Condensate directional reflux head structure and method for independently movable closed static fermentation vessel

Abstract

This invention discloses a directional reflux top cover structure and method for a movable, sealed static fermentation container, belonging to the technical field of food fermentation equipment. The top cover structure is installed on a movable, stackable, fully enclosed static fermentation container. The inner surface of the top cover has a guide slope that gradually decreases from the center to the edge, allowing condensate droplets to flow towards the container sidewall under gravity, avoiding localized dilution of the liquid, damage to the surface microbial film, and uneven flavor caused by concentrated condensate dripping. A collection trough is provided at the edge of the top cover, with a guide nozzle or guide strip pointing towards the inner wall of the container at the lowest point of the trough. The inner surface of the guide slope has a hydrophilic coating, forming a film-like guide. The top cover is a prefabricated, integrally molded component, not cast on-site, and is detachably sealed to the container body using food-grade seals. This invention achieves passive directional reflux of condensate entirely by gravity, with zero energy consumption, and is suitable for mechanized transfer and stacking.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of food fermentation equipment technology, specifically to a top cover structure for liquid or solid fermented foods such as soy sauce, sauces, and vinegar, and is particularly suitable for fully enclosed, sealed fermentation containers that require long-term static maturation and high uniformity of liquid concentration. Background Technology In the long-term static maturation process of fermented foods such as high-end soy sauce, the fermentation container is usually a completely sealed structure. Because the fermentation mash contains a large amount of water, the water will evaporate under solar radiation or changes in ambient temperature and condense into liquid water droplets on the cooler inner surface of the lid. If the inner surface of the lid is flat or concave, condensed water droplets will concentrate in the central area of ​​the lid and eventually drip back to the center of the mash surface. This concentrated dripping phenomenon will cause three serious consequences: First, it will continuously dilute the salinity and flavor concentration of the mash at the dripping point, leading to abnormal fermentation in that area and uneven flavor; second, it will destroy the naturally formed microbial film on the surface of the mash, affecting its function of flavor formation and oxygen isolation; third, the inner surface of the lid may have a small amount of substrate adhering to it due to splashing in the early stage of fermentation, and the concentrated dripping water droplets will wash the dried material back into the mash, introducing uncontrollable local contamination. In existing technologies, solutions to the condensation problem mainly include setting simple flow channels on the inner surface of the top cover or using an overall tilted top cover. However, the flow channel solution has low flow guiding efficiency, and the problem of disordered water droplets still exists. The overall tilted top cover solution can cause the center of gravity of large containers to shift, which is detrimental to stacking stability. In addition, existing solutions are mostly designed for fixed fermentation tanks or large fermentation vessels, and the top cover is a field-cast or fixed installation structure, which cannot be adapted to independent mobile fermentation containers that require mechanized transportation and stacking. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a top cover structure that is completely unpowered, can achieve directional and uniform reflux of condensate, has a prefabricated and detachable top cover that is not cast on-site, and is compatible with mechanized transfer-type closed fermentation containers. Summary of the Invention I. Technical problems to be solved The present invention aims to solve the problems in the prior art, such as the concentrated dripping of condensate from the top cover of a fully sealed static fermentation container leading to local dilution of the liquid and uneven flavor, as well as the low efficiency of existing diversion schemes and their inability to be adapted to movable containers. II. Technical Solution A condensate directional reflux top cover structure for a fully enclosed static fermentation vessel that can be moved and stacked independently includes: the inner surface of the top cover has at least one guide slope that protrudes into the container and gradually decreases from the central region to the edge region; the guide slope is used to allow the droplets condensed thereon to flow to the side wall of the container under the action of gravity; the top cover is an integrally molded prefabricated component that is not cast on-site and is detachably and sealed to the container body through a food-grade sealant. The flow-guiding slope has a conical, dome-shaped, arched, or ridge-shaped structure. A liquid collection groove is provided around the edge of the inner surface of the top cover, and a flow-guiding nozzle or strip pointing towards the inner wall of the container is located at the lowest point of the collection groove. The inner surface of the flow-guiding slope has a hydrophilic coating, forming a film-like flow guide. The flow-guiding slope and the light-transmitting structure can be integrally molded or can be a detachable, independent flow-guiding plate. The top cover is a fully covered, transparent, sealed cover with a total light transmittance ≥30%. III. Beneficial Effects Zero energy consumption: The passive directional reflux of condensate is achieved entirely by gravity, requiring no power input. Maintain uniformity: The condensate flows back evenly along the container wall to avoid localized dilution and uneven flavor caused by concentrated dripping in the center. Protect the microbial film: The reflux method is gentle and does not damage the naturally formed microbial film on the surface of the mash. Hygienic and easy to maintain: The top cover is a detachable off-site cast-in-place precast component, which is easy to clean and replace. The flow guide slope combined with the hydrophilic coating realizes film flow guidance and reduces dirt adhesion. Industrialization Adaptation: Adaptable to independently movable and stackable fermentation containers to meet the needs of mechanized transportation and large-scale production. Detailed Implementation The performance data involved in the following embodiments are expected results obtained from engineering calculations and theoretical analysis of the technical solution of the present invention, rather than measured data. However, based on the well-known principles of fluid mechanics in the art and existing experimental data of similar systems, those skilled in the art can reasonably expect that the technical effects within the range can be obtained after adopting the technical solution described in the present invention. Example 1 (Basic Example) The fermentation vessel is made of 500L food-grade 316 austenitic stainless steel conforming to GB 4806 series standards, and is equipped with a fully covered transparent sealed top cover. The top cover is made of food-grade tempered glass, which is a precast, integrally molded component that is not cast on-site, with a total light transmittance of 90%. The inner surface of the top cover has a tapered flow guide slope that gradually decreases from the center to the edge, with the central protrusion being 8% of the top cover diameter. A collection groove is provided around the edge of the inner surface of the top cover, and a flow guide strip pointing towards the inner wall of the container is located at the lowest point of the collection groove. The inner surface of the flow guide slope is coated with a food-grade hydrophilic coating, ensuring that the contact angle of condensed water droplets is less than 30°, forming a film-like flow guide. The top cover and container body are detachably sealed together via a food-grade silicone rubber sealing ring. The container bottom is integrally molded with a standard forklift lifting slot, and the outer wall has stacking positioning slots. The high-salt, diluted soy sauce mash, with a salinity of 18%, was bottled, sealed, and placed in an open-air fermentation area for 180 days. Under the influence of diurnal temperature variations, condensation formed on the inner surface of the lid. This condensation, aided by a hydrophilic coating, formed a uniform water film that slid along the conical slope towards the edge collection tank. From there, it flowed back to the edge of the mash in a film-like pattern along the inner wall of the container via guide strips. After fermentation, the expected difference in salinity between the central and edge areas of the mash surface was ≤1%, and the surface microbial film remained intact. The expected amino acid nitrogen content of the soy sauce was ≥0.88 g / 100 mL, and the flavor uniformity was significantly better than the control group using a flat-top lid. Example 2 (Alternative to the dome-shaped roof) The inner surface of the top cover features a domed flow-guiding slope, with a smooth arched protrusion in the central area that slopes down evenly outwards. The top cover is a precast, integrally molded component, not cast on-site. The remaining structure is the same as in Example 1. Based on the same gravity-guided flow principle, the expected condensate return effect is not significantly different from that in Example 1. Example 3 (Alternative to the ridge-shaped roof) The inner surface of the top cover features a ridge-shaped flow guide slope, formed by the intersection of two symmetrical inclined planes at the center line, which slopes down to both sides. This design is suitable for fermentation containers with rectangular or elliptical cross-sections. The top cover is a precast, integrally molded component, not cast on-site. The remaining structure is the same as in Example 1. Example 4 (Removable Independent Deflector Plate Solution) The flow guide slope is a detachable, independent flow guide plate mounted on the top cover seal. It is made of food-grade polycarbonate and is a prefabricated component that is not cast on-site. After installation, a gap is left between the flow guide plate and the light-transmitting structure of the top cover, without affecting light transmission. This solution can upgrade existing flat-cover containers. The remaining structure is the same as in Example 1. Example 5 (An alternative to superhydrophobic coatings) The inner surface of the guide slope is coated with a food-grade superhydrophobic coating, ensuring that the contact angle of condensed water droplets is greater than 150°, allowing the droplets to quickly roll off into the edge collection tank. The rest of the structure is the same as in Example 1. This design is suitable for fermentation scenarios that require rapid drainage of condensate and a shorter residence time of droplets on the top cover.

Claims

1. A condensate directional reflux top cover structure for a fully enclosed static fermentation vessel that is independently movable and stackable, characterized in that, include: The inner surface of the top cover has at least one flow guide slope that protrudes into the container and gradually decreases from the central region to the edge region. The guide slope is used to allow the droplets condensed on it to flow to the side wall of the container under the action of gravity; the top cover is an integrally molded prefabricated component that is not cast on site and is detachably and sealed to the container body through food-grade seals.

2. The top cover structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide slope is a conical, dome-shaped, arched, or roof-shaped structure.

3. The top cover structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, A liquid collection groove is provided at the edge of the inner surface of the top cover. The lowest point of the liquid collection groove is provided with a guide nozzle or guide strip pointing to the inner wall of the container, which is used to accurately guide the collected condensate to the side wall of the container.

4. The top cover structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner surface of the guide slope has a hydrophilic coating to reduce the contact angle of water droplets, so that the condensate forms a film-like guide and avoids the formation of concentrated dripping water droplets.

5. The top cover structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner surface of the guide slope has a superhydrophobic coating, which allows water droplets to quickly roll off into the edge collection tank.

6. The top cover structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flow guide slope is integrally formed with the light-transmitting structure of the top cover, and the light-transmitting structure is made of food-grade tempered glass, polycarbonate, polymethyl methacrylate or glass fiber reinforced plastic.

7. The top cover structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flow guide slope is an independent flow guide plate that can be detachably installed on the top cover seal, used to modify existing flat-cover containers.

8. The top cover structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top cover is a fully transparent and sealed cover, and the guide slope also serves as part of the light-transmitting structure, with a total light transmittance of ≥30%.

9. The top cover structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fermentation container has an integrally formed bottom standard forklift lifting slot and an outer wall with a stacking positioning slot to achieve mechanized transfer and multi-layer stacking.

10. A static fermentation method for high-salt, thin-state soy sauce, using the top cover structure as described in any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, include: The fermented sauce is filled into a sealed fermentation container with the aforementioned top cover structure and then sealed. Throughout the fermentation cycle, the liquid condensed on the inner surface of the top cover is evenly returned to the edge of the mash by the guide slope, avoiding local dilution of the central area of ​​the mash surface; there is no stirring, no turning of the mash, and no electrically driven ventilation or heating device during the entire fermentation process.