A side shutoff piston valve assembly for filling containers with liquids while reducing or eliminating splash-back and dripping of the liquids.

The invention relates inter alia to a device for filling a container. The device comprises a filling valve for discharging a filling material into the container. The device further comprises a throttle valve for adjusting a flow rate of the filling material. The throttle valve comprises a valve member for adjusting a flow cross-section. The throttle valve has a pneumatic drive that is operatively connected to the valve member for moving the valve member, and an electric drive that is operatively connected to the valve member for moving the valve member. Advantageously, the device can combine the advantages of a pneumatic throttle control and the advantages of an electric throttle control.

A method comprising controlling a beverage-filling system that comprises a filling machine with a ring bowl that feeds beverage to filling elements, each having a valve and a flow meter includes deriving a flow signal and using it to derive a regulating signal for regulating an inflow of beverage into the ring bowl, thereby maintaining a target level of beverage in the ring bowl. The flow signal comes from either summing signals from all flow meters to obtain aggregate quantity of beverage being filled into all containers or a calculation that relies on a measured speed of the filling machine, the number of filling elements in the filling machine, and the volumes of the bottles to be filled.

A method for filling a container with a filling product in a filling-product filling system having a control valve, having the steps: a differential pressure p.sub.v decreasing across the control valve; and regulating and/or controlling the control valve as a function of the differential pressure p.sub.v which has been determined.

A filling machine for the hot filling of containers includes a line for feeding the containers to at least one supporting plate and a line for unloading the filled container from the supporting plate. Above the supporting plate there is a filling head associated with a respective valve assembly to convey the liquid from a containment tank into the container to be filled.

The valve assembly is associated with an internally hollow feeder conduit which accommodates a suction conduit with at least one suction inlet configured to determine the liquid level inside the container.

The filling head includes a sealing element having a first sealing body configured to engage hermetically against the upper edge of the container and is associated with a vent adapted to pass between a position for sealing the chamber for passing liquid from the supply feeder conduit toward the container and a position for venting.

A container-filling method includes executing a learning phase by starting a filling operation with a filling parameter that was used to start filling of a another product. The learning phase includes the filling element and saving relationships between a filling parameter, such as expected filling time or foam formation, and a value indicative of that filling parameter. The method includes comparing a saved target with this value to see a termination criterion has been achieved. If not, the filling parameter is varied in response to instructions provided by a simulator and the process repeated.

A filling element for container filling includes a liquid-valve arrangement disposed in a liquid channel with its flow valve. A positioning drive regulates opening and closing of the flow valve so as to regulate flow of liquid through the liquid channel. A stop valve lies in the liquid channel between the flow valve and a dispensing opening.

Shown and described is a device for filling liquid or flowable contents into packaging, comprising: a tank for the contents to be filled; a filling device having a filling valve, wherein the filling valve has a variable flow cross-section and is adjustable between an open position and a fully closed position; a line connecting the tank to the filling device; a throttle valve arranged in the line between the tank and the filling device, wherein the throttle valve has a variable flow cross-section and is adjustable between a first open position and a second open position; and a control device for controlling the filling valve and the throttle valve. In order to optimise the properties of the filling jet, it is proposed that the control device and/or the throttle valve are configured such that the throttle valve is at least partially open throughout the entire filling time. Also shown and described is a method for filling liquid or flowable contents into packaging.

A device for filling a container with a sterilized filling product, preferably for filling a beverage container with a sterilized beverage in a beverage bottling installation, comprising a sterilization device for sterilizing the filling product, a sterile tank for buffered receiving of the filling product sterilized in the sterilization device, and a filling device which has a filling valve for the filling of the container to be filled, wherein the filling valve is a proportional valve for controlling and/or regulating the filling-product flow of the filling product into the container to be filled, and the proportional valve is connected in a buffer-free manner to the sterile tank.

There is described a filling valve (5) for a filling machine (1) configured to fill a receptacle (2) and comprising a flow channel (11), having a first passage section (15) configured to be fluidly connected with the receptacle (2), and at least one shutter (22) movably arranged within the flow channel (11) and configured to be controlled, during a first operating mode in which the flow channel (11) is fed with a first pourable product, in: a resting position, in which it defines a first maximum opening passage for the first pourable product; a closing position, in which it is configured to sealingly cooperate with the first passage section (15) so as to prevent any fluidic connection between this latter and the receptacle (2); and at least one intermediate position, in which it defines a respective intermediate opening passage, so as to allow a partial flow rate of the first pourable product towards said receptacle; the flow channel (11) has a second passage section (18) configured to be fluidly connected with the first passage section (15) and with the receptacle (2); the shutter (22) is configured to be further controlled, during a second operating mode in which the flow channel (11) is fed with a second pourable product having solid particles in suspension, in: the resting position, in which it defines a second maximum opening passage for the second pourable product; and a partial closing position, in which it defines a restricted passage for the second pourable product.