EP0296902B1 - Procedure for containing fluids under pressure and storage container therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

A flexible gas-tight, hermetically sealed pouch (11), in which a likewise closed cartridge (8) filled with a propellant in the liquid phase is disposed, is introduced into the outer envelope (1) of a container (1a), and the container (1a), which includes a valve (7) for distributing fluid (13) contained in it or introduced via the valve (7) is plugged. The cartridge (8) used has a wall capable of degrading at least partially from simple contact with the propellant, until the cartridge opens, within a period of time at least equal to that necessary to assure the packaging and closure of the container (1a ). The propellant then spreads within the pouch (11), changing at least in part to the gaseous phase, at a pressure suitable to assure the dispensing of the fluid (13). By the judicious choice of the characteristics (type, thickness) of the degradable zone of the cartridge (8), heating or other more complicated or expensive means proposed heretofore for putting the container under pressure are avoided.

Description

The present invention relates to a method and to a container for conditioning under pressure of a fluid intended to be dispensed in pasty, liquid or aerosol form, the fluid to be dispensed being pressurized by means of a product. propellant. The invention relates to the case where, for reasons of safety, quality or conformity of the fluid to be dispensed, it is necessary to avoid, both before and during use, contacting the propellant with the fluid to be dispensed.

Various packaging means have already been proposed which meet these objectives, among which the one which uses neither mechanical internal devices nor expensive packaging means, while being absolutely safe in terms of operation, namely that described in document FR-A-2229241.

In accordance with the technique which is the subject of this patent, a fluid intended for distribution in the above-mentioned form is pressurized, by introducing, preferably into the outer envelope of the packaging container open at one of its ends, before the introduction of the fluid to be dispensed, a flexible, gas-tight, hermetically sealed pocket, inside which is disposed a cartridge also closed and filled with a propellant in the liquid state, the free end of the container, the closed container thus formed comprising a valve allowing at least the distribution of the conditioned fluid, and causing, after having filled the container with the fluid to be dispensed, the opening of the cartridge and at least partially the passage to the gas state of the propellant which spreads throughout the free internal volume of the pocket, under a pressure capable of ensuring the distribution of the surrounding fluid the bag from the valve with which the container is provided.

In a preferred embodiment, one causes opening the cartridge by heating the container filled with the fluid to be dispensed surrounding the bag to a temperature sufficient to allow, under the effect of the increase in the internal pressure of the propellant, said opening of the cartridge.

It also indicates that the opening of the cartridge could be obtained as a result of its dissolution, after a period of time which can be determined in advance, in a solvent initially placed in the flexible bag.

The Applicant Company sought to further simplify this process by avoiding either the heating phase of the aforementioned first embodiment, or the use of a solvent, that is to say an additional constituent and a step additional method, in the case of the second embodiment mentioned above.

To this end, according to the invention, a cartridge is used whose characteristics (nature, thickness) are chosen so that it can be degraded at least in part under the action of the propellant alone, until causing an opening, with a delay sufficient to ensure the packaging, but short enough to obtain the release of the propellant within a reasonable time.

• ― on introduit, dans l'enveloppe extérieure du récipient de conditionnement, ouverte à l'une de ses extrémités, une poche souple, étanche au gaz, hermétiquement close, à l'intérieur de laquelle se trouve disposée une cartouche, également close et remplie d'un produit propulseur à l'état liquide;
• ― on obture l'extrémité libre du récipient, le récipient ainsi fermé comportant une valve permettant au moins la distribution dudit fluide;
• ― on introduit ce dernier dans le récipient, si cela n'avait pas déjà été réalisé, la cartouche étant alors susceptible de s'ouvrir pour que le produit propulseur se répande dans tout le volume interne libre de la poche, en passant au moins partiellement à l'état gazeux, sous une pression apte à assurer ta distribution du fluide entourant la poche, à partir de ladite valve, caractérisé par le fait que l'on utilise une cartouche, dont au moins une zone de sa paroi présente des caractéristiques lui permettant de subir une dégradation sous l'action du produit propulseur seul par simple contact avec celui-ci sans que le récipient soit soumis à une augmentation de température, en un laps de temps au moins égal à celui nécessaire pour assurer le conditionnement complet et la fermeture dudit récipient.

The present invention therefore relates to a process for the conditioning under pressure of a fluid intended to be distributed in pasty, liquid or aerosol form, according to which:

• - Introduced into the outer envelope of the packaging container, open at one of its ends, a flexible pouch, gas tight, hermetically sealed, inside which is located a cartridge, also closed and filled a propellant in the liquid state;
• - the free end of the container is closed, the container thus closed comprising a valve allowing at least the distribution of said fluid;
• - the latter is introduced into the container, if this had not already been done, the cartridge then being capable of opening so that the propellant spreads throughout the free internal volume of the bag, passing at least partially to the gaseous state, under suitable pressure to ensure the distribution of the fluid surrounding the pocket, from said valve, characterized in that a cartridge is used, at least one area of its wall having characteristics allowing it to undergo degradation under the action of propellant only by simple contact with it without the container being subjected to a temperature increase, in a period of time at least equal to that necessary to ensure complete packaging and closing of said container.

According to a first embodiment, a cartridge is chosen, the degradable wall area of which is made of a material for which the propellant used is at least partially a solvent. In this case, silicone rubber is used in particular as the constituent material of the degradable wall zone of the cartridge, the propellant being at least one of the chlorofluorinated hydrocarbons known under the name of "Freons" sold by the company DUPONT de Nemours, butanes and dimethyl ether.

According to a second embodiment, a cartridge is chosen whose degradable wall area is made of a material capable of undergoing cracking by stress under the effect of at least part of the propellant used. In particular, polystyrene is used as the constituent material of the degradable wall zone of the cartridge, the propellant being at least one of the chlorofluorinated hydrocarbons known under the name of "Freons", for example dichlorodifluoromethane (F12), being it is understood that the propellant must not cause cracking by immediate constraint of the cartridge, as in particular trichlorofluoromethane (F11) would do.

In this second embodiment, if necessary, an agent capable of accelerating the phenomenon of stress cracking is introduced into the cartridge. In particular, this agent can be chosen from lower C₂-C₆ alcohols, for example ethyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol.

According to another advantageous characteristic of the method according to the invention, the flexible bag is slid inside the container and it is applied against the internal face of the side wall of said container, so that the fluid to be dispensed occupies all the free central part of said container.

The present invention also relates to the new industrial product that constitutes a container for conditioning under pressure of a fluid intended to be distributed in pasty, liquid or aerosol form, comprising, inside its outer envelope, fitted with a valve allowing at least the distribution of the conditioned fluid, an autonomous, flexible, gas-tight, hermetically sealed pocket, inside which is a cartridge, initially closed and filled with a propellant liquid state, the opening of the said cartridge having caused the propellant to pass, at least partially, to the gaseous state occupying the entire free internal volume of the bag under a pressure capable of ensuring the distribution of the fluid surrounding the bag to starting from said valve, characterized in that at least one wall zone of the cartridge used, delimiting the propellant, is chosen with characteristics ticks allowing it to be degraded under the aation of the propellant alone by simple contact with it without the container being subjected to a temperature increase until causing the opening of said cartridge, said container, once under pressure, enclosing the cartridge in a state resulting from this degradation.

According to a first embodiment, the degradable wall area of the cartridge is made of a material soluble in at least part of the product propellant, said container, once under pressure, containing said material in the at least partially dissolved state.

According to a second embodiment, the degradable wall area of the cartridge is made of a material capable of undergoing cracking by stress under the action of at least part of the propellant, said container, once under pressure , containing the fragments of the cartridge resulting from its cracking and bursting. In some cases, the cartridge may initially contain at least one agent intended to accelerate the phenomenon of stress cracking, for example a lower alcohol C₂-C₆.

Furthermore, it is preferred that the free internal volume of the flexible self-contained pouch, in the inflated state, be greater than the internal volume of the packaging container.

The propellant is in particular at least one of the chlorofluorinated hydrocarbons known under the name of "Freon", butanes and dimethyl ether. In addition, it is desired that the gaseous propellant filling the flexible bag is under a pressure of the order of 1 to 10 bars.

In accordance with an advantageous characteristic, the container is provided with a dip tube, one end of which is connected to the dispensing valve, and the other open end of which opens out substantially in the plane of the bottom of the container, said dip tube further comprising, slightly set back from its attachment zone on the valve, at least one additional opening allowing the circulation of the fluid to be dispensed.

In addition, the cartridge can be made of a flexible pipe section hermetically closed at its two ends, in particular by heat sealing, or be constituted by a rigid tube provided with a bottom and closed by a plug.

To better understand the object of the present invention, we will describe it below, by way of examples purely illustrative and not limiting, two embodiments shown in the accompanying drawing.

• ― la figure 1 représente, en coupe schématique axiale, un récipient de conditionnement, après introduction de la poche souple à l'intérieur de laquelle se trouve disposée une cartouche de produit propulseur conforme à un premier mode de réalisation de l'invention, et avant introduction du fluide à distribuer;
• ― la figure 2 représente, en coupe schématique axiale, le récipient de la figure 1 après introduction du fluide à distribuer et après fermeture de son extrémité libre;
• ― la figure 3 représente, en coupe schématique axiale, le récipient de la figure 2 après éclatement de la cartouche et passage à l'état gazeux, au moins partiel, du produit propulseur lequel se répand dans tout le volume interne de la poche souple;
• ― la figure 4 est une vue analogue à la figure 3, mais représentant un récipient de conditionnement dont le tube plongeur est réalisé suivant une variante, permettant la distribution de tout le fluide conditionné, sans qu'aucun volume de ce fluide ne reste prisonnier, en fin de distribution, entre la poche souple gonflée et la paroi intérieure dudit récipient;
• ― la figure 5 représente une vue schématique en coupe transversale du récipient de la figure 1, après introduction de la poche souple, celle-ci étant toutefois disposée différemment à l'intérieur dudit récipient; et
• ― la figure 6 représente, en coupe axiale, une cartouche de produit propulseur, qui est conforme à un second mode de réalisation de l'invention.

On this drawing:

• - Figure 1 shows, in axial schematic section, a packaging container, after introduction of the flexible bag inside which is located a propellant cartridge according to a first embodiment of the invention, and before introduction of the fluid to be dispensed;
• - Figure 2 shows, in axial schematic section, the container of Figure 1 after introduction of the fluid to be dispensed and after closing its free end;
• - Figure 3 shows, in axial schematic section, the container of Figure 2 after bursting of the cartridge and transition to the gaseous state, at least partially, of the propellant which spreads throughout the internal volume of the flexible bag;
• FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing a packaging container, the dip tube of which is produced in a variant, allowing the distribution of all of the conditioned fluid, without any volume of this fluid remaining trapped, at the end of dispensing, between the inflated flexible bag and the interior wall of said container;
• - Figure 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the container of Figure 1, after introduction of the flexible bag, the latter however being arranged differently inside said container; and
• - Figure 6 shows, in axial section, a propellant cartridge, which conforms to a second embodiment of the invention.

If we now refer to FIGS. 1 to 5, we see that the exterior envelope of a packaging container 1 a according to the invention has been designated by 1, as a whole. This envelope 1 has the form general of a cylinder, the side wall 2 of which is fixed to a bottom 3, for example by crimping. The upper part 4 of the outer casing has undergone a forming operation which has made it conical. The upper end of this upper part 4 has an opening 5, which, at least after introduction of the propellant, will be closed by means of a valve-holder cup 6 set on the free edge of said part 4 and comprising, in its central zone, a valve 7 allowing at least the distribution of the conditioned fluid and, if necessary, the introduction of this fluid inside the packaging container. The valve 7 is associated in particular with a conventional dip tube 7 a .

To make the packaging container 1 a , a cartridge 8 is first made filled with the propellant in the liquid state.

This cartridge 8 is constituted by a section of silicone rubber hose closed at its two ends 9 and 10, for example by heat-sealing, or else by ligation as described in the aforementioned French patent No. 2229241 and containing the product to be propelled liquid state, which is, for example, at least one of the chlorofluorinated hydrocarbons known under the name of "Freons", butanes and dimethyl ether.

To manufacture such cartridges 8, it is also possible to operate as described in this same French patent, namely that one closes, at one of its ends, a silicone rubber hose a few meters in length, the said hose is filled by the propellant in the liquid state, the pipe is closed at its other end and it is divided into compartments, having space only places, according to a modular value, a pair of cable ties tightly pinching the pipe in two zones very close together, and by cutting the pipe along the center line, separating two adjacent collars.

In an exemplary embodiment, the cartridge 8 is formed by a flexible silicone rubber hose, the length of which corresponds to the size of the pocket 11 which will be described below, with an internal diameter of 4 mm and an external diameter of 7 mm. When the silicone cannot be heat sealed, a first clip is placed on one end of said pipe, this pipe is filled at a sufficiently low temperature with an adequate quantity of liquefied propellant, then a second clip is applied to close the other end of the pipe, then seal the pipe in the pocket.

After conditioning in the can 4, the propellant begins to dissolve the wall, and, in the case of the propellant F12, the final pressure develops in the pocket after 6 hours.

The cartridge 8 is slid inside the flexible bag 11, made of a gas-tight sheet material inert to the fluid 13, for example polyethylene or in a two- or three-layer, l one of the layers being an aluminum film and the other layer (s) a polyethylene film.

The bag 11, closed by welding, defines a hermetically sealed enclosure inside which the cartridge 8 is disposed. During the operation of closing the flexible bag 11, an at least partial vacuum can optionally be produced simultaneously. inside said pocket 11, or this pocket 11 can be compressed or deformed simultaneously, so that the air trapped inside said pocket 11, after it is closed, is at a pressure, preferably less than atmospheric pressure.

The pouch 11, hermetically closed, is then introduced inside the outer envelope 1 of the container 1 a through the opening 5 (FIG. 1). The pouch is completely autonomous, that is to say independent of the container 1 a and any of its accessories, valve carrier cup 6 or 7 valve.

ou par:

According to an exemplary embodiment, the pocket 11 is produced from a three-layer sheet formed by

or by:

The pocket is formed by folding a sheet as described above, of dimension 160 × 190 mm on itself so as to juxtapose the two faces in PP or PE. Then, by heat sealing, two outer edges are sealed over a width of about 10 mm, the cartridge containing the liquefied propellant is introduced and the third edge is closed by heat sealing.

This pocket, of dimension 80 × 190 mm is rolled up on itself and introduced into an aerosol can having a diameter of 40 mm. After filling with the product, the valve cup is crimped.

The bag 11 can be introduced in any way, inside the container 1 a , which could have a completely different shape, after introduction of the fluid to be dispensed or at the same time as the fluid to be dispensed, or, preferably, before this introduction, especially for questions of convenience and handling.

However, care will be taken to introduce inside a container of determined internal volume, a flexible bag 11, which, once fully inflated, is capable of occupying a volume greater than the internal volume of the container, so that the inflated bag tends to occupy the entire interior of the container and, consequently, to facilitate the evacuation of the fluid to be dispensed.

Thus, for a container of 200 cm³ of internal volume for example, a flexible pocket will be introduced which, once inflated, will occupy a volume of the order of 250 to 300 cm³. We can have, inside this pocket, a pipe 15 cm long, 5 mm inside diameter and 6 mm outside diameter, the interior volume of said pipe being thus of the order of 3 cm³.

As indicated above, the pocket 11 is slid inside the container 1, preferably before the introduction of the fluid to be dispensed. The pocket 11 is introduced through the opening 5, as shown diagrammatically by the arrow 12 in FIG. 1, without any particular precaution, or, preferably, introduced and applied against the internal face of the side wall 1 of said container 1 a , as shown in solid lines in FIG. 5.

The product 13 to be dispensed is then introduced into the container 1 has either the opening 5 directly, wherein the container is then closed, in a subsequent phase, by means of the valve carrier 6 and the valve 7 , or by means of said valve 7, after the latter has been fixed to the container by means of its valve-holder cup 6 (FIG. 2).

The container 1 thus formed is, in any case, closed at its upper free end: it contains the fluid 13 to be dispensed surrounding the pocket 11 within which is disposed the cartridge 8.

After a lapse of time of approximately 10 minutes after the cartridge 8 filled with the propellant in the liquid state has been constituted, time during which the packaging operations leading to the container such as shown in Figure 2, the rubber silicone forming the wall of the cartridge 8 begins to dissolve in the propellant. Silicone behaves a bit like a sponge; after a certain time, this sponge is completely impregnated and lets the gas melt outside, until internal and external pressures are balanced. The start time of passage varies according to the thickness of the wall and according to the nature of the gases used. The released propellant at least partially passes into the gaseous state, which causes the pouch 11 to inflate (see FIG. 3), thus pressurizing the liquid content of the container 1 a , without any contact between this liquid content and propellant.

The propellant, being at least partially in the gaseous state, tends to occupy the entire free internal volume of the bag 11, and it will be able to do so more easily in the particular case represented in FIG. 5, where it will be able to occupy all the free central part of the container 1 a , which will be more favorable for good distribution, without however being able in any case to prevent a certain fraction of the fluid 13 from interposing between the internal face of the side wall 1 and the outer edge 14 of the pocket 11.

It is clear that the quantity of liquid propellant introduced into a cartridge must be calculated so that the gaseous quantity which corresponds to it is under a pressure of the order of 1 to 10 bars, a pressure sufficient to ensure the distribution of the fluid 13 surrounding the pocket 11 from the valve 7 with which the container 1 a is provided. As the fluid 13 is distributed, under the effect of the internal pressure provided by the propellant, the flexible bag 11 tends to deform and occupy the entire interior volume of the container 1 a , up to complete disappearance of the conditioned fluid. In the particular case of the embodiment of Figure 5, the flexible pouch 11 deforms and elongates to form a spiral moving toward the center of the container 1a and occupying all the volume left free by the packaged product dispensed from the valve 7: the spiral deformation of the flexible bag 11 is shown in dotted lines in this FIG. 5.

To avoid a certain amount of fluid conditioning is not trapped between the container wall 1a and the flexible bag 11 inflated, occupying a volume becoming larger at the interior of said container 1a, it is advantageously possible, as shown in Figure 4, providing said container 1 has a dip tube 7 has one end 15 is connected to the dispensing valve 7 and the other open end 16 opens substantially in the base plane 3 of the container 1 a , said dip tube 7 a further comprising slightly set back from its attachment zone on the valve 7, at least one complementary opening 17; in this way, the fluid to be dispensed can circulate freely, in all cases, from the orifices 16 and 17 to the dispensing valve 7, without any volume of fluid 13 being able to be retained under the inflated bag 11, without being able to reach the distribution valve 7.

In Figure 6, there is shown a cartridge 108 according to a second embodiment of the invention. The cartridge 108 thus represented consists of a tube 118, made of polystyrene, provided with a bottom, of the "test tube" type, the tube 118 filled with a propellant in the liquid state (either dichlorodifluoromethane or Freon 12 ) being hermetically closed by a plug 119, which comprises, for this purpose, two sealing lips 119 a , 119 b . At the end of a given time, during which it has been possible to carry out the conditioning as shown in FIG. 2, the tube 118 of the cartridge 108 undergoes cracking by stress ("stress-cracking") under the action of the chosen propellant, it becomes fragile and permeable, the propellant then diffuses into the bag 11, it passes at least partially to the gaseous state to inflate it.

In an exemplary embodiment, the polystyrene tube 118 has a length of approximately 75 mm, an outside diameter of 13 mm and a wall thickness of 1.2 mm. This tube is filled, at -30 ° with 7.5 g of Freon 12 and capped with a polyethylene cap. We then have 10 to 15 minutes to condition this tube in a pouch and fill the container before the deterioration of said tube occurs. In order to correctly adjust the pressure inside the bag, 3 g of ethyl alcohol can be added to obtain a final pressure of 8 bars.

Claims (18)

1. Process for packaging under pressure a fluid (13) intended to be dispensed in pasty or liquid form or in the form of aerosol, according to which:

― a hermetically sealed, gastight, flexible pouch (11) inside which is arranged a cartridge (8; 108), also closed and filled with a propellent product in the liquid state, is introduced into the outer casing (1), open at one of its ends (5), of the packaging container (1a);

― the free end (5) of the container (1a) is closed, the container (1a) thus closed comprising a valve (7) permitting at least the dispensing of the said fluid (13);

― the latter is introduced into the container (1a), if this had not already been done, the cartridge (8; 108) having then to be able to open in order that the propellent product may spread throughout the free internal volume of the pouch (11), changing at least partially into the gaseous state, under a pressure capable of ensuring the dispensing of the fluid (13) surrounding the pouch (11), from the said valve (7), characterised in that a cartridge is employed in which at least a region of its wall has characteristics enabling it to undergo degradation under the effect of the propellent product alone merely by contact with the latter without the container being subjected to a temperature increase, over a period of the at least equal to that needed to ensure the complete packaging and the closure of the said container.

2. Process according to Claim 1, characterised in that a cartridge (8) is chosen in which the degradable wall region is made of a material for which the propellent product employed is at least partly a solvent.

3. Process according to Claim 2, characterised in that a silicone rubber is employed as material forming the degradable wall region of the cartridge (8), the propellent product being at least one of the chlorofluorohydrocarbons known by the name of "Freons", butanes and dimethyl ether.

4. Process according to Claim 1, characterised in that a cartridge (108) is chosen in which the degradable wall region is made of a material capable of undergoing stress cracking under the effect of at least a part of the propellent product employed.

5. Process according to Claim 4, characterised in that polystyrene is employed as material forming the degradable wall region of the cartridge (108), the propellent product being at least one of the chlorofluorohydrocarbons known by the name of "Freons ", for example dichlorodifluoromethane.

6. Process according to either of Claims 3 and 4, characterised in that, if need be, an agent capable of accelerating the stress cracking phenomenon is introduced into the cartridge (108).

7. Process according to Claim 6, characterised in that the agent capable of accelerating the stress cracking phenomenon is chosen from C₂-C₆ lower alcohols, for example ethyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol.

8. Process according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the flexible pouch (11) is slid inside the container (1a) and that it is applied against the inner face of the side wall (2) of the said container (1a), so that the fluid to be dispensed (13) occupies all the free middle part of the said container (1a).

9. Container for packaging under pressure a fluid intended to be dispensed in pasty or liquid form or in the form of aerosol, comprising, inside its outer casing (1) provided with a valve (7) permitting at least the dispensing of the packaged fluid (13), a hermetically sealed, gastight, flexible, autonomous pouch (11) inside which is arranged a cartridge (8; 108), initially closed and filled with a propellent product in the liquid state, the opening of the said cartridge (8) having resulted in the at least partial change into the gaseous state of the propellent product occupying all the free internal volume of the pouch (11) under a pressure capable of ensuring the dispensing of the fluid surrounding the pouch (11) from the said valve (7), characterised in that at least one wall region of the cartridge (8; 108) employed, bounding the propellent product, is chosen with characteristics enabling it to be degraded under the effect of the propellent product alone merely by contact with the latter without the container being subjected to a temperature increase, until it causes the opening of the said cartridge (8; 108), the said container (1a), once under pressure, enclosing the cartridge (8; 108) in a state resulting from this degradation.

10. Container according to Claim 9, characterised in that the degradable wall region of the cartridge (8) is made of a material which is soluble in at least a part of the propellent product, the said container (1a), once under pressure, enclosing the said material in the at least partially dissolved state.

11. Container according to Claim 9, characterised in that the degradable wall region of the cartridge (108) is made of a material capable of undergoing stress cracking under the effect of at least a part of the propellent product, the said container (1a), once under pressure, enclosing the fragments of the cartridge (108) resulting from its cracking and its bursting.

12. Container according to Claim 10, characterised in that the cartridge (108) initially contains at least one agent intended to accelerate the stress cracking phenomenon, for example a C₂-C₆ lower alcohol.

13. Container according to one of Claims 9 to 12, characterised in that the free internal volume of the flexible autonomous pouch (11), in the inflated state, is greater than the internal volume of the packaging container (1a).

14. Container according to one of Claims 9 to 13, characterised in that the propellent product is at least one of the chlorofluorohydrocarbons known by the name of "Freon", butanes and dimethyl ether.

15. Container according to one of Claims 9 to 14, characterised in that the gaseous propellent product filling the flexible pouch (11) is at a pressure of the order of 1 to 10 bars.

16. Container according to one of Claims 9 to 15, characterised in that it is provided with a dip tube (7a) one end (15) of which is connected to the dispensing valve (7) and the other open end (16) of which emerges substantially in the plane of the bottom (3) of the container (1a), the said dip tube (7a) additionally comprising, slightly set back from its region of fastening to the valve (7), at least one additional opening (17) permitting the circulation of the fluid (13) to be dispensed.

17. Container according to one of Claims 9 to 16, characterised in that the cartridge (8) is made from a length of flexible tubing sealed hermetically at both its ends, especially by heat-welding.

18. Container according to one of Claims 9 to 16, characterised in that the cartridge (108) consists of a rigid tube provided with a bottom and closed with a stopper (119).

Images