A new two-phase passive temperature control system for a wine fermenter

Thermal control of a fermenter tank is fundamental to guarantee a high-quality final product, especially in wine-making processes. Indeed, temperature is a crucial parameter for alcoholic fermentation in the production of wine, since it could modulate the generation of secondary products of fermentation in specific aromatic compounds. Fermentation is an exothermic process, and an efficient refrigeration system in fermenter tanks is necessary. Usually, to achieve this aim in fermentation tanks for wine-making processes, an external shell is implemented where a cooling fluid, normally water, flows. The circulation of the service fluid is triggered only when the temperature in the fermenter overcomes a critical value; however, this classical system could generate oscillation and stratification of the must temperature, reducing the goodness of the fermentation process. In this work, a substitutive cooling system based on heat pipe technology is proposed, and its feasibility is studied. It presents the benefit of always working and, for this reason, keeping a more constant and uniform value of temperature in the fermenter for the entire process duration. Additionally, the presented solution is completely passive, lowering energetic and economical costs. The obtained outcomes proved that the practical adoption of the proposed cooling system is achievable and that it constitutes an encouraging option.