CA2612800A1 - Beverage dispenser cooling system - Google Patents

Description

Brief Description of the Drawings Fig 1 is a schematic illustrating a beverage dispensing cooling system constructed in accordance with this invention Fig. 2 is a drawing of the preferred embodiment of the invention Detailed Description of the Invention Fig 1 shows a beverage dispenser cooling system particularly for use in dispensing beer on tap. The system includes a storage container such as a beer keg 31 containing beer.
The keg 31 will typically be located within a refrigerated unit 33 such as a large walk-in refrigerator. A pressurized tank, usually containing carbon dioxide, beer gas or compressed air 39 is connected by line 35 to the interior of keg 31 for applying pressure to the beer therein. The contents of the beer keg 31 are connected to the dispensing tap 36 by lines 7 and 11 that travel through an insulated trunk line 34. The distance between the beer keg 31 and the dispensing tap 36 can be quite far, with the trunk line extending up to five hundred feet. To prevent the beer in the trunk line from warming excessively, a glycol unit 32 is used. Glycol unit 32 is a conventional assembly, which chills glycol and pumps it through the trunk line 34 to the dispensing tower 37 and back.
The glycol travels in parallel with the beer keeping it cool. A heat exchange device or booster 55 placed in an intermediate location between the refrigerator and dispensing tap further cools the beer.

Fig 2 shows a drawing of a variable temperature booster. Beer is delivered to the variable temperature booster beer line 60 via a trunk line. The beer line is split into two lines prior to the entry of the heat exchange device. The heat exchange device houses a long beer line 61 and a short beer line 62. Both beer lines are immersed in an insulated chamber 63 through which a cooling liquid that's temperature is colder than that of the beer flows through. When beer passes through the heat exchangers beer lines, the heat transfer between the beer and the glycol will be much greater in the long beer line 61 than the short beer line 62. The long beer 61 line will provide for a colder beer exit temperature from the heat exchange device than the short beer line 62. The short beer line 62 is shown going through the chamber 63. However, it can also go around the chamber and join up with the valve 64 from outside the chamber. At the exit of the heat exchange device, both beer lines are attached to a valve 64 that allows for mixing of beer from both the long beer line 61 and the short beer line 62. The valve can be located at either the outlet or the inlet of the chamber 63. Adjustment of the valve 64 will allow for varying proportions of beer to exit both lines, thus varying temperature of beer exiting the valve.
Upon exit of beer from the outlet 65, beer is delivered via a trunk line to a beer tap for dispense.

It is possible in other embodiments for the system to not include a valve.
This would include a situation where the diameter of the line 62 is so narrow so as to only allow a miniscule amount of beer through.

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Claims