Simple equipment automatically separates juice from crushed grapes MEMO: from Edward Mirassou Norbert Mirassou
tank under the screen, partitioned into two sections to collect the juice.
Mirassou Winery
Operation of unit
EPARATING the juice after the
S grapes have been crushed has been
a problem to winemakers for many years. Several years ago an attempt was made to develop a centrifuge to do this job. A unit was made and tried, but was not satisfactory. To get proper separation the centrifuge was turned at a very high speed; the separated juice therefore contained a large amount of lees and sediment, and so the winery solved one problem only t o make another-separation of the clear juice from the lees. Many other methods were tried, such as the use of screw conveyors with perforated jackets. None of these were found satisfactory. We had an idea for a simple and practical answer to the problem, and asked the Valley Foundry and Machine Works a t Fresno to design and build the equipment to carry out this idea. Four units were built:
The unit works like this: After the grapes are crushed the must, or crushed grapes with the unfermented juice, is pumped from the crusher by a 15-hp. centrifugal pump to one end of unit 1, above the screen. As the cleats travel the entire length of the conveyor, the must is carried over the screen. Juice drains through the screen into the false bottom and from there is transferred to the fermenting tanks. From the discharge end of the conveyor the
pomace, or pulp, drops into unit 2, the reservoir tank, which has a capacity of 25 tons of crushed grapes. From this tank the flow of pomace to unit 3 is controlled by the sliding gate. I n unit 3 additional free-run juice drains through the screen, and is transferred to the fermenting tanks, while the pomace is conveyed to the single-screw press, unit 4. From a 300-ton crush of white grapes, average recovery is: Unit 1 Unit 3 Unit 4
128 gallons 30 gallons 22 gallons from first section 16 gallons from second section
i96gauons Lees and second press juice total 39 gallons
Unit 1. A screen conveyor 30 feet long, 24 inches wide, and 24 inches deep. This unit consisted of 30 feet of 24inch perforated stainless steel screen, * / 8 ~ inch thick, over which a cleat-type conveyor traveled lengthwise. Below the screen a false bottom with an outlet was installed to collect the juice from the screen. This unit is powered by a 1-hp. electric motor. Unit 2. A tank 6 feet in diameter, 6 feet deep, with open top and cone bottom, and a 12-inch outlet at the bottom. The tank has an agitator to prevent the material from packing or bridging up in t h e cone, and the outlet has a sliding gate for flow regulation. Unit 3. A screen conveyor 10feet long, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches deep, consisting of a 10-foot stainless steel screen, 12 inches wide and 3/82 inch deep, over which cleats travel lengthwise, and a false bottom to collect the juice screened out of the material in the tank. This unit is also powered by a separate electric motor. Unit 4. A single-screw press with drilled tapered holes in the screen, and a October 1955
Equipment for separating juice from grapes Upper left. Portion of long conveyor, unit 1 Leff center. Conveyor for red grapes Upper center. Surge tank, unit 2 10-foot conveyor, unit 3 (barely visible) Center. lower right. Press, unit 4
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
103 A
Plant Engineering Memos
biotics to
chloride
The r a n g e of “hard-to-handle” liquids, gases and slurries that c a n be h a n d l e d successfully with Hills-McCanna d i a p h r a g m valves is virtually w i t h o u t limit. From antibiotics w h i c h are being handled in the p l a n t p i c t u r e d a b o v e t o the toughest acids, alkalis and salts, t h e r e is a combination of HillsM c C a n n a b o d y and d i a p h r a g m m a t e r i a l s that will best suit y o u r needs.
A choice of 15 d i a p h r a g m materials, 40 body materials and 36 o p e r a t o r s makes it possible to “tailor” Hills-McCanna valve assemblies t o almost any requirement. If y o u valve any “hard-to-handle” fluid, it will pay you to take a d v a n t a g e of Hills-McCanna’s extensive experience. For specific recommendations, send an o u t l i n e of y o u r requirements. Or, if y o u prefer, write f o r y o u r copy of the HillsM c C a n n a valve catalog. H I L L S - M c C A N N A CO., 2345 W. Nelson St., Chicago 18, Ill.
Also manufacturers of Chemical Proportioning Pumps Force-Feed Lubricators Light Alloy Castings For further information, circle number 104 A on Readers’ Service Card, page 123 A
104 A
There are many advantages to this method. Handling or shoveling of pomace is eliminated, increasing the capacity of the fermenting cellar due to absence of pomace in the fermenting tanks. Chain conveyors to transfer the pomace out of the fermenting cellar are eliminated, and a much clearer cellar is obtained. Already several of the sweet wine plants have considered use of parts of this type of installation. This would be especially helpful for those who shovel the pomace out of the fermenting tanks. Their plans are to construct a steel tank with 60,000- to 70,000gallon capacity. After the free-run juice is drained off the long screen, the pomace would enter the tank, where it would be fermented out and used for distilling material.
Inside of first screening unit
The equipment might be adapted to red sweet wine operations by adding a heat exchanger, heating the must, and immediately separating the juice b y screening, fermenting the juice separately, and fermenting the pomace in a steel tank. We have also found it of advantage to use stainless steel perforated screens on the plate and frame type of filter, which is used in sterile wine production. This eliminates necessity for using cotton cloths, which require frequent washing, sterilization, and replacement. These screens are constructed with stainless steel nipples t o set inside the holes on the plate. The sight comes in contact with the plate. A thick gasket is installed on the screen to eliminate leakage between the plate and the screen. On the other side of the screen a paper of high wet strength is used to build up the filter cake. Srtn Jose, Calif. July 29, 1955
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
Vol. 47, No. 10
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