Natural Stone Liquid Container for Wine Gas Exchange
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid containers for alcohol production and storage, such as those made of wood, stainless steel, plastic, and concrete, face issues like limited reuse, chemical reactivity, and inadequate gas exchange, leading to suboptimal wine production and preservation.
Innovation Solution
A liquid container with an inner wall surface made of natural stone, treated to enhance roughness and specific surface area, allowing for intensive gas exchange and complete chemical reactions with a limited supply of additives, and featuring a design that can be reused indefinitely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional materials (wood, stainless steel, plastic, concrete) are used for liquid containers, then the container structure is stable and easy to manufacture, but the container shows limited reuse capability and chemical reactivity issues
Solution Approach 1:
The natural stone material possesses inherent porous structure that enables gas exchange between the liquid and external environment. This porosity allows beneficial aeration and chemical reactions while maintaining material stability and resistance to chemical degradation from alcoholic beverages.
Solution Approach 2:
The container utilizes natural stone as a composite material that combines multiple desirable properties: chemical inertness toward alcohol, structural stability, and controlled porosity for gas exchange. This natural composite structure eliminates the need for additional chemical treatments or coatings.
2Ease of operation
If the inner wall surface is made smooth for easy cleaning, then the container is easier to maintain, but gas exchange and chemical reactions are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The natural stone surface maintains its inherent roughness and porous structure in the regions critical for gas exchange and chemical reaction. This localized preservation of surface quality enables intensive interaction between the liquid and container wall without requiring the entire surface to be rough.
Solution Approach 2:
The porous structure of natural stone provides numerous micro-channels and surface areas that facilitate gas exchange and chemical reactions. The porous nature inherently increases surface area available for interaction while the material's durability ensures long-term functionality.
3Productivity
If natural stone is used for the container, then gas exchange and chemical reactions are enhanced, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and utilizes the beneficial natural properties of stone material directly, without adding complex processing steps or artificial modifications. The natural porosity and chemical stability of the stone are leveraged as-is, simplifying the overall manufacturing approach despite using natural stone.
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 natural stone container promotes the development of fruity wines by enhancing gas exchange and chemical reactions, while being resistant to chemical substances, thus improving wine production and storage efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a first roughness has been produced by cleaving or drilling or sawing the natural stone or by treatment with a sandblast and has then been subjected to a surface treatment that has caused the roughness of the treated inner wall surface to have been increased in relation to the first roughness initially produced. In particular, in the production (fermentation) of wine, it has been found that a natural stone surface has a natural roughness with a degree of roughness that allows intensive gas exchange with the liquid to be produced
Implementation Method 2
a natural stone surface has a natural roughness with a degree of roughness that allows intensive gas exchange with the liquid to be produced and complete chemical conversion with a limited supply of additives that initiate or promote the reaction
Implementation Method 3
At the same time, a natural stone surface is resistant to a large number of chemical substances, including fruit acids, so that a liquid container designed according to the invention can be reused essentially indefinitely
Data Source
Figure 1A~2C
Figure 3
Figure 4A~4C
AI summary
A liquid container (10) for producing and/or storing liquids, in particular alcoholic liquids, intended for consumption comprises a container (12) that is open at one end, can be closed by a lid (36) and has container walls (14) with an inner wall surface (16) that is at least partially, in particular substantially entirely, in the form of a surface of a solid natural stone (18). Also described are various methods for producing such liquid containers and a method for producing and/or storing drinkable liquids using such containers.