EP0533274A2

EP0533274A2 - Pneumatic membrane-type press in particular for pressing grapes

Info

Publication number: EP0533274A2
Application number: EP92202822A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Antonio Velo
Original assignee: Velo SpA
Current assignee: Velo SpA
Priority date: 1991-09-19
Filing date: 1992-09-15
Publication date: 1993-03-24
Also published as: IT225840Y1; ITTV910030U1; ITTV910030V0; IT225840Z2; EP0533274A3

Abstract

A pneumatic membrane-type press in particular for pressing grapes comprises a substantially horizontal drum (10) which is partially perforated and rotatably supported by a support frame (22). The drum (10) is filled with grapes and is provided internally with an impermeable and deformable membrane (14) which, as a result of the action of a fluid under pressure introduced into the drum, performs pressing of the grapes, resulting in the must flowing out from the holes in the drum. The support frame (22) is composed essentially of a first hollow portion (22a), one wall (24) of which supports one end of the drum (10), and a second hollow portion (22b) cantilever with respect to the first hollow portion (22a) and therewith communicating. One wall (32) of said second hollow portion (22b) supports the other end of the drum (10).

Description

The present invention relates to a pneumatic membrane-type press in particular for pressing grapes.
Presses of the abovementioned type are known and it is also known that they generally consist of a substantially horizontal drum, perforated over almost its whole surface, except for a longitudinal strip, which is able to rotate about its own longitudinal axis and forms a storage container designed to be filled with grapes. The latter are pressed by means with which it is provided internally and which consist of an impermeable and deformable membrane with a length equivalent to that of the drum, the lateral edges of which are fastened to the corresponding lateral edges of the abovementioned non-perforated longitudinal strip of the drum.
Once the drum has been filled with grapes, it is rotated so as to arrange it with the perforated part facing downwards and air or water are then admitted inside on the side of the membrane opposite to that which is in contact with the grapes. The fluid admitted into the drum exerts a pressure on the grapes, resulting in pressing of the latter and causing the must to flow out from the holes in the drum.
The must is collected in a special vat positioned underneath the drum and, after pressing has been completed, the vat full of must is removed and trasported to a station for storage of the same. The drum is now rotated so that the hatch through which the grapes were loaded is located at the bottom and, after positioning underneath the drum a vat for collecting the pressed marc, the abovementioned hatch is opened in order to remove the latter from the drum.
The abovementioned conventional presses have drawbacks of a structural nature which have negative effects on their design and their use.
A first drawback consists in the fact that at least two separate vats must be provided, namely one for collecting the must and one for collecting the pressed marc, making the equipment complex and costly and requiring the manufacture of additional components besides the necessary frame which supports the drum. This drawback is particularly onerous in that, in addtion to the considerable quantity of material which must be used, special lines must be provided for the production of the various components, resulting in not insignificant costs.
A pneumatic membrane-type press in particular for pressing grapes, which enables the abovementioned drawbacks of conventional presses to be overcome, has now been devised and represents the subject of the present invention.
It is therefore one of the main aims of the present invention to provide a press of the type in question which, as a result of its original configuration, permits the must collection vat to be omitted, thus greatly simplyfying the overal structure of the pressing plant. Another aim of the present invention is to provide a press which offers the abovementioned advantage, while still being simple and economical from a constructional point of view and easy to operate.
A further aim of the present invention is to provide a press which, owing to the abovementioned simplifications, reduces to a minimum the periodic maintenance operations.
The characteristic features as well as the advantages of the press according to the present invention will become clear from the following detailed description of a non-limiting embodiment thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is an overall schematic side view of the press according to the present invention;
figure 2 is a schematic rear view of the press according to the present invention;
figure 3 is a schematic side view of the press, partially sectioned;
figure 4 is a view of the press along the section IV-IV of figure 3; and
figure 5 is a view of the press along the section V-V of figure 3. With reference to the abovementioned drawings, the press according to the present invention comprises, in a conventional manner, an essentially horizontal drum, indicated as a whole by the numeral 10, which may be considered known per se; for this reason, only a brief description will be given of those characteristic features necessary for understanding the innovative idea of the present invention.

The drum 10, which has a generally cylindrical shape, is partially perforated along its lateral surface and in particular the perforated portion covers, over the whole length of the drum, an angle of 180° with respect to the centre and more precisely this portion is comprised between the generating lines indicated by A and B in figure 4 in the right-hand part of the drum.
The drum 10 is provided with a hatch 12, visible in figures 3 and 4, through which the grapes are loaded and the pressed marc removed. The drum 10 has been shown in figures 3 and 4 positioned with the hatch 12 arranged laterally, but it should be noted that the drum 10, in its two operating positions, must be positioned with the hatch arranged at the top (loading of grapes) and at the bottom (removal of pressed marc).
Fitted inside the drum 14 there is an impermeable and deformable membrane 14 which is fastened along the abovementioned generating lines A and B, thus extending over an angle of 180° with respect to the centre. This membrane constitutes in a known manner the member by means of which the press effects pressing and the manner in which this operation is performed is not described since it is already well known in the relevant art. For the sake of completeness, however, reference is made from the large range of technical literature and patents on thus subject matter to the publication "Quaderni della scuola di specializzazione in viticoltura ed enologia 1986" (Notebooks of the Viticulture and Oenology School 1986) from the series Quad. Vitic. Enol. Univ. Turin, 1986, 10 pp 252 and 253, authors A. Morando, V.Gerbi and E. Taretto, in which the constructional and operational principles of this type of press are clearly, albeit briefly, described.
The drum 10 has at one of its ends a valve 16 for axial loading of the products to be pressed should one not wish to use the hatch 12. At the other end there is a ratiomotor 18 for effecting rotation of the drum 10 and a compressor/suction pump 20 for supplying or evacuating air from the drum 10 through a valve, not shown.
The drum 10 is supported by a fixed frame, indicated as a whole by the numeral 22 , which, according to one of the main features of the present invention, forms at the same time the vat for collection of the must.
According to another of the main features of the present invention, the abovementioned frame 22 has an cantilever portion, which has a dual function. During pressing said portion receives part of the must flowing out of the the drum 10 and supplies it to the portion of the frame constituting the actual collection vat, whereas, after pressing, said portion allows the pressed marc to be unloaded into a collection vat.
Both aspects referred to above will result more clearly from the following detailed description of the frame 22.
Said frame consists esssentially of a first hollow portion 22a, for example with the general shape of a parallelepiped. The rear wall 24 of the portion 22a supports one end of the drum 10 at a height such that the latter is located between the side walls 26 of the portion 22a, from the upper edge of which is projects partially.
This arrangement is such that, during pressing, the must falls only into the hollow portion 22a and not outside the press.
The hollow portion 22a, finally , is provided at the bottom with a hole 28 for removing the must and conveying it away to a storage station. This operation may be performed using a pump, not shown.
The press according to the invention comprises a second hollow portion 22b which may be manufactured integrally with the first hollow portion 22a in the case where, for example, its side walls 30 form an extension of the side walls 26 of the first hollow portion 22a. The front wall 32 of the second hollow portion 22b supports the second end of the drum 10. As can be noted in particular from figure 4, the side walls 30 of the second hollow portion 22b are vertical in the region of their upper part 30a and slope downwards and towards each other in the region of the lower part 30b. A sliding hatch 34 is mounted on the bottom edges of the parts 30b and, as can be seen in particular from figure 3, it slopes downwards in the direction of the first hollow part 22a. Said hatch 34 is provided with a lug 36 for effecting movement thereof.
The operation of the press according to the present invention is extremely simple and advantageous and the main operative phases thereof are summarised below.
Once the drum 10 has been filled with grapes, the compressor 20 is activated so as to supply air into the former and commence the pressing operation. The must flowing out of the drum 10 falls both into the first and into the second hollow parts 22a, 22b. The portion of must which falls into the second hollow part 22b, owing to the inclination of the plane defined by the hatch 34, is conveyed into the first hollow part 22a which therefore receives all of the must produced by the press.
At the end of pressing, the must is removed and conveyed away to a storage station. The drum 10 is now rotated 180° so as to bring the hatch 12 into the bottom position where it is located above the hatch 34. Both hatches are opened so as to allow the pressed marc to be unloaded into a collection vat located underneath, shown schematically in broken lines in figure 3 which also shows in broken lines the hatch 34 in the open position.
The advantages of the press according to the present invention are obvious and the main ones may be summarised as follows:

1. Overall simplification of the plant in particular as regards omission of the must collection vats;
2. Dual function of the press, the drum supporting frame of which also forms the must collection vat;
3. Simple constructional design of the press and hence low cost of manufacture of the same;
4. Reduction in the number of maintenance operations for the press and the plant as a whole.

The press according to the present invention has been described with reference to the pressing of grapes.
However, this must not be regarded as its sole application since the press may be used for other operations such as the pressing of pomace, stalk-stripped materials, fermented and non-fermented marc.
Finally, it is obvious that variations and modifications may be made to the press according to the present invention without departing from the protective scope of the invention itself.

Claims

Pneumatic membrane-type press in particular for pressing grapes, comprising a substantially horizontal drum which is partially perforated and rotatably supported by a support frame, said drum being designed to be filled with grapes and being provided internally with an impermeable and deformable membrane which, as a result of fluid under pressure introduced into the drum, performs pressing of the grapes, resulting in the must flowing out from the holes in the drum, characterized in that said support frame (22) is composed essentially of a first hollow portion (22a), one wall (24) of which supports one end of the drum (10), and a second hollow portion (22b) communicating with the first hollow portion (22a) and cantilever arranged with respect to the latter, one wall (32) of which supports the other end of the drum (10).
Press according to claim 1, characterized in that the side walls (26, 30) of said hollow portions (22a, 22b) partially surround the drum (10) which is arranged above the aforementioned hollow parts (22a, 22b).
Press according to claim 1, characterized in that the bottom wall of the second hollow part (22b) slopes downwards in the direction of the first hollow part (22a).
Press according to claim 3, characterized in that said bottom wall of the second hollow part (22b) is provided with a hatch (34) above which a hatch (12) of the drum (10) is positioned to unload the pressed marc from the latter.
Press according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower parts (30b) of the side walls (30) of the second hollow part (22b) slope downwards and towards each other.