Optimizing Wine Storage: Mathematical Models for Accurate Volume Determination in Diverse Fermentation Tanks

This report addresses a challenge proposed at the 181st ESGI to develop models to determine the volume of wine tanks. The company’s extensive wine range is linked to various fermentation and storage tanks, made from materials like stainless steel or wood, and available in different shapes and capacities (550 to 46,000 liters for stainless steel and 225 to 14,000 liters for wood). Each tank’s capacity refers to its body, demanding precise volume checks, typically through invasive, time consuming methods. Calculating the exact wine volume is intricate when tanks aren’t fully filled, requiring a precise determination of the volume of inert gas needed. Additionally, wine volume varies with storage temperature, specially in large tanks. The challenge is to use mathematical models to determine each tank’s total capacity, calculate the wine volume in partially filled tanks, and ascertain the required inert gas volume, accounting for temperature effects on the liquid volume.