Woven Silk Filtration for Spirits Under Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing filtration techniques for spirits and alcoholic beverages often adversely affect the color, flavor, or smoothness of the beverage, and there is a need for a method that can control particle size effectively under pressure without using charcoal or expensive metal sieves, while being easily packable and using renewable resources.
Innovation Solution
A filtration system utilizing woven silk fabric with weft and warp threads of similar size, which maintains consistent opening sizes under pressure, allowing for efficient removal of various particle sizes without affecting the beverage's characteristics, and is made from natural, biodegradable proteins that minimize interaction with alcohol.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional filtration methods (charcoal, metal sieves, paper filters) are used, then particle removal is achieved, but the color, flavor, or smoothness of the beverage is adversely affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs silk fabric with natural porous structure formed by woven threads. The porous nature allows selective filtration based on particle size while maintaining beverage quality. The interconnected pores enable passage of liquid and small molecules (preserving flavor and color) while trapping larger particles, thus resolving the contradiction between effective filtration and beverage quality preservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite filtration system combining multiple layers of silk fabric with different thread densities. This composite structure enables graded filtration where each layer targets specific particle sizes. The composite material approach achieves precise particle size control without using charcoal or metal sieves that would alter the beverage's sensory properties.
2Productivity
If pressure is applied to increase filtration speed, then productivity is improved, but the opening size in the filter may change affecting filtration precision
Solution Approach 1:
The silk fabric filter operates dynamically under pressure, where the flexible woven structure adjusts its pore configuration in response to applied force. The dynamic nature of the fabric allows it to maintain effective filtration under pressure by redistributing stress across the woven network, preventing permanent deformation or opening enlargement that would compromise particle size control while enabling faster filtration.
3Manufacturing precision
If charcoal filtration is used to remove particles, then purification is achieved, but the beverage loses some flavor and color
Solution Approach 1:
The silk fabric filter provides local quality differentiation through its woven structure, where the spaces between threads create selective filtration zones. Unlike charcoal that uniformly adsorbs all compounds, the fabric's local open structures allow selective passage based on particle size and molecular characteristics. This enables purification of suspended particles while preserving dissolved flavor and color compounds that need to remain in solution.
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 woven silk fabric effectively filters spirits under pressure without altering the color or flavor, ensuring a smooth and silky texture, and can be easily packaged and reused, addressing the limitations of previous filtration methods.
Implementation Method 1
The first is mechanical filtration in which solid particles of a particular size are removed by passing a liquid through a mesh which has openings that prevent solid particles of a particular size from passing through the mesh
Implementation Method 2
The second is carbon filtration which works by absorption. Absorption is the adhesion of particles to a surface
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus to filter liquor includes at least one woven layer. The layer comprises strands that are naturally produced by a living thing, include domains of hydrophilic amino acids, include domains of hydrophobic amino acids, have a triangular cross section to produce turbulent liquid flow, have weft threads parallel to other weft threads, have warp threads parallel to other warp threads at an angle to the weft threads, have at least one of the pair consisting of negatively charged amino acid and positively charged amino acids, and have a denier in the range of 0.75 to 1.25.