CARBONATION PROCESS

Abstract

A method and system for preparing and providing a carbonized liquid. A liquid to be carbonized is provided in a tank. A gas is introduced into the tank to form the carbonized liquid. The gas may be introduced to the tank by way on an injecting nozzle located at an outlet end of a gas inlet duct inside the tank and/or located spaced apart from the liquid stored in the tank. The carbonized liquid is discharged from the tank via an outlet duct using a pressure difference between the pressure prevailing in the tank and a pressure prevailing in the outlet duct and/or at an outlet end of the outlet duct. When in normal operation mode, the gas having entered the tank is leaving the tank substantially only via the outlet duct.

Claims

1. A method for preparing and providing a carbonized liquid, the method comprising: providing a liquid to be carbonized in a tank; providing a gas comprising carbon dioxide into the tank such that a pan of the gas is dissolved in the liquid to form the carbonized liquid and a part of the gas is collected in a gas zone, wherein the as is injected into the liquid via at least one injecting nozzle in fluid communication with a gas inlet duct, and wherein the gas zone comprises a free space between the liquid and at least one interior wall of the tank; and discharging the carbonized liquid from the tank via an outlet duct using a pressure difference between the pressure prevailing in the tank and a pressure prevailing in the outlet duct and/or at an outlet end of the outlet duct, wherein, when in normal operation mode, the gas in the tank is released from the tank substantially only via the outlet duct.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of detecting a current level of the liquid in the tank using liquid level detection means, and providing the detected liquid level to a gas control unit adapted to control an amount and/or a flow rate of the gas into the tank.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of reducing a flow rate of the carbonized liquid from the tank to the outlet end of the outlet duct using flow rate control means.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid is introduced into the tank from a liquid source attached to the inlet duct.

5. A system for preparing and providing a carbonized liquid, the system comprising: a tank adapted to store liquid to be carbonized; a gas source adapted to provide a gas comprising carbon dioxide, an gas inlet duct directing the gas from the gas source into the tank such that a part of the gas is dissolved in the liquid to form the carbonized liquid and a part of the gas is collected in a gas zone, wherein the gas zone comprises a free space between the liquid and at least one interior wall of the tank; and an outlet duct adapted to direct the carbonized liquid from an inlet end of the outlet duct located inside the tank to an outlet end of the outlet duct located outside the tank, wherein a pressure prevailing in the tank is higher than a pressure prevailing in the outlet duct and/or at an outlet end of the outlet duct such that the carbonized liquid is expelled from the tank due to the pressure difference, and wherein, when the system is in normal operation mode, the system is configured such that the gas directed into the tank is released from the tank substantially only via the outlet duct.

6. The system according to claim 5, further comprising liquid level detection means adapted to detect a current level of the liquid in the tank and to output a signal indicating the current level of the liquid in the tank.

7. The system according to claim 6, further comprising gas control means adapted to control an amount of gas and/or a gas flow rate into the tank in accordance to the liquid level detected by the liquid level detection means.

8. The system according to claim 5, further comprising flow rate control means adapted to reduce a flow rate of the carbonized liquid from the tank to the outlet end of the outlet duct.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the flow rate control means is formed by a difference in vertical height between the inlet end and the outlet end of the outlet duct.

10. The system according to claim 5, further comprising security pressure relief means adapted to open the gas zone to an outside of the tank in a failure mode of the system.

11. The system according to claim 5, wherein the gas source is removable from and attachable to the gas inlet duct.

12. The system according to claim 5, further comprising user input means adapted to receive input from a user of the system and to control a carbonation degree of the liquid in the tank.

13. The system according to claim 5, further comprising: gas control means adapted to control an amount of gas and/or a gas flow rate into the tank; and user input means adapted to receive input from a user and to output a signal indicating the input from the user to the gas control means to control the amount of gas and/or the gas flow rate into the tank.

14. The system according to claim 5, further comprising timer means adapted to time and/or delay an introduction of liquid from a liquid source and/or of gas from the gas source into the tank.

15. The system according to claim 5, further comprising an injecting nozzle in fluid communication with the gas inlet duct adapted to inject the gas into the liquid.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein e injecting nozzle is a venturi nozzle.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the injecting nozzle is looted at the outlet end of the gas inlet duct inside the tank.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein the injecting nozzle is located at the outlet end of the gas inlet and is spaced apart from the liquid stored in the tank.

19. The system according to claim 8, wherein the flow rate control means is formed by at least one of: the outlet duct having a long extension, the outlet end of the outlet duct having a small opening area, or a high flow resistive aerator at the outlet end of the outlet duct.

20. The system according to claim 5, wherein the outlet end of the outlet duct comprises a faucet spout.

Description

[0042] In the following, the present invention is described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing in which

[0043] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of the system according to the invention.

[0044] In FIG. 1 a system according to the present invention is generally denoted with the reference numeral 10. The system 10 comprises a carbonation tank 12 that is adapted to store a liquid 14 which is filled in the tank 12 up to a liquid level 16 such that a space 18 in the tank above the liquid 14 is remaining in the tank being filled with a gas 20.

[0045] Here, the liquid is introduced into the tank 12 via a liquid inlet duct 22 that is connected on its end opposite to the tank 12 to a water network and/or to an exchangeable/refillable container containing liquid. In the liquid inlet duct 22, an on/off valve 24 is installed that is adapted to allow and to block a transfer of liquid into the tank 12 via the liquid inlet duct 22.

[0046] The gas 20 being absorbed by the liquid 14 and collecting inside the tank 12 above the liquid 14 is introduced into the tank 12 via a gas inlet duct 26. The gas inlet duct 26 is connected to a gas source such as a canister 28. In this embodiment, the canister 28 contains CO.sub.2 and is exchangeable. Within the gas inlet duct 26, there is a mechanism 30 which may comprise a lever to enable gas flow from the canister 28 into the gas inlet duct 26. The lever may be triggered manually and/or by an electrical actuator, such as a motor and/or a solenoid, controlled by a control unit of the system 10 (not shown). Furthermore, there is a one direction valve 32 installed in the gas inlet duct 26 that is adapted to allow gas to flow from the canister 28 towards the tank 12 but is adapted to block gas and/or liquid flowing from the tank 12 towards the canister 28.

[0047] At the end of the gas inlet duct 26 inside the tank 12, there is an injection nozzle 34 which, in this embodiment, is designed as a venturi nozzle 34. Thus, the gas 20 coming from the gas inlet duct 26 is formed into a high velocity gas stream that is entering the liquid 14 being present in the tank 12 in order to obtain the carbonized liquid 14.

[0048] The one direction valve 32 may also be installed in the nozzle 34.

[0049] Inside the tank 12, liquid level detection means 36 are provided that are adapted to detect the liquid level 16 and to provide an according signal to the control unit in order to introduce gas and/or liquid into the tank 12.

[0050] To avoid that the pressure inside the tank 12 exceeds a predetermined pressure threshold that might cause damage to the system 10, the tank 12 is equipped with pressure relief means 38, for example realized by a pressure relieve valve, that are adapted to connect the space 18 with an environment surrounding the tank 12 to reduce pressure of the gas 20 in the tank 12.

[0051] The carbonized liquid 14 may be dispensed to a user via an outlet duct 40 at a faucet 42. When an electrical or mechanical on/off valve 44 implemented in the outlet duct 40 is opened, the pressure of the gas 20 inside the tank 12 is expelling the liquid 14 through the outlet duct 40. This way no additional liquid pump or the like might be necessary to dispense the carbonized liquid 14.

[0052] To allow a user of the system 10 to adjust the flow rate of the liquid 14 dispensed at the faucet 42, flow rate control means 46 are installed in the outlet duct 40. Furthermore, the user may adjust a carbonation degree, i.e. an amount of gas (CO.sub.2) mixed into a predetermined amount of liquid, by adjusting a carbonation selection switch 48.