Continuous distillation equipment for directly utilizing after-run steam

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the technical field of white spirit distillation. According to the continuous distillation equipment capable of directly utilizing the after-run steam disclosed by the utility model, the after-run steam is directly recovered and is recycled after being pressurized and heated, so that dual energy loss in a traditional condensation-re-distillation process is avoided, after-run cooling water does not need to be preset, meanwhile, the heat energy consumption is reduced by 40%, and the production cost is greatly reduced. Ethyl acetate and other heat-sensitive components in the after-run do not need to be subjected to a re-steaming link, flavor loss is reduced, the recovery rate of ethyl acetate in the after-run is increased to 98% from 80%, the content of ethyl hexanoate in high-quality liquor is increased by 15%, and the aroma coordination and quality stability of the liquor are effectively guaranteed. And after-run steam compression and cyclic utilization functions are integrated, a traditional liquid storage tank, a pumping system and re-steaming equipment are omitted, and the equipment investment and maintenance cost are reduced. The condensation liquid of the after-run part and the uncondensed wine steam are uniformly converted into saturated wine steam for recycling through the compression equipment, closed-loop recycling of after-run components is achieved, waste is avoided, and the utilization rate of raw materials is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of baijiu distillation technology, specifically relating to a continuous distillation device that directly utilizes the steam from the tail end of the liquor. Background Technology

[0002] In traditional solid-state continuous distillation of baijiu, the tails typically require condensation followed by redistillation or batch reuse. However, this method has significant drawbacks. First, energy consumption is a major issue: the condensation process of the tails consumes a large amount of cooling water (approximately 3 tons per ton of baijiu), while the redistillation process requires additional heat energy, leading to an overall increase in energy consumption of 25%-30% and persistently high production costs. Second, key flavor compounds in the tails (such as ethyl acetate) are easily lost due to heat sensitivity during the condensation-redistillation process, with their content decreasing by 15%-20%, directly affecting the aroma harmony and quality stability of the baijiu. Furthermore, existing technologies require independent storage tanks, pumping systems, and redistillation equipment, which not only increases equipment investment and maintenance costs but also complicates the process flow and increases the floor space required, hindering further improvements in production efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the problems of high energy consumption and impact on the output of the tail liquor in the existing continuous distillation process of baijiu. It provides a continuous distillation device that directly utilizes the tail liquor vapor by cooling and recovering the tail liquor vapor, then heating and pressurizing it into saturated vapor for recycling in the distillation of the mash.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0005] A continuous distillation apparatus for direct utilization of tail steam includes a mash conveying mechanism, a steam conveying module, a vapor collector, a cooler, and a compression device. The mash conveying mechanism is equipped with a conveyor belt for transporting the mash in one direction, and the conveyor belt has vents. The steam conveying module delivers steam or recovered tail steam to the vents and flows through the mash to form vapor. The vapor collector is located above the mash conveying mechanism and, along the conveying direction, includes a head vapor collector, a high-quality liquor vapor collector, and a tail vapor collector. The mash conveying mechanism is equipped with... It has a feeding area, a head area corresponding to the head vapor collector, a premium wine area corresponding to the premium wine vapor collector, and a tail area corresponding to the tail vapor collector. The cooler has a cooling chamber located on the inside and connected to the tail vapor collector. The bottom of the cooling chamber forms a wine collection tank for collecting tail condensate. The outlet at the bottom of the wine collection tank is connected to a pump body. The compression equipment is connected to the steam conveying module, the cooling chamber, and the pump body. It is used to pressurize and heat the tail vapor cooled in the cooling chamber and the tail condensate in the wine collection tank, and then transport them to the mash conveying mechanism via the steam conveying module.

[0006] Compared with existing technologies, this invention's continuous distillation equipment for direct utilization of tail vapor directly recovers and recycles the tail vapor after pressurization and heating, avoiding the double energy loss in the traditional condensation-re-distillation process. It eliminates the need for pre-placed tail vapor cooling water and reduces heat consumption by 40%, significantly lowering production costs. Heat-sensitive components such as ethyl acetate in the tail vapor do not need to undergo re-distillation, reducing flavor loss. The ethyl acetate recovery rate in the tail vapor increases from 80% to 98%, and the ethyl hexanoate content in high-quality liquor increases by 15%, effectively ensuring the aroma harmony and quality stability of the liquor. The integrated tail vapor compression and recycling function eliminates the need for traditional storage tanks, pumping systems, and re-distillation equipment, reducing equipment investment and maintenance costs, minimizing floor space, and improving production efficiency. The compression equipment converts part of the condensate and uncondensed tail vapor into saturated liquor vapor for reuse, achieving closed-loop recovery of tail components, avoiding waste and improving raw material utilization. In addition, the coordinated design of the fermentation mash conveying mechanism with the modular steam collection hood and cooler automates the process of collecting and processing fermentation vapor in different zones, simplifies operation, and improves production continuity.

[0007] Furthermore, the steam conveying module includes a steam chamber located at the bottom of the conveyor belt. The steam chamber is connected to the vent hole. The steam chamber includes a steam inlet area corresponding to the feeding area, a steam inlet area corresponding to the heads area, a steam inlet area corresponding to the premium wine area, and a steam inlet area corresponding to the tails area. The compression device is connected to the feeding steam inlet area through a first distribution valve, to the heads steam inlet area through a second distribution valve, and to the premium wine area through a third distribution valve. With this configuration, by designing the steam conveying module in sections and coordinating the compression device with the distribution valves, precise and directional delivery of tails recovery steam can be achieved. This allows the pressurized and heated tails steam to be supplied to different distillation stages according to process requirements, such as feeding preheating, heads aroma enhancement, or premium wine distillation. It also allows for independent control of steam flow and temperature in each section to optimize distillation efficiency, while avoiding cross-contamination of steam from different quality wines, further improving the recovery and utilization rate of flavor substances and product consistency.

[0008] Furthermore, the cooler is a finned tube, with several fins along its length on the upper outer periphery. The cooling chamber and the wine collection tank are formed within the lower inner cavity of the tube. The diameter of the finned tube is 150-250mm, and the fin thickness is 1-1.5mm. The spacing between the fins is 8-12mm, the fin extension length is 50-100mm, and the lower tube length is 350-400mm. This configuration, by optimizing the structural parameters of the finned tube, significantly improves the condensation efficiency of the wine vapor. The fin design increases the heat exchange area, enabling rapid and uniform cooling of the wine vapor. Simultaneously, the 350-400mm lower tube length ensures sufficient collection of condensate. The compact structure achieves efficient heat exchange within a limited space, avoiding the energy waste of traditional condensers and ensuring the stability of flavor substances during the condensation process, thus balancing the dual needs of energy saving and quality control.

[0009] Furthermore, the compression device is a Roots compressor, centrifugal compressor, screw compressor, or steam ejector. The pump body and cooling chamber are connected to the air inlet of the compression device, and the air outlet of the compression device is connected to the steam delivery module. With this configuration, by using a Roots compressor, centrifugal compressor, screw compressor, or steam ejector as the compression device, and by rationally designing its connection structure with the pump body, cooling chamber, and steam delivery module, the compression method can be flexibly selected according to different production needs, achieving efficient recovery and pressurization of the distillation tail vapor and condensate. The diverse configuration of the compression device ensures the stability and reliability of the vapor pressurization process, adapts to different production scales, and achieves energy recycling through direct connection to the steam delivery module, significantly reducing system energy consumption and improving overall distillation efficiency.

[0010] Furthermore, the compression device is a centrifugal compressor, a screw compressor, or a steam ejector. The cooling chamber is connected to the air inlet of the compression device, and the pump body and the steam delivery module are respectively connected to the air outlet of the compression device. With this configuration, the pump body is selectively connected to the air outlet of the compression device according to the type of compression device, thus preventing liquid wine from entering the compression device and causing damage.

[0011] Furthermore, the head collection hood is equipped with a head liquid cooling collector, and the premium liquor collection hood is equipped with a premium liquor liquid cooling collector. This arrangement, by configuring independent cooling collectors in the head and premium liquor collection hoods respectively, achieves segmented and precise condensation and collection of the head, premium liquor, and tail, effectively avoiding mixed contamination of different quality fractions. This design not only fully preserves the low-boiling-point aromatic substances in the head and the main flavor components of the premium liquor, but also allows for targeted cooling control based on the characteristics of each fraction, thereby significantly improving the aroma complexity and quality stability of the baijiu, while providing higher-purity base liquor raw materials for subsequent blending processes.

[0012] Furthermore, the steam conveying module is equipped with a steam supply module in the feeding steam inlet area, the head steam inlet area, the premium wine steam inlet area, and the tail steam inlet area. With this configuration, the continuous distillation equipment that directly utilizes tail steam has a steam supply function in the initial working state, so that the tail steam generated later can be recycled and reused.

[0013] Furthermore, each steam inlet zone is independently separated by baffles. This arrangement, by separating each steam inlet zone with independent baffles, enables precise zonal control of steam delivery, effectively preventing steam from interfering with or flowing between different distillation stages, thus ensuring the purity and flavor consistency of each distillate. At the same time, the independent baffle structure optimizes the uniformity of steam distribution, improves distillation efficiency, avoids heat waste, further reduces energy consumption, and makes the entire continuous distillation process more stable and controllable.

[0014] Furthermore, the compression device is used to pressurize the cooled tail vapor and the condensate from the tail collection tank in the cooling chamber to 0.01-0.02 MPa and heat them to 100-105°C, and then transport them to the mash conveying mechanism via a steam conveying module. By precisely controlling the tail vapor and condensate within the pressure and temperature range of 0.01-0.02 MPa and 100-105°C, it ensures that the tail components can effectively penetrate the mash layer and participate in secondary distillation, while avoiding the destruction of flavor substances due to excessive pressure and temperature. It also optimizes the thermodynamic characteristics of the tail recovery steam, enabling it to fully extract the effective components in the mash while maintaining the stability of key flavor substances such as ethyl acetate. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a continuous distillation apparatus that directly utilizes the vapor from the tail end of a distillation process.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cooler.

[0017] Labeling Explanation: 1. Fermentation mash conveying mechanism; 2. Cooler; 3. Compression equipment; 4. Steam conveying module; 15. Conveyor belt; 51. Head steam collector; 52. High-quality liquor steam collector; 53. Tail steam collector; 11. Feeding area; 12. Head area; 13. High-quality liquor area; 14. Tail area; 6. Pump body; 41. Feeding steam inlet area; 42. Head steam inlet area; 43. High-quality liquor steam inlet area; 44. Tail steam inlet area; 411. First distribution valve; 412. Second distribution valve; 413. Third distribution valve; 21. Fin; 71. Head liquid cooling collector; 72. High-quality liquor cooling collector; 18. Baffle plate; 8. Fermentation mash; 23. Lower pipe. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The specific embodiments of this utility model are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model.

[0019] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 This utility model discloses a continuous distillation apparatus for direct utilization of tail steam, comprising a mash conveying mechanism 1, a steam conveying module 4, a vapor collector, a cooler 2, and a compression device 3. The mash conveying mechanism 1 is equipped with a conveyor belt 15 for conveying mash 8 along one side, and the conveyor belt 15 has vent holes (not shown). The steam conveying module 4 delivers steam or recovered tail steam to the vent holes and flows through the mash 8 to form vapor. The vapor collector is located above the mash conveying mechanism 1, and along the conveying direction of the mash conveying mechanism 1, the vapor collector sequentially includes a head vapor collector 51, a high-quality liquor vapor collector 52, and a tail vapor collector 53. The mash conveying mechanism 1 is sequentially equipped with... The feeding area 11, the head area 12 corresponding to the head vapor collector 51, the high-quality wine area 13 corresponding to the high-quality wine vapor collector 52, and the tail area 14 corresponding to the tail vapor collector 53 are all included. The cooler 2 is equipped with a cooling chamber (not shown) located on the inner side and connected to the tail vapor collector 53. A wine collection tank (not shown) is formed at the bottom of the cooling chamber to collect the condensate of the tail liquid. The outlet at the bottom of the wine collection tank is connected to a pump body 6. The compression device 3 is connected to the steam conveying module 4, the cooling chamber and the pump body 6 respectively. It is used to pressurize and heat the tail vapor cooled in the cooling chamber and the tail condensate in the wine collection tank and then transport them to the mash 8 on the mash conveying mechanism 1 through the steam conveying module 4.

[0020] Compared with existing technologies, this invention's continuous distillation equipment for direct utilization of tail vapor directly recovers and recycles the tail vapor after pressurization and heating, avoiding the double energy loss in the traditional condensation-re-distillation process. It eliminates the need for pre-placed tail cooling water and reduces heat consumption by 40%, significantly lowering production costs. Heat-sensitive components such as ethyl acetate in the tail do not need to undergo re-distillation, reducing flavor loss. The ethyl acetate recovery rate in the tail increases from 80% to 98%, and the ethyl hexanoate content in high-quality liquor increases by 15%, effectively ensuring the aroma harmony and quality stability of the liquor. The integrated tail vapor compression and recycling function eliminates the need for traditional storage tanks, pumping systems, and re-distillation equipment, reducing equipment investment and maintenance costs, minimizing floor space, and improving production efficiency. The compression device 3 converts part of the condensate and uncondensed tail vapor into saturated liquor vapor for reuse, achieving closed-loop recovery of tail components, avoiding waste and improving raw material utilization. In addition, the coordinated design of the fermentation mash conveying mechanism 1 with the modular steam collection hood and cooler 2 automates the process of collecting and processing fermentation vapor in different zones, simplifies operation, and improves production continuity.

[0021] See Figure 1 In one embodiment, the steam conveying module 4 includes a steam chamber located at the bottom of the conveyor belt 15, the steam chamber being connected to the vent hole. The steam chamber includes a feeding steam inlet zone 41 corresponding to the feeding zone 11, a head steam inlet zone 42 corresponding to the head zone 12, a high-quality wine steam inlet zone 43 corresponding to the premium wine zone 13, and a tail steam inlet zone 44 corresponding to the tail zone 14. The compression device 3 is connected to the feeding steam inlet zone 41 via a first distribution valve 411, to the head steam inlet zone 42 via a second distribution valve 412, and to a third distribution valve 413. Valve 413 is connected to the premium wine zone 13. With this configuration, the steam delivery module 4 is designed in sections and coordinated with the compression device 3 and the distribution valve for linkage control, so as to achieve precise and directional delivery of the tail steam. The tail steam after pressurization and heating can be supplied to different distillation stages according to process requirements, such as feeding preheating, head aroma enhancement or premium wine distillation. The steam flow and temperature can be independently controlled by the sections to optimize distillation efficiency, while avoiding cross-contamination of different quality wine vapors, and further improving the recovery and utilization rate of flavor substances and product consistency.

[0022] See Figure 2In one embodiment, the cooler 2 is a finned tube, with a plurality of fins 21 arranged along the length of the upper outer periphery of the finned tube. The cooling chamber and the wine collection tank are formed in the inner cavity of the lower tube 23. The diameter of the finned tube is 150-250 mm, and the thickness of the fins 21 is 1-1.5 mm. The spacing between each fin 21 is 8-12 mm. The extension length of the fins 21 is 50-100 mm. The length of the lower tube 23 of the finned tube is 350-400 mm. By optimizing the structural parameters of the finned tube, the condensation efficiency of the wine vapor is significantly improved. The fin design increases the heat exchange area, enabling rapid and uniform cooling of the wine vapor. At the same time, the 350-400 mm length of the lower tube 23 ensures sufficient collection of condensate. The compact structure achieves efficient heat exchange in a limited space, avoiding the energy waste of traditional condensers and ensuring the stability of flavor substances during the condensation process, thus meeting the dual requirements of energy saving and quality control.

[0023] See Figure 1 In one embodiment, the compression device 3 is a Roots compressor, centrifugal compressor, screw compressor, or steam ejector. The pump body 6 and the cooling chamber are respectively connected to the air inlet of the compression device 3, and the air outlet of the compression device 3 is connected to the steam delivery module 4. With this configuration, by using a Roots compressor, centrifugal compressor, screw compressor, or steam ejector as the compression device 3, and by rationally designing its connection structure with the pump body 6, cooling chamber, and steam delivery module 4, the compression method can be flexibly selected according to different production needs, achieving efficient recovery and pressurization of the tail vapor and condensate. The diverse configuration of the compression device 3 not only ensures the stability and reliability of the vapor pressurization process, but also adapts to different production scales. At the same time, by directly connecting to the steam delivery module 4, energy recycling is achieved, significantly reducing system energy consumption and improving overall distillation efficiency.

[0024] See Figure 1 In one embodiment, the compression device 3 is a centrifugal compressor, a screw compressor, or a steam ejector. The cooling chamber is connected to the air inlet of the compression device 3, and the pump body 6 and the steam delivery module 4 are respectively connected to the air outlet of the compression device 3. With this configuration, the pump body 6 is selectively connected to the air outlet of the compression device 3 according to the type of the compression device 3, so as to avoid liquid wine entering the compression device 3 and causing damage to the compression device 3.

[0025] See Figure 1In one embodiment, the head vapor collector 51 is equipped with a head liquid cooling collector 71, and the premium liquor vapor collector 52 is equipped with a premium liquor liquid cooling collector 72. This arrangement, by configuring independent cooling collectors in the head vapor collector 51 and the premium liquor vapor collector 52, achieves segmented and precise condensation and collection of the head, premium liquor, and tail, effectively avoiding mixed contamination of different quality fractions. This design not only fully preserves the low-boiling-point aromatic substances in the head and the main flavor components of the premium liquor, but also allows for targeted cooling control based on the differences in the characteristics of each fraction, thereby significantly improving the aroma complexity and quality stability of the baijiu, while providing higher purity base liquor raw materials for subsequent blending processes.

[0026] See Figure 1 In one embodiment, the steam conveying module 4 is equipped with a steam supply module (not shown) in the feeding steam inlet area 41, the head steam inlet area 42, the premium wine steam inlet area 43, and the tail steam inlet area 44. With this configuration, the continuous distillation equipment that directly utilizes tail steam has a steam supply in the initial working state and during the distillation process, so that the tail steam generated later can be recycled and reused.

[0027] See Figure 1 In one embodiment, each steam inlet zone is independently separated by a partition 18. This arrangement, by separating each steam inlet zone with independent partitions 18, achieves precise zone control of steam delivery, effectively preventing steam from interfering with or flowing between different distillation stages, thereby ensuring the purity and flavor consistency of each distillate. At the same time, the independent partition 18 structure optimizes the uniformity of steam distribution, improves distillation efficiency, avoids heat waste, further reduces energy consumption, and makes the entire continuous distillation process more stable and controllable.

[0028] See Figure 1 In one embodiment, the compression device 3 is used to pressurize the tail liquor vapor and the condensate from the tail liquor collection tank in the cooling chamber to 0.01-0.02 MPa and heat them to 100-105°C, and then transport them to the mash 8 on the mash conveying mechanism 1 via the steam conveying module 4. By setting it up in this way, the tail liquor vapor and condensate are precisely controlled within the pressure and temperature range of 0.01-0.02 MPa and 100-105°C, which ensures that the tail liquor components can effectively penetrate the mash 8 layer to participate in the secondary distillation, while avoiding the destruction of flavor substances due to excessive pressure and temperature. The thermodynamic characteristics of the tail liquor recovery steam are well optimized, so that it can fully extract the effective components in the mash 8 and maintain the stability of key flavor substances such as ethyl acetate.

[0029] Based on the disclosure and teachings of the above specification, those skilled in the art can make changes and modifications to the above embodiments. Therefore, this utility model is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and described above, and some modifications and changes to this utility model should also fall within the protection scope of the claims of this utility model. Furthermore, although some specific terms are used in this specification, these terms are only for convenience of explanation and do not constitute any limitation on this utility model.

Claims

1. A continuous distillation apparatus for direct utilization of tail steam, characterized in that, include: The mash conveying mechanism is equipped with a conveyor belt for conveying the mash in one direction, and the conveyor belt is equipped with ventilation holes; The steam delivery module delivers steam or recovered tail steam to the vent and flows through the mash to form alcohol vapor; The vapor collector is located above the mash conveying mechanism. The vapor collector includes, in sequence along the conveying direction of the mash conveying mechanism, a head vapor collector, a high-quality mash vapor collector, and a tail vapor collector. The mash conveying mechanism is provided in sequence along the conveying direction with a feeding area, a head area corresponding to the head vapor collector, a high-quality mash area corresponding to the high-quality mash vapor collector, and a tail area corresponding to the tail vapor collector. The cooler is equipped with a cooling chamber located on the inside and connected to the vapor collection hood of the wine tail. A wine collection tank is formed at the bottom of the cooling chamber to collect the condensate of the wine tail. A pump body is connected to the liquid outlet at the bottom of the wine collection tank. The compression device is connected to the steam conveying module, the cooling chamber, and the pump body, respectively. It is used to pressurize and heat the fermented vapor and condensate in the fermented liquid collection tank in the cooling chamber, and then transport them to the fermented mash conveying mechanism via the steam conveying module.

2. The continuous distillation equipment for direct utilization of tail steam according to claim 1, characterized in that, The steam conveying module includes a steam chamber located at the bottom of the conveyor belt. The steam chamber is connected to the vent hole. The steam chamber includes a steam inlet area corresponding to the feeding area, a steam inlet area corresponding to the head of the liquor, a steam inlet area corresponding to the premium liquor, and a steam inlet area corresponding to the tail of the liquor. The compression equipment is connected to the feeding steam inlet area through the first distribution valve, the second distribution valve to the distillation head steam inlet area, and the third distribution valve to the premium distillation area.

3. The continuous distillation equipment for direct utilization of tail steam according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cooler is a finned tube, with several fins arranged along the length of the upper outer periphery. The cooling chamber and the wine collection tank are formed in the inner cavity of the lower tube. The diameter of the finned tube is 150-250mm, the thickness of the fins is 1-1.5mm, the spacing between the fins is 8-12mm, the fin extension length is 50-100mm, and the length of the lower tube of the finned tube is 350-400mm.

4. The continuous distillation apparatus for direct utilization of tail steam according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The compression device is a Roots compressor, centrifugal compressor, screw compressor, or steam ejector. The pump body and cooling chamber are respectively connected to the air inlet of the compression device, and the air outlet of the compression device is connected to the steam delivery module.

5. The continuous distillation apparatus for direct utilization of tail vapor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The compression device is a centrifugal compressor, a screw compressor, or a steam ejector. The cooling chamber is connected to the air inlet of the compression device, and the pump body and the steam delivery module are respectively connected to the air outlet of the compression device.

6. The continuous distillation apparatus for direct utilization of tail steam according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The head vapor collection hood is equipped with a head liquid cooling collector, and the high-quality wine vapor collection hood is equipped with a high-quality wine liquid cooling collector.

7. The continuous distillation equipment for direct utilization of tail steam according to claim 2, characterized in that, The steam conveying module is equipped with a steam supply module in the feeding steam inlet area, the head steam inlet area, the premium wine steam inlet area, and the tail steam inlet area.

8. The continuous distillation equipment for direct utilization of tail steam according to claim 2, characterized in that, Each steam intake area is independently separated by partitions on its outer perimeter.

9. The continuous distillation equipment for direct utilization of tail steam according to claim 1, characterized in that, The compression device is used to pressurize the cooled tail liquor vapor in the cooling chamber and the tail liquor condensate in the liquor collection tank to 0.01-0.02 MPa and heat it to 100-105°C, and then transport it to the mash conveying mechanism via the steam conveying module.

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