Fermentation equipment, system and fermentation method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of beer fermentation equipment, in particular to fermentation equipment, a fermentation system and a fermentation method thereof, and the fermentation equipment comprises a base, a fermentation tank body and a cleaning mechanism. The cleaning mechanism comprises a cleaning cover, a cleaning pipe and a cleaning nozzle. The cleaning cover is mounted at the top of the fermentation tank body, a cleaning channel of the cleaning cover is communicated with the cleaning nozzle through a cleaning pipe, the cleaning pipe is obliquely arranged, and the cleaning pipe can extend downwards or upwards or retract in the axial direction of the cleaning pipe. A cleaning mechanism is arranged in a fermentation tank body, so that a cleaning nozzle sprays a cleaning agent towards the inner wall of the fermentation tank body, the cleaning agent stays on the inner wall of the fermentation tank body for a period of time, then a valve of the cleaning agent is closed, a valve of cleaning water is opened, and a cleaning pipe is obliquely arranged and can extend downwards or retract upwards; the distance between the cleaning nozzle and the bottom of the fermentation tank body is closer, so that the cleaning effect of the bottom of the fermentation tank body is ensured, and the cleaning efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of beer fermentation equipment, and in particular to a fermentation equipment, a system and a fermentation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Beer is made of wheat malt and barley malt as the main raw materials. After adding hops, it is gelatinized and saccharified in liquid state, and then fermented in liquid state. It has a low alcohol content, contains carbon dioxide, and is rich in nutrients. It contains a variety of amino acids, vitamins, low-molecular sugars, inorganic salts and various enzymes. These nutrients are easily absorbed and utilized by the human body. During the fermentation process, the active proliferation of microorganisms is accompanied by the generation of a large number of metabolites such as polysaccharides, proteins and nucleic acids. These substances tend to accumulate in the fermentation liquid and gradually deposit on the side walls and bottom of the tank. After each use, a lot of manpower is required to clean the tank wall. If no intervention is made, a stubborn adhesion layer will be formed. At the same time, nutrients that are not completely consumed are also easy to be retained and attached to the tank wall, exacerbating this phenomenon. The adhesion layer has multiple effects on the operation of the fermentation tank. It interferes with heat exchange and reduces the accuracy of temperature control. The characteristics of being difficult to completely remove increase maintenance costs and time. The detached microorganisms and impurities may also contaminate the fermentation liquid and damage the purity and quality of the product. The existing cleaning system is used in conjunction with the cleaning balls on the fermentation tank for high-pressure cleaning.

[0003] In the existing cleaning process, the rotation of the cleaning ball drives the alkaline water cleaning. However, in the existing cleaning process, since the conical bottom of the fermentation tank is far away from the cleaning ball, the cleaning effect of the cleaning ball is poor, and the inner wall of the fermentation tank cannot be effectively cleaned, which leads to the shortcomings of sticking to the pot, insufficient saccharification and low degree of automation of the fermentation tank. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings and deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a fermentation equipment, system and fermentation method thereof, which solve the technical problems that the conical bottom of the fermentation tank is far away from the cleaning ball, resulting in poor cleaning effect of the cleaning ball, making it impossible to effectively clean the inner wall of the fermentation tank, thereby causing the fermentation tank to stick to the pot, insufficient saccharification and low degree of automation.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the main technical solutions adopted by the present invention include: An embodiment of the present invention provides a fermentation device, including a base, a fermentation tank body and a cleaning mechanism; The bottom of the fermentation tank body is a conical structure, and the fermentation tank body is mounted on the base and fixedly installed, the cleaning mechanism is connected to an external cleaning system, and the cleaning mechanism can be selectively connected to a cleaning agent and cleaning water; The cleaning mechanism comprises a cleaning cover, a cleaning pipe and a cleaning nozzle; The cleaning cover is installed on the top of the fermentation tank body, and the cleaning channel of the cleaning cover is connected with the cleaning nozzle through the cleaning pipe. The cleaning pipe is arranged obliquely, and the cleaning pipe can extend or retract downward or upward along its axial direction.

[0006] Optionally, the cleaning nozzle is provided with a plurality of liquid outlets.

[0007] Optionally, the outer wall of the cleaning cover is provided with a cleaning agent connecting port connected to the cleaning agent and a water inlet connected to the clean water tank; the bottom of the cleaning cover is provided with a cleaning pipe interface connected to the inner cavity of the fermentation tank body, and the cleaning pipe interface is connected to both the cleaning agent connecting port and the water inlet.

[0008] Optionally, an auxiliary cleaning mechanism is further included, wherein the auxiliary cleaning mechanism includes a driving body, a transmission structure and a scraping structure; The driving body is arranged at the bottom of the fermentation tank body, and the driving body is connected to the transmission structure. The scraping structure is arranged between the outer wall of the transmission structure and the inner wall of the fermentation tank body. The scraping structure can be against the inner wall of the fermentation tank body. The driving body can drive the transmission structure to rotate along the axial direction of the fermentation tank body to drive the scraping structure to perform rotational motion.

[0009] Optionally, the driving body includes a driving motor, which is fixedly mounted on the bottom of the fermentation tank body, and an umbrella-shaped meshing gear is fixedly mounted on the output end of the driving motor, and an annular rack is meshed on the outside of the umbrella-shaped meshing gear, and the annular rack is opened on the transmission structure.

[0010] Optionally, the transmission structure comprises a conical transmission rod, a vertical transmission rod and an annular rotating disk; The conical transmission rod is integrally arranged with the vertical transmission rod, and the conical transmission rod is located in the conical bottom of the fermentation tank body, the top of the vertical transmission rod is connected to the annular rotating disk, and the inner ring of the annular rotating disk is rotatably connected to the stirring shaft through a bearing.

[0011] Optionally, the scraping structure is made of hard rubber, and the scraping structure is formed by splicing a plurality of scraping plates.

[0012] Optionally, both the conical transmission rod and the vertical transmission rod are provided with mounting grooves, the mounting grooves have magnet adsorption points, and the mounting portion of the scraper plate is a strong magnetic contact point.

[0013] In a second aspect, a fermentation system comprises the fermentation device described above and also comprises a control unit; The control unit is used to control the flow rate and discharge time of the cleaning agent and the cleaning water.

[0014] In a third aspect, a fermentation method is provided, wherein the method is based on the fermentation system; The method comprises the following steps: S1. Combine the cleaning mechanism with the external cleaning system structure; S2. Setting the parameters of the cleaning agent and cleaning water through the control unit; S3, open the cleaning nozzle and spray regularly; S4, allowing the cleaning agent sprayed in S3 to stand; S5, start the auxiliary cleaning mechanism for cleaning.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: a fermentation device, system and fermentation method of the present invention, by arranging a cleaning mechanism in the fermentation tank body, and when the cleaning mechanism is cleaning, firstly controls the cleaning agent to provide a cleaning agent with a high concentration to the cleaning nozzle through the cleaning pipe of the cleaning agent, so that the cleaning nozzle sprays the cleaning agent toward the inner wall of the fermentation tank body, and ensures that the cleaning agent stays on the inner wall of the fermentation tank body for a period of time, and then closes the valve of the cleaning agent and opens the valve of the cleaning water, and sprays clean water toward the fermentation tank body through the cleaning nozzle to flush away the cleaning agent attached to the inner wall of the fermentation tank body, and the optional spraying of cleaning agent and cleaning agent can increase the residence time of the cleaning agent in the fermentation tank body, ensuring the cleaning effect of the fermentation tank body. Moreover, the cleaning pipe is inclined and can be extended downward or retracted upward to ensure that the cleaning nozzle is closer to the bottom of the fermentation tank body, thereby ensuring the cleaning effect of the bottom of the fermentation tank body and improving the cleaning efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the fermentation equipment of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the fermentation equipment of the present invention; Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the auxiliary cleaning mechanism; Figure 4 for Figure 3 An enlarged view of the structure at the circled “A”; Figure 5 for Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the scraping structure and the vertical transmission rod of the auxiliary cleaning mechanism.

[0017] Description of Reference Numerals 1. Base; 2. Fermentation tank; 3. Cleaning mechanism; 31. Cleaning cover; 32. Cleaning pipe; 33. Cleaning nozzle; 331. Liquid outlet; 4. Auxiliary cleaning mechanism; 41. Driving body; 411. Driving motor; 412. Umbrella-shaped meshing gear; 42. Transmission structure; 421. Conical transmission rod; 422. Vertical transmission rod; 4221. Mounting groove; 4222. Magnet adsorption point; 423. Annular rotating disk; 43. Scraping structure; 431. Scraping plate; 4311. Strong magnetic contact point; 5. Bearings; 6. Stirring shaft; 7. Turn the roller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to better explain the present invention and facilitate understanding, the present invention is described in detail below through specific implementation modes in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0019] See also Figure 1-Figure 5 As shown, a fermentation device proposed in an embodiment of the present invention includes a base 1, a fermentation tank body 2 and a cleaning mechanism 3. The bottom of the fermentation tank body 2 is a conical structure, and the fermentation tank body 2 is mounted on the base 1 and fixedly installed. The cleaning mechanism 3 is connected to an external cleaning system, and the cleaning mechanism 3 can selectively connect a cleaning agent and cleaning water. The cleaning mechanism 3 includes a cleaning cover 31, a cleaning pipe 32 and a cleaning nozzle 33. The cleaning cover 31 is installed on the top of the fermentation tank body 2, and the cleaning channel of the cleaning cover 31 is connected to the cleaning nozzle 33 through the cleaning pipe 32. The cleaning pipe 32 is inclined, and the cleaning pipe 32 can extend or retract downward or upward along its axial direction.

[0020] In this embodiment, by arranging the cleaning mechanism 3 in the fermentation tank body 2, and when cleaning, the cleaning mechanism 3 first controls the cleaning agent to provide the cleaning agent with a high concentration to the cleaning nozzle 33 through the cleaning pipe 32 of the cleaning agent, so that the cleaning nozzle 33 sprays the cleaning agent toward the inner wall of the fermentation tank body 2, and ensures that the cleaning agent stays on the inner wall of the fermentation tank body 2 for a period of time, and then closes the valve of the cleaning agent and opens the valve of the cleaning water, and sprays clean water toward the fermentation tank body 2 through the cleaning nozzle to flush away the cleaning agent attached to the inner wall of the fermentation tank body 2. The optional spraying of cleaning agent and cleaning agent can increase the residence time of the cleaning agent in the fermentation tank body 2, and ensure the cleaning effect of the fermentation tank body 2. In addition, the cleaning pipe 32 is inclined and can be extended downward or retracted upward to ensure that the cleaning nozzle is closer to the bottom of the fermentation tank body 2, thereby ensuring the cleaning effect of the bottom of the fermentation tank body 2 and improving the cleaning efficiency.

[0021] Furthermore, a plurality of liquid outlets 331 are provided on the cleaning nozzle 33. The plurality of liquid outlets 331 can ensure that the cleaning agent and the cleaning water are discharged evenly and cover a wider range.

[0022] Furthermore, the outer wall of the cleaning cover 31 is provided with a cleaning agent connection port connected to the cleaning agent and a water inlet connected to the clean water tank. The bottom of the cleaning cover 31 is provided with a cleaning pipe interface connected to the inner cavity of the fermentation tank body 2, and the cleaning pipe interface is connected to both the cleaning agent connection port and the water inlet. A first valve for controlling the cleaning agent and a second valve for controlling the cleaning water are provided at the top of the cleaning pipe interface. Both the first valve and the second valve are connected to the controller for communication. By inputting parameters into the controller, the opening and closing time of the first valve and the second valve are controlled, thereby controlling the residence time of the cleaning agent on the inner wall of the fermentation tank body 2. There is no need to manually switch the valves, thereby reducing labor costs.

[0023] Furthermore, an auxiliary cleaning mechanism 4 is also included, and the auxiliary cleaning mechanism 4 includes a driving body 41, a transmission structure 42 and a scraping structure 43. The driving body 41 is arranged at the bottom of the fermentation tank body 2, and the driving body 41 is connected to the transmission structure 42. A scraping structure 43 is arranged between the outer wall of the transmission structure 42 and the inner wall of the fermentation tank body 2, and the scraping structure 43 can be against the inner wall of the fermentation tank body 2. The driving body 41 can drive the transmission structure 42 to rotate along the axial direction of the fermentation tank body 2 to drive the scraping structure 43 to rotate. An auxiliary cleaning mechanism 4 is arranged on one side of the inner cavity of the fermentation tank body 2 close to the side wall. In the process of ensuring the normal fermentation of the cleaning mechanism 3 and the fermentation stirring shaft 6, an additional auxiliary cleaning mechanism 4 is added. The auxiliary cleaning mechanism 4 can remove the inner wall of the fermentation tank body 2 when the cleaning mechanism sprays clean water, so that the cleaning effect of the fermentation tank body 2 is better and the cleaning efficiency is improved.

[0024] Furthermore, the driving body 41 includes a driving motor 411, which is fixedly mounted at the bottom of the fermentation tank body 2, and an umbrella-shaped meshing gear 412 is fixedly mounted at the output end of the driving motor 411, and an annular rack is meshed on the outside of the umbrella-shaped meshing gear 412, and the annular rack is provided on the transmission structure 42. The auxiliary cleaning mechanism 4 has a separate driving body 41, and the driving body 41 includes a driving motor 411 located at the bottom of the conical structure, and the discharge after fermentation adopts a drain port located at the top of the driving body 41, and the drain port has a rotatable liquid guide tube to discharge the beer below the drain port. It should also be noted that the umbrella-shaped meshing gear 412 can reasonably occupy the space of the conical structure to ensure the auxiliary cleaning effect.

[0025] Further, the transmission structure 42 includes a conical transmission rod 421, a vertical transmission rod 422 and an annular rotating disk 423. The conical transmission rod 421 and the vertical transmission rod 422 are integrally arranged, and the conical transmission rod 421 is located in the conical bottom of the fermentation tank body 2, the top of the vertical transmission rod 422 is connected to the annular rotating disk 423, and the inner ring of the annular rotating disk 423 is rotatably connected to the stirring shaft 6 through the bearing 5. While rotating, the vertical side walls of the fermentation tank body 2 and the inner walls of the conical structure can be better scraped. It should also be noted that the conical transmission rod 421 and the vertical transmission rod 422 can also be set to a detachable connection, so as to facilitate the adjustment of the angle between the conical transmission rod 421 and the vertical transmission rod 422 to adapt to different models of fermentation tank bodies 2. In the process of the annular rotating disk 423 driving the vertical transmission rod 422 to rotate, the vertical transmission rod 422 abuts against the rotating roller 7, thereby ensuring the transmission effect of the vertical transmission rod 422 and the conical transmission rod 421 and reducing the friction of rotation.

[0026] Furthermore, the scraping structure 43 is made of hard rubber, and is formed by splicing a plurality of scraping plates 431. Furthermore, both the conical transmission rod 421 and the vertical transmission rod 422 are provided with mounting grooves 4221, and the mounting grooves 4221 have magnet adsorption points 4222, and the mounting portion of the scraping plate 431 is a strong magnetic contact point 4311. The scraping plate 431 is easy to replace and repair, and the installation is convenient and quick.

[0027] A fermentation system includes a fermentation device and a control unit. The control unit is used to control the flow rate and discharge time of the cleaning agent and the cleaning water. It should be noted that a controller is provided in the control unit. The controller is communicatively connected to the valve, and the opening and closing time of the valve is limited before the fermentation tank body 2 is operated, so as to limit the residence time of the cleaning agent and the cleaning effect. Compared with the existing direct injection of an alkaline solvent mixed with water, the cleaning effect is better.

[0028] A fermentation method, the method is based on a fermentation system. The method comprises the following steps: S1, connect the cleaning mechanism 3 with the external cleaning system structure.

[0029] Specifically, the external cleaning system is a conventional device, that is, a tank containing a cleaning agent and a tank containing clean water. Compared with the existing external cleaning system that mixes, this embodiment uses separate cleaning agents and clean water to be introduced in sequence, and controls the residence time of the cleaning agent through a controller to ensure the cleaning effect.

[0030] S2. The parameters of the cleaning agent and the cleaning water are set by the control unit, including the concentration of the cleaning agent, the spraying time of the cleaning agent, the residence time of the cleaning agent, and the spraying time of the cleaning water.

[0031] S3, open the cleaning nozzle 33 and spray at a fixed time.

[0032] S4, allowing the cleaning agent sprayed in S3 to stand.

[0033] Specifically, after the cleaning agent is sprayed for a certain period of time according to the set parameters, the cleaning water is automatically sprayed.

[0034] S5, start the auxiliary cleaning mechanism 4 to perform cleaning.

[0035] Specifically, when the cleaning water is sprayed, the driving motor 411 of the driving body 41 of the pneumatic assisted cleaning mechanism 4 is switched on, so that the motor rotates to drive the umbrella-shaped meshing gear 412, and the umbrella-shaped meshing gear 412 engages with the conical transmission rod 421, thereby driving the conical transmission rod 421 and the vertical transmission rod 422 to rotate along the axial direction of the stirring shaft 6, so as to drive the scraper plate 431 to rotate, which can better clean the inner wall of the fermentation tank body 2, and at the same time ensure the cleaning effect of the conical structure at the bottom of the fermentation tank body 2.

[0036] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0037] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0038] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, when a first feature is “on” or “below” a second feature, it may be that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, when a first feature is “above”, “above” or “above” a second feature, it may be that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or it may simply mean that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. When a first feature is “below”, “below” or “below” a second feature, it may be that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or it may simply mean that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0039] In the description of this specification, the description of the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "embodiment", "example", "specific example" or "some examples" etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, unless they are contradictory.

[0040] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and are not to be construed as limitations of the present invention. A person skilled in the art may alter, modify, replace and modify the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fermentation device, characterized in that: It comprises a base (1), a fermentation tank body (2) and a cleaning mechanism (3); The bottom of the fermentation tank body (2) is in a conical structure, and the fermentation tank body (2) is mounted on the base (1) and fixedly installed, and the cleaning mechanism (3) is connected to an external cleaning system, and the cleaning mechanism (3) can be selectively connected to a cleaning agent and cleaning water; The cleaning mechanism (3) comprises a cleaning cover (31), a cleaning pipe (32) and a cleaning nozzle (33); The cleaning cover (31) is mounted on the top of the fermentation tank body (2); the cleaning channel of the cleaning cover (31) is connected to the cleaning nozzle (33) via the cleaning pipe (32); the cleaning pipe (32) is arranged at an angle; the cleaning pipe (32) can extend or retract downward or upward along its axial direction.

2. The fermentation equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning nozzle (33) is provided with a plurality of liquid outlets (331).

3. The fermentation equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer wall of the cleaning cover (31) is provided with a cleaning agent connection port connected to the cleaning agent and a water inlet connected to the clean water tank; the bottom of the cleaning cover (31) is provided with a cleaning pipe interface connected to the inner cavity of the fermentation tank body (2), and the cleaning pipe interface is connected to both the cleaning agent connection port and the water inlet.

4. The fermentation equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an auxiliary cleaning mechanism (4), the auxiliary cleaning mechanism (4) comprising a driving body (41), a transmission structure (42) and a scraping structure (43); The driving body (41) is arranged at the bottom of the fermentation tank body (2), the driving body (41) is connected to the transmission structure (42), the scraping structure (43) is arranged between the outer wall of the transmission structure (42) and the inner wall of the fermentation tank body (2), the scraping structure (43) can be abutted against the inner wall of the fermentation tank body (2), and the driving body (41) can drive the transmission structure (42) to rotate along the axial direction of the fermentation tank body (2), so as to drive the scraping structure (43) to perform rotational motion.

5. The fermentation equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The driving body (41) comprises a driving motor (411), the driving motor (411) being fixedly mounted on the bottom of the fermentation tank body (2), an umbrella-shaped meshing gear (412) being fixedly mounted on the output end of the driving motor (411), an annular rack being meshed on the outside of the umbrella-shaped meshing gear (412), and the annular rack being provided on the transmission structure (42).

6. The fermentation device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The transmission structure (42) comprises a conical transmission rod (421), a vertical transmission rod (422) and an annular rotating disk (423); The conical transmission rod (421) and the vertical transmission rod (422) are integrally arranged, and the conical transmission rod (421) is located in the conical bottom of the fermentation tank body (2), the top of the vertical transmission rod (422) is connected to the annular rotating disk (423), and the inner ring of the annular rotating disk (423) is rotatably connected to the stirring shaft (6) via a bearing (5).

7. The fermentation device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The scraping structure (43) is made of hard rubber, and is formed by splicing a plurality of scraping plates (431).

8. The fermentation device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The conical transmission rod (421) and the vertical transmission rod (422) are both provided with a mounting groove (4221), the mounting groove (4221) has a magnet adsorption point (4222), and the mounting portion of the scraper plate (431) is a strong magnetic contact point (4311).

9. A fermentation system, characterized in that: A fermentation device comprising any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a control unit; The control unit is used to control the flow rate and discharge time of the cleaning agent and the cleaning water.

10. A fermentation method, characterized in that: The method is based on the fermentation system according to claim 9; The method comprises the following steps: S1, connect the cleaning mechanism (3) with the external cleaning system structure; S2. Setting the parameters of the cleaning agent and cleaning water through the control unit; S3, open the cleaning nozzle (33) and spray at a fixed time; S4, allowing the cleaning agent sprayed in S3 to stand; S5, start the auxiliary cleaning mechanism (4) to perform cleaning.

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