JPH0543678Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] "Industrial Application Field" This invention relates to a fermenter that can efficiently ferment moromi in the production of alcoholic beverages.

"Prior Art" Generally, fermented alcoholic beverages such as sake are produced by fermenting raw materials such as steamed rice with koji to form moromi, and further fermenting this moromi. Also, among distilled spirits, shochu is produced by fermenting raw materials such as steamed rice and sweet potatoes with koji to form moromi, subjecting this moromi to secondary fermentation, and then distilling the alcohol content in the moromi. .

In the moromi used in the production of alcoholic beverages, fermentation is carried out in a so-called parallel multiple fermentation system, in which saccharification of raw materials by koji and alcoholic fermentation of sugar by yeast proceed at the same time.

Conventionally, as a fermenter for fermenting moromi, an upper-opening type fermenter is known in which a corrugated tube type heat exchanger is provided inside the tank.

In conventional fermentation methods using such fermenters,
As a general rule, the moromi is fermented quietly without shaking and stirring, and while the temperature of the moromi is controlled using a heat exchanger, the gas of the fermentation product is removed from the moromi by occasional paddle work to prevent fermentation inhibition due to gas. I have to.

``Problem that the invention aims to solve'' By the way, in such moromi fermentation, in addition to the above-mentioned degassing, in order to promote fermentation, it is necessary to maintain the temperature of the moromi at an appropriate temperature at all times, and to increase the yeast content in the moromi. It is necessary to rapidly remove the decomposition products produced by the yeast from around the yeast cells, and at the same time to sequentially supply monosaccharides and the like as a nutrient source to the surroundings of the yeast cells.

However, in conventional fermentation methods, heat is exchanged between the heat exchanger in the fermenter and the moromi through slow natural convection of the moromi, so the larger the fermenter, the more likely it is that uneven temperature of the moromi will occur. However, there was a problem in that it was difficult to maintain the temperature of the moromi at an appropriate temperature at all times.

In addition, in the conventional fermentation method, the paddle operation is performed occasionally, which makes it insufficient to supply nutrients such as monosaccharides to the yeast in the moromi, or to remove gas from the moromi, resulting in fermentation of the moromi. There was also a problem in which this was hindered.

Furthermore, when producing shochu, if the paddle work is not sufficient, the moromi dregs may float to the top of the moromi and form a surface layer, and if this surface layer is left unattended, bacteria will breed, and this bacteria will There was also the problem that normal moromi fermentation was inhibited.

On the other hand, there is also a method of inserting a stirring blade into the fermenter from above to stir the moromi, but if the surface layer consisting of moromi scum floats to the top of the moromi,
Its removal remained difficult.

In addition, while the drive part of the stirring blade is installed above the fermenter, the main body of the stirring blade is located at the bottom of the fermenter, so the entire device including the stirring blade and drive part becomes large and its structure is There was also the problem of complication.

``Means for solving the problem'' Therefore, the fermenter of this invention has a cylindrical shape with a bottom, a fermentation tank with a discharge port that can be opened and closed at the bottom, and a heat exchanger installed inside the fermentation tank. a stirring blade installed at a position offset from the discharge port at the inner bottom of the fermentation tank, with the heat exchanger facing and with its axis offset from the axis of the heat exchanger; The above-mentioned problem is solved by providing a motor that rotates the stirring blade nearby and a stirring control device that controls the motor to change the rotation speed and direction of the stirring blade.

``Example'' This invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of this invention, and the reference numeral 1 in the figure is a fermenter. This fermenter 1
This is a top-opening type, and is roughly composed of a fermentation tank 2, an agitator 3, and a heat exchanger 4.

The fermentation tank 2 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom and an open top. At the bottom center (bottommost part) of this fermentation tank 2, there is provided an outlet 5 for sending out the moromi M stored in the fermentation tank 2 to the outside after the completion of fermentation. A control valve 6 for controlling the amount of M delivered is provided.

A stirrer 3 is disposed at the inner bottom of the fermentation tank 2 at a position offset from the outlet 5. The stirrer 3 allows the moromi M to be refluxed slowly and reciprocally as appropriate.
This stirrer 3 consists of a stirring blade 3a, a drive motor 3b that rotationally drives the stirring blade 3a, and a stirring control device 3c that controls the drive motor 3b to change the rotation speed and rotation direction of the stirring blade 3a. It is.

Furthermore, a heat exchanger 4 made of a spirally wound metal tube is disposed on the inner wall of the fermentation tank 2. This heat exchanger 4 is for flowing a heat medium such as water into a metal tube and exchanging heat between the heat medium and the moromi M through the metal tube. and,
The heat exchanger 4 is provided with a flow rate control valve 7 that adjusts the flow rate of the heat medium, and a temperature control device 8 that adjusts the valve opening is connected to the flow rate control valve 7. This temperature control device 8 controls the opening degree of the flow control valve 7 of the heat exchanger 4 based on temperature data from a temperature sensor 9 that measures the temperature of the moromi M.

Furthermore, in the case of the fermenter of the present invention, the agitator 3 and the heat exchanger 4 are such that the agitating blades 3a face the heat exchanger 4,
In addition, the heat exchanger 4 is installed so that its axis is offset from the axis of the heat exchanger 4.

In this example, the above stirring control device 3c and temperature control device 8 are each arranged in a sequencer 10.
It is connected to the. This sequencer 10 controls the stirring control device 3c and the temperature control device 8, respectively, so that the stirring speed and temperature of the moromi M for the moromi M become optimum values according to the fermentation stage of the moromi M in the fermentation tank 2. It is.

In the fermenter 1 having such a configuration,
During fermentation, the moromi M is constantly refluxed by the stirrer 3. This stirring speed is usually kept at a very low speed and always kept constant. Moreover, the stirring blade 3a
is facing the heat exchanger 4, and its axis is facing the heat exchanger 4.
Since the axis of the refluxed moromi M is shifted from the axis of the
The heat exchanger 4 acts as a "jiyama board" and a high stirring effect can be obtained. By effectively stirring the moromi M at a constant stirring speed in this way, the amount of heat can be exchanged between the moromi M and the heat exchanger 4 extremely efficiently, so that the temperature inside the moromi M can be reduced. Since the occurrence of gas can be reliably prevented, and gas can be efficiently removed from the moromi M, inhibition of fermentation by gas can be prevented, and moromi fermentation can be promoted.

In addition, in this fermenter 1, especially in the case of shochu production, by temporarily increasing the rotation speed of the stirring blade 3a of the stirrer 3 or by reversing the rotation direction of the stirring blade 3a, the moromica floating on the upper part of the moromi M can be removed. Either wetting the surface layer or crushing the surface layer. In particular, the stirrer 3
If the machine is operated in reverse rotation, the surface layer of the moromi can be efficiently crushed even at low speed. By operating the stirrer 3 in this manner, it is possible to reliably prevent the proliferation of various bacteria on the surface layer of the moromicus, and thus to prevent fermentation inhibition caused by the various bacteria.

Therefore, for such a fermenter 1,
Since it is equipped with a stirrer 3 that refluxes the moromi M in a slow and reverse direction, the temperature of the moromi M can be maintained at an appropriate temperature at all times, and a nutrient source can be supplied to the yeast in the moromi M. Therefore, it is possible to promote moromi fermentation. Therefore, according to this fermenter 1, the fermentation period of moromi fermentation can be shortened and alcoholic beverages of stable quality can be produced without performing the conventional paddle operation.

Furthermore, as the moromi M is refluxed by the stirrer 3, temperature unevenness within the moromi M is reliably eliminated, so even if the fermentation tank 2 is enlarged, stable moromi fermentation can be performed.

Further, since the agitator 3 is installed at the bottom of the fermentation tank 2, the agitator 3 can be downsized and its structure can be simple.

Moreover, since the agitating blades 3a face the heat exchanger 4 and their axis is offset from the axis of the heat exchanger 4, the heat exchanger 4 acts as a "diyama plate" during stirring, and as a result, the agitator 3 Especially stirring blade 3
Even if a is made smaller, a high stirring ability is maintained.

Furthermore, since the stirring blade 3a is installed at a position shifted from the outlet 5, the installation of the stirring blade 3a does not adversely affect the delivery of the moromi M from the fermentation tank 2.

In addition, in the fermenter 1 of this example, the sequencer 10
The stirring speed and temperature of moromi M during the fermentation stage of moromi M can be controlled by
It is possible to carry out stable fermentation for
Therefore, high quality alcoholic beverages can be produced from Moromi M.

Further, in the above embodiment, the sequencer 10 was used to control the stirring control device 3c and the temperature control device 8, respectively, but the heat exchanger In addition to controlling the flow rate of the heating medium in 4, the moromi M is
It may be configured using a central controller that controls the stirring speed.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the agitator 3 was provided at the bottom of the top-open fermentation tank 2, but the top of the fermentation tank 2 may be sealed, and the number of agitators 3 installed is not particularly limited.

"Effects of the invention" As explained above, the fermenter of this invention is equipped with a stirrer at the bottom that refluxes the moromi in a manner that allows the moromi to be refluxed slowly and rapidly and in any forward or reverse direction. It is possible. Therefore, according to this fermenter, it is possible to maintain the temperature of the moromi at an appropriate temperature at all times, supply a nutrient source to the yeast in the moromi, and efficiently remove gas from the moromi, so that moromi fermentation is possible. The fermentation period can be shortened, and alcoholic beverages with stable quality can be produced.

Furthermore, since this fermenter is equipped with a stirrer, there is no need to perform the conventional work of stirring the moromi, and it is possible to save labor in the fermentation process.

Furthermore, since the agitator is installed at the bottom of the fermentation tank, the agitator can be miniaturized and the structure can be simple.

Moreover, the stirring blades of the stirrer face the heat exchanger,
In addition, because its axis is misaligned with the axis of the heat exchanger, the heat exchanger acts as a "dead board" during stirring, and as a result, even if the stirrer, especially the stirring blades, is downsized, high stirring capacity cannot be achieved. It also has the effect of being maintained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a first embodiment of this invention. 1... Fermenter, 3... Stirrer, M... Moromi.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A fermentation tank having a cylindrical shape with a bottom and having an outlet port that can be opened and closed at the bottom, a heat exchanger installed in the fermentation tank, and a position offset from the outlet port at the inner bottom of the fermentation tank, Orient the heat exchanger,
and a stirring blade whose axis is offset from the axis of the heat exchanger, a motor that rotates the stirring blade near the stirring blade, and a motor that controls the rotation speed and rotation of the stirring blade. A fermentation tank characterized by comprising a stirring control device that changes direction.