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Thread: UVM Spout and fittings

  1. #1
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    Default UVM Spout and fittings

    During my presentation this past Saturday at the North American Maple Syrup Council meeting in Wisconsin I introduced some new fittings that Wade Bosley and I (UVM PMRC) have developed and tested over the past few years and will be testing further over the 2024 maple season. While I can't go into it really deeply in a short post, there are three main things:

    1. Barb-Spout. The barrel (nose) is considerably shorter than a regular maple spout to reduce the amount of outer edge wood/xylem tissue that is blocked off by standard spouts. Sap flow and sugar content is highest in the other rings of wood, so this spout is designed to allow better and faster access to sap flow in that area. In order to maintain stability due to the shorter barrel, the spout has a series of graduated barbs (much like a ring-shank nail). The first pair of barbs engages in the wood, the next pair in the bark, and the last two provide a positive stop so spouts are not overdriven. If using in thick-barked trees, the larger flakes of bark should be scraped off first. We’ve seen a 10-23% improvement in sap yield in our testing over 2 yrs.

    2. Arc-Flow Fittings. These fittings have a curved design which is designed to reduce friction and turbulence in fitting junctions. The Arc-Flow design can be incorporated into spouts, tees, saddles, end-tees, etc. In modeling calculations, it provides a 5-10% improvement in sap yield. Note that unlike a normal tee, the post faces downward instead of outward (away from the tree). This is so it can be easily flipped over for tapping below the lateral line. Only one end-line fitting needs to be made with this design as it can be used on either the right or the left side of the tree. The other thing that’ll be done on all these fittings is to bevel the connection edges at a 45° to reduce turbulence and friction between the liquid and fitting when entering and exiting the fitting. I've posted several videos we've made during testing at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...kN7muW8AXvxphj to help show turbulence inside the various types of fittings, and why the Arc-Flow fittings are superior to standard fittings.

    3. External Maple Tubing Fittings This fitting is designed to replace barbed fittings that go INSIDE of tubing with fittings that fasten EXTERNALLY. Thus there is no restriction to flow and no place for microbial masses to build up. These can be configured to spouts, saddles, unions, tees, etc. There is a small clip with a barb that goes on each leg to secure the tubing in place. The internal passage is slightly tapered to accommodate variations in tubing sizes and to snug up the tubing tightly into the fitting with a tubing tool so it will be vacuum tight. It is designed to help with the 3/16” tubing clogging issue, but could also be used for 5/16” tubing to reduce frictional losses in lateral lines.

    Photos of these are at: https://photos.google.com/album/AF1Q...qsQTIwKaoehUeg (I hope that link works)

    UVM has filed patent applications for each of these and for several embodiment (variations). We’ve been working with a company in Vermont to design and prototype these fittings since the designs require somewhat complicated injection molding tools to construct. This company (Middle Valley Maple) will do both direct mailing to producers as well as distribute via any maple equipment company who wishes to carry these fittings. Cost should be about the same as standard fittings. More information will be available after testing in the 2023 season.

    We’ve ordered the test molds and hope to have some units produced shortly after the new year. They will be tested by researchers and Maple Extension folks as well as selected maple producers during the 2023 season.

    I'll be presenting this information at the Lake Erie Maple Expo on Nov 11-12, 2022.
    Dr. Tim Perkins
    UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
    http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
    https://mapleresearch.org
    Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu

  2. #2
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    Jul 2021
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    Parry Sound Area, Ontario
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    That all sounds interesting and when they become available to the back yarders, I would like to try some.

    Are the barbed fitting harder to remove?

    Thanks
    2022 - 5 pan block arch - 109 taps, 73 on 3/16 lines, 36 on drops into 5 gallon pails.
    930 gallons boiled, 109 L (28.8 gals) of delicious syrup made.
    DYI Vacuum Filter
    2023 - 170 taps, mostly on lines, 1153 gallons boiled, 130 L (34.34 gals) of delicious syrup made, on a 2x4 divided pan and base stack, 8” pipe, on a block arch that boiled at a rate of 13 gallons per hour.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Athol, NY
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    Hi Doc,

    Interesting info. Unfortunately the link didn't work.

    Randy


    Randy

    Toad Hill Maple Farm

    http://ToadHillMaple.com/

    3650 Taps on Vacuum for 2010 & still expanding
    56'x64' Timberframe Sugarhouse - New for 2011
    3x10 Leader Vortex w/ Max Flue Pan & SteamAway
    1000 gph Leader Springtech RO
    777 Acres in the Adirondack Mountains

  4. #4
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    Apr 2019
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    Nashville, MI
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    939

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    Well Dr. Tim the photo link did not work, sorry. The spouts sound very interesting. Do you have any estimates on the wound channel it leaves or is it to early to tell.
    Last edited by Pdiamond; 11-02-2022 at 06:14 PM.
    2004 - 2012 2x3 flat pan 25 to 60 taps
    2012 2x3 new divided pan w/draw off 55 taps
    2018 - didn't boil surgery - bought new evaporator
    2019 new SML 2x4 raised flue high output evap. 65 taps
    made 17 gal. syrup
    2020 - only put out 53 taps - made 16.25 ga.l syrup
    2021 - Didn't work out
    2022 - 25 taps on bags / 8 taps on 3/16's line - late start

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Location
    Murrysville, Pennsylvania
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    Link does not appear to be working.

    Will barbed spouts include check valve option?

    Very interested in the external fittings. Been wondering for a few years why John guest style fittings haven't been developed / used in maple tubing application for all the reasons cited. Perhaps cost?
    D. Roseum
    www.roseummaple.com
    ~100 taps on 3/16 custom temp controlled vacuum; shurflo vacuum #2; custom nat gas evap with auto-drawoff and tank level gas shut-off controller; homemade RO #1; homemade RO #2; SL SS filter press
    2021: 27.1 gallons
    2022: 35 gallons

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by DRoseum View Post
    Link does not appear to be working.
    Not sure why. Will work on it.

    Will barbed spouts include check valve option?
    There is no reason why the barb or the arc-flow could not be incorporated into a CV spout or adapter.

    Very interested in the external fittings. Been wondering for a few years why John guest style fittings haven't been developed / used in maple tubing application for all the reasons cited. Perhaps cost?
    The major drawback to Sharkbite and John Guest style fittings is cost. They are quite highly engineered and complicated in their construction, thus expensive. Furthermore, John Guest fittings won't hold up well in tension (they come apart when you pull hard on the tubing) under the various temperatures (hot in summer, freezing in winter) that maple tubing experiences. Our goals were to make an external tubing fitting that was inexpensive, easy to install (with the same tools maple producers use currently), reusable, and could function under conditions that maple fittings experience.
    Dr. Tim Perkins
    UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
    http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
    https://mapleresearch.org
    Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu

  7. #7
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    Dr. Tim Perkins
    UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
    http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
    https://mapleresearch.org
    Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Swingpure View Post
    Are the barbed fitting harder to remove?
    Sure are. That is the way they are designed to function. Having a shorter barrel means less gripping surface of the spout barrel inside the taphole. This would make them more subject to heaving or coming out if a branch fell on the line. Adding the barbs increases the gripping power of the (shortened) spout considerably.
    Dr. Tim Perkins
    UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
    http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
    https://mapleresearch.org
    Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu

  9. #9
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    Apr 2013
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    Speyside, Ontario
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    Quote Originally Posted by DrTimPerkins View Post
    That works.
    2015 - 8 buckets, 332L sap, 8.5L syrup - Barrel evaporator, 2 steam pans
    2016 - 8 buckets, 432L sap
    2017 - 10 bags, 470L sap, 9L syrup
    2018 - 20 bags, 1050L sap, 17.6L syrup
    2019 - 20 bags, 970L sap, 22.2L syrup
    2020 - 17 bags, 813L sap, 17L syrup

  10. #10
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    May 2015
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    Vermont
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    Any plans for a 2 piece spout option in mind?

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