High-efficiency heat-insulating fermentation tank

Abstract

This application relates to the field of fermenters, specifically a high-efficiency insulated fermenter. The fermenter comprises a closed fermentation chamber formed by the fitting of tank walls. This closed fermentation chamber has an inlet and an outlet, and multiple temperature sensors are axially arranged within the fermentation chamber. The tank wall adopts a five-layer composite structure, comprising, from the inside out: a material contact layer, a heat storage and temperature control zone, a main insulation layer, a vacuum insulation layer, and an outer protective layer. The heat storage and temperature control zone employs a multi-chamber design and is equipped with an independent temperature control actuator. The vacuum insulation layer and the outer protective layer work synergistically to maximize the suppression of heat conduction. This fermenter, by optimizing the tank wall structure, improves the temperature control accuracy and insulation performance during the fermentation process, ensuring uniform and efficient fermentation of the material within the closed fermentation chamber. The tank wall is composed of a multi-layer composite structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of fermenters, and in particular to a high-efficiency heat-insulating fermenter. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of beer fermentation equipment technology, traditional stainless steel fermenters have long followed a separate structure of inner tank and insulation outer shell, with temperature control relying on an external heat exchange system. The commonly used ethylene glycol circulation scheme requires an independent piping network, resulting in significant energy dissipation due to the repeated pumping of hot and cold media. Indirect heat transfer during the circulation process also leads to a substantial reduction in effective cooling efficiency. While the electrothermal film bonding technology that has emerged in recent years shortens the heat transfer distance, it causes disordered temperature field distribution inside the tank, resulting in a persistent temperature difference between the center and the edge in large-volume fermenters. The fundamental contradiction of these methods lies in the physical separation between the temperature control unit and the equipment body, requiring energy conduction to traverse multiple heterogeneous material interfaces.

[0003] The existing structure contains three structural defects: redundant layers in the heat conduction path lead to irreversible energy loss, and each interface transition in the long heat transfer chain from the heat source to the fermentation broth weakens the final temperature control efficiency; the insulation structure is forced to compress its thickness to accommodate external temperature control components, and the embedded metal elements form through-thermal bridges, causing the overall insulation performance to continuously weaken; the discretely distributed heating units cannot quickly respond to the dynamic changes in fermentation heat production, and the lagging temperature regulation is seriously out of sync with process requirements. These defects stem from the fundamental disconnect between the thermal properties of the equipment and the brewing biological process.

[0004] Industry practice has revealed two major pain points: excessive energy compensation leads to an abnormally high proportion of electricity consumption in the fermentation stage, far exceeding international brewing energy efficiency benchmarks; and instability of the vertical temperature gradient within the tank causes abnormal yeast sedimentation behavior and a shift in the metabolite profile. Specifically, the temperature difference between the high-density yeast accumulation zone at the bottom and the top gas phase directly disrupts the fermentation kinetic balance, causing a surge in the generation of undesirable flavor precursors and increasing the risk of premature fermentation termination. Against this backdrop, there is an urgent need to develop a new type of fermentation equipment that integrates onboard temperature control capabilities, enabling simultaneous dynamic absorption and storage of heat energy and precise regional release, ensuring spatial consistency of the temperature field while completely eliminating the inherent drawbacks of cross-level heat transfer.

[0005] Such innovative structures must break through the physical limitations of traditional insulation concepts, embedding energy storage and distribution functions into the equipment itself, while responding to the spatial differences in heat demand during fermentation. An ideal solution should possess three key characteristics: establishing a highly integrated composite functional layer to replace the external temperature control system; constructing domain-independent thermal management units to match the characteristics of the process gradient; and forming a self-sustaining energy circulation mechanism to isolate environmental heat exchange. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this application is to overcome at least one deficiency in the existing technology and provide a high-efficiency heat-insulating fermenter. This fermenter improves the temperature control accuracy and heat insulation performance during the fermentation process by optimizing the tank wall structure, ensuring uniform and efficient fermentation of materials within the closed fermentation chamber. The tank wall is composed of a multi-layered composite structure.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this application discloses a high-efficiency heat-insulating fermentation tank, which is formed by the tank wall to form a closed fermentation chamber. The closed fermentation chamber has a feed inlet and a discharge outlet, and multiple sets of temperature sensing devices are arranged axially in the fermentation chamber.

[0008] The tank wall adopts a five-layer composite structure, which includes, from the inside out: material contact layer, heat storage and temperature control zone, main heat insulation layer, vacuum heat insulation layer and external protective layer. The heat storage and temperature control zone adopts a multi-chamber design and is equipped with an independent temperature control actuator. The vacuum heat insulation layer and the external protective layer work together to maximize the suppression of heat conduction.

[0009] The material contact layer is made of food-grade metal material, which directly forms the bearing interface of the fermentation chamber.

[0010] The thermal storage and temperature control zone is formed by concentrically aligning an elastic partition layer and a material contact layer. The elastic partition layer has radially extending connecting partitions arranged axially, which are fixedly connected to the material contact layer, thereby dividing the thermal storage and temperature control zone into an axially distributed upper thermal storage cavity, a middle thermal storage cavity, and a lower thermal storage cavity. Each thermal storage cavity independently encapsulates a phase change thermal storage medium, a zoned heating actuator, and a temperature sensing device. Each heating actuator starts and stops independently based on the temperature feedback signal of the corresponding thermal storage cavity.

[0011] The outer side of the elastic partition layer is covered with a main heat insulation layer made of inorganic fiber material;

[0012] A mechanical support structure is provided between the main insulation layer and the adjacent vacuum insulation layer, and a predetermined spacing is maintained by spatially distributed non-thermal-conducting connecting pillars.

[0013] The vacuum heat insulation layer is sealed by a bimetallic isolation layer to form a vacuum cavity, which is in a negative pressure environment to block the heat convection path;

[0014] The outermost metal alloy protective shell is covered with a vacuum heat-insulating layer, and the surface is treated with anti-corrosion and composite with a weather-resistant protective coating to ensure the impact resistance and environmental tolerance of the tank structure.

[0015] Furthermore, the phase change heat storage medium in each heat storage cavity of the energy storage temperature control layer is different.

[0016] Furthermore, the heating actuator is a spirally wound electric heating tube, which is powered and controlled by an external controller.

[0017] Furthermore, the main heat insulation layer and the vacuum heat insulation layer are kept apart by a number of circumferentially distributed rubber pillars.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, this application has at least one of the following beneficial technical effects:

[0019] 1. By integrating multi-chamber thermal storage and temperature control zones with independent temperature control mechanisms for each zone, the traditional cross-level heat transfer path is eliminated, significantly reducing energy dissipation.

[0020] 2. By utilizing axially partitioned heat storage chambers and real-time feedback for independent start-stop, local temperature can be precisely controlled to ensure spatial consistency of the temperature field inside the tank.

[0021] 3. Combining a vacuum heat-insulating layer with a multi-level heat insulation structure blocks the heat convection path and suppresses the thermal bridging effect, thereby improving the overall thermal insulation performance.

[0022] The beneficial effects listed above are not exhaustive of all advantages. Other potential beneficial effects and detailed technical implementation methods will be further disclosed in the embodiments or other descriptive sections of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0023] A better understanding of various aspects of this disclosure will be achieved by reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The positions, dimensions, and extents of the structures shown in the drawings, etc., do not always represent actual positions, dimensions, and extents. In the drawings:

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of one embodiment disclosed in this application.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a partial cross-sectional structure of the tank wall in one embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be presented in many different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below; in fact, the embodiments described below are intended to make the disclosure more complete and to fully illustrate the scope of protection of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide further additional embodiments.

[0027] It should be understood that the same reference numerals denote the same elements in all the accompanying drawings. For clarity, the dimensions of certain features may be modified in the drawings.

[0028] It should be understood that the terminology used in this specification is for describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit this disclosure. All terms used in this specification (including technical and scientific terms) have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art, unless otherwise defined. For the sake of brevity and / or clarity, techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail; however, where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and apparatus should be considered part of this specification.

[0029] Unless otherwise specified, the singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in this specification include the plural forms. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “containing” used in this specification indicate the presence of the claimed feature but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features. The term “and / or” used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the relevant listed items.

[0030] See attached document Figure 1 and 2 This embodiment provides an exemplary structure of a high-efficiency heat-insulating fermentation tank, which is a vertical cylindrical structure. The tank wall 1 has five functional layers concentrically nested from the inside to the outside, which together define a sealed fermentation chamber. A quick-opening feed inlet with a diameter of 500 mm is centrally located at the top of the chamber, and a pneumatic butterfly valve discharge port with a diameter of 400 mm is eccentrically located at the bottom to allow for complete emptying during cleaning.

[0031] As an example, the tank has a total height of 3.5 m, an inner diameter of 2.0 m, and a designed volume of 10 m³, which can meet the requirements of continuous fermentation for 72 hours. Three sets of Pt100 platinum resistance temperature sensors are evenly distributed circumferentially at three heights: 0.5 m, 1.75 m, and 3.0 m axially. Each set contains three sensors. The signals are connected to the PLC temperature control module via a 4-20 mA loop to achieve closed-loop monitoring of the material temperature within ±0.3 ℃.

[0032] The innermost material contact layer 101 of the tank wall 1 is made of 316L mirror stainless steel with a thickness of 3 mm. The inner surface is electropolished to Ra≤0.4 μm, which ensures food-grade hygiene requirements and reduces material adhesion. Anchoring nails are welded to the outer wall of this layer to form a mechanical engagement with the heat storage and temperature control zone 102, thereby efficiently transferring the heat of the heat storage medium to the material. The heat storage and temperature control zone 102 is surrounded by an elastic partition layer 103, which is made of alloy corrugated plate with a thickness of 2 mm. The radially extending connecting grid 107 is welded to the outside of the material contact layer, dividing the heat storage and temperature control zone 102 axially into three independent heat storage chambers: an upper energy storage chamber 1021, a middle energy storage chamber 1022, and a lower energy storage chamber 1023. Each independent heat storage chamber is 1 m high. The elastic modulus of the corrugated plate is adjusted with temperature changes. When the phase change medium in the independent heat storage chamber melts and expands in volume, the corrugated plate undergoes controllable deformation to absorb stress and avoid structural fatigue.

[0033] In this embodiment, the upper heat storage cavity 1021, the middle heat storage cavity 1022, and the lower heat storage cavity 1023 respectively encapsulate 20 kg of paraffin-expanded graphite composite phase change material with a melting point of 58 ℃, 25 kg of lauric acid-graphene composite phase change material with a melting point of 45 ℃, and 30 kg of decanoic acid-CNT composite phase change material with a melting point of 35 ℃. Each independent heat storage cavity is equipped with a spiral electric heating tube 1024 as a heating actuator with a rated power of 2 kW. The surface of the electric heating tube 1024 is coated with a black ceramic infrared radiation coating to improve thermal radiation efficiency.

[0034] More specifically, each electric heating element 1024 corresponds to an independent solid-state relay, which receives the PID output signal from the corresponding independent heat storage chamber temperature sensor to achieve zoned start-up and shutdown.

[0035] During operation, the phase change material absorbs heat during the melting stage and releases latent heat during cooling, ensuring that the temperature drop of the fermentation chamber does not exceed 1°C within 12 hours of shutdown at night, saving approximately 35% energy compared to traditional insulation methods.

[0036] The outer side of the thermal storage and temperature control zone 102 is wrapped with a 60 mm thick aluminum silicate fiber needled blanket to form the main insulation layer 104, with a density of 128 kg / m³ and a thermal conductivity of 0.035 W / (m·K). The fiber blanket is staggered and tied with 304 stainless steel strapping, with an overlap width of ≥50 mm to avoid thermal bridging.

[0037] The main insulation layer 104 and the vacuum insulation layer 105 are maintained at a distance of 55 mm by several circumferentially distributed rubber pillars. The rubber pillars can absorb the difference in thermal expansion and ensure the geometric stability of the vacuum layer.

[0038] In this embodiment, the vacuum heat insulation layer 105 is made of a 1.5 mm thick 304 stainless steel inner shell and a 2.0 mm thick aluminum alloy outer shell, which are evacuated to a micro-vacuum. The interlayer has two layers of aluminum foil fiberglass composite reflective screens to further reduce radiative heat transfer.

[0039] The outermost protective shell 106 is made of 2.5 mm thick 2205 duplex stainless steel, and the surface is sandblasted to Sa2.5 grade and then coated with an 80 μm fluorocarbon weather-resistant coating.

[0040] For the selection of sealing components, fastener specifications, electronic control component brands, vacuum acquisition methods, surface treatment methods, welding process parameters, cleaning process details, and specific programming steps of control logic that are not listed one by one in this embodiment, they are all well-known technologies that can be directly obtained by technicians in the field of fermentation containers and thermal insulation based on existing textbooks, industry standards or equipment manuals, and there is no need to elaborate further.

[0041] While exemplary embodiments of this disclosure have been described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Therefore, all changes and modifications are included within the scope of protection of this disclosure as defined by the claims. This disclosure is defined by the appended claims, and equivalents of those claims are also included.

Claims

1. A high performance insulated fermenter, characterised in that, The fermenter is formed by the tank wall to form a closed fermentation chamber. The closed fermentation chamber has a feed inlet and a discharge outlet, and multiple temperature sensing devices are arranged axially in the fermentation chamber. The tank wall adopts a five-layer composite structure, which includes, from the inside out: material contact layer, heat storage and temperature control zone, main heat insulation layer, vacuum heat insulation layer and external protective layer. The material contact layer is made of food-grade metal material, which directly forms the bearing interface of the fermentation chamber. The thermal storage and temperature control zone is formed by concentrically aligning an elastic partition layer and a material contact layer. The elastic partition layer has radially extending connecting partitions arranged axially, which are fixedly connected to the material contact layer, thereby dividing the thermal storage and temperature control zone into an axially distributed upper thermal storage cavity, a middle thermal storage cavity, and a lower thermal storage cavity. Each thermal storage cavity independently encapsulates a phase change thermal storage medium, a zoned heating actuator, and a temperature sensing device. Each heating actuator starts and stops independently based on the temperature feedback signal of the corresponding thermal storage cavity. The outer side of the elastic partition layer is covered with a main heat insulation layer made of inorganic fiber material; A mechanical support structure is provided between the main insulation layer and the adjacent vacuum insulation layer, and a predetermined spacing is maintained by spatially distributed non-thermal-conducting connecting pillars. The vacuum heat insulation layer is sealed by a bimetallic isolation layer to form a vacuum cavity, which is in a negative pressure environment to block the heat convection path; The outermost metal alloy protective shell is covered with a vacuum heat-insulating layer, and the surface is treated with anti-corrosion and composite with a weather-resistant protective coating.

2. The high performance insulated fermenter as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The heating actuator is a spirally wound electric heating tube, which is powered and controlled by an external controller.

3. The high performance insulated fermenter as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The main insulation layer and the vacuum insulation layer are kept apart by a number of circumferentially distributed rubber pillars.

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