Use of a helical battle for red wine clarification on a mineral membrane

We present the use of a helical baffle inserted in a mineral membrane (Carbosep) for the clarification of a highly charged red wine. Baffles of different geometries were made of stainless steel by winding a steel wire on a rod. The baffles were centrally placed. The wine was analyzed before and after its clarification for its filtration index, turbidity, color, and microbiological control. Experiments made at different transmembrane pressures and feed flow rates show that the permeate flux increased from 13 L/h . m(2) (without baffle) to 30 L/h . m(2) (with baffle). Longterm experiments at the same hydraulic dissipated energy gave a mean permeate flux of about 20 L/h . m(2) from a baffled membrane compared to 10 L/h . m(2) for a membrane without a baffle. The volume of permeate collected during the same time was 145% more for a baffled membrane. It was found that membrane fouling due to polarization concentration was reduced by a factor of 3 with the use of baffles. Analysis of permeate at three optical densities (420, 520, and 620 nm) and turbidity measurements confirm that the quality of the permeate was good. It is concluded that the presence of a baffle in the membrane did not change the characteristics of the filtered wine and that its use is very simple for the enhancement of permeate flux.