Brine 101
Control the Brine Making Process for Safer Roads and Reduced Manpower and Overall Salt Usage
Making brine is easy. Making brine to maximize its working temperature for safer roads while reducing overall salt use is key. Brine Masters pays close attention to the details so you will become successful and avoid the pitfalls of a poorly designed system.
Correct Brine Salinity Concentration
The importance of proper salt brine salinity for snow & ice control
Making brine at the correct concentration is critical in the snow and ice industry. Having the solution too weak may lead to creating black ice and/or not being effective. To accurately measure brine solution, the measurement device must “temperature compensate” for the actual solution temperature. Unfortunately, without temperature compensation, the solution will likely be made too weak to meet the target concentration. Most devices are calibrated at 60° F. It is common for solution to be produced at some point between –6° F and 60° F. As the temperature of the solution is reduced below 60° F, a false reading of the solution will occur.
As the chart shows, 23.3% salinity at road temperatures is ideal. Having a weaker or stronger concentration leads to higher freezing points.
Measurement of Brine Solution is Critical
Making brine at the correct concentration is critical in the snow and ice industry. Having the solution too weak may lead to creating black ice and/or not being effective. To accurately measure brine solution, the measurement device must temperature compensate for the actual solution temperature. Unfortunately, without temperature compensation, the solution will likely be made too weak to meet the target concentration. Most devices are calibrated at 60° F. and it is common for solution to be produced at some point between –6° F and 60° F. These temperature variances lead to challenges in making brine at a minimum concentration level. As the temperature of the solution is reduced below 60° F, a false reading of the solution will occur. For example, the solution may read 23.3% at 60° F, but in reality, may be substantially weaker than 23.3% when applied at road surface temperatures. With temperature compensation, as temperatures drop below 60° F, the reading and the actual concentration move simultaneously in the same direction. You must temperature compensate to be accurate in brine production.
Types of Brine Makers
Up Flow
Least expensive to build and works well with fine salt. As waste builds up in the bottom, production rates diminish. Up flow systems typically have lower production rates due to reduced water velocity. Loading salt into hopper creates splash and overflow due to displacement.
Down Flow
Produces a cleaner brine but does not work well with fine salt. Salt hopper may be loaded without splash and overflow. May or may not be efficient at brine production depending on design.
Side Flow
This design is the best of both worlds: no splash-over when filling with salt, and efficient brine production rates. Works well with fine or coarse salt. The drawback is a higher cost to produce, but the efficiency typically is worth the added expense.