This invention relates to a fluid metering device.
While this specification and claims refer, for simplicity and uniformity reasons, to sulphur dioxide as the gas to be metered and to water as the carrier fluid, since the preferred field of application of this invention is the wine-making art or oenology, in particular, and the field of beverage making, such as fruit juices, etc., in general, it will be apparent and obvious how the gas to be metered and carrier fluid can include other gases and fluids, or liquids, as desired.
The metering of sulphur dioxide is currently carried out either directly in the must or the like, or indirectly, the carrier fluid being water. Metering systems of this latter type utilize the fact that sulphur dioxide is soluble in water, and comprise a large tank or reservoir, whereinto water is poured first, followed by the bubbling of sulphur dioxide until the solution reaches an acceptable concentration. This operation requires several hours and, accordingly, is to be completed prior to the metering proper; generally, during the night hours. Consequently, the capacity of said tank must be quite considerable, such as to ensure self-sufficiency for the system throughout the working day. This disadvantages of such systems reside in that their operation is discontinuous, that they are scarcely suitable for an occasional use, since the solution, if stored up for too long a time tends to deteriorate, that it is necessary to prepare said solution each time it is needed, even though its use may be limited to a few minutes, and that their tanks, of stainless steel, are very expensive.