Ventilation and humidification device for tea fermentation

Abstract

The invention discloses a tea fermentation ventilation and humidification device which comprises a jet head, a gas mixing box, a steam generator, an induced draft fan, a pipeline assembly and a central controller. The pipeline assembly is provided with a water inlet pipe, an oxygen inlet pipe and a gas outlet pipe which are provided with valves and flow meters respectively; the steam generator and the induced draft fan can send steam and air into the gas mixing box to be mixed through the water inlet pipe and the oxygen inlet pipe, the steam and / or the air can flow to the jet head from the gas mixing box through the gas outlet pipe and is jetted out, and the central controller is electrically connected with the steam generator, the induced draft fan, the valve and the flow meter. The vertical uniformity and accuracy of oxygen supply and water vapor supply can be ensured in the tea fermentation tank, so that the tea fermentation effect is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of tea-making equipment, especially to the technical field of tea fermentation tanks. Background Art

[0002] Fermentation is a tea-making step that changes the components of tea through enzymatic oxidation or microbial action to adjust its flavor, color, shelf life, and functional components; according to the degree of fermentation, tea can be divided into non-fermented tea (i.e., green tea, such as Longjing, Biluochun, and Maofeng, etc.), slightly fermented tea (i.e., yellow tea, such as Junshan Yinzhen and Huoshan Huangya, etc.), lightly fermented tea (i.e., white tea, such as Baihao Yinzhen and Shoumei, etc.), partially fermented tea (i.e., oolong tea, such as Tieguanyin, Dahongpao, and Phoenix Dancong, etc.), fully fermented tea (i.e., black tea, such as Lapsang Souchong and Keemun Black Tea, etc.), and post-fermented tea (i.e., dark tea, such as Pu-erh ripe tea and Anhua dark tea, etc.).

[0003] A tea fermentation tank is a closed or semi-closed device designed based on the principles of microbial fermentation and enzymatic reactions, usually including a tank body, a temperature control system, a ventilation and humidification system, a stirring and turning system, and a monitoring and control system; among them, the ventilation and humidification system is used to control the oxygen concentration and humidity in the tank and is an important component to ensure the smooth progress of fermentation.

[0004] Currently, the ventilation and humidification system usually sends air and water into the tank separately through a jet head and a sprinkler head arranged separately in the tank body, such as a ventilation device for a Pu-erh tea solid fermentation tank with the publication number CN110447731B and a Liubao tea fermentation device with the publication number CN106172951A; however, this traditional design has multiple technical bottlenecks; firstly, since the jet head is usually arranged at the bottom of the tank and the sprinkler head is arranged at the top of the tank, there is a problem that the local oxygen concentration in the lower layer of tea leaves in the tank is too high and the local humidity in the upper layer of tea leaves is too high, which in turn leads to different fermentation degrees of tea leaves in different layers; secondly, the separate arrangement of the jet head and the sprinkler head will occupy more space, affecting the arrangement of the stirring and turning system and bringing resistance to the implementation of the tea leaf turning work; thirdly, when it is necessary to control the humidity within a certain precise range, the traditional sprinkling method is prone to humidity overshoot or lag due to the large diameter of water particles and unstable evaporation rate. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problems in the prior art and propose a tea fermentation ventilation and humidification device, which can ensure the upper and lower uniformity and accuracy of oxygen supply and water vapor supply in the tea fermentation tank, thereby improving the tea fermentation effect.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a tea fermentation aeration and humidification device, which includes a jet head, a gas mixing box, a steam generator, a draft fan, a pipeline assembly and a central controller. The pipeline assembly has a water inlet pipe, an oxygen inlet pipe and an air outlet pipe respectively provided with valves and flow meters. The steam generator and the draft fan can send water vapor and air into the gas mixing box respectively through the water inlet pipe and the oxygen inlet pipe for mixing. The vapor and / or air can flow from the gas mixing box to the jet head through the air outlet pipe and be ejected. The central controller is electrically connected to the steam generator, the draft fan, the valves and the flow meters respectively.

[0007] Preferably, the jet head includes a base pipe, a horizontal pipe and a vertical pipe. The base pipe is arranged in the middle of one side of the horizontal pipe and is connected to the air outlet pipe. A plurality of the vertical pipes are sequentially arranged along the length direction on the other side of the horizontal pipe. A plurality of air outlet holes are evenly distributed on each of the vertical pipes.

[0008] Preferably, on the side of the horizontal pipe facing away from the base pipe, there are screw pipes corresponding to each of the vertical pipes one by one, and each of the vertical pipes is threadedly connected to the corresponding screw pipe.

[0009] Preferably, the gas mixing box includes a box body and partition plates. The box body divides the box cavity into several mixing chambers through a plurality of partition plates built in the box cavity. The water inlet pipe and the oxygen inlet pipe are both connected to the mixing chamber at the head end, and the air outlet pipe is connected to the mixing chamber at the tail end. Each of the partition plates is provided with a through hole for connecting adjacent two mixing chambers, and the through holes on adjacent two partition plates are not arranged opposite to each other.

[0010] Preferably, on each of the partition plates, there are also wing pieces provided close to the through holes and capable of elastically shaking under the action of air flow.

[0011] Preferably, each of the wing pieces is jointly composed of an elastic piece and a protective sleeve covering the elastic piece. One end of each of the wing pieces is respectively pasted to the corresponding partition plate, and the other end is bent and away from the corresponding partition plate.

[0012] Preferably, on the box body, there are also cushion blocks for each of the partition plates to be erected, and each pair of the partition plates and the cushion blocks are threadedly connected through fasteners respectively.

[0013] Preferably, the steam generator includes a shell, a heating mechanism, a heat preservation layer, a temperature monitoring probe and a liquid level monitoring probe. The heating mechanism and the heat preservation layer are respectively built in the shell wall of the shell. The temperature monitoring probe and the liquid level monitoring probe are respectively installed in the shell cavity of the shell, and the water inlet pipe is connected to the shell cavity.

[0014] Preferably, the shell also has a water replenishing joint and a drainage joint for connecting the outside and the shell cavity.

[0015] Preferably, a humidity monitor is further arranged on the air outlet pipe between the gas mixing box and the valve. The pipeline assembly further includes an exhaust pipe, one end of which is connected to the atmosphere and the other end is connected to the air outlet pipe and located between the humidity monitor and the valve. A valve is also installed on the exhaust pipe, and the central controller is electrically connected to the humidity monitor.

[0016] Advantages of the present invention: 1) By pre-mixing water vapor and air in the gas mixing box and then evenly spraying the air with a specified humidity through the jet head, the present invention can not only make the oxygen content and moisture content in different height spaces in the tank as consistent as possible, but also avoid the disadvantages of humidity overshoot or lag caused by the traditional sprinkling method, thus effectively solving the problem of uneven tea fermentation. Moreover, when the valve cuts off the passage between the gas mixing box and the steam generator or the induced draft fan, the jet head can separately supply air or water vapor into the tank to further control the oxygen content and humidity within a precise range and ensure the normal fermentation of tea. 2) By arranging a humidity monitor at the air outlet pipe and adding an exhaust pipe led out from the air outlet pipe behind the humidity monitor, the present invention can, on the basis of calculating the moisture content of the mixed gas by the flow meter, perform a secondary humidity verification using the humidity monitor, and in the case of non-compliant humidity, make the mixed gas first discharged through the exhaust pipe instead of still flowing into the tea fermentation tank, making the humidity control more precise and stable. 3) By integrating the ventilation function and the humidification function into one (i.e., the jet head), the present invention can effectively reduce the number of equipment components in the tank and the occupied space (optimize the equipment space layout), provide more sufficient space for the arrangement of the stirring and turning system, and enable the tea turning work to be carried out more smoothly. 4) By using several partitions in the box body to divide the box cavity into several mixing chambers, and making the through holes between adjacent partitions not directly opposite, and adding wing pieces at each through hole respectively, on the one hand, the water vapor and air are actively mixed when flowing along the staggered through holes, and on the other hand, the elastic vibration generated by the air flow pushing the wing pieces is used to assist the further mixing of the water vapor and air, ultimately making the mixing of the water vapor and air more uniform (which is beneficial to the fermentation of tea). 5) In the present invention, since the horizontal pipe of the jet head is threadedly connected to each vertical pipe through a screw pipe, and the box body detachably suspends each partition in the box cavity through pads and fasteners, users can separately disassemble and replace the specified vertical pipe and partition according to needs. In addition, the shell of the steam generator is also provided with a water replenishing joint and a drainage joint for convenient water replenishment and waste water cleaning; these designs make the maintenance and component replacement of the equipment more convenient and fast, reducing the maintenance cost and difficulty of the equipment.

[0017] The features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail through embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Description of the Drawings

[0018] Figure 1 is the front view of the tea fermentation aeration and humidification device of the present invention; Figure 2 is the front view of the jet head of the tea fermentation aeration and humidification device of the present invention; Figure 3 is the front view of the gas mixing box of the tea fermentation aeration and humidification device of the present invention when the front plate is removed; Figure 4 is the cross-sectional view of the gas mixing box of the tea fermentation aeration and humidification device of the present invention when the box body and the spacer block are removed; Figure 5 is the cross-sectional view of the wing of the tea fermentation aeration and humidification device of the present invention; Figure 6 is the front view of the steam generator of the tea fermentation aeration and humidification device of the present invention; Figure 7 is the cross-sectional view of the steam generator of the tea fermentation aeration and humidification device of the present invention.

[0019] In the figure: 1 - jet head, 11 - base pipe, 12 - horizontal pipe, 121 - screw pipe, 13 - vertical pipe, 2 - gas mixing box, 21 - box body, 22 - partition board, 221 - through hole, 23 - wing, 231 - elastic piece, 232 - protective sleeve, 24 - spacer block, 3 - steam generator, 31 - shell, 311 - water replenishing joint, 312 - drainage joint, 32 - heating mechanism, 33 - heat preservation layer, 34 - temperature monitoring probe, 35 - liquid level monitoring probe, 4 - induced draft fan, 5 - valve, 6 - flowmeter, 7 - humidity monitor, 8 - pipeline assembly, 81 - water inlet pipe, 82 - oxygen inlet pipe, 83 - air outlet pipe, 84 - exhaust pipe. Detailed Embodiment

[0020] Refer to Figures 1 to 6 , the tea fermentation aeration and humidification device of the present invention includes a jet head 1, a gas mixing box 2, a steam generator 3, an induced draft fan 4, a pipeline assembly 8 and a central controller. The pipeline assembly 8 has a water inlet pipe 81, an oxygen inlet pipe 82 and an air outlet pipe 83 respectively provided with a valve 5 and a flowmeter 6. The steam generator 3 and the induced draft fan 4 can respectively send water vapor and air into the gas mixing box 2 through the water inlet pipe 81 and the oxygen inlet pipe 82 for mixing. The vapor and / or air can flow from the gas mixing box 2 to the jet head 1 through the air outlet pipe 83 and be ejected. The central controller is electrically connected to the steam generator 3, the induced draft fan 4, the valve 5 and the flowmeter 6 respectively.

[0021] The jet head 1 includes a base pipe 11, a cross pipe 12, and a riser pipe 13. The base pipe 11 is arranged in the middle of one side of the cross pipe 12 and is connected to the air outlet pipe 83. A plurality of the riser pipes 13 are sequentially arranged along the length direction on the other side of the cross pipe 12. A plurality of air outlet holes are evenly distributed on each of the riser pipes 13. During operation, the jet head 1 is usually placed inside the bottom of the tea fermentation tank, and each of the riser pipes 13 is vertically arranged in the tank (the specific length can be adjusted as required). For the jet head 1, gas can first enter the cross pipe 12 along the base pipe 11 and be distributed horizontally, and then be ejected from the air outlet holes at different heights through each of the riser pipes 13, so as to keep the oxygen amount at different heights in the tank as the same as possible.

[0022] On the side of the cross pipe 12 facing away from the base pipe 11, there are screw pipes 121 corresponding to each of the riser pipes 13 one by one. Each of the riser pipes 13 is threadedly connected to the corresponding screw pipe 121. With such a design, the user can separately replace the specified riser pipe 13 as required.

[0023] The gas mixing box 2 includes a box body 21 and a partition plate 22. The box body 21 divides the box cavity into a plurality of mixing chambers through a plurality of partition plates 22 placed inside the box cavity. The water inlet pipe 81 and the oxygen inlet pipe 82 are both connected to the mixing chamber at the head end, and the air outlet pipe 83 is connected to the mixing chamber at the tail end. Each of the partition plates 22 is provided with a through hole 221 that can communicate the adjacent two mixing chambers, and the through holes 221 on the adjacent two partition plates 22 are not arranged opposite to each other.

[0024] On each of the partition plates 22, there are also wing pieces 23 that are arranged close to the through hole 221 and can elastically vibrate under the action of air flow.

[0025] Each of the wing pieces 23 is jointly composed of an elastic piece 231 and a protective sleeve 232 covering the elastic piece 231. One end of each of the wing pieces 23 is respectively pasted to the corresponding partition plate 22, and the other end is respectively bent and away from the corresponding partition plate 22. Among them, the elastic piece 231 can be an elastic metal piece, and the protective sleeve 232 can be a rubber sleeve or a silica gel sleeve. A grid pattern can also be added to the pasting surface of the protective sleeve 232 to store more glue and improve the bonding stability with the partition plate 22.

[0026] On the box body 21, there are also cushion blocks 24 on which each of the partition plates 22 can be erected. Each pair of the partition plates 22 and the cushion blocks 24 are respectively threadedly connected through fasteners. Among them, before and after use, one of the box plates can be removed from the box body 21 to expose the box cavity, so as to replace the specified partition plate 22 and wing piece 23.

[0027] The steam generator 3 includes a housing 31, a heating mechanism 32, a heat preservation layer 33, a temperature monitoring probe 34 and a liquid level monitoring probe 35. The heating mechanism 32 and the heat preservation layer 33 are respectively built in the housing wall of the housing 31. The temperature monitoring probe 34 and the liquid level monitoring probe 35 are respectively installed in the housing cavity of the housing 31. The water inlet pipe 81 is communicated with the housing cavity. Among them, the heating mechanism 32 can be a heating resistance wire wrapped around the periphery of the housing cavity, and the temperature monitoring probe 34 can be arranged at the bottom of the housing 31.

[0028] The housing 31 also has a water replenishing joint 311 and a drainage joint 312 for communicating the outside with the housing cavity. When the liquid level monitoring probe 35 monitors that the water storage in the housing cavity is insufficient (that is, the liquid level is lower than the preset level), water can be replenished into the housing cavity manually or automatically through the water replenishing joint 311. Among them, the water replenishing joint 311 can be connected to the tap water network through a hose equipped with a solenoid valve, so that when the solenoid valve is opened, water automatically replenishes into the housing cavity from the tap water network along the hose and the water replenishing joint 311 in sequence. In addition, the waste water in the housing cavity can also be discharged by opening the drainage joint 312, so as to facilitate the workers to clean the housing cavity when opening the housing covers at the top and bottom of the housing 31.

[0029] A humidity monitor 7 is also arranged on the air outlet pipe 83 between the mixing box 2 and the valve 5. The pipeline assembly 8 also includes an exhaust pipe 84. One end of the exhaust pipe 84 is connected to the atmosphere and the other end is connected to the air outlet pipe 83 and is located between the humidity monitor 7 and the valve 5. A valve 5 is also installed on the exhaust pipe 84. The central controller is electrically connected to the humidity monitor 7.

[0030] Working process of the present invention: First, the valves 5 on the water inlet pipe 81, the oxygen inlet pipe 82 and the exhaust pipe 84 are opened and the valve 5 on the air outlet pipe 83 is closed. The steam generator 3 continuously sends the generated water vapor into the mixing box 2 along the water inlet pipe 81, and the air blower 4 continuously pumps air from the outside into the mixing box 2 through the oxygen inlet pipe 82. The mixture of water vapor and oxygen after being mixed in the mixing box 2 will flow from the air outlet pipe 83 to the exhaust pipe 84 and be discharged, and the humidity of the mixture is monitored by the humidity monitor 7 during this process. When the humidity of the mixture meets the requirements, the valve 5 switches (that is, the valve 5 on the exhaust pipe 84 is closed and the valve 5 on the air outlet pipe 83 is opened), so that the mixture directly flows into the jet head 1 along the air outlet pipe 83 and is ejected. In addition, the valve 5 on the water inlet pipe 81 or the oxygen inlet pipe 82 can also be closed to make the jet head 1 spray air or water vapor into the tea fermentation tank alone according to the requirements.

[0031] Among them, the steam generator 3 heats the water in the shell cavity through the heating mechanism 32 and discharges the water vapor upward, while the temperature monitoring probe 34 and the liquid level monitoring probe 35 respectively monitor the liquid temperature and the liquid level in real time in the shell cavity.

[0032] Taking the example that the gas mixing box 2 is placed vertically and the respective mixing chambers are arranged in sequence from top to bottom, the steam generator 3 and the induced draft fan 4 can respectively send air and water vapor into the first-layer mixing chamber, and the air and water vapor will be gradually mixed during the process of passing through each layer of mixing chambers downward along the through holes 221 staggered in each layer; in addition, the gas will also push the corresponding fins 23 to elastically vibrate during the flow through each through hole 221, thereby accelerating the mixing.

[0033] The above embodiments are illustrative of the present invention, rather than limiting the present invention. Any solution obtained by simply transforming the present invention belongs to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Tea fermentation ventilation and humidification device, characterized in that: The invention comprises an air jet head (1), an air mixing box (2), a steam generator (3), an induced draft fan (4), a pipeline assembly (8) and a central controller. The pipeline assembly (8) comprises a water inlet pipe (81), an oxygen inlet pipe (82) and an air outlet pipe (83) which are respectively provided with a valve (5) and a flow meter (6). The steam generator (3) and the induced draft fan (4) can respectively send water vapor and air into the air mixing box (2) through the water inlet pipe (81) and the oxygen inlet pipe (82) for mixing. The steam and / or air can flow from the air mixing box (2) to the air jet head (1) through the air outlet pipe (83) and be ejected. The central controller is electrically connected to the steam generator (3), the induced draft fan (4), the valve (5) and the flow meter (6).

2. The tea fermentation ventilation and humidification device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The nozzle head (1) comprises a base pipe (11), a transverse pipe (12) and a vertical pipe (13), wherein the base pipe (11) is arranged in the middle of one side of the transverse pipe (12) and connected to the air outlet pipe (83), and a plurality of vertical pipes (13) are arranged in sequence along the length direction on the other side of the transverse pipe (12), and each vertical pipe (13) is evenly distributed with a plurality of air outlet holes.

3. The tea fermentation aeration and humidification device according to claim 2, wherein: A spiral tube (121) corresponding to each vertical tube (13) is provided on a side of the horizontal tube (12) facing away from the base tube (11), and each vertical tube (13) is threadedly connected to a corresponding spiral tube (121).

4. The tea fermentation ventilation and humidification device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas mixing box (2) comprises a box body (21) and a partition (22). The box body (21) is divided into a plurality of mixing chambers by a plurality of partitions (22) built into the box cavity. The water inlet pipe (81) and the oxygen inlet pipe (82) are both connected to the mixing chamber at the head end, and the gas outlet pipe (83) is connected to the mixing chamber at the tail end. Each of the partitions (22) is provided with a through hole (221) that can connect two adjacent mixing chambers. The through holes (221) on the two adjacent partitions (22) are not arranged directly opposite each other.

5. The tea fermentation ventilation and humidification device according to claim 4, characterized in that: Each of the partitions (22) is also provided with a wing (23) disposed near the through hole (221) and capable of elastically shaking under the action of airflow.

6. The tea fermentation ventilation and humidification device according to claim 5, characterized in that: Each of the wing pieces (23) is composed of a spring piece (231) and a protective cover (232) covering the spring piece (231). One end of each of the wing pieces (23) is adhered to the corresponding partition (22) and the other end is bent and away from the corresponding partition (22).

7. The tea fermentation aeration and humidification device according to claim 6, characterized in that: A pad (24) is provided on the box body (21) for mounting each partition (22) thereon. Each pair of partitions (22) and pads (24) are threadedly connected via fasteners.

8. The tea fermentation ventilation and humidification device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steam generator (3) comprises a shell (31), a heating mechanism (32), a thermal insulation layer (33), a temperature monitoring probe (34) and a liquid level monitoring probe (35); the heating mechanism (32) and the thermal insulation layer (33) are respectively built into the shell wall of the shell (31); the temperature monitoring probe (34) and the liquid level monitoring probe (35) are respectively installed in the shell cavity of the shell (31); and the water inlet pipe (81) is connected to the shell cavity.

9. The tea fermentation ventilation and humidification device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The housing (31) further has a water replenishing joint (311) and a drain joint (312) that communicate with the outside and the housing cavity.

10. The tea fermentation ventilation and humidification device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: A humidity monitor (7) is further arranged between the gas mixing box (2) and the valve (5) above the air outlet pipe (83). The pipeline assembly (8) further includes an exhaust pipe (84). One end of the exhaust pipe (84) is connected to the atmosphere, and the other end is connected to the air outlet pipe (83) and is located between the humidity monitor (7) and the valve (5). A valve (5) is also installed on the exhaust pipe (84). The central controller is electrically connected to the humidity monitor (7).

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