Recapture of ethanol from aging barrel
OwnerBenjamin Coxinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An enclosure that may be placed around a barrel of aging alcohol, wherein the enclosure may include a bottom, a net, a cooling coil, and a top, wherein the cooling coil may be positioned over the barrel such that ethanol vapor can be condensed onto the cooling coil and dripped onto the barrel. The cooling coil may also be cooled by cooling refrigerant below the condensation point of ethanol and pumping the refrigerant through the cooling coil. Alternatives can include positioning the cooling coil over a drip pan and may also include returning the condensed ethanol into the barrel via a hose.
Claims23
An enclosure comprising
- a bottom comprising a first rigid support structure that is impervious to ethanol vapor, a width of the bottom that is at least as wide as a belly diameter of a barrel, and a length of the bottom that is at least as long as a length of the barrel;
- a top comprising a second rigid support structure that is impervious to ethanol vapor, a length of the top that is at least as long as the length of the barrel, and a width of the top that is at least as wide as the belly diameter of the barrel;
- a net comprising a perimeter of flexible material that is impervious to ethanol vapor, wherein the perimeter of the net is formed on the top and extends orthogonally from the top to the bottom for at least a distance equal to the belly diameter of the barrel;
- and
- a cooling coil positioned between the top and the bottom and distanced at least the belly diameter of the barrel from the bottom.
A method of condensing ethanol comprising:
- placing a barrel containing alcohol within an enclosure, wherein the enclosure is impervious to ethanol vapor;
- and
- placing a cooling coil over the barrel within the enclosure.
A system comprising:
- a container of chilled refrigerant;
- an enclosure for a barrel comprising a bottom, a net, a cooling coil, and a top;
- the bottom comprising a first rigid support structure that is impervious to ethanol vapor, a width of the bottom that is at least twice as wide as a belly diameter of a barrel, and a length of the bottom that is at least as long as a length of the barrel;
- the top comprising a second rigid support structure that is impervious to ethanol vapor, a length of the top that is at least as long as the length of the barrel, and a width of the top that is at least as wide as the belly diameter of the barrel;
- the net comprising a flexible material that is impervious to ethanol vapor, wherein the net forms a perimeter on the top and the perimeter of the net extends orthogonally from the top to the bottom for at least a distance equal to the belly diameter of the barrel;
- the cooling coil positioned between the top and the bottom and distanced at least the belly diameter of the barrel from the bottom;
- and
- wherein the cooling coil is in fluid communication with the container of chilled refrigerant and is in thermal communication with the chilled refrigerant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.