Vegetable Mass Deoxidation With Cyclic Inert-Gas Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pneumatic pressing methods for winemaking fail to effectively remove oxygen from the vegetable mass, leading to rapid oxidation of must due to trapped oxygen bubbles and dissolved oxygen, which is not addressed by superficial inert gas injection techniques.
Innovation Solution
A method involving cyclic pressurization and depressurization within a container to inject and extract a mixture of inert gas and air, alternating between positive and negative pressures to deeply penetrate and dilute oxygen within the vegetable mass, followed by inert gas replacement to saturate interstices and remove oxygen.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If inert gas is injected into the press to prevent oxidation, then the must is protected from further oxidizing due to contact with air, but the oxygen inside the vegetable mass remains trapped and cannot be removed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by cyclically alternating between injecting inert gas and extracting gas mixture from the press. This periodic cycle allows the inert gas to penetrate the vegetable mass during injection phases and enables the extraction of oxygen-containing gas during extraction phases, thereby progressively removing trapped oxygen from within the mass rather than just preventing surface oxidation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes pneumatic principles by injecting inert gas under pressure into the press and subsequently extracting the gas mixture under controlled pressure conditions. This pneumatic approach forces the inert gas to penetrate deep into the vegetable mass interstices and enables effective removal of oxygen-containing gases, transforming the superficial deoxidation into thorough deoxidation of the entire mass.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a closed-drum press is used to limit oxidation, then the must is protected from air contact, but oxygen bubbles remain trapped inside the mass and dissolved oxygen cannot be removed
Solution Approach 1:
The periodic injection and extraction cycles allow trapped oxygen bubbles to be progressively removed. During injection phases, inert gas displaces oxygen; during extraction phases, the oxygen-containing gas mixture is removed. This repeated cycling continues until oxygen levels in the vegetable mass are reduced to below 5%, transforming the closed press from merely preventing new oxidation to actively removing trapped oxygen.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates and maintains an inert atmosphere within the closed press by continuously injecting inert gas and removing oxygen-containing gases. This establishes an oxygen-depleted environment throughout the vegetable mass, not just at the surface, thereby preventing oxidation while the mass is being processed in the closed press.
3Quantity of substance
If inert gas is injected into the press, then the gas pressure increases and gas penetrates the vegetable mass, but the oxygen cannot be effectively removed without extraction mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the extraction principle by implementing a gas extraction mechanism that removes the oxygen-containing gas mixture from the press after inert gas injection. This extraction step actively takes out the trapped oxygen from the vegetable mass, converting the process from merely injecting inert gas to actually removing oxygen, thereby achieving effective deoxidation.
Solution Approach 2:
The pneumatic extraction system uses pressure differential to remove the gas mixture containing oxygen from the press. By controlling the injection and extraction pressure cycles, the system efficiently removes oxygen from the vegetable mass interstices while maintaining the benefits of inert gas penetration, solving the problem of trapped oxygen removal.
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 significantly reduces oxygen levels in the vegetable mass to below 5% in a few cycles, preventing further oxidation and ensuring high-quality juice production by ensuring thorough deoxidation.
Implementation Method 1
injecting an inert gas into the container while preventing the gas from escaping from the container, so that the inert gas increases the gas pressure inside the container bringing it to a first pressure value... forces it to penetrate deep into the vegetable mass, where it reaches and invades the interstices of the vegetable mass, diluting the oxygen present in the interstices
Implementation Method 2
decreasing the pressure inside the container bringing it to a second pressure value lower than the first value by extracting from the container a mixture of inert gas and air... thus removing oxygen from the vegetable mass
Data Source
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AI summary
A deoxidation method performed on a vegetable mass contained in a container is described, with the steps of (i) injecting an inert gas into the container while preventing the inert gas from coming out of the container, so that the inert gas increases the gaseous pressure inside the container, bringing it to a first pressure value; (ii) decreasing the gaseous pressure inside the container bringing it to a second pressure value lower than the first value by extracting a mixture of inert gas and air from the container and thus removing oxygen from the vegetable mass.