Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES A21D OR A23B-A23J; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OF NUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL
  • A23L2/00—Non-alcoholic beverages; Dry compositions or concentrates therefor; Their preparation
  • A23L2/02—Non-alcoholic beverages; Dry compositions or concentrates therefor; Their preparation containing fruit or vegetable juices
  • A23L2/04—Extraction of juices
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES A21D OR A23B-A23J; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OF NUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL
  • A23L3/00—Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general, e.g. pasteurising, sterilising, specially adapted for foods or foodstuffs
  • A23L3/36—Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling
  • A23L3/37—Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling with addition of or treatment with chemicals
  • A23L3/375—Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling with addition of or treatment with chemicals with direct contact between the food and the chemical, e.g. liquid nitrogen, at cryogenic temperature
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D3/00—Devices using other cold materials; Devices using cold-storage bodies
  • F25D3/10—Devices using other cold materials; Devices using cold-storage bodies using liquefied gases, e.g. liquid air
  • F25D3/102—Stationary cabinets

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method for refrigerating and/or moving fluids according to the preamble of the principal claim.
• the present invention also relates to equipment for applying this method according to the corresponding independent claim.
• the present invention concerns a method and equipment for collecting fluids, refrigerating them with liquefied cryogenic gases and moving them, where these fluids may be multiphase or fluid agglomerations, that is to say fluid mixtures composed of substances in the liquid or solid state, without using moving mechanical members in contact with them.
• multiphase fluids that may be cited, without limiting the generality of the invention, are crushed grapes, that is to say the fluid produced by crushing the fruit, olive paste, that is to say the fluid produced by crushing olives, and any other fluids produced by crushing plant substances to which other liquid components may be added as required.
• this product can be described as a multiphase fluid whose liquid component is similar to a sugar solution and whose solid parts are the partially crushed fruits, skins and pips.
• this fluid With reference to this fluid, it is usually moved from a collecting or containing reservoir to a refrigeration system where, depending on the form of refrigeration, it may come into contact with a liquefied cryogenic gas or with surfaces at lower temperatures such as the walls of tubes forming parts of the heat exchanger.
• This movement is usually provided by using mechanical systems such as pumps or the like whose operation is dependent on contact between moving mechanical parts and the fluid.
• mechanical systems such as pumps or the like whose operation is dependent on contact between moving mechanical parts and the fluid.
• crushed grapes if the fluid is handled by the usual transfer members such as pumps of various types and designs, its solid parts may be crushed and broken, causing deterioration of its qualitative properties which detract from the quality of the subsequent end product.
• the object of the present invention is to propose a method and equipment for applying the method which enables a fluid, which may be multiphase, of the aforesaid type to be collected, refrigerated and transferred without coming into contact with moving mechanical parts such as those present in ordinary pumping means or similar means used at the present time to provide the aforesaid movement, for example movement from a collecting or containing reservoir to a refrigeration installation.
• a further object is to propose an invention for moving a multiphase fluid of the aforesaid type which can also make use of benefits similar to those provided by gravity transfer without requiring the machines of the equipment used for the overall process of converting this fluid to be placed in particular positions or at particular heights.
• Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a first embodiment of equipment according to the invention
• Figure 2 shows a view similar to that of Figure 1 but portraying a variant of the invention.
• the present invention makes innovative use of known concepts (such as those described in patent applications MI99A002399 and MI2003A002367) relating to cooling by heat exchange using direct contact between fluids, in which the refrigerant fluid is a cryogenic fluid which, in the conditions of use, changes its state from liquid to vapour, thus removing heat from the fluid to be treated.
• Use is also made of existing knowledge relating to the use of compressed gases as motive fluids in equipment known as Venturi tubes.
• FIG. 1 shows a block diagram identifying the principal components used in a general application of the invention which operates discontinuously by a cyclic succession of stages in which a multiphase fluid to be refrigerated is loaded, is refrigerated, and is transferred.
• Figure 1 shows schematically the measurement, shut-off and regulation members (such as valves) required for the operation of the invention: these members are not described further, since this is unnecessary for the understanding of the invention and in any case they are known in the existing art.
• the number 1 indicates a container, hereinafter termed a "refrigeration chamber", for receiving a multiphase fluid which is to be refrigerated therein and is supplied thereto via a line 5 and which, after refrigeration, is transferred by means of a duct 6 for subsequent known forms of processing such as, in the case of crushed grapes, pressing, cold soaking or fermentation.
• Shut-off valve members 5A and 6A are provided, respectively, on the line (or duct) 5 and on the duct 6.
• a duct 7 (with its own valve member 7A) connected to a cryogenic fluid reservoir (not shown) also runs to the insulated refrigeration chamber (or treatment chamber in general) 1. Said fluid is kept in the liquid state in this reservoir and at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure.
• the cryogenic fluid is preferably chosen from CO2, N 2 and Ar.
• This cryogenic fluid (or more generally a gas, as described below) is preferably, but not exclusively, injected through a pipe which is located inside the chamber 1 and coaxial therewith and which is provided with one or more holes for the passage of the aforesaid cryogenic fluid.
• This solution is not shown in the drawings.
• the cryogenic fluid (or other fluid introduced into the chamber 1) can contact the fluid to be treated at a plurality of points and on a plurality of sides, so as to act on it more effectively.
• a duct 8 runs from the refrigeration chamber 1 and is connected to two other ducts 9 and 10, provided with valve members 9A and 1OA; the duct 9 is open at one end
• duct 10 (to the atmosphere, for example) , while the duct 10 is connected to a Venturi tube 3 (advantageously soundproof) from which runs a duct 11 and to which runs a duct 12 running from a container 2 hereinafter termed the "loading chamber", from which there also runs a line 5 connecting the chamber 2 to the chamber 1.
• a valve member 12a is present on said duct 12.
• the loading chamber 2 (which is also insulated, as are the ducts 4, 5, 6 and 7) is connected to a duct 4, which in turn is connected to a reservoir (not shown) containing the multiphase fluid to be treated and/or moved, and to a duct 13, into which gases or vapours under pressure are introduced from suitable reservoirs or generators (not shown) .
• the ducts 4 and 13 are also provided with valve members 4A and 13A.
• the duct 6 can be connected, as shown in Figure 1, to an insulated duct 14 (provided with a valve member 14A) connected to a source of gaseous fluid; this duct 6 can also comprise a portion 6K which is undulating, in other words which has small variations of height
• valve members which have been described, and other members (even if they have not been described) which are commonly used in fluid refrigeration and movement equipment (such as members for controlling the pressure, flow rate and temperature) are advantageously operated automatically by programmable logic controllers (PLCs) or similar units capable of reading the values recorded by the aforesaid members and of acting on the valve members by suitable control operations.
• PLCs programmable logic controllers
• the use of the equipment of Figure 1, that is to say the application of the method according to the invention, comprises a first stage in which a (motive) fluid is sent into the duct 10: this fluid can be pressurized by means of the duct 7 (by opening the valve members 7A and 1OA, and closing the valve members 6A, 5A and 9A) , or by using a source, of compressed air for example, connected to the duct 10 between the valve member 1OA and the Venturi tube 3, indicated in the drawing by 24 and provided with a valve member 24A.
• the motive fluid enters the Venturi tube 3 and passes into the duct 11.
• the members 12A and 4A are closed.
• the fluid is then transferred to the refrigeration chamber 1.
• This transfer can be carried out by gravity if the chamber 2 is placed at a higher level than the chamber 1, or by sending fluid in the gaseous state into the duct 13, under pressure, and from there into the chamber 2. In this case, the transfer is carried out by opening the valve member 5A (as in the case of a gravity transfer) and the member 13A.
• the fluid is transferred towards the chamber 1 without being subjected to the action of moving mechanical members such as those of a pump, a screw, or the like.
• the valve member 5A When the chamber 1 has been filled to a predetermined level (monitored and determined by the usual sensors present in the chamber) , the valve member 5A is closed and the cryogenic fluid is introduced into the chamber 1 by opening the valve member 7A.
• the cryogenic fluid in the liquid state and under pressure, enters the chamber 1, contacts the multiphase fluid and cools it.
• cryogenic fluid continues until the multiphase fluid has reached the desired temperature.
• the cooling of the multiphase fluid causes the cryogenic fluid to enter the gaseous state, thus pressurizing the chamber 1 and causing a gas under pressure to flow out of it through the ducts 8 and 10, this gas acting as a motive fluid for the Venturi tube 3 in such a way that a partial vacuum is created, through the duct 12, in the loading chamber 2, reaching a level such that this chamber can draw in the multiphase fluid through the duct 4, by a process similar to that described above.
• the duct 9, provided with a shut-off and regulation valve member 9A, serves to allow excess gas to flow to the outside if necessary, to maintain the optimal pressure in the refrigeration chamber during the refrigeration stage.
• the duct 7 is closed by means of the valve member 7A, and, at the same time, the valve member 1OA is closed, if it has not already been closed for the correct control of the filling of the chamber 2, and the member 9A is positioned in a specific way to set the pressure of the fluid in the chamber 1 at suitable levels to enable the fluid to be transferred from the aforesaid chamber 1 to another destination by means of the line 6.
• the valve member 6A When the pressure in the chamber 1 has reached a suitable level for transfer, the valve member 6A is opened; the multiphase fluid is thus driven, by the pressure present in the chamber 1 generated by the cryogenic fluid (or working fluid) , into the duct 6 and is transferred towards a further processing station.
• the (cooled) multiphase fluid is transferred solely as a result of the pressure present in the chamber 1, without being subjected to any mechanical action such as that of a pump or the like.
• valve member 6A When all the multiphase fluid has been transferred into the duct 6, and after the total or partial emptying of the latter if necessary, the valve member 6A is closed and the member 9A is opened in such a way that the chamber 1 is then at atmospheric pressure and can receive the multiphase fluid to be refrigerated from the chamber 2 into which it had been loaded during the preceding stage of cooling in 1.
• the operation of the invention is made possible by the fact that the treatment of the multiphase fluid in the refrigeration chamber 1 takes place under pressure, and therefore, because of the pressure present in this chamber, the gas flowing out of it and sent into the Venturi tube 3 has a suitable energy content to be used as a motive fluid for the Venturi tube.
• this velocity must not exceed specified levels which depend on the nature of the fluid to be refrigerated and of the refrigerant fluid, especially its density.
• the method according to the invention is applied by initially filling the loading chamber 2 and carrying out successive cycles, repeated in time, in each of which the multiphase fluid is sent into the chamber 1 and the working (cryogenic) fluid is then sent into the chamber .
• the cycle, repeated in time, is thus composed of the following stages:
• the invention yields considerable benefits in all cases in which the fluid, which may be multiphase, cannot withstand mechanical stress or impact, or in cases in which it contains solid components which might cause excessive wear on the pumping systems used or even make them unusable.
• the present invention makes it possible to move the crushed grapes in any direction without the aid of the conventional moving systems such as various types of pump with moving mechanical parts in direct contact with the crushed grapes. Furthermore, with the possible exception of the chambers 1 and 2 between which the crushed grapes may be transferred by gravity, there is no need for the equipment proposed by the invention to place the machinery used for the overall grape processing at specific positions or heights, thus making it possible to construct a whole system with a performance similar to that which would be obtained with a wine processing plant constructed to use the force of gravity, without the need to place the components at suitable heights.
• the invention can also be used solely for the purpose of transferring the multiphase fluid, or for the controllable removal of gases which are soluble in the fluid, a non-limiting example of such a process being the total or partial removal of dissolved oxygen.
• This can be done, for example, by using an oxygen-free gas or mixtures of gases (such as mixtures composed of N 2 , H 2 , Ar or CO 2 ) as the removal fluid in the refrigeration chamber 1.
• the working fluid used in the refrigeration chamber 1 does not have to have refrigerating properties, and can therefore be any gaseous substance, provided that its composition is compatible with the removal of the desired dissolved gas, or can be any gaseous substance, including air, if the only requirement is to move the multiphase fluid.
• the fluid to be treated that is to say refrigerated and/or moved
• the fluid to be treated is characterized by high levels of viscosity and/or density
• the introduction of said additional fluid or gas into the duct 6 makes the multiphase fluid compressible, that is to say it imparts elasticity, thus permitting a continuous exchange of kinetic and potential energy, that is to say between pressure and velocity, and facilitating the flow of this fluid in the transfer duct.
• Said refrigerant gas or liquid can be injected either directly into the duct 6, at a plurality of points if necessary, or into the part of the refrigeration chamber 1 adjacent to the duct 6, in such a way that the refrigerant gas or fluid is entrained into the transfer duct 6.
• a quantity of driving gas is made to flow from the refrigeration chamber 1 into the duct 6 at the end of each discharge of the chamber, in such a way that, when the refrigeration chamber 1 is next discharged, the fluid entering the duct 6 encounters a space which is partially or completely filled with gas, thus limiting the pressure level required to initiate the movement of the fluid contained in the aforesaid duct .
• FIG. 2 A variant of the invention is shown in Figure 2, where parts identical or corresponding to those of Figure 1 are indicated by the same reference numerals.
• the refrigeration chamber (indicated by 1 in Fig. 1) and the loading chamber (indicated by 2 in Fig. 1) form a single chamber 21 connected to the duct 4 for the fluid, for example a multiphase fluid, to be treated, and to the duct 7 for the working fluid, for example a cryogenic fluid.
• the duct 6 which removes the treated fluid from the chamber 21, and the duct 8 which removes the working fluid in the gaseous state, both run from the chamber 21.
• the Venturi tube 3 receives the motive fluid from the duct 10 which is connected to a source of motive fluid (such as compressed air) .
• a source of motive fluid such as compressed air
• the invention shown in Figure 2 uses a single chamber 21 into which the fluid to be treated is initially loaded by using the partial vacuum created in the chamber by the Venturi tube 3; the fluid is then refrigerated and transferred to the outside of chamber 21, using the refrigerant fluid for the refrigeration and using the gaseous state of the refrigerant fluid for the formation of the internal pressure in this chamber 21 which is required for the aforesaid transfer to the outside by means of the duct 6.
• the above arrangement can also be used solely to move the fluid to be treated, where there is no need to refrigerate it; in this case, it is sufficient to use a gas to create the internal pressure in the chamber 21 required for the transfer.
• the invention makes it possible to provide treatment, by refrigeration and/or movement, of a fluid which may be multiphase, in which the fluid is not subjected to contact with moving mechanical parts; in the case of a fluid containing both a liquid and a solid component

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Nutrition Science (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Filling Or Discharging Of Gas Storage Vessels (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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Family Cites Families (7)

• 2009
  • 2009-03-03 IT ITMI2009A000308A patent/IT1393250B1/it active
• 2010
  • 2010-02-25 EP EP10708165A patent/EP2404103A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2010-02-25 WO PCT/EP2010/052443 patent/WO2010100080A1/en active Application Filing

Non-Patent Citations (2)

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