METHOD AND DEVICE FOR TREATING A MIXTURE OF EXPANSION GAS AND FILLING PRODUCT FOAM IN A BEVERAGE FILLING PLANT

Abstract

Various embodiments relate to devices and methods for treating a mixture of expansion gas and filling product foam in a beverage filling plant, comprising the steps of introducing the mixture of expansion gas and filling product foam into a closed separation container and extracting the expansion gas out of the closed separation container via suction.

Claims

1.-14. (canceled)

15. A method for treating a mixture of an expansion gas and a fill product foam in a beverage filling plant, comprising the steps of: introducing the mixture of the expansion gas and the fill product foam into a closed separation container; and extracting the expansion gas out of the closed separation container via suction.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising sprinkling a fluid medium to the mixture of the expansion gas and the fill product foam.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the sprinkling comprises applying the fluid medium by using a sprinkler nozzle that is accommodated in the closed separation container.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the extracting comprises using suction above the sprinkler nozzle to extract the expansion gas.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the sprinkling comprises extracting the fluid medium from a lower area of the closed separation container and recirculating the fluid medium.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the lower area of the closed separation container comprises a sump.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising periodically conveying the fluid medium and the fill product foam out of the closed separation container.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the introducing comprises tangentially introducing the mixture of the expansion gas and the fill product foam into the closed separation container.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising cleaning the closed separation container.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the cleaning comprises: spraying at least one of a cleaning medium and a sterilizing medium onto an interior wall of the closed separation container; and conducting at least one of the cleaning medium and the sterilization medium out of a lower area of the closed separation container.

25. A device for treating a mixture of an expansion gas and a fill product foam in a beverage filling plant, comprising: a closed separation container configured to be coupled to a relief line to receive the mixture of the expansion gas and the fill product foam into the closed separation container and configured to be coupled to a suction extractor so that the expansion gas is extracted from the closed separation container via suction from the suction extractor.

26. The device of claim 25, further comprising a sprinkler nozzle disposed in the closed separation container, wherein the sprinkler nozzle applies a fluid medium to the mixture of the expansion gas and the fill product foam that is present in the closed separation container.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein a lower area of the closed separation container comprises an outlet.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the outlet is in fluid communication with the sprinkler nozzle so that the fluid medium recirculated from the lower area of the closed separation container to the sprinkler nozzle.

29. The device of claim 27, wherein the lower area of the closed separation container comprises a sump.

30. The device of claim 26, further comprising the suction extractor, wherein the suction extractor is in fluid communication with the closed separation container and is disposed above the sprinkler nozzle.

31. The device of claim 25, wherein the closed separation container is at least substantially cylindrical and/or substantially conical.

32. The device of claim 25, further comprising the relief line, wherein the relief line is tangentially coupled to the closed separation container.

33. The device of claim 25, further comprising a clean-in-place (CIP) nozzle provided in the closed separation container, wherein the CIP nozzle is configured to impinge on an interior wall of the closed separation container with a CIP medium.

34. The device of claim 33, further comprising a CIP return line that is in fluid communication with a lower area of the closed separation container.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Further exemplary embodiments of the invention are more fully explained by the description below of the figures. The figures show:

[0033] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a beverage filling plant with a filler carousel, a valve cluster and a device for treating a mixture of an expansion gas and fill product foam with a closed separation container;

[0034] FIG. 2 is a schematic side representation of a device for treating a mixture of an expansion gas and fill product foam; and

[0035] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective representation of the device from FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Example embodiments are described below with the aid of the figures. In the figures, elements which are identical or similar, or have identical effects, are designated with identical reference signs. In order to avoid redundancy, repeated description of these elements is in part dispensed with in the description below.

[0037] FIG. 1 shows schematically a beverage filling plant 100 with a schematically indicated filler carousel 110 which has rotary medium distributor channels 120 to 128 (also indicated schematically), which are provided to deliver media from the stationary part of the beverage filling plant to the rotating filler carousel 110.

[0038] The outer rotary medium distributor channel 120 is provided for supplying fill product and—during the cleaning and sterilization of the beverage filling plant 100—cleaning and sterilization medium to the filler carousel 110. The second rotary medium distributor channel 122 is provided for supplying CO2 as rinsing gas and/or as pressurization gas. The third rotary medium distributor channel 124 is provided as a relief channel for relieving pressure in the head space of each filled container after filling, and accordingly transports a mixture of the expansion gas (e.g., CO2) and fill product foam that is carried along with the expansion gas.

[0039] A further rotary medium distributor channel 126 is provided for creating a vacuum or an underpressure, which is provided for switching the filler valve and/or for evacuating the container to be filled prior to filling. A further rotary medium distributor channel 128 is provided as a clean-in-place (CIP) return flow line for CIP cleaning or sterilization.

[0040] The supply and/or discharge, as well as the control of the supply of each medium to the rotary medium distributor and the corresponding rotary medium distributor channels 120 to 128, takes place via a valve cluster 130, which in the example embodiment shown is provided in the stationary part of the beverage filling plant 100, and which can charge the rotary medium distributor channels 120 to 128 with the applicable media in a controlled manner.

[0041] The fill product, or—during cleaning or sterilization—a cleaning or sterilization medium in the form of a CIP medium, flows via a fill product intake 132 into the valve cluster 130. A CIP return flow line 134 is provided, through which the CIP medium can accordingly be returned to a CIP station during cleaning or sterilization in order to process or replace the CIP medium. Gaseous CO2 is also supplied to the valve cluster 130 via a CO2 supply line 136, in order to use this gas as a pre-pressurizing and rinsing medium in the container to be filled. A vacuum connection 138 is further provided, through which a vacuum can be provided in a switchable manner in the valve cluster 130.

[0042] A device 1 for treating a mixture of expansion gas and fill product foam is also provided in the beverage filling plant 100. The mixture of expansion gas and fill product foam is supplied to the device 1 via a relief line 20. The relief line 20 thus conveys both the expansion gas and the fill product foam that is carried along by the expansion gas.

[0043] The device 1 comprises a closed separation container 2, into which a mixture of expansion gas (e.g., CO2) and fill product foam is introduced from the valve cluster 130 via the relief line 20, when, in the course of the relief of pressure in the head space of a filled container, expansion gas is discharged in a controlled manner via the valve cluster 130, and fill product foam is thereby carried along.

[0044] The separation container 2 may be substantially cylindrical or conical in design, and the relief line 20 discharges into the closed separation container 2, for example, into a lower area of the closed separation container 2 and tangentially.

[0045] Because the separation container 2 is, for example, substantially cylindrical or conical in design, when the mixture of expansion gas and fill product foam is introduced tangentially via the relief line 20, depositing of the fill product foam on the interior wall of the closed separation container 2 can be achieved by centrifugal forces alone.

[0046] The expansion gas (e.g., CO2) can be extracted from the upper area of the closed separation container 2 by a suction extractor 22.

[0047] Through the provision of the closed separation container 2 in combination with the suction extractor 22, it is possible to avoid the formation of an increased concentration of expansion gas, for example, an increased concentration of CO2, in the area of the beverage filling plant 100, which could damage or impair the health of staff at the beverage filling plant 100. The suction extractor 22 thereby may extract the expansion gas via suction into an exterior area located at a distance from the beverage filling plant 100, and convey the expansion gas through a chimney, or through a fan via the roof of the hall or another area, out of the room in which the beverage filling plant 100 is disposed.

[0048] In the lower area of the closed separation container 2, a sump 24 is provided, which in the schematically shown example embodiment is filled with a fluid medium 240. At the beginning of the treatment of the mixture of expansion gas and fill product foam, the fluid medium 240 is, for example, fresh water. During the separation of the fill product foam, however, the fresh water is mixed with components of the fill product which have been transported by the fill product foam into the closed separation container 2.

[0049] At the lowest position on the closed separation container 2, for example, its sump 24, an outlet 242 is provided, via which the fluid medium 240 can be extracted from the closed separation container 2. The fluid medium 240 is pumped by a pump 244 into a sprinkler nozzle 3, so that the fluid medium 240 is sprinkled onto the mixture of expansion gas and fill product foam that is present in the closed separation container 2. By sprinkling of the mixture of expansion gas and fill product foam, the fill product foam in the closed container is suppressed, and the bubbles in the fill product foam are progressively burst, so that the fill product foam is substantially liquefied.

[0050] Via the outlet 242 provided in the lower area of the closed separation container 2 and the pump 244, the fluid medium 240 can thus be sprinkled on the fill product foam that accumulates in the closed separation container 2. Accordingly, the fill product foam supplied via the relief line 20 is sprinkled in such a manner that the fill product foam can be suppressed and an excessive rise in the level of the fill product foam in the closed separation container 2 can be prevented, such that it is possible to prevent the fill product foam from being sucked in by the suction extractor 22 for the expansion gas.

[0051] The sprinkling of the fill product foam through the sprinkler nozzle 3 further achieves the destruction of the fill product foam, and accordingly only the components of the fill product that are transported by the fill product foam are present, in liquid or particulate form, and are collected in the sump 24.

[0052] Via a fresh water supply line 246, the sprinkler nozzle 3 can also be fed with fresh water. This is in particular carried out when the sump 24 is to be refilled with fluid medium 240, for example, at the beginning of each treatment procedure.

[0053] In order to carry out the method for treating a mixture of expansion gas and fill product foam, a mixture of the fill product foam and the expansion gas is accordingly introduced via the relief line 20 into the closed separation container 2. At the same time, through the sprinkler nozzle 3, a fluid medium 240 is applied to the fill product foam that accumulates in the closed separation container 2, in order thereby to suppress or destroy the foam. The fluid medium 240 that is applied via the sprinkler nozzle 3, along with the components, or liquefying components, of the fill product foam that have been entrained by the fluid medium 240, flow into the sump 24. In contrast, the expansion gas is extracted via the suction extractor 22 from the closed separation container 2.

[0054] In order to avoid the sucking in, or extraction by sucking, of the fill product foam via the suction extractor 22, the suction extractor 22 is in fluid communication with the closed separation container 2, and the suction extractor 22 from the closed separation container 2 is disposed above the sprinkler nozzle 3.

[0055] When the fluid medium 240 in the sump 24 has reached a certain level, which is measured, for example, by an upper level detector 30 in the closed separation container 2 and/or by the satisfaction of a timing condition, the sump, and in particular the fluid medium 240 in the sump, is discharged via the pump 244 to a waste water pipe 248 through the operation of the appropriate valves. The pump 244 and the appropriate valves for transfer of the fluid medium 240 from the sump 24 to the waste water pipe 248 are kept open or in operation until a lower level detector 32 detects that the fluid medium 240 in the sump 24 has reached a level that is at or below a specified lower level. The previously opened valves are then closed and the valve for the sprinkler nozzle 3 is opened, so that the fluid medium 240 is again pumped from the sump 24 to the sprinkler nozzle 3, and accordingly circulated such that the mixture of expansion gas and fill product foam that has accumulated in the closed separation container 2 is again sprinkled with the fluid medium 240.

[0056] After production has finished, the sump 24 can be emptied fully into a gully 25, for example, by opening an appropriate valve.

[0057] There thus results an efficient method for treating a mixture of expansion gas and fill product foam in a beverage filling plant 100.

[0058] In order to carry out cleaning and sterilization of the beverage filling plant 100 after the production run has finished, a cleaning process is performed through a closed cleaning cycle. For this purpose, a cleaning or sterilization medium is supplied as a so-called CIP medium via the fill product intake 132 to the valve cluster 130 in the known manner, and then flows via the fill product rotary medium distributor channel 120 through the filler valve in order to clean or sterilize the filler valve itself. From the filler valve, the CIP medium is then conveyed via a CIP return line 128 back to the valve cluster 130.

[0059] Through a CIP supply line 40, the CIP medium can also be channeled from the filler valve cluster 130 to a CIP nozzle 42, which is disposed in the upper area of the closed separation container 2. The CIP nozzle 42 is, for example, designed as a 360° nozzle, so that the entire interior wall of the closed separation container 2 can be impinged with cleaning or sterilization medium. In this manner, the closed separation container 2 can be fully cleaned by impingement with the CIP medium. Via the outlet 242 and the pump 244, with appropriate switching of the valves, the CIP medium is returned via a CIP return line 44 to the valve cluster 130. The cleaning is thus carried out in a cycle with no medium discharged; instead, the cleaning medium is recirculated through the closed separation container 2 in the manner described above.

[0060] In an alternative or further embodiment, the CIP medium can also flow out of the valve cluster 130 into the closed separation container 2 via the relief line 20, in order to enable the cleaning of the relief line 20.

[0061] FIG. 2 shows schematically the closed separation container 2, in a schematic side representation, wherein the sprinkler nozzle 3 in the interior is shown by a broken line and the intake of the relief line 20 is also shown schematically. Additionally shown are the sump 24 in the lower area of the closed separation container 2, and the outlet 242. Via a waste water connection 248 and a fresh water connection 246, the closed separation container 2 can be supplied with fresh water and the waste water can be discharged.

[0062] A CIP supply line 40 along with the CIP nozzle 42 are shown, which are provided in the interior of the closed separation container 2, and which serve to clean or sterilize the interior wall of the closed separation container 2 in the manner described above.

[0063] Through the suction extractor 22 disposed in the upper area of the closed separation container, the expansion gas is extracted from the closed separation container 2.

[0064] FIG. 3 again shows the device of FIG. 2 in a schematic perspective view.

[0065] To the extent applicable, all individual features described in the example embodiments can be combined with each other and/or exchanged, without departing from the field of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0066] 1 device for treating a mixture of expansion gas and fill product foam [0067] 100 beverage filling plant [0068] 110 filler carousel [0069] 120 fill product supply line [0070] 122 CO.sub.2 supply line [0071] 124 CO.sub.2 relief line [0072] 126 vacuum [0073] 128 CIP return line [0074] 130 valve cluster [0075] 132 fill product intake [0076] 134 CIP return flow line [0077] 136 CO.sub.2 supply line [0078] 138 vacuum connection [0079] 2 closed separation container [0080] 20 relief line [0081] 22 suction extractor [0082] 24 sump [0083] 240 medium [0084] 242 outlet [0085] 244 pump [0086] 246 fresh water [0087] 248 waste water [0088] 25 gully [0089] 3 sprinkler nozzle [0090] 30 upper level detector [0091] 32 lower level detector [0092] 40 CIP supply line [0093] 42 CIP nozzle [0094] 44 CIP return line