The present invention refers to a system for heat treatment, fermenting and similar, and mixing, in particular in the field of brewing industry, comprising a vessel to receive substance to be treated, and an agitating means arranged in said vessel, said agitating means mixing the substance to be treated while process is carried out.

During the process of boiling wort, most of the brewing companies use various agitators to mix wort, in particular blade mixers. Usually, the mixer is arranged centrally with regard to the vessel and consequently, the entire content of the vessel is rotated instead to be mixed. As a result, the wort is poorly mixed, therefore, transfer of sugar from barley to water and, respectively, to wort is rather non-efficient. In addition, during boiling the transfer of heat from the source to the substance to be treated is essentially lower.

It is the object of the present invention to create a system for heat treatment, fermenting and similar, and mixing, in particular in the field of brewing industry, which remedies drawbacks of the known solutions.

The object as set above is solved, according to the present invention, by features according to the characterising clause of the claim 1. The invention is disclosed in detail in corresponding subclaims.

The invention is further described in detail by way of non-limiting embodiments, and with a reference to the accompanying drawings, where

Fig. 1 shows partly schematic view of a system for brewing beer and mixing,

Fig. 2 shows a three-dimensional view of an agitating means,

Fig. 3 shows a three-dimensional view of an alternate embodiment of the agitating means.

The invention is further described on the basis of a one of the possible embodiments that can be used with the brewing beer. In the process of the brewing beer a vessel for mashing and boiling is used in which malt and/or hop is boiled in order to prepare a brewery mixture. A system for brewing beer may comprise a removable vessel 1 for mashing and boiling which, during heating and/or mixing, contains fluid, said vessel 1 can also be used for the fermenting process. An agitating means 3 is arranged in the region of a bottom 2 of said vessel 1, said bottom 2 being preferably at least partially inclined with regard to the horizontal plane. Said agitating means 3 is preferably arranged centrally with regard to said vessel 1 and, respectively, to the bottom 2 thereof. Said vessel 1 further comprises a first inlet connection 4 to input fluid such as a process fluid for instance, a cleaning fluid and similar, into the vessel 1, and a drain connection 5 for draining the vessel 1. Preferably, said first inlet connection 4 is arranged tangentially to a casing 6 of the vessel 1, whereas said drain connection 5 for draining the vessel 1 is preferably arranged at the lowest section of said inclined bottom 2 of the vessel 1. Said vessel 1 further comprises a second inlet connection 7 which, on one hand, is in fluid communication with said drain connection 5 and which, on the other hand, is in fluid communication with said agitating means 3. Preferably, said second inlet connection 7 is arranged centrally with regard to said vessel 1 and, respectively, to the bottom 2 thereof and is in fluid communication with said agitating means 3. Optionally, each inlet connection 4, 7 and the drain connection 5 is provided with a blocking means 8 such as a valve. In addition, a transporting means 9, such as a pump, may be provided in at least on line 4, 5, 7 which transports substance to be treated and/or process fluid into the vessel 1 and out of the vessel 1.

Inside the vessel 1, said bottom 2 is provided in the central region thereof and directly above the second inlet connection 7 with a pipe connection 10 which is in a direct fluid communication with said second inlet connection 7. Said agitating means 3 is non-movably associated with said pipe connection 10 in a manned known per se, for instance by means of a threaded connection 11 as shown in the present embodiment. According to the present invention, the agitating means 3 (Fig. 2) through which fluid may flow is formed in a manner of the letter T, where the first free end of a vertical tubular section 12 of the agitating means 3 is associated by means of said connection 11 with the pipe connection 10, whereas a collector 13 is attached to the second end of the vertical tubular section 12, said collector 13 being formed in the present embodiment as a horizontal tubular section extending in essence perpendicularly to the vertical tubular section 12. Said essentially horizontal tubular section 13 extends radially outwards from the vertical tubular section 12 into at least two opposite directions, preferably into diametrically opposite directions, so as two legs 14, 15 of the horizontal tubular section 13 are formed therewith. Said legs 14, 15 may have the same length, however, they are preferably formed with different lengths. The free end of each leg 14, 15 is arched in at least one plane in order to obtain outlet sections 16, 17 and, respectively, nozzles in a form of a pipe elbow. Each outlet section 16, 17 is curved in at least horizontal plane so that the direction A, B of the outlet jet is approximately tangential to the casing 6 of the vessel 1. In this manner an excellent mixing of the substance contained in the vessel 1 is obtained. It turned out to be particularly preferable if at least one of the outlet sections 16, 17 is turned for an angle about the central axis of the horizontal tubular section 13 towards the bottom 2, thus, additionally enhancing the mixing efficiency of the substance contained in the vessel 1.

When brewing beer, the vessel 1 for mashing and boiling is at least partially filled with a preheated water through the first inlet connection 4. When the vessel 1 is filled up with a required quantity of the water, barley and, respectively, malt is poured in series therein and boiled further at the required temperature. At least from the moment on when the required amount of the fluid is contained in the vessel 1, the fluid i.e. water and/or the mixture of wort and barley and, respectively, malt is mixed by means of the agitating means 3. In this respect the transporting means 9 is used which pumps said fluid through the drain connection 5 of the vessel 1 and transports it through the second inlet connection 7 and via the pipe connection 10 into the agitating means 3. The jets A, B of said fluid exiting the outlet sections 16, 17 cause efficient mixing of the fluid contained in the vessel 1. After a certain period of time the wort and barley and, respectively, malt is transported by means of said transporting means 9 and through the drain connection 5 into a filtering tank 18 where the wort is filtered and, respectively, separated from the malt. Filtered wort is transported again by means of the transporting means 9 into the vessel 1 where it is boiled further for approximately one and a half hour. While boiling, the wort is mixed by means of the agitating means 3 in a manner as described above. Further process of brewing beer is not subject of the present application, therefore, it is not described in detail.

It is provided for according to the second embodiment (Fig. 3) that the first free end of the vertical tubular section 12 of the agitating means 3 through which fluid may flow is associated by means of the threaded connection 11 with said pipe connection 10 extending from the bottom 2 of the vessel 1. Furthermore, the collector 13 is associated with the second end of the vertical tubular section 12, said collector 13 represented in the second embodiment as an extension of the tubular section 12. Radially outwards and at least in two opposite directions, preferably in diametrically opposite direction, there extends a plurality of legs 19, said plurality of legs preferably comprises an even number of legs 19. According to the invention it is provided for that said legs are equally spaced in circumferential direction. Said legs 19 may comprise same length, however, preferably they are formed with mutually alternating different lengths, when viewed in the circumferential direction. Therefore, said plurality of the legs 19 is formed of diametrically opposite pairs of legs 14.1, 15.1 where each first leg, the leg 14.1 for instance, is longer than each opposite leg as well as longer than each neighbouring leg. The free end of each leg 14.1, 15.1 is arched in at least one plane in order to obtain outlet sections 16.1, 17.1 and, respectively, nozzles in a form of a pipe elbow. Said outlet sections 16.1, 17.1 are curved in at least horizontal plane so that the direction C, D of the outlet jet is approximately tangential to the casing 6 of the vessel 1. In this manner an excellent mixing of the substance contained in the vessel 1 is obtained. It turned out to be particularly preferable if at least one of the outlet sections 16.1, 17.1 is turned for an angle about the central axis of the horizontal tubular section 13 towards the bottom 2, thus, additionally enhancing the mixing efficiency of the substance contained in the vessel 1.