The present invention relates to a Venturi device for entraining fluids and in particular to a Venturi device that can be easily disassembled for cleaning and maintenance.
The effect of oxygen in wines is usually considered to be detrimental to their quality, and therefore exposure of wines to oxygen is in general to be avoided. However, there are some cases when the introduction of air or oxygen, (or other gases or liquids) into wine is desirable. One of such cases is during the process of fermentation. Controlled mixing of air or oxygen into the must during fermentation has been found to be beneficial to the fermentation process and the flavor of the wine.
One method of introducing air or oxygen into the must is using a combination of a pump-over mechanism with an in-line Venturi device. One example of a pump-over mechanism is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/478,269 filed Sep. 5, 2014 and entitled “WINE PUMP-OVER DEVICE”, the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. A Venturi device utilizes the Venturi effect, whereby the pressure of a fluid flowing through a pipe is reduced when the fluid passes through a constricted section of the pipe. The pressure differential between the pipe section before the constricted section and after the constricted section causes a secondary fluid (i.e., air) to be pulled into the pipe and become entrained and mixed with the stream of the fluid.
Most of the currently available Venturi devices used in the wine making industry are made either of stainless steel or polymeric materials such as Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) or Ethylene ChloroTriFluoroEthylene (ECTFE). These materials are used because of their high purity, their resistance to chemicals and because they are inert and corrosion resistant. Polymeric material based Venturi devices are relatively inexpensive, but usually prone to breaks. Steel based Venturi devices are usually expensive, break resistant, and suitable for high strength applications. It is desirable to have an inexpensive Venturi device that is easy to clean, maintain and assemble and is compatible with the wine making and food processing procedures.
The present invention relates to an inexpensive Venturi device that can be easily disassembled for cleaning and maintenance.
In general, in one aspect, the invention features a Venturi device for introducing a second fluid into a first fluid including a T-joint, a converging component, and a diverging component. The T-joint component includes a first elongated tube extending along a first direction and a second elongated tube extending along a second direction being perpendicular to the first direction. The first elongated tube comprises a first inlet port and an outlet port and a first though-opening extending from the first inlet port to the outlet port along the first direction and the second elongated tube is integral with the first elongated tube and comprises a second inlet port and a second though-opening communicating with the first through-opening and extending along the second direction from the second inlet port to an inner section of the first though-opening. The converging component is shaped and dimensioned to slip fit within the first through-opening of the first elongated tube through the first inlet port and has a cross-section that decreases along the first direction from the first inlet port to the inner section of the first though-opening. The diverging component is shaped and dimensioned to slip fit within the first through-opening of the first elongated tube through the outlet port and has a cross-section that increases along the first direction from the inner section of the first though-opening to the outlet port. The converging component is coaxially aligned with the diverging component along the first direction. The first fluid enters the converging component through the first inlet port and flows toward the inner section of the first though-opening and the second fluid is drawn into the inner section of the first through-opening from the second inlet port through the second through-opening and the second fluid mixes with the first fluid in the inner section of the first through-opening, thereby forming a mixed fluid, and the mixed fluid flows through the diverging component and exits though the outlet port.
Implementations of this aspect of the invention include one or more of the following. A gap is formed between adjacent inner ends of the converging component and the diverging component, and the gap is located within the inner section of the first through-opening, and the second fluid mixes with the first fluid within the gap. The converging component position and the diverging component position within the T-joint component are secured and the gap remains unchanged during operation. First and second shoulders are formed around an outer end of the converging cone and an outer end of the diverging cone, and the first and second shoulders are recessed into the inlet port and outlet port of the T-joint, respectively, thereby securing the converging component position and the diverging component position within the T-joint and relative to each other. The converging component comprises an elongated body having a cylindrical section near an outer end, a converging frusto-conical inner section near an inner end and an axial through-opening extending from the outer end to the inner end along the first direction. The diverging component comprises an elongated body having a cylindrical inner section near an inner end, a diverging frusto-conical inner section near an outer end and an axial through-opening extending from the inner end to an outer end along the first direction. The converging component comprises a converging angle in the range of 5 to 8 degrees relative to the first direction and the diverging component comprises a diverging angle in the range of 15 to 25 degrees relative to the first direction. The device further includes first and second O-rings surrounding the converging component and the diverging component, respectively. The converging component comprises teeth extending from an inner end of the converging component along the first direction and the teeth couple with the inner end of the diverging component. The converging component comprises fins located on an outer surface of the converging frusto-conical section. The diverging component comprises fins located on an outer surface of the diverging frusto-conical section. The device further includes first and second gaskets integral with the outer end of the converging component and the outer end of the diverging component, respectively. The first and second gaskets comprise a triangular cross-section. The T-joint component comprises one of stainless steel, cast steel, non-corrosive metal, ceramic, composite or polymer material. The converging component and the diverging component comprise one of polymer materials, stainless steel, metal alloys, non-corrosive metals, ceramics, or composites. The first fluid comprises one of wine, tea, cider, coffee, probiotic liquid, water, or gasoline. The second fluid comprises one of air, oxygen, gas, food additives, or liquid.
In general, in another aspect, the invention features a method for introducing and mixing a second fluid into a first fluid including the following. Providing a Venturi device comprising a T-joint component, a converging component and a diverging component, wherein the T-joint component comprises a first elongated tube extending along a first direction and a second elongated tube extending along a second direction being perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the first elongated tube comprises a first inlet port and an outlet port and a first though-opening extending from the first inlet port to the outlet port along the first direction and wherein the second elongated tube is integral with the first elongated tube and comprises a second inlet port and a second though-opening communicating with the first through-opening and extending along the second direction from the second inlet port to an inner section of the first though-opening; wherein the converging component is shaped and dimensioned to slip fit within the first through-opening of the first elongated tube through the first inlet port and comprises a cross-section that decreases along the first direction from the first inlet port to the inner section of the first though-opening; wherein the diverging component is shaped and dimensioned to slip fit within the first through-opening of the first elongated tube through the outlet port and comprises a cross-section that increases along the first direction from the inner section of the first though-opening to the outlet port; and wherein the converging component is coaxially aligned with the diverging component along the first direction. Next, introducing the first fluid into the converging component through the first inlet port and flowing the first fluid toward the inner section of the first though-opening. Next, drawing the second fluid into the inner section of the first through-opening from the second inlet port through the second through-opening. Next, mixing the second fluid with the first fluid in the inner section of the first through-opening thereby forming a mixed fluid, and then flowing the mixed fluid through the diverging component and exiting the mixed fluid though the outlet port. The first fluid comprises one of wine, tea, cider, coffee, probiotic liquid, water, or gasoline. The second fluid comprises one of air, oxygen, gas, food additives, or liquid. A gap is formed between adjacent inner ends of the converging component and the diverging component and the gap is located within the inner section of the first through-opening and the second fluid mixes with the first fluid within the gap.
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and description below. Other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, the drawings and from the claims.
The present invention provides a Venturi device that is easy to clean, maintain and assemble and is compatible with the wine making and food processing procedures.
Referring to
Referring to
In operation, a first fluid 1, i.e., wine, enters the Venturi 100 from inlet port A along the X-axis and a second fluid 2, i.e., air and/or oxygen is drawn into the Venturi 100 from port B along the Z-axis and is entrained within the flow of fluid 1. The two fluids 1 and 2 are mixed in section D of the Venturi and the mixed fluid exits from outlet port C along the X-axis. A circular gap 125 is formed between the ends 122 and 132 of the converging cone 120 and the diverging cone 130, respectively. Gap 125 allows fluid 2 to enter the flow stream of fluid 1 and to mix with fluid 1.
The dimensions of the converging and diverging cones 120, 130 are optimized to provide a large volume of the second fluid 2 with as low of a pressure drop as possible. In one example, the assembled converging and diverging cones have a total length of 7.23 inches, as shown in
In one embodiment the integrated gaskets 140a, 140b are made of semi-rigid materials and have triangular cross-sections, as shown in
Referring to
As was mentioned above, the dimensions of the converging and diverging cones 120, 130 are optimized to provide a large volume of second fluid 2 with as low of a pressure drop as possible. In one example, the assembled Venturi 100 has a total length of 5.46 inches and a diameter of 2 inches. The converging cone 120 has a length of 2.07 inches, an inlet diameter of 1.87 inches, an outlet diameter of 0.95 inch and a conical angle of 16.85 degrees relative to the X-axis, as shown in
Several embodiments of the present invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/373,764 filed Aug. 11, 2016 and entitled “VENTURI TUBE DEVICE”, the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62373764 | Aug 2016 | US |