Bottle Neck Cooling with Cooled Air to Prevent Glass Shattering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for cooling bottle necks in the Champagne winemaking process, such as using glycol or liquid nitrogen, face issues like unpleasant handling, incompatibility with food environments, and the risk of glass bursting due to nitrogen contact.
Innovation Solution
A process and machine that cool bottle necks by positioning bottles upside down and passing cooled air through a closed space, using liquid nitrogen or another cryogenic liquid to gradually lower temperature without direct contact, allowing for safe and efficient cooling without a special stopper.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If liquid nitrogen is used to cool the bottle neck directly, then the cooling speed is improved, but the glass bottle may burst due to thermal shock
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces cooled air as an intermediary medium between liquid nitrogen and the glass bottle. Liquid nitrogen is used to cool the air in the closed space, and this cooled air then cools the bottle neck indirectly. This mediator approach allows the benefits of liquid nitrogen cooling while avoiding direct contact that would cause thermal shock and glass bursting.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If glycol is used as refrigerant, then the cooling process is safe for food environment, but the handling is unpleasant and cooling efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses cooled air as an intermediary between the refrigerant (liquid nitrogen or glycol) and the bottle neck. This allows the use of highly efficient refrigerants like liquid nitrogen without direct contact with the bottle, while still maintaining food safety by containing the refrigerant in a closed space. The air mediator transfers the cooling effect efficiently while preventing contamination.
3Reliability
If a special plugging device is used to prevent liquid nitrogen contact with glass, then glass bursting is prevented, but the device complexity increases and compatibility with existing stoppers is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of modifying the stoppering system with special plugging devices, the patent uses cooled air as a mediator that can penetrate through existing stoppers. The air cooling method is applied through the closed space containing the bottle, allowing standard stoppers to be used without any special modifications while still preventing glass bursting.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of special plugging devices with a thermal approach using cooled air. Instead of mechanically blocking liquid nitrogen contact, the system uses temperature-controlled air flow to achieve the same protective effect, eliminating the need for complex mechanical modifications to the stoppering system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method prevents glass shattering and allows for faster cooling rates while being safer and more compatible with existing bottle stoppers, enabling efficient preparation for disgorging operations.
Implementation Method 1
passing through this closed space a flow of air which will have been cooled beforehand
Implementation Method 2
the lowering of the temperature is more gradual than during soaking in nitrogen, and there is therefore no risk of the glass shattering because the contraction of the glass is gradual
Implementation Method 3
the cooling of the air flow is obtained by using liquid nitrogen, or another cryogenic liquid, either by direct injection of liquid nitrogen, or another cryogenic liquid, in the air flow, or indirectly through a heat exchanger arranged on the path of said flow
Implementation Method 4
direct injection of liquid nitrogen, or another cryogenic liquid, in the air flow
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The process of cooling a neck of a bottle (3), which is used in the preparation of wines by Champagne method, comprises placing the bottles in a bottom head, placing the necks of the bottles in a closed space, and passing an air stream through the closed space, which is previously cooled. The bottles are shifted in a reverse direction of the cooled air stream. The air stream is cooled through liquid nitrogen or other cryogenic liquid that is injected directly into the air stream, or indirectly through a refrigeration heat exchanger placed on the path of the stream. An independent claim is included for a machine for cooling a neck of a bottle, which is used in the preparation of wines by Champagne method.