Patent Publication Number: US-2016228830-A1

Title: Wine oxygenation device

Description:
The present invention relates to a device for oxygenating wine. 
     Adding controlled amounts oxygen to wine, or aerating the wine, is known to improve its taste. Typically, wine is aerated before use via a decanter or carafe. In a recent development wine can also be aerated using a venturi type system whereby the wine is poured from the bottle into an intermediary vessel above the wine glass, and the wine then aerated via the venturi effect as it passes from the intermediary vessel to the wine glass. Both of these aerating methods however are limited in terms of the rate of which air can be introduced into the wine. 
     According to the present invention there is provided a wine aerating device according to claim  1 . 
     A device which allows the combination of a pressurised oxygen containing gas (allowing for a large amount of gas to be delivered) and the gas diffusing membrane (allowing for a controlled release of this gas) together allows a relatively high flow rate of oxygen gas to be diffused into the wine in a controlled manner to avoid excessive foaming. The diffusive effect of the membrane can produce small bubbles which allow the oxygen gas to be diffused efficiently into, and also quickly react, with the wine. 
     By having the membrane in fibre form, for a given volume of membrane, the membrane can have a large surface area for diffusing oxygen gas into the wine. By increasing this surface area to volume ratio of the membrane, the speed in which the wine can be aerated is also increased. Typically, there may be between two and one hundred hollow fibres in the membrane. Alternatively, the membrane may comprise a single wound fibre which may either be wound on a mandrel, or which may be freely wound and self supporting. 
     The tube may pass from the body beyond the membrane to a manifold from which the membrane extends back towards the body. With this configuration, the direction of the gas flow between the cylinder and the membrane in the tube must necessarily involve a change in direction. This change of direction can be used to throttle the pressure of the gas inside the tube to prevent the membrane from being damaged by gas which is at high a pressure. It also provides enhanced diffusion of gas across the membrane since it allows the gas from the cylinder to be better distributed across the total area of the membrane. 
     The membrane may be elongate in the direction of insertion to provide the membrane with a larger surface area/width ratio so to increase the amount of aeration of the wine in the bottle. 
     The device may comprise a pressure limiting valve for lowering the pressure of the gas from the cylinder to a predetermined pressure before the gas reaches the membrane. In this case, the valve may comprise a valve seat and a valve head, wherein the predetermined pressure is maintained by a spring means which controls the separation between the valve seat and the valve head. With the pressure limiting valve, the pressure of the gas passing through to the membrane can be better controlled. 
     The pressure inside the cylinder, when full, may be between 2 MPa and 30 MPa. Using a defined pressure range in the cylinder allows the aeration process to be carefully controlled. 
     When gas flows from the cylinder, the pressure of the gas at the membrane may be less than 50% of the pressure inside the cylinder. More preferably, the pressure at the membrane may be less than 25% of the pressure inside the cylinder. Even more preferably, the pressure at the membrane may be less than 10% of the pressure inside the cylinder. Still more preferably, the pressure at the membrane may be less than 4% of the pressure inside the cylinder. By increasing the pressure in the cylinder and having a large pressure drop, this allows the cylinder to be made smaller and more compact. 
     The pressure in the cylinder and the size of the tube and membrane may be such that the device can supply 3-10 mg O 2 /l wine, measured at atmospheric conditions, to 75 cl of wine in less than 2 minutes. 
     The device may comprise a protective sheath, surrounding the membrane, and containing outlets which allow gas to pass therethrough. The protective sheath protects the membrane, which may be delicate, from damage by accidental contact with the side of the bottle or any other items which may damage it. 
     The membrane may in particular be a dense membrane. An advantage of this membrane type is that it does not have pores which can become clogged, and it does not leak, or “wet”, as other membrane types can do. 
     The membrane may additionally or alternatively comprise a microporous membrane. By using either a dense membrane and/or a microporous membrane, these membranes have been found to be more effective at producing bubbles with a small mean size. 
     The membrane may be made of a polymeric material to improve the amount of gas diffusing therethrough and reacting with the wine. An example material is polymethylpentene. 
     A portion of the membrane may be made from a hydrophilic material. This way, the device can be more easily cleaned after it has been immersed in wine. 
     The device may further comprise a mount for mounting the device on the neck of the wine bottle. This allows the membrane to be positioned towards the centre of the wine volume inside the bottle. In some embodiments, the mount may comprise a bung which is dimensioned to fit in the neck of the wine bottle. The mount may alternatively or additionally comprise a plurality of legs which are each dimensioned to extend down the outside surface of the neck of the wine bottle. It will be appreciated however that the mount may have any shape necessary to achieve the intended positioning effect. 
     The device may further comprise a piercing element for piercing a seal on the cylinder. With the piercing element, the device can be used with gas cylinders which are sealed by a crimped or welded diaphragm. With such cylinders, the piercing element, which may be in the form of a hollow tube, can pierce the diaphragm to allow gas to escape from the cylinder and into the device. 
     The body, the tube, and the membrane may be co-axial to provide an easily determinable centre of gravity for the device. This axis may extend through the neck of the wine bottle when the device is placed thereon. With this arrangement, when the device is placed on the bottle, the device&#39;s centre of gravity is more likely to act through the neck of the wine bottle, ensuring that the device is stable on the bottle. 
     To allow the membrane to pass readily into the wine bottle, the width of the membrane may be leas than 18 mm. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of adding oxygen containing gas to a volume of wine of 75 cl according to claim  20 . Being able to aerate such quantities of wine in this time interval is clearly useful to the end consumer of wine, since they are readily able to aerate a wine bottle just before serving, much more quickly and effectively than with a decanter, carafe, or venturi type aerator. 
     In this method, the membrane may comprise any of the preferred features described above. 
     In this method, the wine may be contained in a wine bottle and the method may further include the step of inserting the membrane through the neck of the wine bottle. 
     It will also be appreciated that any form of pressurised gas source may be used. Indeed, the gas cylinder described above may be single use, replaceable or refillable. The device may be manufactured and distributed with or without a pressurised gas cylinder. 
     The invention also provides a kit comprising a device as set out above and a compressed gas cylinder containing at least 20% oxygen by volume when measured at atmospheric conditions. 
    
    
     
       The present invention will now be described with reference to the following Figures in which: 
         FIG. 1A  shows a plan view of the aerator assembly; 
         FIG. 1B  shows an end view of the aerator assembly; 
         FIG. 1C  shows a section view of the aerator assembly when sectioned along plane A-A in  FIG. 1B ; 
         FIG. 1D  shows a more detailed section view of the portion of the aerator assembly between the gas cylinder and the membrane when sectioned along plane A-A; 
         FIG. 2A  shows a perspective view of the membrane and the tube covered by a protective sheath; 
         FIG. 2B  shows a section view of the membrane and the tube covered by a protective sheath when sectioned along plane A-A; 
         FIG. 2C  shows a more detailed section view of the membrane covered by a protective sheath when sectioned along plane A-A; 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  show both an exploded and non-exploded view of an alternative embodiment of the gas diffusion lance; 
         FIG. 4  shows an alternative embodiment of the aerator device; 
         FIG. 5  shows and alternative membrane fibre arrangement; 
         FIG. 6  shows a further alternative membrane fibre arrangement; 
         FIGS. 7A to 7C  show still further alternative membrane arrangements; 
         FIG. 8  shows an arrangement of a single fibre to form a membrane; and 
         FIGS. 9A and 9B  show the membrane of  FIG. 8  mounted on a gas diffusion lance. 
     
    
    
     Henceforth, the word ‘downstream’ means towards the membrane end of the gas path and the word ‘upstream’ means towards the cylinder end of the gas path. 
     The aerator assembly shown in the Figures is formed of three main parts: a body  10  for holding a gas cylinder  22 , a diffusion lance  18  (see  FIG. 2B ), and a central tube  16  which connects the body  10  and the lance  18  together. In use, the aerator assembly is arranged to engage with the neck of a wine bottle which has a fluid content of 75 cl (not shown). The aerator assembly may be compatible however with larger bottles if desired, for instance a Magnum or a Jeroboam or any other bottle or container containing a liquid beverage to be aerated including other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages including, but not limited to, whiskey, gin, vodka and fortified wines. 
     The body  10  is sized so that it may be hand held by a user in one hand, and so that it completely encloses the gas cylinder  22 . Consequently, the gas cylinder  22  is of a size and shape which fits within the body  10 . A suitable gas cylinder  22  has a diameter of between 1 cm and 5 cm, and an overall length of between 5 cm and 15 cm. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1D , an interface  12  connects the body  10  to the tube  16 . The tube  16  may be permanently fixed to the body but is preferably removable. The interface  12  is formed of a first section  12 A which forms part of the body  10  and a second section  12 B which connects to and surrounds an upstream portion of the tube  16 . The second section  12 B connects to the first section  12 A via a push in fitting. In their connected state, the two sections  12 A;  12 B of the interface  12  form a frustoconical shape which is dimensioned to partially fit inside the neck of the wine bottle to support the aeration device during use. The length of the tube  16  and diffusion lance  18  is preferably such that the downstream end of the diffusion lance  18  does not contact the bottom of the bottle in use. 
     To ensure a fluid seal between the two sections when they are connected, the first section  12 A comprises a sealing o-ring  12 C which engages with the second section  12 B. 
     Although not shown, a number of optional resilient legs may be present which emanate from the interface  12  (or other part of the aerator device) and which are shaped to conform to the sloping surface defining the neck of the wine bottle, and which help ensure that the aerator assembly is correctly located over the wine bottle opening in use. 
     A pressurised gas cylinder  22  connects to the top of the body  10  by a screw thread (not shown) located on the body  10 . The gas cylinder  22  can contain pressurised air, though preferably it contains pressurised gas containing more than 20% oxygen by volume, most preferably 100% oxygen, (when measured at atmospheric conditions) at a pressure between 20 bar (2 MPa) and 300 bar (30 MPa). However, the preferred cylinder gas pressure is 200 bar (20 MPa). As shown most clearly in  FIG. 1D , the cylinder  22  comprises a crimped diaphragm  23 , which is arranged to be perforated by a piercing tube  25  when the cylinder is connected thereto. A cover portion  10 A of the body  10  surrounds the cylinder  22  in use. 
     Downstream from the gas cylinder  22  is a fluid channel  24  which extends through the body  10 . The fluid channel  24  initially extends from the piercing tube  25  and passes through a filter block  27  in the body  10  for removing any impurities or particulates in the gas coming from the cylinder  22 . 
     Downstream of the filter block  27 , and inside the channel  24  of the body  10 , is a valve  29  formed of an upstream valve seat  29 A and a downstream valve head  29 B which is engageable with the valve seat. The valve  29  is largely responsible tor throttling the pressure of the gas in the cylinder to a pressure of approximately 200 KPa-400 KPa which is suitable for use in the membrane as will be described. 
     Opening and closing of the valve  29  is controlled by a pressure regulation system  36  located inside a cavity  30  of the body  10  downstream of the valve  29 . 
     The pressure regulation system  36  comprises, at its downstream end, a piston  38  which seals against the body  10  via an o-ring  42 . The regulation system also comprises an elongate central piston rod  40  located inside the fluid channel  24  which engages with the piston  38 . The upstream end of the piston rod  40  is engageable with the valve head  29 B and contains a fluid channel (not shown) extending through its length to allow gas flow through the piston rod  40  as will be described. 
     At the upstream end of the regulation system a collar  44  located inside the cavity  30  abuts the body  10  and is sealed by an o-ring  46 . A compression spring  48  extends between the piston  38  and the collar  44  to bias the piston  38  in the downstream direction. 
     In use, the downstream face of the piston  38  is acted upon by pressurised gas which passes through the central channel of the piston rod  40 . When the pressure of the gas is high enough, the pressure overcomes the biasing force of the spring  48 , thus moving the piston  38  and the piston rod  40  in the upstream direction. In so doing, the piston rod  40  moves the valve head  29 B towards the valve seat  29 A to restrict the gas passing through the valve and hence reduce the pressure. As the pressure on the downstream face of the piston  38  reduces, the spring  48  is able to once again bias the piston  38  in the downstream direction and the valve  29  is once again able to open. 
     Downstream of the pressure regulation system  36 , a fluid channel  50 , offset from the central axis of the body  10 , forms a continuation of the fluid channel  24 . The offset fluid channel  50  is selectively closable by a valve member  26 , which is operated by a slidable switch  28  located on the outside surface of the body  10 . In the position shown in  FIG. 1D , the offset fluid channel  50  is blocked by the valve member  26 . 
     Downstream of the valve  26  is the tube  16  which extends downwardly inside the wine bottle in use. 
     At the downstream end of the tube  16  is an aerator/diffusion lance  18  which comprises a protective sheath  20 . In use, the diffusion lance  18  is at least partially immersed in the wine to be aerated as will be described. The diffusion lance  18  is in the region of 100 mm in length and 10-15 mm in width. The materials used in the diffusion lance  18  and the protective sheath  20  are preferentially hydrophilic so the wine can be easily rinsed from the components after use. 
     The diffusion lance  18  is best shown with reference to  FIGS. 2A-2C . The lance  18  is generally cylindrical in shape and elongate in the direction of insertion which corresponds to the elongate axis of the surrounding wine bottle in use. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2A-2C , the diffusion lance  18  comprises an upstream, central and downstream portion  18 A;  18 B;  18 C. The tube  16  enters the diffusion lance  18  via its upstream portion  18 A and forms a passage  19  which extends along the length of the diffusion lance  18 . The downstream portion of the diffusion lance  18  comprises a manifold  21  which is fluidly connected with the passage  19 . Connected to the manifold  21  are a number of individual hollow fibres  32  which extend axially along the length of the lance  18 . The fibres  32  are bound together and sealed at the upstream portion  18 A of the diffusion lance  18 . Together, the hollow fibres surround the passage  19  and provide a membrane  31  with a large surface area for diffusing gas from the cylinder into the wine. 
     By having the manifold  21  located at the bottom portion of the diffusion lance  18 , gas originating from the passage  19  which enters the manifold necessarily incurs a reversal in direction as it travels up into each of the hollow fibres  32 . 
     The diffusion lance  18  shown in  FIGS. 2A-2C  contains between forty and fifty individual fibres  32 , although more or less than this amount of fibres could be used. Oxyplus™ capillary membrane hollow fibres, which each have an external diameter of 380 microns and an internal bore of 260 microns, are an example of a suitable fibre for use in the membrane  31  of the diffusion lance  18 . These fibres are also particularly effective at producing bubbles with a small mean size. The fibres are supplied by Membrana GmbH and contain polymethylpentene. 
     A protective sheath  20  surrounds the membrane fibres  32  as shown in  FIGS. 2A-2C . The protective sheath  20  is preferably made of stainless steel (to prevent chemical interaction with the wine to be aerated) and comprises a number of openings  34  which allow wine to pass therethrough and into contact with the hollow fibres  32  of the membrane  31 . 
     Operation of the aerator assembly is best shown with reference to  FIGS. 1A and 1D . Initially, a gas cylinder  22  is connected to the body  10 , whilst ensuring that the valve  26  is in its closed position. 
     When the gas cylinder  22  is initially connected with the body  10 , the piercing tube  25  pierces the crimped diaphragm  23  of the gas cylinder  22  to allow high pressure gas to pass from the cylinder into the channel  24  past the filter block  27  and the valve  29 . In passing between the cylinder and the valve  29 , the gas is throttled from the pressure inside the gas cylinder down to a lower pressure of between 100 KPa-400 KPa. The lower pressure gas then passes through the fluid channel inside the piston rod  40  and out from its downstream end. The lower pressure gas enters the offset fluid channel  50 . When the valve  26  is toggled open, the gas from the offset channel  50  then passes the valve  26  info the tube  16  as will be described. When enough gas has passed through the assembly to achieve the desired level of aeration, the valve  26  is toggled closed (as shown in  FIG. 1D ) to block the offset channel  50 , preventing further gas from reaching the tube  16 . 
     When gas enters the tube  16 , it subsequently passes into the passage  19  inside the diffusion lance  18  and then into the manifold  21  located at the downstream end of the lance  18 . 
     Inside the manifold  21 , the direction of the gas flow is substantially reversed as the gas enters each of the hollow fibres  32 . This change of direction can be used as a mechanism to further throttle the pressure of the gas before it enters the hollow fibres  32 . 
     When entering each of the hollow fibres  32  from the manifold  21 , the oxygen containing gas is above atmospheric pressure. The wine itself is at atmospheric pressure. As a result, a pressure gradient is formed between the interior and exterior surfaces of each hollow fibre  32  which causes the pressurised gas to diffuse through the hollow fibres  32  to react with the wine. Because of the large number of hollow fibres  32  used, the membrane  31  has a relatively high surface area to volume ratio, which means that it can achieve a fast diffusion rate of gas therethrough. The gas which diffuses through the fibres  32  forms bubbles with a small mean bubble size. As a result of these small bubbles, the gas may quickly diffuse and react with the wine. 
     It will be appreciated that the hollow fibres  32  are made from a material, or a combination of materials, which is suitable for diffusing oxygen therethrough and which is capable of generating bubbles with a small mean size. Possible example materials includes, but are not limited to, polyethylene; polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS); polyolefin; silicone-coated polypropylene (Si-PP); polyimide/polyethersulfone; silicone; and polyether ether ketone (PEEK). 
     If the pores of the membrane  31  break down and allow too much gas flow therethrough, the lance  18  can be replaced and the new lance  18  fitted to the remaining parts of the device. Alternatively, only the membrane  31  may be replaced inside the lance  18 . 
     Using the arrangement described above, it is possible to aerate a standard 75 cl bottle of wine with 3-10 mg O 2 /l wine, when measured at atmospheric conditions, in less than 2 minutes. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , an alternative embodiment of an aeration device  67  is shown. To avoid duplication, like features of the aeration device  67  are referenced with the same reference numerals to those used above. Therefore, the aeration device  67  comprises a body  10  housing a gas cylinder (not shown) and a tube  16  connecting the body  10  to the gas diffusion lance  60 . In this embodiment, the gas diffusion lance  60  is integral with the tube  16 . In use, gas passes from the body  10  through tube  16  to a manifold portion  68  of the lance  60 . In this embodiment, the main longitudinal axis of the tube  16  is not co-axial with that of the body  10 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3A to 3B , the lance  60  comprises an opening  62  which is arranged to receive a membrane cartridge  61 . The membrane cartridge  61  comprises an upstream manifold  66  and a downstream manifold  65 . The upstream and downstream manifolds are connected by a resiliently deformable member (not shown) and a plurality of fibres  32  extend from the upstream manifold  66  to the downstream manifold  65  to form a gas delivery membrane  69 . In contrast to the arrangement described above with reference to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , in this embodiment the open end of the fibres  32  are located in the upstream manifold  66  to receive gas supply from the tube  16 . The downstream ends of the fibres  32  are sealed off in downstream mandrel  65 . 
     The upstream manifold  66  of the membrane cartridge  61  is configured to fit in fluid tight engagement within the manifold  68  of the lance  60  so that gas can be delivered to the fibres  32  in use. The downstream manifold  65  of the membrane cartridge  61  has a cut out  69  which is shaped to engage with the downstream side of the cut out  62  in the lance  60 . 
     The overall length of the membrane cartridge  61  is greater than the overall length of the opening  62  in the lance  60 . Therefore, when the membrane cartridge  61  is received within the opening  62 , the fibres  32  balloon outwardly of the opening  62 . The membrane cartridge  61  is retained in place within the opening  62  by means of the resiliently deformable member connecting the upstream and downstream mandrels  66 ,  65 . It will be noticed that in this embodiment the gas diffusion lance  60  does not have a protective sheath. Of course, a protective sheath may be used if desired. 
       FIG. 5  shows an alternative arrangement of fibres  32  forming a membrane  70 . As shown, a plurality of fibres  32  emanate from a central manifold  71  to a radially spaced manifold  72  in substantially a spiral formation. In this embodiment, gas flows from the central manifold  71  to the radially spaced manifold  72 . This arrangement may be reversed if desired. 
       FIG. 6  shows a still further alternative arrangement of fibres  32  forming a membrane  80 . As shown, a single fibre  32  emanates from an upstream manifold  81  to a downstream manifold (not shown) in a substantially helical formation. In this embodiment, gas flows from the upstream manifold  81  to the downstream manifold. This arrangement may be reversed if desired. The fibres  32  of the membrane  80  are supported by a support member  83 . However, it is envisaged that the support member  83  will not be necessary in all embodiments with all material types and that the membrane  80  may be self supporting. 
       FIGS. 7A to 7C  show further alternative membrane arrangements. In the embodiment of  FIG. 7A , a membrane  90  is formed by a plurality of fibres  132  in much the same way as described above with reference to  FIG. 3A . However, in this embodiment the fibres  132  are of greater diameter than the fibres  32  of  FIG. 3A . In this embodiment, a particularly suitable material for forming the fibres  132  is an ultra-thin silicone material having a wall thickness of 0.07 mm and an internal diameter of 0.4 mm such as may be obtained from RAUMEDIC AG, Hermann-Staudinger-Str. 2, D-95233, Helmbrechts, GERMANY. Such material has particular benefit in that it has a clean surface and is not porous allowing for less contamination potential and easier cleaning. With this material the gas is able to diffuse from the inside of the fibre to the outside of the fibre directly through the silicone wall material. It will be understood that this material may be used for any of the fibre arrangements described herein. 
       FIG. 7B  shows an alternative arrangement of the fibres  132  configured to form a membrane  94 . In this embodiment the fibres  132  form an egg-whisk type arrangement with the fibres  132  stating and ending at an upstream mandrel  95  which is integral with the tube  16 . It will be understood that an egg-whisk type arrangement in which the fibres start and finish at a common mandrel is equally suitable for fibres having smaller internal diameters such as the fibres  32  described above. 
       FIG. 7C  shows a still further alternative arrangement of the fibres  132  configured to form a membrane  97 . In this embodiment the fibres  132  form axially spaced rings  98  which receive gas from an elongate ellipsoid shaped mandrel  99  which also forms the diffusion lance  96 . The mandrel  99  is integral with the tube  116 . 
     A final exemplary embodiment of a membrane  100  is shown in  FIG. 8 . The membrane  100  comprises a single fibre  32  wound onto two bobbins  102 ,  103  ( FIGS. 9A and 9B ) which are respectively supported on the downstream and upstream ends of a gas lance  101 . In use, gas enters the fibre  32  via both ends as indicated by arrows  104 . Alternatively, the gas may enter the fibre  32  via one of its ends only. 
     EXAMPLE 
     In an exemplary arrangement, an aerator device was used comprising 50 Oxyplus™ capillary membrane hollow fibres, each with an external diameter of 380 microns, an internal bore of 260 microns, and a length of 100 mm. A gas cylinder containing pressurised gas of 100% oxygen by volume at a pressure of 150,000 to 200,000 kPa was connected to the device. 
     The device was inserted into a standard wine bottle containing 75 cl of Blaufränkisch 2009 and the switch  28  on the body  12  of the device moved to its open position to allow gas to diffuse through the membrane. The device then aerated the wine for 1.5 minutes at a gas flow rate of 0.23 l/min (measured at standard atmospheric conditions), in which time the oxygen content of the wine increased from 1.14 mg O 2 /l wine to 6.01 mg O 2 /l wine. 
     In a separate experiment the device was inserted into a standard wine bottle contacting 75 cl of Graciano, 2010. The device then aerated the wine for 1.5 minutes at a gas flow rate of 0.23 l/min (measured at standard atmospheric conditions), in which time the oxygen content of the wine increased from 0.87 mg O 2 /l wine to 3.98 mg O 2 / wine.