| The OxBox
will not measure flows in mL O2/L/month (the standard
units used with micro oxygenation of wine). The flow meter measures in mL
/minute. To set the flow rate, the winemaker must know the size of the tank and
desired oxygenation rate. Once determined, one of the two tools below (a
downloadable spreadsheet is provided at the bottom of the page) can be used
to calculate the required flow (mL/min.), depending on whether or not the type
of sparging (oxygenation) desired is constant or periodic.
Constant oxygenation is
probably the safest, since flow rates will be lower during the process.
Therefore, change will be slower and easier to control. However, periodic
oxygenation may be more similar to a barrel program, where wine gets occasional
aeration during racking and topping. Which method is more advantageous remains
to be determined.
The OxBox electronic flow meter cannot
accurately measure oxygen flow below 0.25 to 0.5 mL/min. For tank volumes
smaller than 3,000 gallons, the meter's limitations makes constant oxygenation
difficult to control due to the lower rates required. However, this tank could
still be oxygenated using the periodic formula, enabling a winemaker to provide
the same amount of oxygen over a one month period.
For your convenience
we have provided an excel spreadsheet for you to download |
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