort kettle.
By adding these hops as the wort is being pumped into the whirlpool the oils and resins are dissolved in the wort.
Very little bitterness is derived from this late hop addition but the beautiful aromas are carried forward into the finished product.
