WO2009047368A2

WO2009047368A2 - A discharge device for a rotary crushing press

Info

Publication number: WO2009047368A2
Application number: PCT/EP2008/066254
Authority: WO
Inventors: Enrico Medri; Cesare Valentinotti
Original assignee: Diemme S.P.A.
Priority date: 2008-09-12
Filing date: 2008-11-26
Publication date: 2009-04-16
Also published as: CL2008003590A1; ITRE20080083A1; WO2009047368A3; AR068963A1

Abstract

In a discharge device for a rotary crushing press (1), destined for crushing produce containing juice, the press (1) comprises a rotating container (2) provided with at least an outlet mouth (28) for the product obtained from the pressing, the discharge device comprising: a manifold (30) destined to be mounted on the rotary container (2) of the press, which manifold (30) is provided with at least an inlet (32) connectable with the outlet mouth (28) of the rotary container (2) and further provided with at least an outlet (33), destined to be associated to an inlet (44) of a tank (4), and means for connecting (34, 35, 47) between the outlet (33) of the manifold and the inlet (44) of the tank (4), which comprise a first portion (34, 35) associated to the outlet of the manifold (30), and a second portion (47) associated to the inlet of the manifold (30), which first portion (34, 35) and second portion (47) reciprocally join and separate by a respective reciprocal nearing and distancing movement, when the manifold (30) and the tank (4) are in a predetermined reciprocal position.

Description

A Discharge Device for a Rotary Crushing Press

Technical Field

The invention relates in general to a rotary press for crushing produce containing juice, typically for pressing or crushing grapes in the production of wine or other wine products.

In more detail, the present invention relates to a device for discharging the product obtained from the pressing, in this particular case wine must. Background Art

As is known, rotary presses are generally arranged horizontally and comprise a rotary container, usually made of stainless steel, in which a flexible membrane is housed, which separates the inside of the cylinder into two zones. The first zone, on a side of the membrane, functions as a containing chamber of the product to be pressed, while the second zone, on the other side of the membrane, is a chamber for a pressurised fluid which expands the membrane. During the pressing stage, the membrane presses the produce against the internal wall of the rotary container such as to cause the exit of the must from a plurality of mouths which open on the lateral wall of the container at the position of the chamber containing the product to be pressed, such as to pour the must internally of an underlying collection pail. Each load of produce is generally subjected to a sequence of pressing stages, intercalated with stages of disgregation, or "breaking", of the by-now caked lees; in these stages the membrane is no longer solicited by the pressurised fluid; the tank is made to rotate on its axis such that the product inside mixes and homogenises. At each subsequent press a lower quality must is obtained, which is generally used for production of different enological products, or products of different quality.

At the end of the crushing operation the residual skins are extracted from the rotary container via a special hatch. It is known that grape pressing, especially for the extraction of the highest quality must, can be done in a protective atmosphere in order to prevent the must from oxidising in contact with the oxygen in the air, in order for it not to lose important characteristics, for example, in terms of colour, taste and fragrance. For this reason the produce to be crushed is placed in the rotary container of the press together with an anti-oxidation gas, typically carbon dioxide or nitrogen, which prevents or at least slows the oxidising process. Notwithstanding these efforts, during discharge through the outlet mouths of the rotary container, and during the whole period spent in the collecting pail, the previously-obtained must, which then was in a protected environment, is now exposed to the air and can be subject to oxidation. In particular, if the anti-oxidant gas used is carbon dioxide, the gas tends to remain mixed within the must, forming a protection surface layer which maintains the must in separation from the air even when it is in the collection pail.

If, on the other hand, the anti-oxidant gas used is nitrogen, the nitrogen tends to disperse rapidly in the outside environment, leaving the must completely exposed to the oxidation process. Thus there is a strongly-felt need to have a discharge device available for a rotary press, which enables the must to be maintained mechanically separated from the environmental air, even during the stages of discharge and collection or loading of the grapes. A further need is for the discharge device to be applicable to rotary presses of traditional type, such as to be provided and marketed as an improvement kit for existing presses. An aim of the present invention is to meet the above-mentioned needs with a simple, rational and inexpensive solution.

The aim is attained by the characteristics of the invention as reported in independent claim 1. The dependent claims delineate preferred and/or especially advantageous aspects of the invention. Disclosure of Invention

In particular, the invention provides a discharge device for a rotary press, and a rotary press provided with the discharge device, in which the discharge device comprises: a manifold which can be mounted on the rotary container of the press, which is provided with at least an inlet that can be connected to an outlet mouth of the rotary container and at least an outlet, destined to be connected with the inlet of a collection tank, and means for connecting the manifold outlet and the tank inlet, which comprise a first portion associated to the outlet of the manifold and a second portion associated to the inlet of the tank, which are joined and separated respectively by a reciprocal nearing and distancing movement, when the manifold and the means for connecting are in a predetermined reciprocal position. Thanks to this device, after each pressing stage, the rotary container of the press is halted when the manifold and the means for connecting are in the reciprocal position, and the means for connecting between the manifold outlet and the tank inlet can be activated, such as to discharge the must obtained from the pressing directly from the container into the tank without the must being exposed to the outside air. In a preferred aspect of the invention the tank is hermetically closed, such that the anti-oxidant gas contained in the must cannot be lost into the external environment, and can therefore continue to perform its function, including inside the tank itself. In a first embodiment of the invention, the tank is directly associated to the support frame of the rotating container; in this case a pump is included for removing the must from the tank towards a storage tank already present in the grape processing location. In a variant of the invention the tank can be positioned at a distance from the press, for example it can be constituted by a tank or collection pail which is hermetically closed or priorly saturated with anti-oxidant gas (in particular carbon dioxide) already present in the location where the grape processing is done. In this case the filling of the tank is done by force of gravity, thanks to the pressure due to the action of the membrane internally of the tank.

In a further preferred aspect of the invention, the means for connecting between the manifold and the tank are associated to activating means which cause the above-mentioned reciprocal nearing and distancing movement between the portion associated to the outlet of the manifold and the portion associated to the inlet of the tank.

The manifold is preferably provided with a second outlet, which can be used instead of the previous one, for discharging the low-quality must which does not require protection from oxidation, and which can be made to flow freely into an open pail.

Brief description of the Drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clear from a reading of the following description, provided by way of non-limiting example, with the aid of the figures illustrated in the accompanying tables of the drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rotary press equipped with a discharge device of the invention.

Figure 2 is a front view of the rotary press of figure 1. Figure 3 is second Ill-Ill of figure 4.

Figure 4 is section IV-IV of figure 2.

Figure 5 and figure 6 are an enlarged detail of figure 4, showing the discharge manifold and the collecting tank respectively connected and disconnected. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

The rotary press 1 comprises a horizontally-orientated hollow cylindrical body

2, opposite ends of which are rotatably coupled to two pedestals 10 resting on the ground, which are reciprocally connected by two lateral longitudinal members 11 to together form a single rigid support structure. The cylindrical body 2 is made of stainless steel and is set in rotation about the axis X thereof by a motor, of known type and not illustrated in the figures, which is contained in a box 12 fixed to the support structure and which is connected to the cylindrical body 2 at the posterior end thereof.

At the front end thereof, the cylindrical body 2 is coupled to an conduit 20, via a valve 21 , for supplying the produce to be pressed internally of the cylindrical body 2, in particular grape products such as whole grapes, crushed grapes, crushed and destalked grapes, and/or fermented grape skins.

Alternatively the product can be supplied internally of the container 2 through the hatch 61. The supply conduit 20 is fixed and opens internally of the cylindrical body 2 by the interposing of mobile connecting elements which enable reciprocal rotation.

An auxiliary conduit 22 opens laterally into the supply conduit 20, which is in turn provided with a valve 23 for injection of an anti-oxidising gas, typically nitrogen or carbon dioxide.

In a case where the product to be pressed is infed through the conduit 20 and the valve 21 , the anti-oxidant gas mixes with the product to be pressed before entering with it into the cylindrical body 2 via the supply conduit 20.

As illustrated in figure 4, the internal volume of the cylindrical body 2 is sub- divided by a flexible membrane 24 into two chambers, a first chamber 25 communicating with the supply conduit 20 and destined to contain the product to be pressed, and a second chamber 26 communicating with a coaxial tube 27 from which a pressurised fluid enters to expand the membrane 8, typically air. The tube 27 is connected with a pressurised fluid supply system, of known type and thus not illustrated in the enclosed figures of the drawings.

In proximity of the front end the lateral wall of the cylindrical body 2 exhibits a series of openings 28, which are aligned along a same circumference centred on the rotation axis X. The openings 28 are angularly equidistanced and all open into the chamber

25, such as to function as outlet mouths for the product obtained from the crushing, in the present example wine must. As shown in figure 3, the discharge device of the present invention comprises a manifold 30 which, in the illustrated example, is formed by an arched tube, closed at ends thereof, which coaxially winds around the cylindrical body 2, and is fixed on the outside thereof such as to rotate solidly there-with. The manifold 30 is in hydraulic communication with the chamber 25 via a series of gussets 31 , each of which connects a respective outlet mouth 28 of the cylindrical body 2 with a respective inlet conduit 32 of the manifold 30 (see also figures 5 and 6). The inlet conduits 32 are arranged equidistanced along the longitudinal development of the manifold 30 and all project from the same side with horizontal axes.

The manifold 30 is further provided with a horizontal-axis primary outlet conduit 33, which faces on the opposite side to the inlet conduits 32, and is provided with a flat end flange 34, on which a thin elastic membrane 35 made of rubber is applied.

An activatable check valve 36 is installed on the primary outlet conduit 33, for selectively opening and closing communication with the inlet conduit 32, and thus allowing outlet or not of the must outlet. The manifold 30 is also provided with a secondary outlet conduit 37, an axis of which is perpendicular and coplanar with the axis of the primary outlet conduit 33.

The secondary outlet conduit 37 is open on the opposite side to the cylindrical body 2 and is provided with a motor-driven check valve 38 for selectively allowing or preventing outlet of must. The discharge device further comprises a tank 4, which in the illustrated embodiment is fixed to the support structure of the press 1 at a lower height with respect to the cylindrical body 2.

In the illustrated embodiment, the tank 4 comprises a lower pail 40 and an upper cover 41 which hermetically closes the lower tank 40 by interposing of special seal means, such as to prevent outlet of gas. A maximum pressure valve 42 is associated to the lower tank 40, which valve 42 automatically opens in order to enable discharge of the gas when the internal pressure in the tank 4 exceeds a predetermined limit value. The lower tank 40 is provided with a valve 43 which is destined to be connected to a must collection circuit and an inlet 44 which, via a flexible tube 45, is connected to a connecting sleeve 46 an open end of which terminates with a diverging tract 47 which is cone-shaped having a parallel axis to the axis X of the cylindrical body 2. The connecting sleeve 46 is further provided with a motorised check valve 48 for allowing passage of must in a direction and preventing loss of anti-oxidant gas in another direction.

The connecting sleeve is mounted on the support structure 1 of the press 1 , where it is arranged such that the conical tract 47 is substantially coaxial to the primary outlet conduit 33 of the manifold 3, facing and with the concavity thereof facing towards the manifold 3, when the outlet conduit 33 is in the lowest point of the revolving trajectory thereof about the rotation axis X of the cylinder body 2.

The connecting sleeve 46 is coupled to a fixed horizontal guide 49, on which it can slide between an advanced position and a retracted position, activated by a back-lying double-acting jack 50, moving forward and backward in a parallel direction to the axis of the conical tract 47.

When the connecting sleeve 46 is in a retracted position, between the conical tract 47 and the flange 34 of the primary outlet 33 there is a separating space which prevents any connection; when the connecting sleeve 46 moves into the advanced position, the conical tract 47 progressively nears the flange 34 up until it presses the free edge thereof against the elastic membrane 35, thus obtaining a hermetic connection with the outlet conduit 33. The discharge device also comprises a superiorly-open auxiliary pail 6 which is fixed to the support structure of the press 1 below the cylindrical body 2, such as to be below the secondary outlet conduit 37 of the manifold 30 when the outlet conduit 37 is vertically orientated downwards. Note that the secondary outlet conduit 37 is orientated vertically downwards when the primary outlet conduit 33 is aligned with the conical tract 47 of the connecting sleeve 46 of the tank 4.

The auxiliary pail 6 is provided with a discharge tube 60 destined to be connected to a collection circuit of the must, not illustrated as of known type. In use, before the filling stage the cylindrical body is halted in the position in which the primary outlet conduit 33 is aligned and facing the conical tract 47 of the connecting sleeve 46, which sleeve 46 is in the retracted position so as not to interfere with the rotation of the cylindrical body 2. At this point, the jack 50 pushes the connecting sleeve 46 into the advanced position, such as to realise the hermetic connection between the conical tract 47 and the flange 34 of the primary outlet conduit 33. The produce to be pressed is infed through the supply conduit 20, commanded by the valve 21 or passing through the hatch 61 , internally of the cylindrical body 2, while the cylindrical body is stationary with the chamber 25 arranged in a bottom-most position.

The antioxidant gas is contemporaneously supplied through the auxiliary conduit 22, which enters the cylindrical body 2 together with the produce to be pressed, forming a protective atmosphere in the chamber which prevents or at least reduces the oxidation of the produce during the crushing stage. The first stage of the pressing is done with free discharge or draining, with the cylindrical body stationary; to facilitate exit of the product through the primary outlet conduit 33, antioxidant gas is fed into the inside of the cylindrical body 2 through the conduit 22 such as to maintain the pressure internally of the cylindrical body at close to atmospheric pressure.

Thus the outflow is achieved by force of gravity in a constantly closed environment, such that there is no dispersion of antioxidant gas, which collects in the tank 4 where it continues to perform its protective function efficiently. The next stages of pressing then take place. The pressurised fluid is supplied through the tube 27 internally of the chamber 26, inflating the flexible membrane 24 in order to push and press the product against the internal walls of the cylindrical body 2.

A same load of produce is generally subjected to a series of successive pressing stages, where the first pressings produce the best-quality must and the following pressings provide progressively poorer-quality must, destined for the production of less-prestigious enological products. After a certain number of pressings, the stage of disgregation of the lees takes place, where the "cake" of exhausted skins formed internally of the rotating container is broken in order for the contents to be homogenised before the next pressing. To enable re-mixing of the lees all pressure has to be removed from the membrane, and the chamber 26 of the rotating container thus has to be emptied. During this emptying of the chamber 26 the membrane 24 retracts. During this stage, the check valve 36 is closed to prevent ingress of air, the check valve 48 is closed to prevent antioxidant gas from escaping from the tank 4, which would lead to loss of inertisation of the must contained therein, and the connecting sleeve 46 is returned to the retreated position.

To compensate for the volume of air which is lost through the retraction of the membrane, and in order to continue to protect the lees in the rotating container, anti-oxidant gas is injected into the chamber 25 via special connections therefor. When evacuation is complete, the tank is rotated in order for the lees to be mixed up, and the manifold 30 rotates solidly with the cylindrical body 2. All the primary 33 and secondary 37 outlet conduits are closed, such as to prevent leakage of must from the chamber 25 and inlet of air into the chamber 25.

When the disgregration of the lees is complete, the rotating container is newly positioned for a successive pressing stage, which can be done by discharging the residual lees and newly loading fresh produce to be pressed. In this context, it is not generally necessary for the must obtained by successive pressings to be protected by an antioxidant gas.

When there is no further need to protect the product from oxidation, after the lees have been disgregated, the cylindrical body 2 is stopped in the pressing position, in which the secondary outlet conduit 37 is in a bottom position, oriented vertically above the auxiliary pail 6.

Thus there is a direct discharge of the must through the secondary outlet conduit 37 internally of the pail 6, with the check valve 38 open. As for the retraction of the membrane, at this point air can be allowed to enter before the disgregation both via the valve 38 and the valve 36. Obviously an expert technician of the sector might bring numerous modifications of a technical-applicational kind to the press 1 and the discharge device associated thereto, without forsaking the ambit of protection of the invention as claimed herein below.

Claims

1 ). A discharge device for a rotary crushing press (1 ), destined for crushing produce containing juice, the press (1 ) comprising a rotary container (2) provided with at least an outlet mouth (28) for the product obtained from the crushing, the discharge device being characterised in that it comprises: a manifold (30) destined to be mounted on the rotary container (2) of the press, which manifold (30) is provided with at least an inlet (32) connectable with the outlet mouth (28) of the rotary container (2), and is further provided with at least an outlet (33), destined to be connected to at least an inlet (44) of a collection tank (4), and means for connecting (34, 35, 47) between the outlet (33) of the manifold and the inlet (44) of the tank (4), which comprise a first portion (34, 35) associated to the outlet of the manifold (30), and a second portion (47) associated to the inlet of the manifold (30), which first portion (34, 35) and second portion (47) reciprocally join and separate by a respective reciprocal nearing and distancing movement, when the manifold (30) and the tank (4) are in a predetermined reciprocal position.

2). The device of claim 1 , characterised in that the tank (4) comprises means (41 , 48) for hermetically closing. 3). The device of claim 2, characterised in that the tank (4) comprises at least a maximum pressure valve (42).

4). The device of claim 1 , characterised in that the portions of the means for connecting respectively comprise a flange (34) and a hollow body (47) destined to abut against the flange (34). 5). The device of claim 4, characterised in that an elastic seal element (35) is interposed between the flange (34) and the hollow body (47).

6). The device of claim 1 , characterised in that the means for connecting are associated to means for activating (50) for activating the reciprocal nearing or distancing movement between the first portion (34, 35) associated to the outlet of the manifold and the second portion (47) associated to the inlet of the tank (4).

7). The device of claim 1 , characterised in that it comprises means (36) for selectively opening or closing the outlet (33) of the manifold (30). 8). The device of claim 1 , characterised in that in the relative predetermined position the outlet (33) of the manifold (30) is substantially at a lowest point of a trajectory thereof on board the rotary container (2).

9). The device of claim 1 , characterised in that the manifold (30) comprises at least a secondary outlet (37). 10). The device of claim 9, characterised in that it comprises means (38) for selectively opening and closing the secondary outlet (37).

11 ). The device of claim 1 , characterised in that a valve (43) is comprised on the tank (4).

12). A rotary press for crushing products containing juice, comprising a rotary container (2) provided with at least an outlet mouth (28) of the product obtained from the crushing, characterised in that it comprises a discharging device of any one of the preceding claims.