Abstract
A tank for separating solids from a wort, the tank including: a container having inner surface portions defining an interior container space, and outer surface portions facing away from the interior container space; a whirlpool arrangement configured create a whirl of the wort; wherein the tank further includes a cooling arrangement configured to cool at least a portion of the interior container space for cooling the wort.
Claims
1. A tank for separating solids from a wort, said tank comprising: a container having inner surface portions defining an interior container space, and outer surface portions facing away from said interior container space; a whirlpool arrangement configured create a whirl of said wort; wherein said tank further comprises a cooling arrangement configured to cool at least a portion of said interior container space for cooling the wort, and wherein said cooling arrangement is arranged in said container between said inner surface portions and said outer surface portions.
2. The tank according to claim 1, wherein said container comprises: an inner wall having an inner wall inside comprising said inner surface portions, and an inner wall outside facing away from said inner wall inside, an outer wall having an outer wall outside comprising said outer surface portions, and an outer wall inside facing away from said outer wall outside, and wherein said cooling arrangement is arranged between said inner wall outside and said outer wall inside in order to cool at least a portion of said inner wall.
3. The tank according to claim 2, further comprising a container inlet arranged to transport the wort into said interior container space by guiding at least a portion of the wort towards said inner wall inside of said inner wall.
4. The tank according to claim 1, wherein said cooling arrangement comprises a cooling pipe.
5. The tank according to claim 4, wherein said cooling pipe is arranged helically inside said container.
6. The tank according to claim 1, wherein said cooling arrangement is configured to lower the temperature of the wort to be between 50 C. and 80 C.
7. A method for reducing the temperature of a wort inside a tank while separating solids therefrom, said method comprising the steps of: feeding the tank with a wort; causing said wort to whirl; cooling said wort with a cooling arrangement arranged inside of said tank.
8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of: providing a tank comprising a container having inner surface portions defining an interior container space, and outer surface portions facing away from said interior container space, a container inlet for transporting the wort into said interior container space, and a cooling arrangement arranged in said container, wherein the step of cooling said wort with a cooling arrangement comprises cooling at least a portion of said inner surface portions in order to cool the wort in said interior container space.
9. The method according to claim 7, wherein said cooling arrangement is arranged between said inner surface portions and said outer surface portions of said container.
10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of cooling said wort with a cooling arrangement comprises lowering the temperature of the wort to between 50 C. and 80 C.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0070] The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the appended drawing, wherein:
[0071] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tank according to one exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of present invention,
[0072] FIGS. 2a-2d illustrate how the separation of solids from the wort can be carried out in four subsequent steps, and
[0073] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a tank according to one exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0074] In the present detailed description, embodiments of a tank according to the present invention are mainly discussed with reference to drawings showing a tank with components and portions being relevant in relation to various embodiments of the invention. It should be noted that this by no means limits the scope of the invention, which is also applicable in other circumstances for instance with other types or variants of tanks than the embodiments shown in the appended drawings. For example, the invention may be used with boilers, whirlpool tanks or other tanks used in the process of brewing beer. Further, that specific features are mentioned in connection to an embodiment of the invention does not mean that those components cannot be used to an advantage together with other embodiments of the invention.
[0075] The invention will now by way of example be described in more detail by means of embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0076] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tank 1 according to one exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of present invention. The tank 1 of FIG. 1 is a whirlpool tank 1, i.e. with the main purpose of separating solids from the wort. However, as described previously, the tank 1 may be part of a combined boiler kettle and whirlpool tank.
[0077] The tank 1 comprises a container 10 having inner surface portions 12 defining an interior container space 20, and outer surface portions 14 facing away from the interior container space 20. In the container 10 of FIG. 1, the inner surface portions 12 is comprised in an inner wall 11 having an inner wall inside 11A comprising the inner surface portions 12. The inner wall 11 further comprises an inner wall outside 11B facing away from the inner wall inside 11A. Correspondingly, the container 10 comprises an outer wall 13 having an outer wall outside 13B comprising the outer surface portions 14, and an outer wall inside 13A facing away from the outer wall outside 13B.
[0078] The tank 1 further comprises a whirlpool arrangement 30 configured to create a whirl of said wort in order to separate solids from the wort, and comprises a cooling arrangement 40 configured to cool at least a portion of the interior container space 20 for cooling the wort. As seen in FIG. 1 the cooling arrangement 40 is arranged in the container 10 between the inner surface portions 12 and the outer surface portions 14. More specifically, the cooling arrangement 40 is arranged between the inner wall outside 11B and the outer wall inside 13A in order to cool at least a portion of the inner wall 11. As also shown in FIG. 1, parts of the outer wall 13 are cut away for showing internal parts, such as the cooling arrangement 40, of the container 10.
[0079] The cooling arrangement 40 in FIG. 1 comprises a cooling pipe 42 which is arranged helically inside the container, extending along at least a portion of the height of the container. The cooling pipe 42 has a cooling pipe inlet 44 and a cooling pipe outlet 46, both arranged outside of the outer surface portions 14 of the outer wall 13, in connection to the outer wall 13. It should be understood that the cooling arrangement 40, such as the cooling pipe 42, is sized and dimensioned to lower the temperature of the wort to be between 50 C. and 80 C. For example, the flow of cooling liquid, such as e.g. water, may be in the range of 0.01 m.sup.3/min to 2 m.sup.3/min and hold a temperature at the cooling pipe inlet 44 of about 5-10 C. However, as understood by those skilled in the art, the flow and temperature of the cooling liquid is adapted to correspond to target temperature reduction of the wort, by also including parameters such as e.g. the size of the tank 1, the design of the cooling arrangement 40 (e.g. the inner diameter, the thickness of the walls, and the material of the cooling pipe 42, as well as the rotational velocity of the whirl in the tank 1 and the fill rate of the wort into the tank 1) and the amount of wort inside the interior container space 20 as well as the initial temperature of the wort fed to the tank 1. The flow of cooling liquid may be above or below than the abovementioned range, depending on the requirements of the application.
[0080] The tank 1 in FIG. 1 further comprises a container inlet 3 for transporting the wort into the interior container space 20, and a container outlet 5 for transporting the wort out of the interior container space 20. As seen in FIG. 1, the container outlet 5 is located lower than the container inlet 3 (the relative direction lower is to be interpreted in a vertical direction along the gravitational direction).
[0081] The tank 1 is arranged so that wort may be extracted through said container outlet 5, the extracted wort containing less solids than the wort that is fed into the container inlet 3 of said tank 1. The solids that are to be separated from the wort are caused to move towards a centre of the interior container space 20 by the whirlpool that is created in said interior container space 20, after which they settle in a cone-shaped pile on the bottom of the container 1, removing the wort from the interior container space 20 by means of a container outlet 5 that is located near a peripheral portion of the lower portion or bottom of the container 1 is beneficial.
[0082] It should be understood that the whirlpool arrangement 30 may comprise parts and portions of the tank 1 for enabling a whirl of the wort to be created inside the interior container space 20. Thus, for example as shown in FIG. 1, the container inlet 3 is at least partly tangentially arranged such that at least a portion of the wort is guided/injected towards the inner surface portions 12 or the inner wall inside 11A of the inner wall 11, Moreover, the inner wall, and thus inner wall inside 11A and the inner surface portions 12, are curved for allowing the feed of wort to be rotationally transported inside the container 10. In other words, the whirlpool arrangement 30 is to be understood as being an arrangement configured to cause a whirlpool of the wort.
[0083] FIGS. 2a-d show the method of separating solids from a wort in four steps, by using the tank 1 of FIG. 1. First, FIG. 2a shows the wort being added to the tank 1 through the container inlet 3. As the wort enters the tank 1, a whirl 200 is created due to the wort being discharged from the container inlet 3 in a direction that is tangential to the curvature of the inner wall 11 of the tank 1 such that the wort hits the inner wall 11 and begins to rotate inside the tank 1. Simultaneously as the wort is being added to the tank 1, hops may be added in order to alter the flavor of the beer that is to be created. A cooling medium is pumped through the cooling pipe 42 that is arranged around the tank 1, thus lowering the temperature of the wort as soon as it enters the tank 1.
[0084] FIG. 2b shows the tank 1 after it has been filled with wort. The wort whirls inside the tank 1 due to the arrangement of the container inlet 3 and the curvature of the inner wall 11 of the tank 1. As the whirl 200 is created in the wort, any solids suspended therein are forced towards the centre of the whirl 200 by fluid pressure from the portion of the wort that flows in the outer or peripheral portion of the whirl 200. Thus, when the wort whirls, any solids suspended therein are slowly deposited in a pile located at the central bottom portion of the tank 1. The cooling pipe 42 continues to cool the wort as the whirl 200 slows down to a stop.
[0085] FIG. 2c shows the tank 1 after the wort has slowed down to a halt and the solids previously suspended therein have been deposited in a pile 100 at the bottom of the tank 1. The wort is then discharged from the tank 1 through the container outlet 5. The wort that is discharged therethrough contains less solids than the wort that entered the tank 1 thorough the container inlet 3 in the first step.
[0086] FIG. 2d shows the tank 1 after most of the wort has been discharged. A pile 100 of solids remains, together with some of the wort. The solids are then removed from the tank, e.g. manually or through a drainage outlet (not shown). After the solids and the last of the wort has been removed, the tank 1 is cleaned and the process may be repeated with another batch of wort and hops.
[0087] FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a combined boiling kettle and whirlpool tank 1 according to one exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the invention. The combined boiling kettle and whirlpool tank 1 comprises a container inlet 3 and a container outlet 5. The tank 1 further comprises a cooling pipe 42 having a cooling pipe inlet 44 and a cooling pipe outlet 46, and a heating pipe 48 having a heating pipe inlet 50 and a heating pipe outlet 52. The tank 1 may be provided with a whirlpool arrangement like the tank 1 in FIGS. 1-2, or it may be provided with a rotating paddle, ladle or arm (not shown) arranged to cause the wort to rotate. The tank 1 may be used for first boiling the wort using the heating pipe 48, after which the wort is caused to whirl while simultaneously being cooled by the cooling pipe 42. The heating pipe 48 extends over approximately the lower half of the side wall of the tank 1. The heating pipe 48 extends so that it covers a bottom portion of the tank 1. The cooling pipe 42 extends over approximately the entire side of the tank 1. This allows a wort to be fed into the tank 1 while simultaneously using the heating pipe 48 for bringing the wort to a boil. After the wort has been caused to boil, the heating pipe 48 ceases to heat the wort and the cooling pipe 42 causes the wort to cool down. While cooling the wort, it is also brought to a whirl by the whirlpool arrangement.
[0088] Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to a/an/the [element, device, component, means, step, etc.] are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of said element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. Furthermore, any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.
