Suntory Limited

Kansai Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd.

Masahiro Yotsumoto

Hiroshi Tanahashi

Toshiaki Tazawa

Yuzuru Wakabayashi

Hideo Noda

Naotake Ohta

Hajime Kato

Haruo Nishino

An externally cooled cylindrical vessel has a draft tube centered in the lower half thereof. A continuous circulation seeded with tartars crystals includes a fast downward flow through the draft tube and a slow upward flow outside the draft tube. The circulation induces crystal growth and the removal of tartars from the liquid. A coning zone is defined in the vessel above the draft tube. The slow upward flow moves toward the calming zone, facilitating classification of the crystalline matter which is reintroduced into the fact downward flow. The liquid product from which the tartars has been removed and which is collected in the upper section of the vessel is tapped off by an overflow port located near the top of the vessel.

Method for tartar separation

A method for continuously separating tartar from wine or grape juice using a draft tube baffled (DTB) crystallizer 2 and a hydrocyclone 3. The DTB crystallizer 2 comprises a vessel 5, a draft tube 6 centered in the body 5, a stirrer and a cooling jacket 16, said stirrer producing a circulation of liquid along the draft tube. A liquid of wine or grape juice is continuously introduced from the bottom of the crystallizer 2 into the crystallizer 2 and entrained in the circulation together with seed crystals at a low temperature to crystallize tartar dissolved in the source liquid. Supernatant source liquid is overflown from the crystallizer 2 and separated by the hydrocyclone 3 into a chemically-stabilized product and a suspension in which a large amount of tartar crystals is contained. The suspension is continuously returned to the crystallizer 2 to keep seed crystals at a desired concentration in the crystallizer 2.

Method for continuous tartar separation

A method and an apparatus for continuously separating tartar from wine or grape juice using a draft tube baffled (DTB) crystallizer 2 and a hydrocyclone 3. The DTB crystallizer 2 comprises a vessel 5, a draft tube 6 centered in the body 5, a stirrer and a cooling jacket 16, said stirrer producing a circulation of liquid along the draft tube. A liquid of wine or grape juice is continuously introduced from the bottom of the crystallizer 2 into the crystallizer 2 and entrained in the circulation together with seed crystals at a low temperature to crystallize tartar dissolved in the source liquid. Supernatant source liquid is overflown from the crystallizer 2 and separated by the hydrocyclone 3 into a chemically-stabilized product and a suspension in which a large amount of tartar crystals is contained. The suspension is continuously returned to the crystallizer 2 to keep seed crystals at a desired concentration in the crystallizer 2.

Apparatus for continuous tartar separation

Method and apparatus for tartars separation

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki, Japan

Masahiro Yotsumoto