초록 ▼

An apparatus includes a mash circulating system with pump and fermentation tank, an atmosphere circulating system with blower for circulating atmosphere between the tank and an ethanol-removal station, and an integrated refrigerating heat-transfer system with first coils for condensing out ethanol f

An apparatus includes a mash circulating system with pump and fermentation tank, an atmosphere circulating system with blower for circulating atmosphere between the tank and an ethanol-removal station, and an integrated refrigerating heat-transfer system with first coils for condensing out ethanol from the atmosphere, and second coils for warming the mash. A support frame supports portions of the above components, making it a transportable modular unit to facilitate installation, minimize cost, and provide for efficient operation. The entire apparatus can be up-sized or down-sized for specific applications. In one form, the system includes electrically-driven pump, blower, and refrigeration compressors, with the external energy consumption kept surprisingly low. Methods related to the above are also disclosed.

대표청구항 ▼

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 1. An integrated apparatus for producing and separating ethanol from mash, comprising:a support frame;a mash circulating-and-fermenting-and-recirculating system including first pipes conne

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 1. An integrated apparatus for producing and separating ethanol from mash, comprising:a support frame;a mash circulating-and-fermenting-and-recirculating system including first pipes connecting a mash fermentation tank and a recirculation pump that pumps mash along the first pipes to a warming station having first coils and then pumps the mash back to the mash fermentation tank;an atmosphere circulating-and-recirculating system including second pipes connecting the mash fermentation tank and a blower blowing ethanol-water-vapor-laden atmosphere from the mash fermentation tank to an ethanol-and-water-vapor-condensing station having second coils and then blowing dried atmosphere back to the mash fermentation tank; anda refrigerating/heat-transfer system with lines and a compressor motivating compressible coolant fluid to flow through the first coils at the warming station and through the second coils at the ethanol-and-water-vapor-condensing station; andthe support frame supporting portions of the first and second pipes and also supporting the refrigerating/heat-transfer system including the compressor, the first coils, and the second coils.