An Improved Venting or Pressure Regulating Device for Casks Containing Wine, Must, Must Wine, and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 20th Mar., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Venting or Pressure Regulating Device for Casks
Containing Wine, Must, Must Wine, and the like.
I, GUSTAV KRAISS of 8, Weissenburg Strasse, Stuttgart in the Empire of
Germany, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This invention has for its object an improved venting or pressure regulating
device for casks containing wine, must, must wine and the like drinks, which casks
or receptacles can only be exposed to a very small pressure, mostly below
atmosphere, as otherwise they would be exposed to the danger of destruction.
Whilst beer casks for instance can be charged to a very high pressure up to above
ore atmosphere, casks for wine, must, must wine and the like, more particularly
large ones, are mainly so constructed that as a rule they only hold out up to a
pressure of 1 of atmosphere, and preferably are only charged to a pressure of 20.
In the pressure reducing valves hitherto employed the regulation of the pressure
to of an atmosphere downwards was very difficult and the regulation to only
26 of an atmosphere almost entirely impossible. The reading off of such low
pressures cannot take place on a nanometer, and therefore when the venting was
effected by means of such pressure reducing valves in the case of casks for wine,
must, must wine and the like, a destruction of the cask and a loss of its contents
could easily take place owing to too high a pressure.
In order to avoid this, and to allow of a means of venting down to about 100 of
an atmosphere, and also to allow of it being read off or ascertained exactly to
about Too of an atmosphere, this improved venting or pressure regulating device
has been designed.
As shown in the accompanying drawings in Figures 1-10, this improved device
consists of two vessels A and B placed one about one metre above the other, and
communicating with one another by means of a glass tube C and retained in their
position by means of rods D. The lower vessel is entirely closed and is connected
at the top by means of a tap E and pipe e with a pressure-reducing-valve G and a
carbonic acid receptacle and by means of a tap F and a pipe ƒ with one or more
vessels or casks J. The glass tube extends to the bottom of the vessel A, which
is nearly filled with a coloured liquid, such as water, spirit, glycerine or the
like, or a mixture of liquids. The upper vessel B is not closed but open, and
covered with a lid b. The glass tube C opens at the top into the bottom of
the vessel B. If the tap E be opened, the liquid will rise upwards in the pipe C
under the pressure of the carbonic acid in the vessel A. itself and when the pressure
is strong enough will extend up into the vessel B. It cannot however rise
higher than this, but at a higher pressure the liquid formerly contained in the
vessel A will accumulate in the upper vessel B and the surplus gas will escape
without being able to produce a higher pressure. The bunghole pressure produced
can thus never be higher than the pressure of the liquid in the column C and in
the vessel B. In this improved apparatus this is presumed to be a maximum height
of one metre. The specific gravity of the liquid employed, assuming it to be wine,
is thus a maximum pressure of 1 of an atmosphere. If the pressure diminishes,
the liquid will flow from the vessel B into the pipe C and back into lower vessel.

page_text: .
Any pressure therefore below 16 of an atmosphere may be employed and easily
ascertained from the one metre high glass tube. By opening the tap F, the desired
pressure is obtained in the casks.
In case the maximum pressure of 16 of an atmosphere appears dangerous, the
upper vessel B may be also made vertically adjustable, as shown for instance in
Figures 5, 6 and 7.
Instead of a glass tube C and supporting rods D, in these
figures, glass tubes C1 C2 are employed telescopically adjustable in one another,
and supporting bars D' D' also adjustable in one another. The upper vessel B
may then, together with its glass tube C¹ and rods D' be vertically adjusted
in the glass tube C2 and rods D2 respectively, and fixed in any position by fixing
the rods D by means of set screws k in the plate K. Before the adjustment,
an over screw L, serving to render tight the connection of both glass tubes, is
first slackened, and is again screwed tight after the adjustment is completed.
As shown in Figure 6, the vessel B may in this manner be adjusted to about
of its previous height shown in Figures 1-4, that is to say, the maximum
pressure may be reduced from about 1 of an atmosphere to '06.
The apparatus may either be placed on the ground by means of its feet d, or be
suspended from above by means of hooks d'.
Figures 9 and 10 show the safety venting device with one tap in connection with
a pressure-reducing-valve G and a carbonic acid vessel and the other tap in
connection with the casks J. If the apparatus is to be separately placed in
communication with, or shut off from, each of a large number of casks, a flexible
pipe fis brought into communication with a pipe H running over the casks, which
pipe H may be placed in communication with each of the casks J by means of
a tap h.
The apparatus may however be used in certain cases without connection with a
pressure-reducing-valve or a carbonic acid holder, for instance, when it is brought
into communication with casks filled with new fermenting wine. The excess of
carbonic acid of the new wine may then be conveyed into casks containing old wine
poor in carbonic acid. The apparatus replaces in this case the fermenting vents
with increased security. Such a mode of employment is shown in Figure 8. If
for instance the casks M contain new fermenting wine, and the casks M¹ old wine,
it only requires the casks M to be placed in communication with the casks M' by
means of the taps h and the pipe H and the latter with the apparatus, in order to
effect a transference of the surplus carbonic acid without danger of too high a
pressure.
The glass tube C is covered with a protective network e in order to avoid further
damage in case of bursting.
The technical advantages afforded by this improved safety venting or pressure
regulating device are manifold. As already mentioned, surplus carbonic acid from
new wine may be conveyed to old wine entirely without danger. By venting the
wine casks and the like, the formation of cones is avoided, a pressure of 16 of an
atmosphere as a rule being entirely sufficient. The liquors or drinks absorb
carbonic acid through their carbonic-acid-device, and are thereby rendered much
more palatable. Any danger of damaging or destroying the casks is avoided.
As the apparatus is extremely durable, cheap and self-acting, it is applicable for
everybody who desires not only to produce a drink, but a good agreeable and
drinkable drink.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A safety venting or pressure regulating device for the casks of wine, must,
must wine, and the like, characterised by two vessels (A and B) arranged one
above the other and connected with one another by means of a transparent tube,
the lower one (A) being filled with any suitable liquid coloured so as to be visible,
and connected on the one hand either through a pressure-reducing-valve with a

page_text: carbonic acid receptacle, or with a fermenting cask direct by means of a pipe
capable of being shut off, and on the other hand by means of a pipe, also capable
of being shut off, with casks of any suitable size and kind, whereby the carbonic
acid is conveyed into the lower vessel (A), and on the pressure becoming too strong
or exceeding the maximum pressure, escapes from the lower vessel (A) into the
upper vessel (B) so that a higher bunghole pressure than the highest level of the
column of liquid between A and B is impossible, substantially as hereinbefore
set forth.
2. In the safety venting or pressure regulating device such as described, the
telescopic arrangement whereby the upper vessel (B) is rendered vertically
adjustable relative to the lower vessel (A) with the object of enabling the maximum
bunghole' pressure of the safety apparatus to be altered within certain limits,
substantially as described.
Dated this 26th day of January 1897
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant..