Beverage cooling and cleaning systems

A primary beverage cooling circuit for refrigerating a fluid used in a secondary beverage cooling circuit that cools beverage in a beverage conduit by pumping the fluid through a heat exchange conduit adjacent the beverage conduit to transfer heat therebetween, the primary beverage cooling circuit comprising:

• a refrigerant circuit containing a refrigerant circulating through:
• a heat exchanger in continuous direct heat transfer communication with the fluid to cool the fluid during operation of the primary beverage circuit to refrigerate the fluid, wherein the heat exchanger is located in a tank containing a volume of the fluid;
• a variable displacement compressor for circulating the refrigerant through the refrigerant circuit;
• a cooling device for cooling the refrigerant;
• and
• a valve for controlling the volume of the refrigerant into the heat exchanger;
• the primary beverage cooling circuit further comprising a controller for controlling the operation of the compressor and/or the cooling device and/or the valve based on one or more measurements from temperature and/or pressure sensors in the refrigerant circuit to maintain a temperature of the fluid and/or the refrigerant about a set-point temperature.