JPS6362192B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a single distillation apparatus for producing distilled spirits, particularly shochu.

[Conventional technology]

Conventional pot distillation equipment consists of an evaporator that evaporates the saccharified and alcohol-fermented raw materials of rice and wheat, a cooler that cools and liquefies the evaporated alcohol vapor, and a cooler that liquefies the evaporated alcohol vapor. It is equipped with a communication pipe that connects the shochu and the cooler, and a storage tank that stores the liquefied shochu liquor by the cooler. Therefore, when the distillation operation is started by heating the mash in the evaporator with a heater, the alcohol vapor reaches the cooler through the communication pipe, is liquefied, and is stored in the storage tank as an initial distillate with a high alcohol concentration. However, since the first dripping portion generally has a high alcohol concentration of 70 to 75%, it is preferable to store it as unprocessed sake, but on the other hand, it is stored as a fusel with an unpleasant oily odor. Because it is rich in oil and higher fatty acids, it had to be separated. Therefore, we start storing the middle distillate, which has a lower concentration than the first dripping part, and store it up to an alcohol concentration of 5 to 10% just before the undropped part, which is the last distillate, but this last undropped part contains furfural. It contained a lot of it, making it undesirable for shochu, so it was discarded.

As is clear from the above, conventional distillers had a structure in which fusel oils and higher fatty acids, etc., which emit unpleasant odors, had to be continuously distilled together with alcohol. The parts were separated as appropriate, and only the middle part was stored. However, this middle distillate part also contains some fusel oil and higher fatty acids, and when the temperature of the stored unprocessed spirit obtained as a middle distillate drops, the fusel oil etc. becomes cloudy and appears cloudy, which is due to its low content. Because it floats to the surface of the liquid due to its specific gravity, we had to remove it each time. Moreover,
Such operations have to be carried out during the aging period of the shochu, which has the drawback of requiring a great deal of effort for monitoring. Therefore, the present applicant has already proposed a manufacturing method and apparatus for solving the above-mentioned drawbacks in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-210976.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in the apparatus proposed by the applicant, high-boiling point impurities such as fusel oil produced during distillation are supplied to the bottom of each rectification chamber through the reflux passage that returns from the rectification chamber to the evaporator. The evaporator was separated into overflowing low-temperature water and returned to the evaporator. Therefore, as the distillation progresses, the concentration of high-boiling impurities in the remaining moromi increases, which has a considerable effect on subsequent distillation.

The present invention was made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the high boiling point impurities concentrated in the overflow water are temporarily stored in the reflux passage and taken out of the pot as needed. The present invention proposes an apparatus that can discharge overflow water when the concentration of boiling point impurities is high, and return the overflow water to the evaporator once the concentration has decreased.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention forms a storage section for storing overflow water in a portion of the overflow water recirculation passage from a plurality of rectification chambers placed in the upper part of the evaporation pot, which is located in the gas phase section of the evaporation pot. This allows the overflow water stored in the evaporator to be taken out of the evaporator.

[Effect]

According to the apparatus of the present invention, the high-boiling point impurities removed from the low-temperature water in the rectification chamber are returned to the evaporator via the reflux passage together with the overflow water of the low-temperature water, but this overflow water is once stored in the reflux passage. The stored water can be taken out to the outside of the evaporator as needed.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiment. In the same figure, a distillation pot 1 is filled with mash 2 for distillation, and a flange is inserted into the upper opening 1a of the distillation pot 1. A rectification column 3 is installed. This rectification column 3 includes a first column 31, a second column 32, and a third column 33, each of which is formed into a cylindrical shape with the same outer diameter.
The first to third columns 33 are stacked one on top of the other. The lower end opening of the first column 31 is connected to the upper opening 1a of the evaporator 1 in an airtight manner. As is clear from the figure, the first tower 31 is formed into a cylindrical shape whose length is slightly longer than that of the second tower 32 and the third tower 33, and a cooling water storage tank 31b is located approximately in the center of the first tower 31. A water supply section 31c and an overflow section 31d are disposed on this side wall, and the water in the water storage tank 31b is always overflowed and maintained at a low temperature suitable for cooling the alcohol vapor. Above this water tank 31b is a partition wall 3.
1e, a rectification chamber 31f is defined, and this partition wall 31e is provided with a plurality of flow passages 31g that penetrate the water storage tank 31b and are fitted so that alcohol vapor from the pot 1 passes through. There is. The upper end of this flow passage 31g is covered with a hemispherical cap 31h, the lower edge of which is installed so as to be submerged below the water surface filled in the lower part of the rectification chamber 31f, and the upper end of the flow passage 31g is placed above this water surface. It stands out. This amount of water can be appropriately adjusted through a viewing window 31i on the side wall of the rectifying chamber 31f by operating a valve in the water supply section 31j. Furthermore, the rectification chamber 31f
In order to return the water from which fusel oil and the like has been separated into the evaporator 1, it penetrates the partition wall 31e forming the bottom of the rectification chamber 31f and the bottom of the water storage tank 31b, and reaches the bottom of the evaporator 1. An overflow pipe 31k is attached. This overflow pipe 31k is variable in the vertical direction so that the amount of water can be adjusted depending on the type of shochu and the like. Therefore, the fusel oil and the like separated and removed in the rectification chamber 31f are always returned to the evaporation pot 1 via this overflow pipe 31k. This overflow pipe 31k is provided with a storage section, as will be described later, in which the overflow water is retained.

As described above, the second tower 32 is arranged in a stacked manner at the upper opening of the first tower 31.
It is defined as , and is used for cooling alcohol vapor similar to that described above. And this water tank 3
At the top of 2b, there is a partition wall 3 as in the case of the first column 31.
A rectification chamber 32f is defined through the column 2e, and is provided with a flow passage 32g, a cap 32h, and an overflow pipe 32k similar to those of the first column 31. The overflow pipe 32k is somewhat different from that of the first column 31, and is installed so as to penetrate through the partition wall 32e and water storage tank 32b of the second column 32 and reach below the water surface of the rectification chamber 31f of the first column. There is.

A third tower 33 having substantially the same structure as the second tower 32 is further attached to the upper opening of the second tower 32, and its water storage tank 33b is empty and is provided for air cooling. , its upper end is occluded. Furthermore, if necessary, these columns can be arranged in a sequential manner to increase the purification capacity. Note that these second towers 32 and third towers 3
The other components in No. 3 are shown with the same suffixes as the components of the first column.

Further, each of the rectification chambers 31f, 32f, 33f of the first column 31 to third column 33 has a side wall for discharging water containing fusel oil, etc. from this section every time one distillation operation is completed. Discharge parts 311, 32
1,331 is attached, and on the upper part of this side wall, there are steam exhaust parts 31m, 32m, 33m connected to the spaces of each rectification chamber 31f, 32f, 33f, that is, the space filled with purified alcohol vapor. These are pipe-connected to the cooler 4, and are also connected to a tester (not shown) for testing the alcohol content. This cooler 4
These are a snake pipe 41, a chamber 42 surrounding it, a water supply section 43 that supplies water to this chamber 42, an overflow section 44 that discharges water in this chamber 42, and a drainage section that discharges water from the chamber 42 after the operation is completed. 45. The fraction cooled and liquefied by this cooler 4 is transferred to the above-mentioned coiled pipe 4.
1, and is led to a storage tank (not shown) by a pipe connected thereto, where the distilled and refined shochu raw liquor is stored.

Furthermore, the overflow pipe 31k of the first column 31 mentioned above is
A storage section 34 for storing overflow water in the vapor phase of the evaporator 1 is formed as a U-shaped tube, and the tube end penetrates from the upper part of the evaporator 1 to the outside. A switching valve 35 is installed on the outside, and after the overflow water is cooled by a cooler 36 disposed outside, it is discharged and stored. Further, by switching the switching valve 35, this overflow water is further returned into the evaporating pot 1 via a return pipe 37.

The temperature of the water cooled outside the evaporator pot 1 can be measured so that the cooling capacity of the cooler 36 can be tested.

With the above configuration, the moromi 2 heated by a heater (not shown) boils when it reaches a predetermined temperature, but alcohol, water, etc. begin to evaporate before that point, and at this time, the moromi 2 starts to evaporate. is accompanied by impurities of fusel oil and higher fatty acids contained in
Steam whose main components are alcohol and water first passes through the plurality of flow passages 31g of the first column 31, and at this time is cooled by water flowing into the water storage tank 31b. The cooling steam that has passed through the flow path 31g is guided to the cap 31h of the flow path 31g, and bubbles into the water of the rectification chamber 31f, filling the space of the rectification chamber 31f, but the bubbling steam has a temperature difference with the water. Most of the impurities such as fusel oil with a high boiling point are condensed and separated into water, and the alcohol etc. with a low boiling point are sent to the cooler 4 from the steam discharge part 31m attached to the side wall. It is now being liquefied as raw sake. The liquor quality of this liquefied fraction can be tested using a steam tester, and depending on the test results, the steam in the first column 31 is guided to the second column 32 or the third column 33. These flow path 32g, cap 32h, flow path 33g, and cap 3
3 hours, and is further rectified and cooled so that it can be led to the cooler 4 and the storage tank as a fraction with a high alcohol content. In this way, each tower 3
While passing through No. 2 and 33, the vapor temperature of the distillate gradually decreases, and high boiling point impurities such as fusel oil and higher fatty acids are more reliably separated and removed. The high-boiling point impurities separated into the low-temperature water overflow through the overflow pipes 33k, 32k, and 31k, and are gradually stored in the storage section 34 of the overflow pipe 31k.
It is further cooled to a predetermined temperature in the cooler 36 and discharged. The content of high-boiling point impurities is determined from the cloudy state of this discharged water, and if the transparency of the discharged water increases, the switching valve 35 is determined as the content of high-boiling point impurities will not have a negative effect on the distillation operation. It is then returned to the evaporation pot 1 via the return pipe 37. By this operation, the high boiling point impurities in the overflow water returning from the overflow pipe 31k to the evaporator 1 can be suppressed to a low concentration, and the distillation efficiency can be increased.

In the above-described embodiment, the overflow pipe 31k may be provided with a means for releasing the internal pressure of the pipe so that the overflow water can be smoothly discharged.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the overflow water from the rectification chamber to the evaporator can be appropriately discharged to the outside of the evaporator, so that the concentration of high boiling point impurities in the evaporator can be maintained at a gradually lower state. Alcohol distillation efficiency can be increased.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The figure is a diagram conceptually showing the main parts of the distilled liquor manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. 1: Evaporation pot, 2: Moromi, 3: Rectification column, 31,3
2, 33: Tower (rectification chamber), 31g, 32g, 33
g: Distribution path (steam path), 31h, 32h, 33
h: Cap, 31k, 32k, 33k: Overflow path, 31m, 32m, 33m: Steam exhaust section, 3
4: Storage part, 35: Switching valve, 36: Cooler, 3
7: Return pipe.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An evaporating pot filled with moromi, a plurality of rectification chambers for purifying alcohol from the alcohol-rich vapor evaporated from the evaporation pot, and a low-temperature chamber filled in each of these rectification chambers. A steam passage for introducing and bubbling the vapor fraction rising from the evaporator into the water, and a reflux passage for allowing the overflow of the low-temperature water after bubbling to flow back into the evaporator are located in the gas phase part of the evaporator. and a storage section for storing the formed overflow water,
An apparatus for producing distilled liquor, characterized in that the reflux passage is formed such that overflow water stored in the storage section can be taken out to the outside of the evaporation pot. 2. The distilled liquor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage section is formed as a U-shaped tube. 3. The distilled liquor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a switching valve is provided outside the evaporating pot in the reflux passage to selectively guide the overflow water into and out of the evaporating pot. .