10 minute read
Choosing the right winery pump
The pros and cons of pumping options for winemakers
Winemaker and writer Paul Le Lacheur provides an overview of the various types of pumps available for winery options. He outlines the benefits and potential downsides of each, while offering his thoughts on what may work best under different operating conditions.
When considering which pump type best fits your winery needs, an obvious, but nonetheless key, question arises: are you pumping water, wine or both? In most pumping operations, there are clearly different performance parameters, depending on the pumping or transferring task at hand. My search for answers led me to Inoxpa Australia and a site called Star Pump Alliance. Both are eminently suitable in finding the best pump type or even just to inform your existing/ historical choice of pump(s). Under the sub heading “Fluid Transfer Technology,” the potentially fraught issue of the viscosity of liquids being pumped is dealt with in detail (i.e. those with a high volume of particles in suspension may need more attention, particularly to solids levels). In any view of the data surrounding pump technology, the same pump criteria need to be discussed. These parameters form a strong argument for certain pump types, while clearly dismissing others as unsuitable. They are: • Minimising shearing and agitation in transfer; • Decreasing exposure to oxygen; • Increasing tolerance to solids and sediment;
• Self-priming; • Portability; • Ease of operation; and • Cost effectiveness.
Centrifugal pumps work by spinning an impeller within a volute housing. This volute casing is primarily designed to guide the flow out of the impeller in order to convert the fluid flow’s kinetic energy into static pressure. It serves to collect fluid discharged from the impeller, routing it to the discharge nozzle. This type of pump moves wine from the lower pressure area at the impeller’s centre to the relatively higher-pressure zones found at the edge. Centrifugal pumps have an advantage –they don‘t generate high discharge pressures so the risk of rupturing containers or hoses is minimised. The downside is they’re rough on the liquid being pumped and are therefore unsuitable for finished wine.
Moineau (mono pumps) work by turning a helical rotor within a helixshaped elastomeric stator. Positives for this pump type include: positive displacement, high solids tolerance, variable flow rates, ease of cleaning, good portability and suitability for larger volumes. Negatives which stand out are mainly relate to the expense at purchase. This cost should be balanced against mono pumps’ suitability for moving very high volumes (hundreds of thousands of litres at a time, for example). Peristaltic pumps have a number of factors in their favour. Principal among them is they can tolerate being run dry. This allows cellar staff to multi task without risk of ‘burning out’ a pump. They are also able to run comfortably with variable flow rates, are easy to maintain and can tolerate quite high solids levels. However, a significant drawback in design is that they are not easily portable due to their rather awkward physical dimensions and larger size when compared with other pump styles. Flexible Impeller pumps are a good option if your purpose is to create high pressures when transferring. Against this, a big disadvantage is the prospect of Impeller wear. Particles ‘wearing off’ the impeller have the potential to end up in your wine! Clearly, though flexible, impeller pumps may be being a good option for lees work and pumpovers; they are certainly not suitable for finished wine. Again, size and portability are factors allowing good adaption to sites featuring high volumes and long transfer distances.
Diaphragm pumps work by contracting a rubber diaphragm to pull fluid into
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a chamber through an inlet valve, then expanding the diaphragm to push liquid out of the chamber through an outlet valve. This pump type is excellent for wine transfer but it does come with limitations. Once again it is self-priming; it is relatively simple and, therefore, easy to clean. In addition, it too can be run dry without danger. One of the main disadvantages of diaphragm pumps, however, is they are not easily reversible, leaving the operator to exercise skill and judgement in ‘cutting out’ the wine at transfer’s end with water. They are also commonly air powered and thus not suitable if your building is not plumbed with compressed air. Diaphragm pumps can be hard to sanitise due to the number of moving parts coming in to contact with the wine, lees or juice. Gear and rotary lobe pumps. The principle of operation here is to move fluid in the space outside of the gear teeth and sealing at the point where the teeth mesh. A variation is a rotary lobe pump using a ‘gear’ with rounded lobes instead of sharp teeth. This style of pump is very gentle on wine, with no aggressive agitation. These pumps are reversible, tolerate solids well, and are simple and easy to clean as well as being portable. Unless you use a large version, these pumps are not great for handling must. The stainless- steel gears or lobes can easily be damaged by metal staples or ‘malignant’ foreign matter becoming sucked through and subsequently residing in the liquid. According to makers of these pumps, both Watson Marlow and Sepak Australian Industries, rotary lobe pumps are your best option if you only choose one pump. Some pumps produce pressures in the range starting at around ‘thousands of PSI’, requiring the use of relief valves to avoid over-pressuring equipment. Not so for gear and rotary lobe pumps. Such pump manufacturers do stress the need for winemakers to know the critical pressures for their oenological equipment. Do you know, for example, the burst and collapse pressure ratings for your tanks, barrels and hoses? In summary, as with nearly all winemaking equipment, the correct pump choice is heavily predicated on the nature of the job in hand. There is no such thing as a ‘one size fits all’ solution. Great care must be taken in balancing the key performance factors for each pump type before coming up with a solution which answers ‘best fit’ to your specific applications.
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Latest in biological protection
Utilising live micro-organisms for the protection of winegrapes, juices and musts against microbial or oxidative spoilage is an increasingly accepted practise across the winemaking world. In order to make sound, tasty and fault-free wines, such biological solutions offer less reliance on the traditional combination of sulfite and tartaric acid additions. Launched in 2021 as the first ever oenological bacteria specifically for biological protection, Viniflora® NoVA™ Protect is a natural isolate of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum that exhibits inhibition against spoilage organisms. It is active against bacteria such as acetic acid bacteria or the rogue Oenococcus oeni that leads to unwanted MLF during primary fermentation. Volatile acidity development is further controlled by preventing the outgrowth of Hanseniaspora uvarum. Field trials with NoVA Protect were conducted in the Grampians region in both 2021 and 2022. Applying the same protocols across both years, and running treatments in duplicate, the 2021wines were made from Cabernet Sauvignon, while Shiraz was used in 2022. Used in combination with a moderate level of total SO2 (<25mg/L), the wines produced with NoVA™ Protect exhibited greater fruit weight and had better overall balance than those relying on just simply sulfites and acid addition (data not shown). Volatile acidity development was kept under control and, despite a higher must pH, the VA development was slower than using tartaric acid, as shown in the graph. The culture itself is very user- friendly and cost effective, with a similar costin-use to basic Saccharomyces yeast. Intended for direct-inoculation without rehydration, it is in a convenient freezedried format. Stable for some days at ambient conditions, it can be shipped to remote vineyards for inoculation at picking in order to give protection during transportation of grapes. Alternatively, it can also be inoculated in the winery, at crushing or filling. Viniflora NoVA Protect has been demonstrated to be an effective tool in helping to deliver sound wines, actively reducing spoilage, unwanted MLF and excess VA. While it can be used in conjunction with moderate amounts of SO2 or tartaric acid, it enables the opportunity to rely less on these chemicals.
Acetic Acid (g/L)
0.45 0.40 0.35 0.30 0.25 0.20 0.15 0.10 0.05 0.00
Acetic Acid Development
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Control 1.5g/L Tartaric Acid NoVA™ Protect
Viniflora® NoVA™ Protect
For a clean flavour wine and powerful bioprotection
• Inhibits Acetic acid bacteria • Inhibits Hanseniaspora uvarum • Prevents early MLF by indigenous
Oenococcus oeni • Replaces sulfite functionality against unwanted microorganisms
