EP1438185B1 - Press for pressing out substances containing liquids - Google Patents

Abstract

A press for pressing out substances containing liquids, especially agricultural and chemical products, includes a closed container whose inner area is divided by at least one press membrane into a pressure medium chamber and a pressing medium chamber. A fill/discharge opening, sealable by a lid, is disposed in the casing and is associated with a juice run-off located in the pressing medium chamber. Flexible or elastic liquid-permeable drainage elements are also disposed in the inner area of the container for removing juice. The drainage elements include at least one support element and a flexible tube disposed therearound and are of a juice-permeable material. The drainage elements are configured as single-pieced components and are detachably received on the container by holding devices, which are disposed on both sides of the container, each drainage element being able to be removed as a component from the inner area of the container.

Description

The invention relates to a press for pressing liquid-containing substances, in particular agricultural and chemical products, according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such presses are for example from the EP 0 145 948 B1 are known and are used to squeeze the grape juice used as a raw material for wine production from grapes filled in the press. The in the EP 0 145 948 B1 described press has a closed container which is displaceable about its horizontal longitudinal axis in rotation. In the shell of the container is a filling and emptying opening, which is opposite to a provided on the opposite side of the container juice drain, and which is closed by a lid. Along the diameter range of the container drainage elements in the form of liquid-permeable pipes are provided, which are located in a pressing space, which is defined by a pressure-tight, fixed inside the container, press membrane, which divides the container interior into a pressure medium space and the pressing space.

In the not pre-published PCT / EP 01/03962 a press is described which comprises a closed container which can be set in rotation about its horizontal longitudinal axis, the container interior being subdivided by at least one press membrane into a pressure medium space and a press center space, and a filling and emptying opening closable by a lid being arranged in the container casing. The filling and emptying opening is located opposite a juice outlet located in the press room. In the baling chamber liquid-permeable drainage elements are further arranged over the diameter and arranged substantially perpendicular to the container axis, which extend from one end of the container to the other end of the container. The drainage elements are formed by an elastic or flexible support element around which a juice-permeable Fabric hose is arranged. In the juicing position, the drainage elements extend in a substantially vertical direction to supply the juice to a juice sump below, from where it is fed via a manifold to a sump.

In the presses described above, it is crucial that the parts coming into contact with the material to be pressed during pressing, in particular the drainage elements, can be easily dismantled for cleaning purposes and in turn can be mounted inside the container after the cleaning process. It is of particular importance that the dismantling and cleaning of the drainage elements and the container interior can be done from the outside, since the entry of people in the container associated with a significant risk, or even prohibited by security regulations.

In the case of the presses described above, the problem arises here that the drainage elements must withstand the pressures acting on them from the outside, so that a sufficient flow of juice is always ensured. In this case, the problem arises, in particular in large presses, that the drainage elements provided with metal reinforcing elements for increasing the strength have a very high weight, so that they can no longer be used by an operator alone in the interior of the container.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a press for pressing liquid-containing substances, in particular agricultural and chemical products, wherein the drainage elements also in the case of the design of the press as a large press with a diameter of the container, for example, two to three Meters, can be easily removed by a person alone from the container and cleaned.

This object is achieved according to the invention by the features of claim 1.

Further features of the invention are contained in the subclaims.

The press according to the invention has the advantage that in the case of pressing grapes the juice can be squeezed out of the mash with a very high efficiency. This in turn results in the advantage that the pressures of the pressure medium, which acts on the pressure medium space on the side facing away from the pressed material of the press membrane, can be kept comparatively low, which means that at high extrusion pressures also from the grapes with exiting turbidity not with into the grape juice, resulting in a significant quality gain of the grape juice.

In addition, the increased efficiency of the press according to the invention means that the pressing of the grapes - compared to known presses of the prior art - can be done within a much shorter time, resulting in the press according to the invention to an increased throughput of pressed material.

Furthermore, the flexibility of the juice channels according to the invention in the spatial adhesion by means of a press membrane advantageously means that the press membrane is exposed to significantly lower loads, as is the case in the prior art, since the drainage element is no longer a fixed obstacle to avoid the press membrane must, or at which the press membrane can chafe. This applies both in the horizontal direction, in which the drainage element can escape due to its flexibility according to the pressure conditions within the material to be pressed, as well as in the vertical direction, in which the drainage element from both sides approaching press membrane due to the excess length and / or the elasticity of the elastic tissue material, the fabric tube or the entire drainage element and take in the vertical direction can take. In other words, due to the possibility of the up and down movement of the drainage element due to its flexible design, or the also conceivable use of one or more elastic spacers in a partially rigid or rigid drainage element, no friction between the press membrane and the fabric tube, whereby the resulting wear of the only slightly expandable membrane is almost completely eliminated.

Another advantage associated with the flexible embodiment of the drainage elements according to the invention can be seen in the fact that the filling volume of the container with material to be pressed during the filling of the container is e.g. is much better utilized via one or more filling lid, since the flexible, preferably also formed with excess length drainage elements oppose the slipping of the Befüllgutes no rigid, centric obstacle. As a result, the pressed material can also reach the container regions not lying near the lid, which leads to an increase in the filling quantity.

A further increase in the filling volume results from the fact that the volume of the flexible drainage elements according to the invention is smaller than the filling volume of rigid drainage elements in the case of space squeezing, as used in prior art presses. Thus, the container volume available to the pressed material is larger. This is due to the fact that a rigid drainage element is mainly loaded on bending and pressure, whereas a flexible drainage element is subject exclusively to tensile loads. In order to counteract in the rigid drainage elements of the prior art, the stresses on bending and pressure to avoid damage, in these the relevant area moments of inertia must be increased, which is usually associated with an increase in the cross section, which in turn to a larger volume of the relevant rigid drainage element leads.

Another advantage that results from the use of the flexible drainage elements according to the invention, is that when loosening the material to be pressed, too in which the container is preferably rotated about its longitudinal axis, the flexibility of each drainage element in each container movement causes any adhering pressed material is shaken off. This results from the fact that the surface of the drainage elements, ie the substrate on which the pressed material adheres, also changes both its position and its surface shape during rotation of the container, as a result of which the adhering material to be pressed releases itself from the drainage elements without external action , In a rigid drainage element, however, this self-cleaning effect is not given.

The invention will be described below with reference to the drawings with reference to a preferred embodiment.

Fig. 1

eine schematische Seitendarstellung einer erfindungsgemäßen Presse mit einer vergrößerten Ausschnittsdarstellung eines auf der Unterseite der Presse angeordneten Sammelstutzens für den Traubensaft,

Fig. 2

eine schematische Darstellung der Presse von Fig. 1 mit einer Seitenansicht des Saftsammelstutzens und dem darüber angeordneten Drainageelement,

Fig. 3

eine Querschnittsansicht der Presse von Fig. 2 entlang der Schnittlinie B-B,

Fig.4

eine schematische Explosionsdarstellung eines erfindungsgemäßen Drainageelements, wie es in der Presse der Figuren 1 bis 3 zum Einsatz gelangt,

Fig. 5

eine schematische räumliche Darstellung des Drainageelements im zusammengebauten Zustand mit geschlossenem Reißverschluss,

Fig. 6

eine schematische Seitenansicht des Drainageelements von Fig. 5, und

Fig.7

eine schematische Querschnittsansicht des Drainageelements von Fig. 6 in Höhe der Schnittlinie A-A mit vergrößerten Darstellungen der Haltevorrichtungen zur Befestigung des saftdurchlässigen Gewebeschlauchs.

In the drawings show:

Fig. 1

a schematic side view of a press according to the invention with an enlarged detail of a arranged on the bottom of the press collecting nozzle for the grape juice,

Fig. 2

1 is a schematic representation of the press of FIG. 1 with a side view of the juice collecting nozzle and the drainage element arranged above it, FIG.

Fig. 3

a cross-sectional view of the press of Fig. 2 along the section line BB,

Figure 4

a schematic exploded view of a drainage element according to the invention, as used in the press of Figures 1 to 3,

Fig. 5

a schematic spatial representation of the drainage element in the assembled state with a closed zipper,

Fig. 6

a schematic side view of the drainage element of Fig. 5, and

Figure 7

a schematic cross-sectional view of the drainage element of Fig. 6 in the amount of section line AA with enlarged views of the holding devices for securing the juice-permeable fabric tube.

The press 1 according to the invention shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises an elongated cylindrical container 2, which is rotatable about a container longitudinal axis 4 via drive means, not shown. In the same way, however, it is also possible that the container 2 has a shape deviating from the cylindrical shape, and is rotatable about a longitudinal axis 4 other than the longitudinal axis 4 shown in Figs. 1 and 2, e.g. about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 4 in the horizontal direction or in the vertical direction axis. Inside the container interior 6, a press membrane 8, which is indicated only schematically for illustrative purposes, is arranged, which divides the container interior 6 into a pressure medium chamber 10 and a press center 12.

In the Pressmittelraum 12 the pressed material, such as grapes, filled by one or more filling and emptying openings 14, and the pressure medium chamber 10 after closing the openings 14 by unillustrated lid between the inner wall of the container 2 and the membrane 8 is subjected to a pressure medium , For example, with compressed air, which is a pressure of z. B. may have 1.2 to 2 bar.

On the side opposite the closable filling and emptying opening 14 of the container 2 is a preferably nozzle-shaped juice outlet 16, which is arranged during the Auspressvorgangs by rotating the container in the corresponding position on the underside of the container 2. In this case, a plurality of juice drains 16 are preferably arranged along the longitudinal axis 4 of the container 2, which are interconnected by a connecting line 18, via which the squeezed grape juice is fed to a collecting container, not shown, for further processing.

As can further be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, inside the container 2 there are a plurality of flexible or elastic drainage elements 20 which, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, are located above the juice drains 16 during the squeezing operation, and which extend substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 4 in a diametrical manner.

As shown in FIG. 4, the drainage elements 20 comprise an elastic or flexible support member 22, and a juice-permeable hose 24 disposed about the flexible support member 22. The hose 24 is made of a flexible or elastic fabric, for example a multi-ply nylon fabric, which has a Preferably mesh size of less than one millimeter has, and which is suitable to guide the grape juice through the tissue into the region of the support elements 22, on the other hand, however, keep the particles contained in the pressed material from the area of the support elements 22.

For a better understanding, however, the hose 24 will be referred to below as a fabric hose 24.

4, the juice-permeable fabric hose 24 is preferably provided with a zipper 26 extending in the longitudinal direction of the drainage element 20 such that the fabric hose 24 can be wrapped around the support elements 22 with the zipper open and thereafter Close the zipper 26, the support elements 22 completely surrounds.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the juice-permeable fabric tube 24 is provided at its ends with a circumferential bead 28 which serves to secure the ends of the fabric tube 24 by means of associated holding devices on the inside of the container interior, which will be described in more detail below.

The drainage elements 20 preferably have a length that is slightly larger than the diameter of the container interior 6. This results in the advantage that the drainage elements 20 and in particular the support elements 22 contained therein during the pressing process due to their flexibility to the different pressure conditions within the pressed material, that is the mash, can adapt.

The attachment of the drainage elements 20 takes place here in accordance with the invention by means of holding devices in such a way that due to their construction even in very large containers 2 extremely light drainage elements 20, which are arranged from the interconnected fabric tubes 24 and within the fabric tubes 24 and assembled supporting elements 22 can be removed as a component from the interior 6 of the container 2.

As can also be seen from the exploded view of FIGS. 4 and 7, the holding devices on the side of the drainage elements 20 are formed by clamping pieces 30, 32, on which the support elements 22 designed as support tubes are fastened by means of per se known compression fittings 34 are attached.

The juice outlet side clamping piece 30 is in this case preferably circular and cooperates with an associated clamping flange 36, with which it is screwed after insertion of the bead 28 of the fabric tube 24 between the clamping piece 30 and an associated clamping flange 36 at the juice drain end to form a liquid-tight connection. Within the clamping flange 36 juice outlet openings 38 are formed, which divert the pressed through the tissue of the fabric tube 24 grape juice to the juice outlet 16 out.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the clamping flange 36 cooperates at the juice outlet end of the drainage member 20 with a retaining flange 40, which is preferably secured to the shell surface of the container 2 by welding, but may be otherwise secured.

On the opposite side of the juice drain 16 of the container, the attachment of the drainage element 20 as shown in FIG. 4 and the detailed illustration of Fig. 7 in a similar manner by means of the clamping piece 32, which with an associated clamping flange 42 and not shown by means of Screwing is screwed, wherein the peripheral bead 28 of the fabric tube 24 is clamped between the clamping piece 32 and the clamping flange 42 in such a way that passage of juice is excluded from the pressed material. The clamping flange 42 is connected to a cover 44, which is releasably secured on the juice drain 16 opposite side of the container 2 at this.

Due to the inventive design of the drainage elements 20, these can be removed even in very large containers 2 for cleaning purposes or for the purpose of repair as a component from the interior of the container 2 in no time, with the design of the fabric tube 24 with a Zipper 26 not only a very cost-effective production of the fabric tube is made possible, but also a damaged fabric hose 24 can be exchanged in a very short time for a new fabric tube, or against a fabric tube 24 with a mesh of different mesh size.

The insertion and removal of the drainage elements 20 is preferably carried out through removal openings 15, which are formed according to the illustration of Fig. 3 in the region of the nozzle-like juice drains 16, and which are closed by schematically illustrated cover 17. Here, the retaining flanges 40 and the associated clamping flanges 36 form a bayonet closure, in such a way that the circular clamping flanges 36 can be engaged by twisting them with their associated retaining flanges 40, e.g. to attach the externally as a part through the opening 17 in the container 2 introduced drainage element 20 on the container 2.

As can be seen in FIGS. 4 to 7, the clamping piece 32 is preferably oval on the side of the container 2 opposite the juice outlet 16, and has a shorter axis 46 and a longer axis 48. In this embodiment of the invention, the drainage element 20 is preferably arranged and aligned in the region of the end of the container 2 opposite the juice outlet 16 in such a way that the shorter axis 46 extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 of the container 2. This results in the advantage that when squeezing the pressed material, in which the drainage elements 20 are arranged substantially vertically, a higher efficiency is achieved, and also acting on the press membrane 8 tensile and shear forces, which to a high load or even to damage to the press membrane 8 can be largely eliminated.

The support elements 22, which in the previously described embodiment of the invention are preferably formed by flexible plastic or rubber hoses, may further be provided on their outer surface with a wave or spiral corrugation which runs along each tube, and which, when pressing the tissue of the fabric tube 24 to the surface of the support tubes to a plurality of spaces, through which the juice in the direction the juice outlet 38 can be derived.

In the same way, it is possible to form the support elements 22 as extending along the drainage elements 20 chains or balls lined up, or as plates or strips of hollow or solid material with a rectangular or square cross-section, whereby a similar good juice drain is made possible.

In addition, it is likewise possible for the flexible support elements 22 according to the invention to comprise a rigid, for example rod-shaped or strip-shaped subelement, which is fastened to the container 2 via holding devices in the form of flexible connecting elements. In this embodiment of the invention, however, it is also conceivable to connect several such rigid sections in each case by means of flexible connecting elements with each other.

Finally, it is possible to make the support elements 22 as a whole rigid, for example, by the use of one or more metal rods or tubes instead of the flexible plastic tubing, which are surrounded by the juice-permeable flexible or elastic tissue tubes 24. Die Metallwäben sind in Fig. 2 dargestellt.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

Press

2

container

4

Longitudinal axis of the container

6

Container interior

8th

Press membrane

10

Pressure fluid chamber

12

Press center space

14

Filling and emptying opening

15

removal opening

16

juice run

17

cover

18

connecting line

20

drainage elements

22

Support element, support hose

24

Gewebeschlauch

26

zipper

28

bead

30

Clamp on juice outlet side

32

Clamp on opposite side

34

compression fitting

36

Clamping flange on juice outlet side

38

Juice outlet openings

40

Retaining flange on the juice outlet side

42

Clamping flange on opposite side

44

cover

46

shorter axis

48

longer axis

Claims (22)

1. Press (1) for pressing out substances containing liquid, in particular agricultural and chemical products, comprising a closed container (2), the interior (6) of which is divided by at least one press membrane (8) into a pressure medium chamber (10) and a press medium chamber (12), and a filling and emptying orifice (14) which can be sealed by a lid being arranged in the casing of the container, said orifice being associated with a juice outlet (16) located in press medium chamber (12), as well as liquid-permeable flexible or resilient drainage elements (20) arranged in the interior (6) of the container for the removal of juice, said elements comprising at least one support element (22) and one tube (24) which is arranged around the support element and made of juice-permeable, flexible material,
   characterised in that
   the drainage elements (20) are configured as one-piece components, the ends of the tube (24) being received on the container (2) detachably on either side by holding devices (30, 32, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44) which comprise a clamping part (30) on the juice outlet side and a clamping flange (36) which cooperates therewith to form a liquid-tight connection and has juice discharge openings (38) formed therein and which cooperates with a holding flange (40) fixed to the surface of the container (2) in the region of the juice outlet (16) in such a manner that each drainage element (20) can be removed as a component from the interior (6) of the container (2) through a removal orifice(15) formed in the region of the juice outlet (16).
2. Press according to claim 1, characterised in that the tube (24) comprises at its respective ends a peripheral bead (28) which cooperates with an associated holding device (30, 32, 36, 38, 40, 42) and by which the tube is fixed to the container (2).
3. Press according to either claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that the drainage elements (20) have a length that is greater than the diameter of the interior (6) of the container (2).
4. Press according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the tube (2) comprises a zip fastener (26) that extends along the entire length of the tube.
5. Press according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the holding devices (30, 32, 36, 38, 40, 42) are mounted on the inner wall of the container.
6. Press according to claim 2 and claim 5, characterised in that there are arranged on both ends of the tube (24) clamping parts (30, 32) as well as clamping flanges (36, 42) which are connectable to the container (2) and, between which the beads (28) of the tube (20) are clamped.
7. Press according to claim 6, characterised in that the clamping flanges (36, 42) of the drainage elements (20), at the end of the container (2) on the juice outlet side, can be connected in a bayonet-like manner to the associated holding flanges (40) fixed on the container (2).
8. Press according to claim 7, characterised in that the holding flanges (42) have a substantially annular shape.
9. Press according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterised in that the clamping flanges (32) of the drainage elements (2) have on the end facing the end of the container (2) on the juice outlet side, an oval shape with a longer axis (48) and a shorter axis (46), and in that the shorter axis (46) extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis (4) of the container (2) when the drainage elements (20) are inserted.
10. Press according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the support element (22) is configured as a resilient or flexible support element.
11. Press according to claim 6 and claim 10, characterised in that the support element (22) is formed by at least two flexible support tubes, which are fixed to the clamping parts (30, 32)
12. Press according to claim 11, characterised in that the flexible support tubes are connected to the clamping parts (30, 32) by bead connectors (34).
13. Press according to claim 10, characterised in that the flexible support element (22) comprises at least a rigid component part, which is fixed to the container (2) by holding devices in the form of flexible connecting elements.
14. Press according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the support element (22) is rigidly configured, in particular as a rod or a bar.
15. Press according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the support element (22) comprises a grooved or undulating surface.
16. Press according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the support element (22) is formed by chain links or spheres lined up side-by-side.
17. Press according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the support element (22) has a rectangular or square cross-section.
18. Press according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the container (2) can be set in rotation about a horizontal axis (4).
19. Press according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the drainage elements (20) are arranged over the diameter of the container (2) and substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis (4) of the container.
20. Press according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the drainage elements (20) are arranged substantially vertically in the juice extraction position of the container (2).
21. Press according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the juice outlet (16) is opposite the filling and emptying orifice (14).
22. Press according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the juice-permeable tube (24) consists of a wound spiral or netting.

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