AU628086B2 - Ebulliometer - Google Patents

Description

Form COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952-62 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE: Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: P ior;ty: R3iateo Art: Class Int. Class Name of Applicant: TO BE COMPLETED HEINZ ROBERT THUMM BY APPLICANT Address ofApplicant: 6 Gomersal Road, Lyndoch, South Australia, Australia Address of Applicant: Actual inventor: HEINZ ROBERT THUMM jddress for Service: Care of R K MADDERN ASSOCIATES, 345 King William Street, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Complete Specification for the invention entitled:

EBULLIOMETER

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me.

D" "1RKS 1 1 OCT 1989 FU W2-t

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a This invention relates to an ebulliometer, that is a device which is useful for checking the alcohol content of an alcohol/water solution, for example ferments, beer, wine fortifieds and spirits.

In the control of the winemaking and other fermenting processes, it is necessary at some stages to test the alcohol content. For example, when wine has fermented out to one half Baume of sugar, the ebulliometer is a suitable instrument for quickly checking the alcohol content accurately, but ebulliometers presently available to the wine, beer and spirit industries are both expensive and slow to use. In particular, for testing wine for alcohol content, existing ebulliometers require to boil pure water slowly to ascertain the precise boiling temperature (which varies due to variations of ambient conditions, especially atmospheric pressure) and the water is subsequently replaced by wine which also is boiled very slowly. There is a relationship between alcohol content and difference between boiling temperatures of the sample undertest and water.

The main object of this invention is to provide an ebulliometer which will be lower in cost than the presently available devices, and which is capable of providing equally accurate results in less time.

In an embodiment of this invention, an ebulliometer comprises two components, the first component being for the identification of the boiling temperature of pure water and the second for the identification of boiling temperature of alcoholic sample. The first component comprises a flask surmounted by a vapour space which contains the bulb of a thermometer, the vapour space having an outlet near its top end for release of steam generated by boiling water. The second component comprises a dual outlet flask, a vapour exit conduit rising from one of tho outlets, and a thermometer extending from the other outletr, the thermometer having its S-2-

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4 bulb wi boiling thin the dual outlet flask for ascertaining the temperature of the wine.

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More specifically, the ebulliometer comprises two assemblies: 5 the first assembly being determinant of ambient boiling temperature of pure water and comprises a flask, walls defining a vapour space surmounting the flask having an outlet near its top end, a thermometer having its bulb within the vapour space, and a deflector tube that is closed at its upper end and open at its lower end, said deflector tube projecting into said flask and being in fluid communication with the upper portion of said vapour space into which said thermometer projects, the second assembly being determinant of ambient boiling temperature of an alcohol/water solution and comprises a dual outlet container which is able to be evenly heated, a thermometer having its bulb in the dual outlet container and in contact with said alcohol/water solution, said thermometer projecting from said dual outlet container through one of the container outlets, and vapour exist conduit means extending from the other container outlet, said vapour exit conduit means connecting the dual outlet container to an expansion chamber and condenser surmounting said dual outlet container, said second assembly being constructed so that the rising escaping vapour can act as a pump, maintaining circulation of the alcohol/water sample.

rri r Ir r Ir r r tir s I I 1 rr r t -2a- An embodiment of the invention is described hereunder in some further detail with reference to and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG 1 shows diagrammatically the first assembly of the ebulliometer and, FIG 2 similarly shows the second assembly thereof.

In this embodiment, an ebulliometer comprises a first assembly and an entirely separate second assembly 11.

The first assembly 10 comprises securing means 12 which support a flask 13, the flask 13 having a stopper 14 from which a tube Itif 15 rises. The flask 13 contains pure water, and the tube terminates at its upper end in a hollow container 16, but the upper end is covered with a deflector tube 17 having a closed upper end but an opening in the lower end, so that steam is dissipated as it rises through the container 16 to finally 2O issue through an aperture 16 in a stopper 19 in the upper end of the container 16. The stopper 19 also supports a highly accurate thermometer 20 the bulb of which is within the container 16.

It is found that the first assembly of Fig 1 makes it possible to very quickly and accurately ascertain the boiling temperature of pure water when the water within the flask 13 is heated by a flame from an adjustable gas burner or spirit burner 21. The sensing of the vapour temperature is found to provide a far more accurate determination of water boiling temperature than the sensing of the water temperature itself, since the water temperature can be superheated under some circumstances, although use of pure water reduces this danger.

The second assembly 11 is determinant of ambient alcohol/water solution, for example wine, and comprises a dual outlet container 23 which, in use, contains wine which is to be boiled. The first outlet 24 of the container 23 has a stopper -3-

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which supports a highly accurate thermometer 26 while the other outlet 27 has a stopper 28 through which the vapour and boiling liquid exit conduit 29 extends from container 23 to an expansion chamber 30a and a condenser The top end 31 of the condenser 30 is open, but the condenser is arranged to condense alcohol which is released from the boiling wine, the vapour extending upwardly from conduit 29 towards the open top end 31, through a tubular heat exchange coil 32. Cooling water is circulated around coil 32 from inlet conduit 33 to discharge conduit 34. The vapour must be cooled sufficiently to condense and flow back into container 23, via expansion chamber. To assure there is no levels of varying alcoholic content, the system has been so designed as to use the rising escaping vapour (bubbles) as a pump, rising to expansion chamber and then falling to create rotation of off$ It ,t sample.

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One of the requirements in determining alcohol content by use

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of an ebulliometer is a high degree of accuracy (plus or minus 20"1 To achieve this, it is important to avoid "hot spots" -co~dr~er 3'C co abe to b ewer,%, pa~e in the container 23 This can be achieved by introducing a coarse object which causes efficient boiling turbulence to the heated sample, but preferably the lower portion 35 of the inner surface of container 23 is rendered rough. In this embodiment, both the flask 13 and container 23 have glass walls, and the rough portion is prepared by heating the glass wall and adhering powdered glass thereto by fusion. This is generally superior to the metal object arrangement, in that it is less likely to cause contamination, and effectively spreads the heating effect. The container is easily cleaned after use. A split tube 36 may be used in container 23 with an axially extending split uppermost, partly surrounding the lower end of thermometer 26, and this assists in inhibiting heat surge and more importantly, creates a highly efficient boiling medium.

There are two different methods which can be used for applying heat evenly to container 23. The first is to use a beaker 37 containing water heated by the gas burner 21, and having the Slower end of container 23 immersed in the hot water.

-4- Alternatively, a skilled operator can achieve the required accuracy by use of a flue tube 38 which directs the flow of heated gas from micro adjustable bunsen burner or spirit burner upwardly to the lower walls of container 23 in such a way that gas flow over the surface is substantially even and laminar.

The elements 37 and 38 are shown in dotted lines in Fig 2.

The steps of testing wine for alcohol content are as follows: Firstly the water in flask 13 is made to boil by the first gas burner 21, and this gives a very quick and accurate reading of the thermometer 20, since the temperature of the steam accurately reflects the temperature of the water, without superheat or variable factors interfering with such accuracy.

o. The water may be removed from the flask 13, and that or other 0. 0 0 0 water placed in the beaker 37. Wine is placed in the dual S outlet container 23, and heat is applied by the second gas S burner as shown in Fig 2. The micro burner can be adjusted so that the heat has the effect of very evenly distributing energy from the hot water to the wine. The micro bunsen and the gas flue 37 are used, as first preference. Although it is unwise to apply excessive amounts of heat which will very quickly boil the wine in the container 23, nevertheless accurate readings can be achieved much more quickly than with prior art ebulliometers.

It is already well known in the art to ascertain the ratio of volume of water and alcohol in the wine in the container 35 by comparison of boiling temperatures as described, and tables which have already been published are used for this purpose.

As the sample (eg wine) begins to boil, because of the design, the escaping vapour (bubbles) will rise through conduit 29, forcing liquid with it into expansion chamber 30a, where through equilibrium of forces liquid will remain boiling.

Gases will continue to rise into condenser 30b where alcohols will condense returning to expansion chamber. A rotation of liquid from expansion chamber and container 23 is created ensuring no concentrated levels of alcohol.

Claims (13)

1. An ebulliometer comprising two assemblies: the first assembly being determinant of ambient boiling temperature of pure water and comprises a flask, walls defining a vapour space surmounting the flask having an outlet near its top end, a thermometer having its bulb within the vapour space, and a deflector tube that is closed at its upper end and open at its lower end, said deflector tube projecting into said flask and being in fluid communication with the upper portion of said vapour space into which said thermometer projects, the second assembly being determinant of ambient boiling temperature of an alcohol/water solution and comprises a dual outlet container which is able to be evenly heated, a thermometer having its bulb in the dual outlet container and in contact with said alcohol/water solution, said thermometer projecting from said dual outlet container through one of the container outlets, and vapour r exist conduit means extending from the other container a 20 outlet, said vapour exit conduit means connecting the dual outlet container to an expansion chamber and condenser surmounting said dual outlet container, said second assembly being constructed so that the rising escaping vapour can act as a pump, maintaining circulation of the alcohol/water sample.

2. An ebulliometer according to claim 1 wherein said vapour space walls define a container, and further comprising respective apertured stoppers in the upper ends of the flask and container, said deflector tube extending through an aperture in the flask stopper and entering the container, said first assembly thermometer extending through an aperture in the container stopper, the container stopper having a vent aperture extending therethrough.

3. An ebulliometer according to claim 2 further comprising a diffuser tube in the container extending over said r~i deflector tube and having a closed end which deflects steam issuing from the deflector tube into the container.

4. An ebulliometer according to any preceding claim further comprising respective outlet stoppers in the outlets of said dual outlet container, said second assembly thermometer extending through one of said outlet stoppers, said condenser comprising a heat exchanger, and said vapour exit tube extending through the other said outlet stopper and connecting the dual outlet container via said expansion chamber to a heat exchange element of said heat exchanger.

An ebulliometer according to claim 4 wherein said heat exchanger also comprises inlet and outlet conduits which, in use, circulate cooling water over said heat exchange element.

6. An ebulliometer according to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein said heat exchange element is a tubular heat exchange coil. owe

7. An ebulliometer according to any one of claims 4 to 6 e further comprising a split tube within the dual outlet S• container partly surrounding a lower end of the thermometer which projects therefrom. :2'5

8. An ebulliometer according to claims 4 to 7 further comprising means near the base of the dual outlet container providing a rough inner surface thereof.

9. An ebulliometer according to claim 8 wherein said dual outlet container walls are glass and said rough surface means comprise powdered glass fused to the inner surface of the container.

An ebulliometer according to any preceding claim further comprising micro and normal gas burners or spirit burners which, in use, are variably positioned respectively beneath the flesk and the dual outlet container.

11. An ebulliometer according to claim 10 further comprising a flue tube extending part way between a said burner and the base of the dual outlet container, and being of such dimension and location as to cause gas flow over the outer surface of the dual outlet container to be even and laminar.

12. An ebulliometer according to claim 10 further comprising a beaker which, in use, contains water in which the base of the dual outlet container is immersed, the beaker being above a said burner such that the burner heats the water which in turn heats the contents of the dual outlet container.

13. An ebulliometer substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Dated this 6th day of July, 1992. HEINZ ROBERT THUMM By his Patent Attorneys, R K MADDERN ASSOCIATES rj i