Upright red wine fermentation tank

{
  "publication_number": "US4593612A",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A",
  "title": "Upright red wine fermentation tank",
  "abstract": "An upright red wine fermentation tank has a substantially circular cross-section taken vertically to its cenhter plane (24). An agitator is arranged in the tank 10. The agitator can be rotated about at least one preferably horizontal shaft (20), and its agitator elements sweep at least through a substantially spherical volume.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A red wine fermentation tank comprising: an upright tank having a substantially circular transverse cross-section, a longitudinal center line, a cylindrical main and middle part, a curved cover and a cone-shaped bottom part, the curved cover being positioned along the upper perimeter of the cylindrical main and middle part, and the cone-shaped bottom part being positioned along the lower perimeter of the cylindrical main and middle part; and at least one agitator arranged within the tank so as to sweep through at least a substantially spherical volume, each agitator including a shaft and a rotary disc mounted on the shaft whereby the rotary disc may be rotated, the rotary disk being circular or semi-circular and substantially continuous.",
    "2. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 1, wherein the bottom of the cone-shaped bottom part is provided with a circular cylindrical portion, which portion has a pair of planar, sloping walls which define the bottom area of the portion and wherein a discharge screw is positioned between the pair of planar, sloping walls.",
    "3. A tank according to claim 2, wherein the pair of planar, sloping walls are arranged at an angle of at most 55° to the longitudinal center line of the tank.",
    "4. A tank according to claim 2, wherein the pair of planar sloping walls are arranged at an angle of at most 45° to the longitudinal center line of the tank.",
    "5. A tank according to claim 2, wherein one agitator shaft is provided and is positioned vertically and along the longitudinal center line, of the tank and wherein the discharge screw is located adjacent to the longitudinal center line.",
    "6. A tank according to claim 5, wherein the lower end of the agitator shaft which is centrally arranged in the tank is located adjacent to the discharge screw.",
    "7. A tank in accordance with claim 5, wherein the agitator shaft is centrally arranged in the tank and the lower end thereof extends through one of said pair of planar, sloping walls and is supported outside the tank.",
    "8. A tank according to claim 2, wherein the pair of planar, sloping walls have different inclinations relative to the longitudinal center line of the tank.",
    "9. A tank according to claim 8, wherein the pair of planar, sloping walls intersect the circular cylindrical portion at different heights.",
    "10. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 2, wherein a dripping device which comprises at least one circular screen is provided in the circular cylindrical portion, whereby the tank is subdivided into a mash chamber and a juice chamber, when the dripping device is in a dripping position in which the screen extends in one plane, across the entire transverse cross-section of the circular cylindrical portion, the dripping device being adapted to be transferred from the dripping position into a pass through position in which the screen no longer extends across the entire transverse cross-section of the circular cylindrical portion.",
    "11. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 10, wherein the dripping device comprises a strainer box having at least one screen insert.",
    "12. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 11, wherein the strainer box has a plurality of guide strips along which guide strips the screen insert or inserts may be horizontally moved, the strainer box being horizontally removable from the tank.",
    "13. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 11, wherein the dripping device comprises a shaft, which extends horizontally and is affixed to the circular cylindrical portion, and a frame having a plurality of screen inserts mounted therein, the frame being pivotally mounted on the shaft.",
    "14. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 10, wherein the dripping device comprises a shaft which extends horizontally and is affixed to the circular cylindrical portion, and a frame having two semi-circular halves, each half having a semi-circular screen insert mounted therein, the frame halves each being pivotally mounted on the shaft.",
    "15. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 14, wherein the frame halves are provided in rigid arrangement relative to the shaft and to each other, whereby they may be pivoted jointly with the shaft.",
    "16. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 14, wherein the frame halves are pivotally mounted on the shaft individually, whereby they may be individually folded up or down from the dripping position",
    "17. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 16, wherein the frame halves are held in the dripping position by lateral pins which can be displaced in the horizontal direction.",
    "18. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 1, wherein a pipe is provided in oblique arrangement relative to the longitudinal center line, and wherein the bottom of the cone-shaped bottom part is provided with a circular cylindrical portion, which portion has a pair of planar sloping walls which define the bottom area of the portion, one of the pair of planar, sloping walls directly extending into and ending in said pipe, the other of the pair ending in said pipe via a bend.",
    "19. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 1, wherein the bottom of the cone-shaped bottom part ends in a pipe attached in oblique arrangement.",
    "20. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 1, wherein the bottom of the cone-shaped bottom part ends in a centrally fitted pipe.",
    "21. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 1, wherein the tank comprises a circular cylindrical portion delimited at its bottom by a planar, sloping, bottom wall.",
    "22. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 1, wherein the tank comprises a circular cylindrical portion delimited at its bottom by an inclined, curved bottom wall.",
    "23. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 22, wherein the bottom wall has the form of a cylindrical shell whose cylindrical axis intersects the center of the agitator.",
    "24. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 1, wherein the rotary disc is a flat hollow body made of sheet metal.",
    "25. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 1, wherein the rotary disc is provided with a plurality of projections along at least one surface thereof, the projections extending in parallel to the shaft.",
    "26. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 1, wherein each rotary disc is provided with a raised edge portion along at least one surface thereof.",
    "27. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 26, wherein the raised edge portion extends around the whole periphery of at least one surface of the rotary disc.",
    "28. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one agitator is adjustable in height.",
    "29. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 1, wherein the tank is made of steel or stainless steel.",
    "30. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 1, wherein the tank is made of fiberglass reinforced plastic material.",
    "31. A red wine fermentation tank comprising: an upright tank having a substantially circular transverse cross-section, a longitudinal center line, and a circular cylindrical portion delimited at its bottom by a planar, sloping bottom wall; at least one agitator arranged within the tank so as to sweep through at least a substantially spherical volume, each agitator including a shaft and a rotary disc mounted on the shaft whereby the rotary disc may be rotated, the rotary disc being circular or semi-circular and substantially continuous; and a juice chamber provided in the tank below the planar, sloping bottom wall and a drain valve provided in the planar, sloping bottom wall, the juice chamber being connected with the portion of the tank above the planar, sloping bottom wall via the drain valve.",
    "32. A red wine fermentation tank comprising: an upright tank having a substantially circular transverse cross-section and a longitudinal center line; and at least one agitator arranged within the tank so as to sweep through at least a substantially spherical volume, each agitator including a shaft and a rotary disc mounted on the shaft whereby the rotary disc may be rotated, the disc being circular or semi-circular, substantially continuous, and being provided with one or more screen inserts.",
    "33. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 32, wherein the rotary disc is provided with a screen insert which extends along substantially the whole surface of the rotating disc.",
    "34. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 33, wherein the rotary disc is mounted in a lower portion of the tank and is adapted to be fixed in a horizontal position whereby the rotating disc serves as a dripping device.",
    "35. A red wine fermentation tank comprising: an upright tank having a substantially circular transverse cross-section and a longitudinal center line; and at least one agitator arranged within the tank so as to sweep through at least a substantially spherical volume, each agitator being provided with heat exchanger means and including a shaft and a rotary disc mounted on the shaft whereby the rotary disc may be rotated, the rotary disc being circular or semi-circular and substantially continuous.",
    "36. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 25, wherein each heat exchanger means is connected to a supply line and a return line, which supply line and return line enter the agitator through the shaft.",
    "37. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 35, wherein each rotary disc is a flat hollow body and wherein each heat exchanger means comprises a channel provided within the rotary disk.",
    "38. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 37 wherein the heat exchanger channel is provided in the flat, hollow body of each rotary disc by walls arranged in the form of a labyrinth.",
    "39. A red wine fermentation tank comprising: an upright tank having a substantially circular transverse cross-section and a longitudinal center line; and a plurality of agitators provided in the tank and arranged within the tank so as to sweep through at least a substantially spherical volume, each agitator including a shaft, which shaft extends generally horizontally, and a rotary disc mounted on the shaft whereby the rotary disc may be rotated, the rotary disc being circular or semi-circular and substantially continuous.",
    "40. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 39, wherein the rotary discs of adjacent agitators rotate in opposite directions.",
    "41. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 39, wherein the rotary discs of adjacent agitators rotate in the same direction.",
    "42. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 41, wherein the distance between the shafts of adjacent agitators is greater than √2 times the radius (r) of the rotary discs.",
    "43. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 39, wherein the shafts extend horizontally and wherein the shaft of the uppermost agitator is directly rotated by a drive and the shaft or shafts of the agitator or lower agitators are driven by one of an auxiliary power take-off shaft of the drive via shiftable clutches and separate shiftable drives.",
    "44. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 39, wherein the shafts of the agitators are commonly driven by a crank drive.",
    "45. A fermentation tank in accordance with claim 39, wherein the shafts of the agitators are commonly driven by a chain drive."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "This invention is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 06/460,845, filed on Jan. 25, 1983, now abandoned.\n\nThe present invention relates to an upright red wine fermentation tank having a substantially circular cross-section, taken vertically to the center plane, and an agitator arranged within the tank.\n\nA tank of this type has been known from German Disclosure Document No. 31 43 287.\n\nWine grapes consist of shells containing the pulp. When agitated in a fermentation tank, grape mash is formed consisting of the liquid components, i.e. the grape juice and the solid components, namely the shells, the pips and the rapes. Red wine grape mash is agitated to wash the red color, being mostly contained in the shells, out of the shells. The solid components enumerated above are also referred to as pomace.\n\nBefore fermentation and especially during the discharge of juice, the pomace of the grape mash tends to settle in the funnel-shaped bottom. To allow the pomace to be removed from the tank after the juice has flowed off, known tanks have a discharge screw provided at the lower end of the funnel-shaped bottom. Although all the pomace which enters the area of the screw is discharged by means of the screw, it happens often, especially when the pomace is not discharged immediately after the juice has been drained off, that the pomace cakes together to form a bridge above the screw and to prevent any further pomace from entering the area of the screw.",
  "cpc": [
    "B01F 35/95",
    "B65G 65/46",
    "C12G 1/02",
    "C12G 2200/25"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B01F 15/06",
    "B65G 65/46",
    "C12G 1/02"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Herbert Rieger"
  ],
  "filing_date": "1984-05-23",
  "publication_date": "1986-06-10",
  "grant_date": "1986-06-10",
  "priority_date": "1982-01-30",
  "application_number": "US-61314984-A",
  "family_id": "27189872",
  "cited_by_count": 37,
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}