A system and method for dosing SO.sub.2 into wine barrels is achieved with a device including a compressed gas cylinder containing compressed liquefied SO.sub.2 under its own vapor pressure, a dosing wand fluidly connected to the cylinder via a hose that is adapted and configured to allow a flow of gaseous SO.sub.2 from the source to the dosing wand. The dosing wand includes a hollow needle dispensing nozzle and a SO.sub.2 batch flow controller in fluid communication between the hose and the hollow needle. The hollow needle dispensing nozzle is adapted and configured to pierce through a bung opening of a wine barrel and has at least one aperture at a terminal end thereof to allow gaseous SO.sub.2 to be dispensed into an interior of the wine barrel.

A dispenser for preparing beverages are provided. In one embodiment, the dispensing system includes a housing, a carbonation assembly disposed within the housing, and a drawer slidably mounted to the housing. The carbonation assembly is configured to selectively carbonate a fluid. The drawer is configured to seat at least one additive container. The dispensing system is configured to selectively dispense an additive contained within an additive container in the drawer from a first outlet, and is configured to dispense a fluid from a second outlet separate from the first outlet.

Various illustrative systems, devices, and methods of beverage carbonation system flow control are provided. A carbonation system is one example of a treatment system to which the systems, devices, and methods described herein apply. In general, a carbonation system is configured to form a carbonated fluid and dispense the carbonated fluid in a controlled manner. In an illustrative embodiment, the carbonation system is configured to begin dispensing the carbonated fluid with a pressure in a chamber of the carbonation system, in which the carbonated fluid is formed, being above atmospheric pressure. A gas is introduced into the chamber after dispensing has already started via the pressure in the chamber to drive the flow of the carbonated fluid. The gas can be introduced into the chamber according to a predetermined pressure profile.

A soda carbonation and dispensation system and method are provided. The system includes a carbonated water pump and motor assembly operable to draw fresh water into carbonator tanks and circulate the water through a chiller system. A carbon dioxide source is connected to the carbonator tanks to produce carbonated water. The system also includes a water level sensor connected to a controller, a plurality of syrup containers, a syrup pump, syrup regulator valves, a brix capacitor, a dispensing tower and faucets connected to the dispensing tower housing. The controller operates the water pump and motor assembly to maintain a water level within a predetermined range and to maintain continuous flow and refrigeration of the carbonated water, which optimizes carbonation. The brix capacitor receives chilled carbonated water and chilled syrup in separate lines. Carbonated water is circulated to the faucets through a manifold in the brix capacitor and then circulated back into the carbonator tanks. Valves are provided in the brix capacitor to manipulate carbonated water and syrup flow rates and pressures into the faucets. The system maintains the carbonated water and syrup at a refrigerated temperature and a predetermined maximum pressure. When a faucet is opened, the carbonated water and syrup mix as they flow laminarly into a container. The result is consistently optimum carbonation when the beverage is dispensed.

A beverage making machine may include a cartridge holder to hold a cartridge used to form a beverage. The cartridge holder may include a lower portion arranged to receive and hold the cartridge and a movable upper portion arranged to clamp the cartridge in place. The cartridge holder may be arranged to hold upper and lower compartments of the cartridge in spaces having a different pressure, e.g., an upper compartment of the cartridge may be held under relatively high pressure, and a lower compartment may be held in a space at ambient pressure. The cartridge holder may pierce upper and/or lower compartments of the cartridge to introduce activating fluid and/or receive carbonating gas from the upper compartment, and/or to introduced pressurized air into the lower compartment to force beverage medium to exit.

Disclosed is a bottom-up liquid filling system, comprising an upper body and a lower body. The upper body comprises a fixed member and a lifting member with a filling passage channel in the middle, wherein the fixed member is fixedly arranged on an inner bottom face of the upper body, the lifting member is arranged inside the fixed member and is movable up and down, a passage hole is arranged in a side wall of the lifting member, and the filling passage channel passes through the bottom of the upper body. The lower body comprises a capping plug, a rigid cylinder, an outer retractable tube and an inner retractable tube, wherein the outer retractable tube is internally provided with a spring, the rigid cylinder is arranged on a top plate and is provided with a channel, the inner retractable tube is arranged inside the outer retractable tube and is in communication with the rigid cylinder, a support cylinder is arranged on a bottom plate, the support cylinder passes through the inner retractable tube and extends into the rigid cylinder, the capping plug connected to the top of the rigid cylinder is fixedly arranged at the top of the support cylinder, and an outer side wall of the capping plug is snap-fitted with an inner side wall of the top of the lifting member. The present invention has the advantages of being less prone to leakage and spilling, having low costs and reducing the chance of scalding.

The invention relates to a carbonized water dispensing device (1) provided with a carbonized water conditioning chamber (2), which conditioning chamber (2) is provided downstream of the carbonator (7) and upstream of the carbonized water dispensing outlet (5), for receiving a mixture of carbonized water mixed with unresolved CO2, which conditioning chamber (2) is dimensioned to hold a single serve of carbonized water with a headspace, and which carbonized water conditioning chamber (2) is provided with an outlet valve (17) and a gas outlet (18). According to the invention, the carbonized water dispensing device (1) is configured to, upon receiving a beverage dispensing order, provide the empty carbonized water conditioning chamber (2) with a single serve volume of carbonized water, and hold the single serve of carbonized water prior to dispensing the single serve volume of carbonized water.

A beverage machine system that includes: an insulated potable liquid storage tank having an interior volume; a liquid carbonator spaced within the interior volume of the insulated potable liquid storage tank and submerged therein; a high pressure potable liquid pump configured to pump potable liquid from the interior volume of the insulated potable liquid storage tank through a potable liquid conduit to a spray nozzle within an interior volume of the liquid carbonator; and a cooling coil positioned in a spaced apart relationship but wound around the carbonator such that the cooling coil does not physically touch an exterior surface of the carbonator submersed within the chilled potable liquid and the space between the cooling coil and the carbonator is at least substantially free of any other structure other than periodic frozen potable liquid adjacent the cooling coil.

Disclosed herein is a carbonated water producing apparatus which guides a replacement of a cylinder using sound generated when carbon dioxide is supplied from the cylinder, and a refrigerator having the same. In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a carbonated water producing apparatus comprising: a carbonated water producing unit including a cylinder configured to store carbon dioxide and configured to supply the carbon dioxide to a container; a microphone configured to obtain sound generated in the carbonated water producing unit; a filter configured to pass a signal having a frequency of a predetermined cutoff frequency or more of signals obtained by the microphone; a user interface unit configured to display information related to carbonated water production; and a controller configured to obtain the sound generated in the carbonated water producing unit by driving the microphone when the carbonated water producing unit operates, and configured to display a message which requests that the cylinder which stores the carbon dioxide be replaced on the user interface unit when an intensity of a signal passing through the filter is less than a predetermined reference value.

A method and apparatus for carbonating a liquid in a pressurizable vessel, including first connecting a vessel with a carbon dioxide tank, wherein said vessel contains a liquid. A vessel can then be pressurized with carbon dioxide to a desired first pressure. A pump is activated to circulate the liquid through a hose out of the vessel to a fitting assembly and out of the fitting assembly back into the vessel. While the liquid is flowing through the fitting assembly carbon dioxide is introduced to the liquid at a second pressure level, wherein the second pressure is greater than said first pressure. After a pre-determined period of time the pump is deactivated and the carbon dioxide can cease to be introduced to the liquid flowing through the fitting assembly.