FR3102398A1 - Continuous roller press - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention features a continuous press for extracting juice from the fruit. It comprises a first roller, said roller comprising a first drum driven in rotation by drive means around an axis of rotation and a deformable peripheral surface extending around the first drum over all or part of its length and driven in rotation with the first drum. The press further comprises, on the one hand, means allowing a supply of fruit and, on the other hand, a surface extending tangentially to the deformable peripheral surface or extending parallel to a plane tangential to the deformable peripheral surface. .

Description

Continuous roller press

The present invention relates to a continuous roller press for pressing fruit. This invention was made for the wine-making process and therefore for the pressing of grapes, but it could also be applied to other types of fruit.

Pressing is a mechanical operation consisting in pressing all types of fruit and in particular grapes in the process of making wine. This operation is carried out by a pressing device, more commonly called a press, which is the subject of this document. Consequently, the term press recognized by professionals in the various fields using this type of device will be used here.

There are thus several types of presses, divided for the most part into two main categories. A distinction is made between continuous presses and sequential presses. Continuous presses mostly use an endless screw. In this case, there are vertical screw presses (usually manual, in some cases electric or hydraulic). There are also horizontal worm screw presses of the electric or hydraulic type. The pressure exerted by the auger on the fruit, in this configuration, is very high and is not controlled with sufficient precision. In particular, during the pressing of grapes in a vinification process, the endless screw triturates the harvest. In addition, it does not make it possible to select the juices effectively. Indeed, the grapes are pressed at different pressures by the auger depending on their position in the pressing cage and the juices they release mix. In addition, the pressure exerted by the auger on the grapes, even if it is not the same everywhere in the press cage, is considered to be a relatively strong pressure. However, in the winemaking process, the best wines are drawn from the first presses of the grapes carried out at relatively low pressure.

The second category of so-called sequential presses includes pneumatic presses comprising one or more inflatable membranes arranged in the middle or on one side of a press cage. Pneumatic presses allow better control of the pressure on the fruit, the latter being pressed more flexibly. In particular, pneumatic presses respect the integrity of the pips and therefore, in the case of grapes, make it possible to obtain a better wine. On the other hand, they do not operate continuously and therefore do not make it possible to reach pressing rates as high as continuous presses.

The purpose of the press presented below is to overcome the drawbacks of the categories of presses presented above. Indeed, there is a need to press the fruits in a flexible, precise way, respecting the integrity of the pome fruits while carrying out a continuous pressing at a high rate.

Moreover, pneumatic presses being bulky, a problem associated with these devices is to find a press architecture that makes it possible to save space.

Presentation of the invention

The object of the invention is therefore to propose a press combining the positive effects of continuous presses and pneumatic presses.

Another object of the invention is to provide a press with an original architecture so as to make the press less bulky than a traditional pneumatic press.

In this respect, the subject of the invention is a continuous fruit press for extracting their juice, characterized in that it comprises a first roller, said roller comprising a first drum driven in rotation by drive means around a axis of rotation and a deformable peripheral surface extending around the first drum over all or part of its length and driven in rotation with the first drum. The press further comprises, on the one hand, means allowing a supply of fruit and, on the other hand, a surface extending tangentially to the deformable peripheral surface or extending parallel to a plane tangential to the deformable peripheral surface .

According to one embodiment, the deformable peripheral surface or the surface is grooved or perforated.

According to one embodiment, when the deformable peripheral surface or the surface is fluted, the press further comprises a solid-liquid separation plate.

According to one embodiment, the first roller is of cylindrical or conical shape.

According to one embodiment, the surface is a section of a rigid wall.

According to one embodiment, the surface is part of an outer surface of a second roller, extending parallel to the first roller, and rotating in a second direction, opposite to that of the first.

According to one embodiment, the second roller also comprises a deformable surface.

According to one embodiment, the deformable surface with which each of the rollers can be provided is composed of one of the following materials: composite material, foam, rubber, synthetic material, food film.

According to one embodiment, at least one of the rollers may comprise an airtight chamber subjected to a determined pressure formed in part by the deformable surface.

According to one embodiment, when a roller comprises an airtight chamber, it also comprises means making it possible to vary the pressure in the airtight chamber.

According to one embodiment, the second roller is a rigid roller.

Finally, according to a last embodiment, the press is a continuous press with stages comprising at least two stages. In addition, at least one stage of the multi-stage press comprises a continuous press according to one of the embodiments presented above.

The pressing of the fruits according to the embodiments of the invention therefore makes it possible to have a high-speed, precise and flexible pressing of the fruits. High flow rate since the rotation of the roller(s) drags the juice and the fruit downwards, which makes it possible to automate the process by implementing a complete pressing chain and therefore to implement continuous pressing making it possible to reach pressing rates very high. Precise and flexible insofar as it is a pneumatic type pressing with several rollers comprising a deformable membrane. Furthermore, the architecture of the press is advantageously less cumbersome than those presented by the pneumatic presses of the prior art since it is no longer necessary to have a press cage. In addition, the embodiment having a continuous tiered press offers effective juice selection, which is particularly advantageous in the context of a winemaking process, for example. The embodiments of the present invention therefore combine the quality of a sequential pneumatic pressing with the quantity of a continuous pressing.

Other characteristics, details and advantages will appear on reading the detailed description below, and on analyzing the attached drawings, on which:

Fig. 1

presents a first embodiment of a continuous press.

Fig. 2

presents a second embodiment of a continuous press.

With reference to the an embodiment of a continuous press 1 for pressing fruit is now described. This continuous press 1 is supplied with fruit by supply means comprising a wall 31. The wall 31 is a sub-part of a receptacle 3 (not shown in its entirety in the figure) which will be detailed later. This wall 31 forms a plane inclined with respect to a horizontal plane allowing the fruit to be driven towards a first roller 2 in rotation around an axis assumed here (and preferably) horizontal and a surface 4 so as to form a zone of pressure in which the fruits are pressed.

By roller, it is understood here a cylindrical or conical part of revolution by analogy in particular to the notion of roller used in mechanical construction in bearings.

The first roller 2 (cylindrical in shape in the figure) is a roller made to turn on itself in a first direction of rotation when using the continuous press 1. It comprises a first drum 21 driven in rotation, for example by using a motor 60. The drive may be a direct drive or else a drive via, for example, a belt or any other transmission system. The speed of rotation of the first roller 2 is preferably variable. The first drum 21 forms a rigid hub of the first roller 2.

The direction of rotation of the first roller 2 is determined so that the fruits to be pressed are driven towards the surface 4. Advantageously, the first roller 2 is mobile, for example using articulated arms (not shown) connected to the axis of the first drum 21. By mobile, it is understood that the first roller 2 can be moved to define a precise spacing between the latter, and more particularly its deformable surface 22 peripheral, and the surface 4.

In addition, the peripheral surface of the first roller 2 is a deformable surface 22. It extends around the drum 21, over at least part of its length and preferably over its entire length. It may be an outer surface of a sheet of flexible material (composite material, foam, rubber, synthetic material, food film, or the like) which may for example be glued to the first drum 21, or fixed to its two ends by flanges or clamping rings for example. It can also be a deformable membrane separated from the first drum 21 by a chamber, for example an air chamber, kept under pressure. The deformable surface 22 is thus used to press fruit against the surface 4 in order to extract their juice.

In the embodiment according to which the first roller 2 comprises a chamber between the deformable surface 22 and the first drum 21, the deformable surface 22 is for example a flexible membrane which can be mounted on the first drum 21, by clamping it at both ends of the first drum 21. The part between the flanges, the drum 21 and the membrane then forms an airtight chamber. The hermetic chamber may include internal reinforcements making it possible to transmit the rotational movement of the first drum 21 to the deformable membrane 22 with greater ease. In this embodiment, the chamber is subjected to a pressure causing the membrane to swell and thus the deformable surface 22 and allowing it to exert a certain force on the fruit. The first roller 2 then advantageously comprises means making it possible to vary the pressure in the chamber so as to vary the force which is exerted on the fruit. This pressure can be distributed in the chamber via the first drum 21. In this respect, the latter can for example comprise a hole or a plurality of holes distributed over all or part of its surface. Through this or these multiple holes, a fluid is delivered, for example air, to inflate the membrane forming the deformable surface 22. It is understood that the pressure of the fluid is controlled in a fine manner so as not to crush the pips ( case of grape juice extraction) between the surface 4 and the deformable surface 22. In this embodiment, the deformable membrane is composed of at least one of the following materials: rubber, composite material, synthetic material , clingfilm. This is of course a non-exhaustive list.

Alternatively, the deformable surface 22 may be the outer peripheral surface of an inner tube (toric) mounted on the first drum 21 as a "tubeless tire" of a car wheel is mounted on its rim.

The wall 31 conveying the fruit between the surface 4 and the deformable surface 22 of the first roller 2, can be made up of various advantageously slippery materials so that the fruit can be driven by gravity. The wall 31 therefore advantageously extends well above the first roller 2. It can be constructed by injecting synthetic material into a mold or by assembling sheets. Surface 4 extends tangentially to deformable peripheral surface 22 of first roller 2. In this way, as the fruit passes, deformable peripheral surface 22 deforms against the fruit so as to press them against surface 4.

The surface 4 can also extend parallel to a plane tangential to the deformable peripheral surface 22 so as to define a gap separating the deformable peripheral surface 22 from the surface 4. Since the roller 2 can be made mobile, this gap can be variable. and is advantageously chosen to be able to squeeze the fruit optimally.

It is understood here that the pressure exerted on the fruit is a function of the nature of the deformable surface 22 and/or of the relative position of the roller with respect to the surface 4. When the deformable surface 22 is an outer wall of an airtight chamber, the pressure exerted on the fruit is also a function of the pressure inside the hermetic chamber.

In the embodiment represented by the , surface 4 is a section 41 of wall 31. In this embodiment, section 41 of wall 31 faces and/or comes into contact with deformable surface 22 of roller 2. it is therefore on this section 41 that the fruits are pressed by the first roller 2. This section 41 can for example be made of foam when it is not of the same material as the wall 31. Furthermore, the section 41 can also be perforated, that is to say it may comprise a plurality of holes distributed over all or part of its surface so that the juice flows through the holes and can be recovered downstream. The holes are advantageously all of the same shape and/or of the same size.

The section 41 can also comprise, on at least part of its surface, a plurality of grooves oriented along the section from the bottom to the top of the section 41. By grooves, it is understood here a successive alternation of grooves and ribs. More generally, the at least one wall 31 may also comprise on at least part of its surface grooves oriented so that the juice is guided downwards by the grooves. In this configuration, a liquid-solid separation plate can advantageously be arranged so that, when the roller 2 is rotating, the juice falls from a first side of the plate, guided by the grooves of the fluted section 41 while the solid part of the fruit attached to the peripheral surface of roller 2 falls on a second side of the plate by friction between the peripheral surface of the roller and the liquid-solid separation plate. The latter can therefore for example extend tangentially to the peripheral surface of roller 2.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the section 41 is arranged tangentially to the first roller 2 by deforming its deformable surface 22 device. For example, the inclined wall 31 can be a flat sheet. Advantageously, the inclination of the slope can be modified and is determined according to the speed of rotation of roller 2 and the quantity of fruit to be pressed. In an alternative embodiment, the inclined wall 31 can also be a face of a conveyor belt driven by a motor, the fruit being brought to the section 41 to be pressed. It is also possible, in particular according to the size of the fruit to be pressed, that the section 41 does not come into contact with the deformable surface 22 of the first roller 2. In this case, a slot preferably of constant width is formed between a free edge of this section 41 and the deformable surface 22 of the first roller 2. Of course, the width of the slot is determined according to the size of the fruit to be pressed. This is an exemplary embodiment in which the surface 4 extends parallel to a plane tangential to the deformable peripheral surface 22 so as to define a gap separating the deformable peripheral surface 22 from the surface 4.

The second embodiment represented by the has a surface 4 comprising part of the peripheral surface of a second roller 7. The latter extends substantially parallel to the first roller along its length.

In this embodiment, the means for supplying fruit to the press comprises a receptacle 3 which can advantageously be in the form of a hopper as illustrated in the . It is easily understandable that all forms of receptacle 3 making it possible to guide fruit towards the pressure zone between the two rollers can be implemented for this embodiment. Preferred are however receptacles 3 in which gravity is used in transporting the fruit in order to avoid the use of motors resulting in additional costs and energy for their operation.

Advantageously, the two rolls are similar and are placed opposite each other. The second roller 7 therefore comprises a second peripheral surface appearing as a second deformable surface 72, extending around a second drum 71, over all or part of its length. This second deformable surface can be, as for the deformable surface 22 of the first roll 2, formed for example by the outer surface of a layer of flexible material (rubber, foam, cling film, etc.) or by a deformable membrane (room to air, tire, etc.). Advantageously, the second deformable membrane 72 is the same length as the deformable membrane 22 of the first roller 2. In this way, since the rollers are facing each other, the two deformable surfaces are also facing each other allowing thus to optimize the surface of the pressure zone. In the same way as for the first roller 2, the second drum 71 is driven in rotation by a motor 60. The motor 60 driving the first roller 2 and that driving the second roller 7 can be one and the same motor so as to grant more easily the speeds of rotation of the two rollers. Indeed, it is interesting that the rollers both rotate at the same speed for the evacuation of the mixture downstream of the continuous press 1 and to reduce the friction between the two rollers. However, the second roller 7 rotates in a direction of rotation opposite to that of the first roller. In this way, fruit and juice are discharged more easily out of the pressure zone. Advantageously, the distance between the axis of rotation of the first roller 2 and the axis of rotation of the second roller 7 is variable for better maneuverability of the device. As explained above, this is a way of managing the pressure to which the fruits are subjected when using the continuous press 1. It is also possible, as for section 41, that the second roller 7 does not come into contact of the deformable surface 22 of roller 2. In this case, a slot preferably of constant width is formed between the second roller 7 and the deformable surface 22 of roller 2. Of course, the width of the slot is determined according to the size of fruit to be squeezed. This is another exemplary embodiment in which the surface 4 extends parallel to a plane tangential to the deformable peripheral surface 22 so as to define a gap separating the deformable peripheral surface 22 from the surface 4.

The configuration in which the deformable peripheral surface 22 and 72 of the first and second rollers 2 and 7 has a layer of foam is preferred for the manufacture of the rollers. This makes it possible to have two rollers with a simple structure and a reduced cost price. The fruits are therefore preferably pressed between two rollers comprising peripheral foam coatings. It is of course also possible to envisage a second roller 7 comprising a deformable surface 72 made of foam and the first roller 2 comprising a deformable surface 22 of different structure, or vice versa.

In a variant embodiment, the second roller 7 can be a rigid roller, for example made of synthetic material. The fruits are therefore pressed between the first roller 2 having a deformable surface 22 and a second roller 7 having a rigid outer surface. The second rigid roller 7 can be manufactured by injection of synthetic material into a mold for example. It can also be made of metal or carved out of wood. In the same way as for section 41, the rigid roller can be perforated (peripheral surface formed by a grid), that is to say include a plurality of holes on all or part of its peripheral surface so as to facilitate the flow of the pressing juice. In this case, part of the juice obtained by pressing ends up inside the perforated roll. The juice is partly blocked inside the roller by the action of the centrifugal force induced by the rotation of the roller. To facilitate the flow of the juice out of the drum, at least one helical blade is advantageously arranged on the openwork inner surface of the roller. The at least one helical blade extends over the inner perforated surface of the roller radially and longitudinally (in the direction of one end of the perforated surface). It is oriented longitudinally so that the juice is guided towards at least one end of the drum.

According to one embodiment, one of the two rollers may comprise grooves on at least part of its peripheral surface and advantageously on its entire peripheral surface. The grooves on the peripheral surface of the roller are advantageously oriented in its direction of rotation (that is to say in a plane perpendicular to its axis of rotation) to help the flow of the juice downstream of the press. In this configuration and as presented previously for section 41, a liquid-solid separation plate is arranged so that, when the rollers are rotating, the juice falls on a first side of the plate, guided by the grooves of the roller. fluted while the solid part of the fruits clinging to the peripheral surface of the rollers falls on a second side of the plate by friction between the peripheral surface of the rollers and the liquid-solid separation plate. According to a preferred embodiment, a continuous press as described above in its various embodiments is placed in an enclosure filled with inert gas to avoid problems due to oxidation.

Advantageously, downstream of the pressing zone, the continuous press 1 comprises at least one vibrating grid making it possible to separate the juices from the skins and solid matter of the fruits and in particular the skins of the grapes in the case of a vinification process. Of course, in an embodiment where the press comprises a liquid-solid separation plate, the at least one vibrating grid can still be used downstream of said plate to complete the separation.

In one embodiment, the continuous press may comprise a plurality of stages each comprising a continuous press like that presented by the various embodiments above. Advantageously, the fruits can be pressed progressively between the different stages. For example, a first stage may comprise a press according to the embodiment presented in FIG. 1, the fruit being pressed at a first determined pressure against the section 41 of the receptacle 3. A second stage, downstream of the first stage, may comprise a press composed of two rollers comprising deformable membranes of an airtight chamber and pressing the fruit at a second determined pressure, greater than the first determined pressure. A third stage, downstream of the second stage, may comprise a press composed of two rollers each comprising a deformable foam membrane and pressing the fruit with a third determined pressure, the latter being greater than the second determined pressure. This configuration of a continuous tiered press comprising three tiers is given as an example. A continuous multi-stage press can of course comprise two stages or more than three stages.

In one embodiment, all the stages can be the same and thus include continuous presses having the same elements. According to another embodiment, the stages are different and each stage comprises a continuous press with different elements. In a last embodiment, at least two stages present a similar continuous press.

Advantageously, downstream of each stage, the continuous press 1 comprises at least one vibrating grid making it possible to separate the juices from the skins and solid matter of the fruits and in particular the skins of the grapes in the case of a vinification process.

Furthermore, in the embodiment of the continuous multi-stage press, only the continuous press of the highest stage can comprise a receptacle 3. The other stages can advantageously be arranged so that the mixture from the upstream stage falls directly in their pressure zone without the need to be guided by a receptacle. They may therefore be deprived of it.

In a preferred embodiment, the continuous tiered press comprises means for recovering the juices below each tier, for example using a liquid-solid separation plate and a duct guiding the juices to tanks. . Thus, the press makes it possible to isolate the juices pressed on each floor. Isolating the juices pressed for each stage is particularly advantageous in the vinification process since it makes it possible to select the juices recovered when the fruits are subjected to greater or lesser pressure without mixing them. However, it is known in the winemaking process that the best juices are obtained during the first presses of the grapes at low pressure. The embodiment presented thus makes it possible to recover a plurality of juices of different qualities, each stage of the press producing a quality juice determined according to the pressure that it applies to the fruit and its level in the chain of stages.

According to a preferred embodiment, the continuous multi-tiered press is included in an enclosure filled with inert gas to avoid problems due to oxidation.

The embodiments represented by FIGS. 1 and 2 implement the rotation of at least one roller of cylindrical shape but, as explained above, the invention is not limited to this particular shape and may also include rollers of conical shape. In this respect, the presented continuous floor press could thus have several floors presenting surfaces of different revolutions. For example, a tiered continuous press according to one embodiment may include a roller tier and a cone tier.

The pressing of the fruits according to the embodiments presented thus makes it possible to carry out a high-speed, precise, flexible and continuous pressing of the fruits while proposing a less cumbersome architecture than those presented by the prior art. Indeed, the invention makes it possible, in addition to having an effective selection of juices with the continuous multi-tiered press, to eliminate the press cages of the pneumatic presses and therefore to reduce their size. In addition, the rotation of the roller(s) drags the juice and the fruit downwards, which makes it possible to automate the process by implementing a complete pressing chain and therefore to implement continuous pressing making it possible to reach pressing rates. very high. The embodiments of the present invention therefore combine the quality of a sequential pneumatic pressing with the quantity of a continuous pressing.

Claims (12)

Continuous fruit press (1) for extracting their juice, characterized in that it comprises a first roller (2), said roller comprising a first drum (21) driven in rotation by drive means (60) around an axis of rotation and a deformable peripheral surface (22) extending around the first drum (21) over all or part of its length and driven in rotation with the first drum (21),
the press further comprising, on the one hand, means (3) allowing a supply of fruit and, on the other hand, a surface (4) extending tangentially to the deformable peripheral surface (22) or extending parallel to a plane tangential to the deformable peripheral surface (22). Press according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the deformable peripheral surface (22) or the surface (4) is grooved or perforated. Press according to the preceding claim, characterized in that, when the deformable peripheral surface (22) or the surface (4) is fluted, the press further comprises a solid-liquid separation plate. Continuous fruit press (1) for extracting their juice according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first roller (2) is cylindrical or conical in shape. Press according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the surface (4) is a section (41) of a rigid wall (31). Press according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the surface (4) is part of an outer surface of a second roller (7), extending parallel to the first roller, and rotating in a second sense, opposite to that of the first. Press according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the second roller (7) also comprises a deformable surface (72). Press according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the deformable surface (22, 72) is composed of one of the following materials: composite material, foam, rubber, synthetic material, food film. Press according to one of Claims 4 to 7, characterized in that at least one roller (2, 7) comprises an airtight chamber subjected to a determined pressure formed in part by the deformable surface (22, 72). Press according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it comprises means making it possible to vary the pressure in the hermetic chamber. Press according to Claim 6, characterized in that the second roller (7) is a rigid roller. Continuous press with stages, characterized in that it comprises at least two stages, at least one stage comprising a continuous press (1) according to one of the preceding claims.