The cooling Panel is a stainless cooling surface which is mounted inside the tank. It is a permanently attached interior plate through which chilled gylcol or water is circulated. The panel runs the full height of the tank wall and is usually mounted in the back of the tank, opposite the side manway.
The cooling Panel is designed as equivalent to a 25% jacket on a stainless steel tank. It is, however, much more efficient than a stainless jacket due to the fact that the cooling surfaces are in contact only with the wine and do not chill ambient air, as in the case of uninsulated jackets. The efficiency of the cooling Panel is also increased by the thick walls of Pasco poly™ tanks which provide better insulation against heating the wine from outside the tank than is true of stainless tanks.
