AU2007100911A4 - Tank system and frame thereof for supporting a tank against bulging - Google Patents

Description

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DESCRIPTION

18/09 '07 TITE 17:18 FAX 61 8 82119433 Leslcar Perrln__ 046 r-

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qTank system and frame thereof for supporting a tank against bulging 00 FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the storage and/or maturation of an alcoholic Sbeverage in particular to the maturation of wine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION STraditionally wooden barrels have been used to store and mature alcoholic beverages such as wine. Wood barrels are used because they allow the wine to Sbreath during the maturation process and they impart favourable characteristics to the wine. The difficulty with wooden barrels is that they are expensive and only have a limited life. After roughly three years, most of a barrel's flavour compounds have been leached out and the pores in the wood have become dogged with detritus and are not able to function effectively. The wood barrels also allow for the evaporation and potentially the leakage of wine which means that they need to be topped up at intervals during the maturation process. Typically the barrel is topped up from another barrel.

More recently stainless steel vessels have become popular. These vessels allow for bulk storage and maturation of wine. However they require the manual addition of oxygen (microoxygenation) and oak planks or chips. Furthermore, pitting of the stainless steel interior can destroy the integrity of the tank thereby rendering the tank useless. Pitting can occur when stainless steel is subjected to high concentration of chloride ions such as during cleaning of the vessel with a mild caustic solution.

During the maturation process oxygen must be rationed to the wine. If too much oxygen comes into contact with the wine the oxidation of ethanol will produce vinegar. Accordingly it is important to minimise the atmospheric air coming Into direct contact with the wine during maturation. This is particularly important in the headspace or ullage of the maturation vessel. If oxygen is not minimised in the headspace it can lead to aerobic bacterial spoilage of the wine. As can be appreciated the resultant formation of scum and mound is detrimental to the wine.

COMS ID No: ARCS-161490 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:06 Date 2007-09-18 18/09 '07 TTE 17:18 FAX 61 8 82119433 Leslcar Perrln 0 047 0 3 In recent times thin walled polyethylene vessels have been used to mature C wine. Polyethylene is easy to sanitise and can be cleaned with mild caustic 00 preparation without the risks associated with stainless steel vessels. Furthermore, the material is gas permeable which allows for the rationing of oxygen. Unlike traditional wooden barrels however the material does not have pores that clog over time. The material therefore is therefore good at retaining its gas permeability.

o The problem with these thin walled polyethylene vessels is that because they are flexible they are difficult to transport. Furthermore, the vessels tend to expand Sand distort out of shape which can pose problems if they are being stored in dose 10 proximity to other vessels. There are also difficulties associated with purging the headspace.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome at least some of the aforementioned problems or provide the public with a useful alternative.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide for a tank system for use in the maturation of wine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one form of the invention there is proposed a tank assembly for the storage and/or maturation of wine including: a gas permeable flexible tank adapted to hold a quantity of wine therein and having an underside, an upper surface and side walls, each said side wall being generally flat; a frame for supporting the tank and including bracing elements extending horizontally around the whole tank to brace the flat side walls of the tank against bulging a headspace extending from the upper surface; a valve for draining wine from the tank arranged on one side wall and near the underside; and prong access means for allowing entry of the prongs of a forklift; In a further form of the invention there is proposed a tank assembly for controlling the rate of oxygen transfer from the atmosphere into wine stored in the tank assembly comprising; COMS ID No: ARCS-161490 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:06 Date 2007-09-18 18/09 '07 TI E 17:19 FAX 61 8 82119433 Leslcar Perrin 048 S4 a tank having a body comprising a bottom wall, a top wall and flat side walls, the walls of the body having an oxygen permeability suitable for the storage and 00 maturation of wine; a frame for supporting the tank and including bracing elements extending horizontally around the whole tank to brace the flat side walls of the tank against bulging; prong access means beneath the frame for allowing entry of the prongs of a o forklift; a neck with an open mouth extending from an upper wall of the body, the o 10 upper wall being shaped so as to allow substantially all air to flow out of the body through the neck as the tank is filled to the level of the bottom of the neck; and an outlet for draining the wine from the tank arranged near the bottom wall of the body.

In preference the frame for supporting the tank includes a lower end and an upper end, and comprises a stacking structure to enable a first frame to be stacked on top of a second frame without any other stabilising means the lower end and the upper end of each frame so shaped that the lower end of the first frame is adapted to be restrained in place against horizontal movement by the upper end of the second frame.

Typically this may be done by many different means. One embodiment may include a lip defined by a L-channel sitting on top of the legs.

In preference each frame includes a plurality of legs the bottom of each leg adapted to engage the upper end of the frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several implementations of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the advantages and principles of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure I is a perspective view of a tank system of the present invention in a stacked arrangement: COMS ID No: ARCS-161490 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:06 Date 2007-09-18 18/09 '07 TUE 17:19 FAX 61 8 82119433 Leslcar Perrln [a049 0C

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Figure 2 is a perspective view of the tank system of Figure 1: c Figure 3 is an underside perspective view of the tank system of Figure 1; 00 Figure 4 is a front cross-sectional view of the tank system of Figure 1 illustrating an optional internal frame for suspending planks of oak; Figure 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the tank system of Figure 1, 0 illustrating the injection of inert gas through the bung tap; T" Figure 6 is a. perspective view of the tank system of Figure 1, illustrating the o insertion of oak planks into the tank; and Figure 7 is a perspective view of the tank system of Figure 1, illustrating the attachment of a cleaning apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. Although the description includes exemplary embodiments, other embodiments are possible, and changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same and like parts.

Referring to the drawings for a more detailed description, an apparatus or unit is illustrated, demonstrating by way of example one arrangement in which the principles of the present invention may be employed. The apparatus 10, as illustrated in Figure 1, includes a flexible vessel or tank 12 and a substantially rigid frame 14. Figure 1 illustrates apparatus 10 in a stacked arrangement with three individual units placed one on top of another. As would be appreciated the ability to stack the units has significant space saving advantages. Each tank 12 includes a headspace 16 with removable lid 18, a valve assembly 20 and a bung tap 22.

The frame 14 includes two transversely extending members 24 adapted to accommodate the prongs 26 of a forklift 28. In this way each unit 10 can be moved independently for the purposes of storage, cleaning or accessing the wine contained therein.

COMS ID No: ARCS-161490 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:06 Date 2007-09-18 18/09 '07 TUL 17:19 FAX 61 8 82119433 Leslcar Perrin @o050 o 6

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Although the tank 12 is constructed from a material that is gas permeable and is relatively thin walled, the tank 12 is prevented from expanding undesirably by the 00 use of the substantially rigid frame 14. This allows for unit 10 to be placed in close proximity to another without the risk of the tank 12 expanding in such a way as to encroach upon another unit 10. As the reader would appreciate, if this was to occur between adjacent stacks it may result in a domino effect with disastrous consequences.

It is envisaged that the tank 12 will be constructed out of 3mm-2.5cm thick o polyethylene. Typically such vessels have oxygen permeability in the range between S^ 10 10mg and 70mg of atmospheric 0 2 /m 2 of tank surface per 24hr for each I mm of tank wall thickness at typical storage temperatures of 20-25 0 C. Polyethylene is easy to sanitise and can be deaned with mild caustic preparation without the risks associated with cleaning of stainless steel vessels with this type of solution.

Furthermore the material does not have pores that clog over time as occurs in traditional wooden barrels. The material therefore retains its gas permeability. It should however be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the thickness or the material and any material could be used provided it is permeable to gas.

As illustrated in Figure 2 the frame includes vertical extending legs 30 located at each corner, with horizontal beams 32 extending therein between. It is envisaged that the legs 30 and beams 32 will be constructed from steel square hollow sections (shs) or rectangular hollow sections (rhs) to provide the greatest strength whilst minimising the overall weight of the apparatus. The frame 12 further includes brace members 34 and rails 36. The brace members 34 are positioned to prevent undesirable expansion In the side walls 38 of the tank 14. The rails 36 which are constructed from 90° steel extrusion are welded onto legs 30. The rails 36 serve a dual purpose: firstly they prevent movement of the legs 30 due to the forces applied to them by the tank 12 when filled and, secondly they serve as a locating means for the legs of a second unit during stacking as illustrated in Figure 1.

As illustrated in Figure 3 the transversely extending members 24 include two rectangular hollow sections (rhs) 40 interconnected by a length of C-section 42. It is envisaged that sections 40 and 42 will be constructed from steel and be welded to the underside of beams 32. The C-section 42 acts as a guide for the forklift prongs COMS ID No: ARCS-161490 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:06 Date 2007-09-18 18/09 '07 TUE 17:20 FAX 61 8 82119433 Lescar Perrin So051 r- 07 and as a support for the underside 44 of the tank 14 in conjunction with the beams 32 as illustrated in figure 4.

2 As is further illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 the tank 14 includes a sump 46 that extends in a downward direction between the adjacent transversely extending members 24. This means that the centre of gravity of the apparatus 10 is lowered which increases its stability during transportation. The valve assembly 20 is located O at the lowest point of the sump 46 and is used for both an inlet and outlet for wine.

2 The valve assembly 20 is also used during the cleaning process to remove the used ro mild caustic solution.

As illustrated in Figure 4 the upper surface 48 of the tank 14 slopes upwardly and inwardly towards the headspace 16. This prevents air pockets from forming as the tank 14 is filled with wine 50. The apparatus 10 may further include an internal frame 52 adapted to suspend portions of oak 54 within the wine. It is envisaged that the frame will include at least one removable portion which is adapted to engage the oak portions. In this way the oak can be easily removed from the tank at any desired time during maturation of the wine.

If the headspace contains high oxygen levels during maturation and storage the wine in the upper layers becomes oxygen rich. This increases the levels of aerobic bacteria which produce volatile acidity and acetaldehyde. For this reason head spaces are often purged with an inert gas such as nitrogen so that the wine can be safely kept in storage for a longer period of time. It is standard practice to limit the oxygen content within the headspace to around The difficulty arises in trying to purge the headspace whilst preventing or at least minimise the oxygen from entering.

In the present invention, as illustrated in Figure 5 the bung tap 22 is adapted to connect to a conventional high pressure hose 56 which is in communication with a source of compressed gas (not shown)- Traditionally bung taps are solely used for the purposes of obtaining a sample of wine during maturation and storage. In the present invention the bung tap 22 can also be used for injecting the inert gas into the.

tank 12 to replace the oxygen rich air in the headspace 16. This is accomplished by passing an inert gas through the hose 56 which is in communication with a source of compressed inert gas in the direction of arrow 58.. The inert gas enters the body of wine 50 and bubbles to the highest point of the tank 12 in the direction of arrows COMS ID No: ARCS-161490 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:06 Date 2007-09-18 18/09 '07 TUI 17:20 FAX 61 8 82119433 Leslcar Perrln 052 ro 8 A gas analyser 62 can be connected to an access point 64 in the lid 18 by way of pipe 66. In this way the level of oxygen in the headspace 16 can be measured as the 00 air is forced out in the direction of arrows 68. The vintner can then accurately measure the oxygen concentration within the headspace. As the reader would now appreciate the invention provides an accurate way of purging the headspace irrespective of its size.

o As further illustrated in Figure 6 the internal frame 52 includes a removable Shanger 70 to which oak planks 54 can be attached. This hanger 70 can be inserted O into or removed from the tank 12 at any stage of maturation of wine as illustrated by o 10 arrow 72. Furthermore, as the skilled addressee would appreciate the hanger 70 and attached oak planks 54 can be removed during the maturation process without having to remove the wine. This can be done to remove, reduced or even replace the oak planks thereby enabling the vintner to control the degree of oak extraction.

As the skilled addressee would appreciate, polyethylene tanks are easy to sanitise with mild caustic preparation. Figure 7 illustrated a cleaning apparatus 74 which includes a shaft 76 and rotatable spray head 78 and is adapted to be inserted through the access point 64 in the lid 18. The cleaning apparatus 74 can be connected by way of pipe 80 to a source of cleaning solution 82. The source 82 is further connected to the valve assembly 20 by way of pipe 84 to complete a closed system. This means that the cleaning solution can be recycled and it is envisaged that the source 82 will further include various filters and pumps which are not shown to assist in the recycling of the solution.

The skilled addressee will now appreciate the many advantages of the present invention. The invention provides a useful tank system that can be used for the maturation and storage of wine and other alcoholic beverages which overcomes many of the problems with the prior art. The tank system is easy to transport and minimises the space usage by being able to be stacked. The tanks system utilises the benefits of gas permeable polyethylene whilst overcoming the issues relating to undesirable expansion of tank. The tank system also provides an accurate way of purging the headspace irrespective of its size.

Further advantages and improvements may very well be made to the present invention without deviating from its scope. Although the invention has been shown COMS ID No: ARCS-161490 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:06 Date 2007-09-18 18/09 '07 TUE 17:21 FAX 61 8 82119433 Leslcar Perrin o 9 and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the 00 scope and spirit of the invention.

Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in this field.

SIn the summary of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise r- due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprising' is used in o the sense of including", i.e. the features specified may be associated with further

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10 features in various embodiments of the invention.

S053 COMS ID No: ARCS-161490 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:06 Date 2007-09-18

Claims (5)

1. A tank assembly for the storage and/or maturation of wine including: a gas permeable flexible tank adapted to hold a quantity of wine therein and having an underside, an upper surface and side walls,: each said side wall being 5 generally flat; a frame for supporting the tank and including bracing elements extending horizontally around the whole tank to brace the flat side walls of the tank against bulging; a headspace extending from the upper surface; a valve for draining wine from the tank arranged on one side wall and near the underside; and prong access means for allowing entry of the prongs of a forklift.

2. A tank assembly for controlling the rate of oxygen transfer from the atmosphere into wine stored in the tank assembly comprising; a tank having a body comprising a bottom wall, a top wall and flat side walls, the walls of the body having an oxygen permeability suitable for the storage and maturation of wine; a frame for supporting the tank and including bracing elements extending horizontally around the whole tank to brace the flat side walls of the tank against bulging; prong access means for allowing entry of the prongs of a forklift; a neck with an open mouth extending from an upper wall of the body, the upper wall being shaped so as to allow substantially all air to flow out of the body through the neck as the tank is filled to the level of the bottom of the neck; and an outlet for draining the wine from the tank arranged near the bottom wall of the body.

3. A tank assembly as in claim 1 or claim2 wherein the frame for supporting the tank includes a lower end and an upper end, and comprises a stacking structure to enable a first frame to be stacked on top of a second frame without any other stabilising means the lower end and the upper end of each frame so shaped that the lower end of the first frame is adapted to be restrained in place against horizontal movement by the upper end of the second frame. COMS ID No: ARCS-161490 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:06 Date 2007-09-18 18/09 '07 TUE 17:22 FAX 61 8 82119433 Leslcar Perrin 0055 o 11

4. A tank assembly as in claim 3 wherein each frame includes a plurality of legs the bottom of each leg adapted to engage the upper end of the frame.

5. A method of maturing wine which comprises holding the wine in a tank assembly according to any one of the above claims. COMS ID No: ARCS-161490 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:06 Date 2007-09-18