vats

A vat is a large, durable container used for holding liquids during processing, storage, or fermentation. The plural vats refers to more than one such container. Vats have been used since ancient times and vary in size from a few dozen liters to many thousands of liters.

Common materials include wood, stone, ceramic, metal such as steel or stainless steel, and concrete. Modern vats are typically cylindrical with flat or conical bottoms and are equipped with features such as manways, fittings, and, for fermentation, temperature jackets and agitators to mix contents.

Applications include food and beverage production (fermentation, mixing, aging), dairy processing, chemical manufacturing, textile dyeing, and wastewater treatment. In fermentation and brewing, vats provide a controlled environment for microbial activity. Sanitation is important, and many vats use sanitary coatings and cleaning-in-place systems.

Vats should not be confused with VAT, the abbreviation for value-added tax, which is a financial term unrelated to containers.