A fermentation device

Abstract

The present application relates to fermentation equipment technical field, especially relates to a kind of fermentation device.The fermentation device, including fermentation tank and batching tank, the fermentation tank and batching tank all include tank body;The tank body of fermentation tank and / or batching tank is equipped with weighing sensor below;The fermentation device further includes respectively with the tank body of fermentation tank and batching tank and is connected with the conveying channel that material in fermentation tank is extracted into batching tank;The conveying channel is equipped with switch device.Fermentation tank and batching tank split design, extension and batching adopt two tank bodies, reduce the pollution of miscellaneous bacteria.Through the combination of conveying channel, switch device and weighing sensor, the production process can be accurately controlled, the purpose of rapid production is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of fermentation equipment technology, and in particular to a fermentation apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] With economic development and social progress, energy conservation has become an inevitable trend and a social consensus. Fully fermenting and expanding yeast culture can increase the number of yeast cells and the yeast content in the final fermentation product, thus saving on yeast usage.

[0003] Traditional fermentation media are composed of single-strain organisms, limiting their application. To broaden their applications, it's necessary to ensure thorough fermentation and propagation. Consequently, various composite propagation structures have emerged on the market. These structures produce fermentation end products enriched with proteins, amino acids, and yeast, resulting in a more diverse range of fermentation products. This type of fermentation end product has a wider range of applications, more readily demonstrates its value, and reduces costs.

[0004] However, since fermentation and ingredient preparation are done in a single tank, the coupling of fermentation and ingredient preparation functions can easily lead to contamination by other microorganisms, causing inconvenience to users.

[0005] At the same time, because a single tank is used, a new batch of expansion materials needs to be prepared after each expansion batch is completed, which is very time-consuming.

[0006] The patent application number 201210158440.0, entitled "A Method for Producing Xylose and L-Arabinose from Xylose Mother Liquor," discloses a fermentation tank and a mixing tank, but it does not employ a transfer channel, requiring the liquid to be transferred manually, which causes inconvenience to production. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the aforementioned problems, the present invention provides a fermentation apparatus that can accelerate production.

[0008] To achieve the objectives of this invention, the following technical solution is adopted:

[0009] A fermentation apparatus includes a fermentation tank and a mixing tank, both of which include a tank body; a weighing sensor is provided under the tank body of the fermentation tank and / or the mixing tank; the fermentation apparatus further includes a conveying channel that is connected to the tank bodies of the fermentation tank and the mixing tank respectively and draws the material in the fermentation tank into the mixing tank; the conveying channel is provided with a switching device.

[0010] As a further improvement, the conveying channel includes a first conveying pipe, a liquid pump, and a second conveying pipe connected in sequence; one end of the first conveying pipe is connected to the fermenter and the other end is connected to the liquid pump, and one end of the second conveying pipe is connected to the liquid pump and the other end is connected to the ingredient tank; the switching device can control the conveying channel to deliver liquid and stop the delivery of liquid.

[0011] As a further improvement, when a portion of the material in the fermenter is transferred to the mixing tank, the switch is closed to stop the infusion; after the new material to be expanded is added to the fermenter and the expansion is completed, the switch is opened to transfer the material in the fermenter to the mixing tank.

[0012] As a further improvement, the portion is half; the portion of material includes yeast in the late logarithmic growth phase; the new material to be expanded includes yeast to be expanded.

[0013] As a further improvement, the tank includes a shell, a feeding port and a batching port located on the shell, a stirring device passing through the shell, and a support device located outside the shell for supporting the tank; one end of the conveying channel passes through the feeding port of the fermentation tank and extends into the tank body of the fermentation tank, and the other end passes through the feeding port of the batching tank and extends into the tank body of the batching tank.

[0014] As a further improvement, the second conveying pipe is provided with a feed valve for opening and closing the second conveying pipe; the stirring device includes a stirring motor, a gearbox, a transmission device, and stirring blades connected in sequence.

[0015] As a further improvement, the fermenter also includes a first discharge pipe equipped with a first valve, and the batching tank also includes a second discharge pipe equipped with a second valve. The first discharge pipe and the second discharge pipe are connected by a tee pipe.

[0016] As a further improvement, the maximum capacity of the tank is 4-6 tons.

[0017] As a further improvement, the stirring blade includes a stirring shaft connected to the transmission device and stirring blades connected to the stirring shaft. The stirring blades include a left stirring blade and a right stirring blade respectively disposed on both sides of the stirring shaft. The left stirring blade and the right stirring blade are alternately arranged along the axial direction of the stirring shaft.

[0018] As a further improvement, the left stirring blade includes a first narrow section connected to the stirring shaft and a second wide section connected to the first narrow section, wherein the length L1 of the first narrow section and the length L2 of the second wide section are in the ratio of 2-3:1; the right stirring blade includes a third narrow section connected to the stirring shaft and a fourth wide section connected to the third narrow section, wherein the width of the fourth wide section and the second wide section are both wider than the width of the third narrow section and the first narrow section, and the length L1 of the first narrow section, the length L3 of the third narrow section and the length L4 of the fourth wide section are in the ratio of (4-5):(2-3):1.

[0019] The advantages of this utility model over the prior art are as follows:

[0020] 1) This utility model adopts a separate design of fermentation tank and ingredient tank, with two tanks for expansion and ingredient preparation, which reduces the contamination of miscellaneous bacteria.

[0021] 2) This utility model features a conveying channel; the conveying channel is equipped with a switch device, which can control the infusion and cessation of liquid infusion, thereby enabling simple and quick transfer of materials from the fermenter to the mixing tank. Compared to manual transfer, this greatly saves working time.

[0022] 3) This utility model is equipped with a weighing sensor, which can promptly detect the weight of the cultured substance delivered to the mixing tank, thereby determining whether to administer the solution and accurately controlling the reaction process. Simultaneously, it can also accurately control the amount of other raw materials added, making the proportions of other raw materials more precise.

[0023] 4) The combination of the conveying channel, switching device and weighing sensor of this utility model can accurately control the production process, reduce production time and achieve the goal of rapid production. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the fermentation device structure of this utility model;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the ingredient tank structure of this utility model;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the stirring blade structure in Embodiment 2 of this utility model;

[0027] Wherein, 1 is the feed valve; 2 is the second conveying pipe; 3 is the stirring motor; 4 is the gearbox; 5 is the transmission device; 6 is the batching and feeding port; 7 is the batching tank; 8 is the stirring blade; 9 is the support device; and 10 is the weighing sensor.

[0028] 11 is a liquid pump; 12 is the first conveying pipe; 13 is a tee pipe; 14 is a fermentation tank; 15 is the first discharge pipe; 16 is the first valve; 17 is the second discharge pipe; 18 is the second valve; 81 is the first narrow section; 82 is the second wide section; 83 is the third narrow section; 84 is the fourth wide section; 85 is the stirring shaft. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] A fermentation apparatus includes a fermenter 14 and a mixing tank 7, both of which include a tank body. A weighing sensor 10 is installed under the tank body of the fermenter 14 and / or the mixing tank 7. The apparatus also includes a conveying channel connected to the tank bodies of the fermenter 14 and the mixing tank 7, respectively, and for drawing substances from the fermenter 14 into the mixing tank 7. The conveying channel is equipped with a switching device. The switching device can control the flow of liquid in the conveying channel and stop the flow. The substances in the fermenter 14 can be the final fermentation product. The provision of a weighing sensor 10 under the tank body of the fermenter 14 and / or the mixing tank 7 can mean that both the fermenter 14 and the mixing tank 7 have weighing sensors installed under their bodies, or that only one of the fermenter 14 or the mixing tank 7 has a weighing sensor installed under its body.

[0031] The switching device can be a regular switch or a solenoid valve.

[0032] This invention adopts a separate design of fermentation tank 14 and ingredient tank 7, with two tanks used for expansion and ingredient preparation, which reduces contamination by miscellaneous bacteria.

[0033] This utility model is provided with a conveying channel, which can draw the material in the fermentation tank 14 into the mixing tank 7; the conveying channel is equipped with a switch device for controlling the liquid delivery and stopping the liquid delivery, so that the material in the fermentation tank 14 can be easily and conveniently delivered to the mixing tank 7.

[0034] This invention is equipped with a weighing sensor 10, which can promptly know the weight of the material that has been expanded and cultured in the mixing tank 7, thereby determining whether to administer the liquid and accurately controlling the reaction process.

[0035] The combination of the conveying channel, switching device and weighing sensor 10 in this utility model can accurately control the production process, reduce production time and achieve the goal of rapid production.

[0036] Preferably, the conveying channel includes a first conveying pipe 12, a liquid pump 11, and a second conveying pipe 2 connected in sequence; the end of the first conveying pipe 12 away from the liquid pump 11 is connected to the fermentation tank 14, and the end of the second conveying pipe 2 away from the liquid pump 11 is connected to the ingredient tank 7. That is, one end of the first conveying pipe is connected to the fermentation tank and the other end is connected to the liquid pump, and one end of the second conveying pipe is connected to the liquid pump and the other end is connected to the ingredient tank.

[0037] Preferably, when a portion of the material (or liquid) in the fermenter 14 is transferred to the mixing tank 7, the switch is turned off to stop the liquid transfer; after the new material to be expanded is added to the fermenter 14 and the expansion is completed, the switch is turned on to transfer the material in the fermenter 14 to the mixing tank 7.

[0038] For yeast propagation, yeast growth generally includes a lag phase, a logarithmic growth phase, a stabilizer phase, and a death phase. When a portion of the propagated material (at which point the yeast is in the late logarithmic growth phase (highest activity and most vigorous metabolism)) is introduced into the mixing tank 7, most of the remaining yeast (highly active yeast) in fermenter 14 is still in the late logarithmic growth phase or the early stabilizer phase, maintaining high activity. When new yeast is added at this time, the rapid fusion of the old and new microbial communities can shorten or skip the lag phase, quickly restoring the logarithmic phase and thus accelerating the propagation speed. Compared to transferring all the propagated material (fermentation end product) from fermenter 14 into mixing tank 7 before propagation, this reduces the lag phase and greatly improves production speed.

[0039] Preferably, the portion is half. After outputting half, fermentation raw materials are added to fermentation tank 14 for fermentation expansion, which can better improve the production speed.

[0040] Preferably, the tank body includes a shell, a feeding port and a batching port 6 provided on the shell, a stirring device passing through the shell, and a support device 9 provided outside the shell for supporting the tank body; one end of the conveying channel passes through the feeding port of the fermentation tank 14 and extends into the tank body of the fermentation tank 14, and the other end passes through the feeding port of the batching tank 7 and extends into the tank body of the batching tank 7.

[0041] After the materials are added into the tank through the feed port and the batching port, they are stirred and mixed evenly using a stirring device.

[0042] The conveying channel can be detachably connected to the shell of the fermentation tank 14 and the shell of the batching tank 7 respectively. When other raw materials (generally liquid raw materials) need to be input from the feeding port, the conveying channel can be detached and other raw materials can be transported to the tank through other liquid pumps and pipelines, thereby making production faster and more convenient.

[0043] Preferably, the second conveying pipe 2 is provided with a feed valve 1 for opening and closing the second conveying pipe 2; the stirring device includes a stirring motor 3, a gearbox 4, a transmission device 5, and a stirring blade 8 connected in sequence. The feed valve 1 can be a manual feed valve.

[0044] The switching device can be the switch of the liquid pump 11 and / or the feed valve 1. Opening the switch of the liquid pump 11 and / or the feed valve 1 allows the liquid in the fermenter 14 to sequentially enter the first conveying pipe 12, the liquid pump 11, the second conveying pipe 2, and the batching tank 7 to achieve liquid delivery. Closing the switch of the liquid pump 11 and / or the feed valve 1 stops the liquid delivery.

[0045] Preferably, the fermenter further includes a first discharge pipe 15 equipped with a first valve 16, and the mixing tank 7 further includes a second discharge pipe 17 equipped with a second valve 18. The first discharge pipe 15 and the second discharge pipe 17 are connected by a three-way pipe 13. The first discharge pipe 15 can be used to release substances from the fermenter 14 or to release the liquid used to clean the fermenter; the second discharge pipe 17 can be used to release substances from the mixing tank or to release the liquid used to clean the mixing tank. The three-way pipe 13 eliminates the need for two separate pipes, saving costs and making cleaning and use easier. The first valve 16 (also called the fermenter control valve) and the second valve 18 (also called the mixing tank control valve) allow for the separate release of substances from either the fermenter or the mixing tank by opening and closing the first valve 16 and the second valve 18, further enhancing convenience.

[0046] Preferably, the tank has a diameter of 1900 mm and a maximum capacity of 4 tons.

[0047] Preferably, the maximum capacity of the tank can be selected as 4-6 tons, which allows for large-scale production.

[0048] In this utility model, the conveying channel, the first discharge pipe 15 with a first valve 16, the second discharge pipe 17 with a second valve 18, and the three-way pipe 13 can be supported by other support devices 9 (not shown in the figure) located on the ground.

[0049] In this utility model, the feed valve 1 can be a manual feed valve, which can also control the feed flow rate, making the batching more accurate.

[0050] The stirring motor 3 makes the ingredients more evenly distributed and the fermentation more complete.

[0051] The gearbox 4, by adjusting its speed, enables the stirring blades 8 to rotate smoothly, thereby allowing the raw materials to rotate and flow smoothly, achieving better fermentation or mixing.

[0052] The transmission device 5 can be a coupling, which is a transmission mechanism connecting the gearbox 4 and the stirring blade 8.

[0053] The ingredient feeding port 6 is for convenient addition of raw materials.

[0054] The mixing tank 7 is used to store the liquid stock solution for mixing and to mix the ingredients.

[0055] The stirring blade 8 is used to stir the substance or liquid in each tank.

[0056] The support device 9 used to support the tank can be a main support column of the tank body.

[0057] The weighing sensor 10 enables more accurate ingredient dispensing, ensuring that ingredients are dispensed according to the formula ratio; it can also monitor the weight of the conveyed material.

[0058] The following is an example illustrating the usage of the fermentation device described above:

[0059] Step 1: Add the fermentation ingredients to the fermentation tank;

[0060] Step 2: After stirring the materials in the fermentation tank evenly, let it stand for expansion culture. After the expansion culture is completed, the final fermentation product is obtained.

[0061] Step 3: Use liquid pump 11 to pump a portion of the fermentation end product from the fermenter into the ingredient tank 7 for ingredient mixing.

[0062] Step 4: After a portion of the final fermentation product in the fermenter is extracted, fermentation raw materials are added to the fermenter in proportion. The total amount of fermentation raw materials added in this step can be the same as the total mass of the substances in fermenter 14 after adding the fermentation raw materials as the total mass after adding all the fermentation raw materials in step 1. Extracting a portion generally means extracting half of the product.

[0063] Step 5: Repeat steps 2 to 4 to achieve semi-continuous production.

[0064] The fermentation materials added in step one can be 1.6 parts tap water, 0.4 parts molasses, 0.002 parts Lesaffre yeast, and 0.004 parts urea; for example: 1.6 tons of tap water, 0.4 tons of molasses, 2 kg of Lesaffre yeast, and 4 kg of urea; the settling time in step two can be 4 hours.

[0065] In step three, the mixing ratio of the liquid in the mixing tank 7 can be: 2 parts bacterial solution and 0.1 parts fermentation end product drawn from the fermenter 14. This can be achieved by adding 0.1 tons of fermentation end product and 2 tons of bacterial solution to the mixing tank 7 each time; after mixing, the mixture is removed, and then the fermentation end product and bacterial solution are added again. Alternatively, the fermentation end product can be added to the mixing tank 7 while the inoculum is slowly added, and the mixture is removed from the second discharge pipe 17 and the three-way pipe 13, weighed by a weighing sensor, to achieve continuous production before step four.

[0066] The bacterial solution may be, for example, a symbiotic fermentation broth of lactic acid bacteria and yeast.

[0067] In addition, the first expansion culture in step two takes 4 hours. When repeating the second and subsequent expansion cultures, the expansion culture time can be reduced to 2 hours due to the reduced lag period, thus saving at least 2 hours of expansion culture time for each subsequent expansion culture. Combined with the fact that the mixing tank can continue to stir during each expansion culture, production time is further saved.

[0068] Of course, other substances that require fermentation and ingredient preparation can also be used in the expansion tank and ingredient preparation tank using existing technologies.

[0069] The structure of the fermentation tank can be the same as that of the ingredient mixing tank.

[0070] Example 2

[0071] The difference between Example 2 and Example 1 is that the stirring blades adopt the following technical features:

[0072] The stirring blades include a stirring shaft 85 connected to a transmission device and stirring blades connected to the stirring shaft 85. The stirring blades include a left stirring blade and a right stirring blade respectively located on both sides of the stirring shaft, and the left and right stirring blades are alternately arranged along the axial direction of the stirring shaft 85. Alternatively, the left and right stirring blades can be spaced apart along the axial direction of the stirring shaft 85, with adjacent left and right stirring blades located at different axial heights. This arrangement allows for thorough stirring of the substances within the tank.

[0073] Preferably, the left stirring blade includes a first narrow portion connected to the stirring shaft and a second wide portion connected to the first narrow portion, wherein the ratio of the length L1 of the first narrow portion 81 to the length L2 of the second wide portion 82 is 2-3:1; the right stirring blade includes a third narrow portion 83 connected to the stirring shaft and a fourth wide portion 84 connected to the third narrow portion 83, wherein the widths of the fourth wide portion 84 and the second wide portion are both wider than the widths of the third narrow portion 83 and the first narrow portion 81 (i.e., the fourth wide portion 84 is wider than both the widths of the third narrow portion 83 and the first narrow portion; the second wide portion 82 is wider than both the widths of the third narrow portion 83 and the first narrow portion); and the ratio of the length L1 of the first narrow portion 81, the length L3 of the third narrow portion 83, and the length L4 of the fourth wide portion 84 is (4-5):(2-3):1. The ratio of the length L1 of the first narrow portion to the length L2 of the second wide portion is 2-3:1, which enables more thorough stirring of the portion farther from the stirring shaft. Because the wider blades have a larger stirring range, the ratio of the length L1 of the first narrow section, the length L3 of the third narrow section 83, and the length L4 of the fourth wide section 84 is (4-5):(2-3):1. This allows the stirring blades to stir the wider section within a wider range, and it is less likely to cause repeated stirring. This not only makes the stirring more thorough, but also saves energy, making the design more reasonable.

[0074] In this invention, the length of the first narrow portion refers to the shortest distance from the stirring shaft to the second wide portion. The length of the second wide portion refers to the longest distance of the second wide portion, or the longest distance from the junction of the first and second narrow portions along a direction perpendicular to the stirring shaft 85 to the end of the second wide portion away from the stirring shaft. The length of the third narrow portion refers to the shortest distance from the stirring shaft to the fourth wide portion 84. The length of the fourth wide portion refers to the longest distance of the fourth wide portion, or the longest distance from the junction of the third and fourth wide portions along a direction perpendicular to the stirring shaft 85 to the end of the fourth wide portion away from the stirring shaft. The first and third narrow portions can be rod-shaped (the length of which is the length of the rod), and the second and fourth wide portions can be cuboid-shaped, with the length being the length of the cuboid. Figure 3 In the diagram, the width of the rod is the longest distance from the top surface to the bottom surface, and the width of the cuboid is the distance from the top surface to the bottom surface.

[0075] However, the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Any simple equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the claims and specification of the present invention are still within the scope of the claims. Furthermore, the abstract and headings are merely for assisting in patent document searching and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fermentation apparatus, characterized in that, The device includes a fermentation tank and a mixing tank, both of which have tank bodies. A weighing sensor is installed under the tank body of the fermentation tank and / or the mixing tank. The fermentation device also includes a conveying channel that is connected to the tank bodies of the fermentation tank and the mixing tank respectively and draws the material in the fermentation tank into the mixing tank. The conveying channel is equipped with a switching device.

2. The fermentation apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The conveying channel includes a first conveying pipe, a liquid pump, and a second conveying pipe connected in sequence; one end of the first conveying pipe is connected to the fermenter and the other end is connected to the liquid pump, and one end of the second conveying pipe is connected to the liquid pump and the other end is connected to the ingredient tank; the switching device can control the conveying channel to deliver liquid and stop the delivery of liquid.

3. The fermentation apparatus as described in claim 2, characterized in that, When a portion of the material in the fermenter is transferred to the mixing tank, the switch is closed to stop the infusion; after new material to be expanded is added to the fermenter and the expansion is completed, the switch is opened to transfer the material in the fermenter to the mixing tank.

4. The fermentation apparatus as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The portion is half; the portion of material includes yeast in the late logarithmic growth phase; the new material to be expanded includes yeast to be expanded.

5. The fermentation apparatus as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The tank includes a shell, a feeding port and a batching port located on the shell, a stirring device passing through the shell, and a support device located outside the shell to support the tank; one end of the conveying channel passes through the feeding port of the fermentation tank and extends into the tank body of the fermentation tank, and the other end passes through the feeding port of the batching tank and extends into the tank body of the batching tank.

6. The fermentation apparatus as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The second conveying pipeline is equipped with a feed valve for opening and closing the second conveying pipeline; the stirring device includes a stirring motor, a gearbox, a transmission device, and stirring blades connected in sequence.

7. The fermentation apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The fermenter also includes a first discharge pipe equipped with a first valve, and the mixing tank also includes a second discharge pipe equipped with a second valve. The first discharge pipe and the second discharge pipe are connected by a tee pipe.

8. The fermentation apparatus as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The maximum capacity of the tank is 4-6 tons; the switching device is the switch for the liquid pump and / or the feed valve.

9. The fermentation apparatus as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The stirring blades include a stirring shaft connected to a transmission device and stirring blades connected to the stirring shaft. The stirring blades include a left stirring blade and a right stirring blade respectively disposed on both sides of the stirring shaft. The left stirring blade and the right stirring blade are alternately arranged along the axial direction of the stirring shaft.

10. The fermentation apparatus as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The left stirring blade includes a first narrow section connected to the stirring shaft and a second wide section connected to the first narrow section, wherein the length L1 of the first narrow section and the length L2 of the second wide section are in the ratio of 2-3:1; the right stirring blade includes a third narrow section connected to the stirring shaft and a fourth wide section connected to the third narrow section, wherein the width of the fourth wide section and the second wide section are both wider than the width of the third narrow section and the first narrow section, and the length L1 of the first narrow section, the length L3 of the third narrow section and the length L4 of the fourth wide section are in the ratio of (4-5):(2-3):1.

Images