Spiral-Wound Fermentation Tank Heat-Exchange Jacket
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fermentation tanks face issues with structural integrity due to metal sheet welding, inefficient thermal transfer, and high production costs, leading to potential breakages and increased operational costs.
Innovation Solution
A tank with a lateral wall made of metal sheet wound in a three-dimensional spiral, eliminating horizontal and vertical welds, and featuring a heat-exchange jacket aligned with the spiral for improved thermal efficiency and reduced assembly defects, allowing for automated and efficient production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If refrigerant jackets are installed by welding on the lateral wall, then temperature control is provided, but the welding can be a source of encrustations and breakages due to localized decrease of structural resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the structural wall and heat exchange functions into a single integrated spiral-wound component. The spiral wound structure serves both as the lateral wall providing structural resistance and as the heat exchange surface, eliminating the need for separate welded refrigerant jackets and their associated welding joints that cause encrustations and breakages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a spiral curved geometry for the lateral wall instead of flat welded sheets. The spiral wound structure provides continuous curvature that distributes stress evenly, eliminating localized weak points at weld joints while maintaining structural integrity and enabling effective heat exchange surface area.
2Loss of energy
If traditional refrigerant jackets are used, then cooling function is provided, but thermal transfer efficiency is insufficient requiring lower temperatures and higher operating costs
Solution Approach 1:
The spiral curved geometry of the wound structure creates continuous thermal contact between the heat exchange surface and the tank contents, eliminating thermal gaps and improving heat transfer efficiency. The curved spiral path increases surface area contact and promotes better thermal conduction compared to traditional flat or segmented jackets.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional flat welded jackets to a three-dimensional spiral wound structure. This adds dimensional complexity that increases the effective heat exchange surface area and improves thermal contact with the contents, thereby enhancing heat transfer efficiency and reducing energy consumption.
3Ease of manufacture
If metal sheet welding is used for lateral wall construction, then tank structure is formed, but production defects occur due to encrustations and breakages at weld joints
Solution Approach 1:
The spiral wound structure is prepared in advance as continuous coils before being assembled into the final tank structure. This preliminary preparation of continuous spiral coils eliminates the need for on-site welding operations, allowing the structure to be formed by mechanical winding and connection of pre-fabricated spiral elements, thereby avoiding weld-related defects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the welding operation from the manufacturing process by replacing welded sheet assembly with spiral winding and mechanical connection methods. This removal of the welding step eliminates the source of encrustations and breakages at weld joints while maintaining structural integrity through the spiral wound construction.
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
The solution provides enhanced structural resistance, improved thermal transfer efficiency by up to 60% compared to traditional tanks, reduced operational costs, and easier maintenance, while minimizing the risk of encrustations and breakages.
Implementation Method 1
at least one heat-exchange jacket (106), associated with said lateral wall for circulation of a fluid inside said heat-exchange jacket, so as to exchange heat through the lateral wall with a content of said tank
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
The present invention refers to a tank (100, 300), in particular fermentation tank, having a substantially cylindrical body comprising: a lateral wall (101) constituted by metal sheet wound according to a three-dimensional spiral, wherein said metal sheet comprises a main development direction (X) and two lateral edges (104a, 104b) aligned with respect to said main development direction (X), said two lateral edges (104a, 104b) comprising first segments welded with second segments of said two lateral edges (104a, 104b) respectively, said first segments and said second segments being adjacent in said three-dimensional spiral for closing said lateral wall (101). In particular, the tank (100, 300) comprises at least one heat-exchange jacket (106, 306) associated with the lateral wall (101).