Wine grape processing apparatus

• US 3,910,173 A
• Filed: 06/03/1974
• Issued: 10/07/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gino R. Zepponi
• Original Assignee: Gino R. Zepponi
• Inventors: Zepponi, Gino R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jenkins, Robert W.
• Application Number:
  US05/475,396
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 99/275,277.1,277.2,278,276,277,646S 222/460,556,462,504 426/15 214/17D 195/127,142,139,133
• US Class Current: 99/277.1
• CPC Class Codes: A23N 1/00 Machines or apparatus for extracting juice preparation of non-alcoholic beverages, e.g. by adding ingredients to fruit or vegetable juices, A23L2/00; apparatus for making beverages A47J31/00 ; centrifuges B04B; extracting presses B30B
• CPC Class Codes: C12G 1/02 Preparation of must from grapes; Must treatment and fermentation
• CPC Class Codes: C12G 1/0216 with recirculation of the must for pomage extraction

Abstract

A large cylindrical tank in vertical attitude is closed on the upper end by a dome having various fittings and on the lower end by an inverted conical bottom having a hinged door in the vicinity of the apex. The apex angle of the cone is predetermined so that when the axis of the cone is inclined to the axis of the tank with one element of the cone co-linear with an element of the tank, the opposite element of the cone is sloped at least as steeply as the angle of repose of the contents, thereby making the tank self-emptying. Interchangeable accessories, including a central foraminous core and inert gas connections, facilitate juice separation and enhance yield while the tank is operated as a pressure vessel. In situ fermentation of must (freshly crushed grapes and juice) and whole red grapes is also provided by installing a sprinkler head within the tank to keep the cap wet and broken. The self-emptying features readily enable the pomace (drained grape skins and pulp) to be transferred to a final pressing station, such as a Willmes Press, for further juice extraction. By varying the accessories and the procedures, several different alternative wine grape processes are made possible in a single installation. The equipment can also be used in the processing of vegetables, such as extracting juice from tomatoes.

Claims

1. A juice processing apparatus comprising:

a. a tank having vertical side walls encompassing the material to be processed, the material including a juice fraction and a non-juice fraction;

b. a downwardly converging bottom closure mounted on the lower end of said tank with one element of said bottom closure substantially vertical and co-linear with a vertical element of said tank, the opposite element of said bottom closure being inclined at least at the respose angle of the non-juice fraction to enable the same to slide toward the lower convergent portion of said bottom Closure, said lower convergent portion having an opening therein;

c. a door hingeably mounted on said bottom closure to cover and uncover said opening, at least the nonjuice fraction being dischargeable through said opening by gravity alone as said door uncovers said opening;

d. Means connected to said bottom closure for draining the juice fraction separated from the non-juice fraction and accumulated in said bottom closure;

e. means mounted on said tank adjacent the upper end thereof for sprinkling the contents; and

, f. means associated with said draining means and leading to said sprinkling means for reintroducing the juice fraction accumulated in said bottom closure into said upper end of said tank.

2. A juice processing apparatus as in claim 1 in which said tank is right circular cylindrical and said bottom closure is at least in part conical.

3. A juice processing apparatus as in claim 2 including a right-circular cylindrical perforated core mounted coaxially within said tank and forming a juice conduit, the diameter of said core being less than the diameter of said tank to define an annular chamber for the reception of must (freshly crushed grapes and juice), the perforations of said core being of a dimension such as to allow the passage of juice from said annular chamber into said core and bar the movement of must and pomace (drained grape skins and pulp) into said core.

4. A juice processing apparatus as in claim 3 including means communicating with said core for removing the juice accumulated therein.

5. A juice processing apparatus as in claim 4 in which said tank is a pressure vessel, and in which said apparatus includes means for introducing gas under greater than atmospheric pressure into said upper end of said tank to express juice into said core.

6. A juice processing apparatus as in claim 5 in which said core includes a plurality of transverse partitions;

a valve mounted on each of said partitions for controlling the flow of gas therethrough; and

means for selectively controlling the movement of said valves between open and closed position to regulate the flow of gas through said partitions as the interface between the pomace and the must moves downwardly through said tank and said core.

7. A juice processing apparatus as in claim 3 including means for selectively elevating said perforated core above said opposite element of said bottom closure to facilitate the flow of said non-juice fraction through said opening as said door uncovers said opening.

8. A juice processing apparatus as in claim 1 in which said sprinkling means is a head rotatably mounted on the upper end of said tank, said head including a plurality of fluid discharge nozzles.

9. A juice processing apparatus comprising:

a. a vessel having side walls, an upper end closure and a lower end closure, said vessel encompassing the material to be processed, the material including a juice fraction and a non-juice fraction;

b. a perforated core mounted within said vessel encompassed by the material to be processed, the perforations of said core being of a dimension such as to allow the passage of the juice fraction into said core and bar the movement of the non-juice fraction into said core;

c. means for introducing gas under greater than atmospheric pressure into the upper end of said vessel to express the juice fraction of the material into said core;

d. means communicating with said core for draining the juice expressed into said core; and

, e. means adjacent the bottom of said lower end closure for removing from said vessel the non-juice fraction of the material remaining after separation of the juice fraction.

10. A juice processing apparatus as in claim 9 in which said core includes a plurality of transverse vertically spaced partitions;

a valve mounted on each of said partitions for controlling the flow of gas therethrough; and

means for selectively controlling the movement of said valves between open and closed positiOn to regulate the flow of gas through said partitions as the interface between the material and the non-juice fraction of the material moves progressively downwardly as the juice is separated from the material and expressed into said core.

11. A juice processing apparatus as in claim 10 in which the least slope of any portion of said lower end closure is not less than the repose angle of the non-juice fraction to enable the same to slide toward the bottom of said lower end closure by gravity alone.