Patent attributes
This invention is a self-emptying tank for processing fluids having included solids, such as stainless steel tanks in wineries. The tank has a shell section having a lower end that is fixedly joined to the top perimeter of the tank's bottom section, at a non-horizontal junction. Preferably, the shell section is nominally a right circular vertical cylinder having front and back faces, the front face being vertically longer than the back face, which increases the cylindrically-shaped area available at the front of the tank for instruments and other ancillary devices. The formed junction between the shell section and the bottom section slopes downward from the back face to the front face of the shell section. At the bottom front of the bottom section of the tank is an outlet portion surrounding an outlet aperture, which provide a vertical, or close to vertical outlet from the tank that is preferably on the same or close to the same vertical plane with the front face of the tank.
