EP0408851B1 - Device for sterilising the outside of rotating bottling machines - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for sterilising the outside of rotating bottling machines having a multiplicity of revolving filling valves (3) and valve control devices and also container-feed control devices is characterised in that stationary-mounted spraying nozzles (9,9') directed at the region surrounding the valves (3) and connected to a supply, fed under pressure, of sterilising liquid are provided next to the bottling machine, which spraying nozzles are equipped with a switch-on control system which operates as required and, in the case of closed valves (2), switched-off container feed and running bottling machine, switches on the nozzles. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a device of the type mentioned in the preamble of claim 1.

Such a device is known from GB-A-2045732. This is a spray device for removing cullet from individual valves of a filler, immediately after a glass container has burst at the respective valve. The known spraying device has a sensor which detects the corresponding valve when a bottle bursts and controls the container feed control devices in such a way that this space and some spaces in front of and behind it remain empty during the subsequent rotations of the rotating filler. In addition, it is ensured that in the circulations of the filler following the burst, the nozzles spray the valve area with water jets only at the point at which a bottle had burst. Care must be taken to ensure that the remaining valves filled with bottles are not sprayed in order to avoid that the containers standing there get wet or that even splash water penetrates into the containers.

From DE-A-2739742 it is known to remove broken glass in the region of the valve when the bottle has burst by means of nozzles, which are associated with each valve individually rotating on the filler.

However, these designs cannot solve sterility problems on beverage fillers. Beverage fillers must always be operated under as sterile conditions as possible. This is difficult with nutrient-rich liquids such as lemonades or beer, which form an excellent breeding ground for bacteria of all kinds. It must be prevented that germs get into the filled liquid or into the containers to be filled when filling. Particularly sterile filling conditions must be observed to achieve longer shelf life dates.

The so-called cip rinse, as is known, for example, from DE-A-3511078, has now become established in beverage fillers. This cleans and cleans all of the inner drink-carrying rooms and channels of the filler with cleaning liquid. This internal cleaning of the filler is only sufficient to a limited extent. Also on the outside of the filler, especially in the area of the filling valves, germs can get into the containers to be filled, for example when the container is placed on the filler, or fall into the valve outlet by drafts and are then flushed out into the container. It is therefore necessary to also sterilize the outside of a beverage filler in order to maintain particularly sterile filling conditions.

According to the prior art, external sterilization devices are only known in the form of manually operated devices such as buckets and brushes for whom a beverage filler with its complicated surface design can only be sterilized with great difficulty. It is also known to apply superheated steam to the entire space surrounding a filler, as a result of which the entire filler is sterilized on the outside. The structural facilities required for this are very extensive and require the filler to be shut down for a longer period.

The object of the present invention is to provide an external sterilization device for rotating beverage fillers with which the desired sterilization can be achieved quickly and safely.

This object is achieved with the features of the characterizing part of claim 1.

In this construction, stationary spray nozzles are provided which spray a mist of sterilizing liquid with which the filler can be completely sterilized from the outside, particularly in the sterility-sensitive area of the valves. The nozzles need only be arranged at a circumferential position where the filler passes. The entire scope of the filler can be sterilized while walking past the spray station with very little equipment. A few filler circulations are sufficient. The filling operation therefore only needs to be interrupted for a very short time.

The features of claim 2 are advantageously provided. Under certain circumstances, the sterilization of the filler is not sufficient if it runs a short distance past the jacket surrounding it, which is usually still provided with radially directed splinterguard walls, which are intended to prevent a chain explosion if the containers burst. Due to the draft of the rapidly rotating filler, germ-laden dust particles are often torn off the jacket or the partition walls and transported to the filler. By spraying the jacket with sterilizing liquid, this is also sterilized, so that the risk of contamination from the stationary filler parts is eliminated. It is in turn sufficient to provide the filler with only one or more nozzles in one circumferential position, which all around sterilize the entire jacket in a few turns.

The features of claim 3 are also advantageously provided. It is particularly important to sterilize the valve outlets, i.e. those parts of the valves that are open to the outside below the liquid valve seat. Germs sitting in the spouts, for example brought in by drafts, are washed into the bottle during the next filling process and inevitably lead to germination. However, the outlets, which are open at the bottom, may be difficult to reach from the spray generated by external nozzles. For this reason, sterilization liquid is advantageously applied to them through separate rinsing channels that open directly through the valve housing into the outlet. In this way, the sterilizing liquid can advantageously be added in excess, so that it drips down from the outlet and also sterilizes the parts underneath, that is to say in particular the centering devices for the container, which act on the edge thereof.

The features of claim 4 are also advantageously provided. With a vacuum filler there is usually one Vacuum ring line is provided, which supplies all valves with vacuum. This can be used in a simple manner to supply the sterilizing liquid when the vacuum is switched off. The vacuum switching valves usually provided on each valve can be used to separately switch on the sterilizing liquid flow. Few components are sufficient for retrofitting, so that retrofitting can be carried out very inexpensively. In addition, the contamination of the beverage to be filled with sterilizing liquid is avoided, since after the sterilization process has ended and the liquid has been drained from the vacuum ring channel, it is quickly dried by the vacuum that is subsequently switched on, and when the vacuum valves on the valves are actuated, these residues of sterilizing liquid are added before the filling process be sucked off outside.

Finally, the features of claim 5 are advantageously provided.

Spraying the outer parts of the filler or the parts stationary around it, in particular the jacket, with a mist of sterilizing liquid can only provide temporary relief. This is particularly the case if containers frequently burst on a filler and sticky liquid mixed with cullet sprays into the environment. This settles very quickly up to thick layers on the surrounding surfaces, whereby these thick layers can then only be sterilized on the surface. The surfaces are washed and cleaned by spraying pressurized water with spray nozzles as a prerequisite for subsequent thorough sterilization. The arrangement of the nozzles stationary next to the filler or on the filler can be carried out in accordance with the arrangement of the sterilizing spray nozzles.

In the drawing, the invention is shown in a highly schematic section through a filler equipped with an external sterilization device according to the invention.

The figure shows in radial section the essential parts of the filler rotating about an axis A in the region of a valve, the other valves being omitted for the sake of simplification in the drawing.

A ring bowl 1 has in its bottom an opening which is closed by a valve body 2 shown with valve stem and valve plate and which opens downwards into an outlet 3 which is widened at the lower end to form a conical sealing surface against which a bottle 4 to be sealed comes into contact.

The bottle 4 stands on a bottle plate 5, with which it can be brought up into the sealing position on the valve by a suitable drive. The edge of the bottle is held in the center by a tulip 6, which is guided over the schematically illustrated height-adjustable sliding guide 16 on the ring bowl 1.

The other associated parts of the valve and the bottle guide are omitted for simplification, such as supply and return air ducts, pressure relief valves and the like.

If the bottle 4 is in the lowered position, as shown in the figure, it is either shortly before filling or shortly thereafter, but is in any case not unlocked. Dust trickling in from above can reach the inside of the bottle. Such dust can fall from any parts on the valve or ring bowl shown and is usually loaded with germs that become harmful to the beverage to be filled and reduce its shelf life.

The filler shown should therefore be sterilized from the outside.

For this purpose, in addition to the filler, a pipe 7 is provided, branching off from the pipes 8, 8 'to spray nozzles 9, 9'. These are directed in such a way that they produce a spray mist in the direction of the filler, in particular in the direction of the ring bowl 1 and the entire valve arrangement including all parts coming into the vicinity of the bottle 4. It is sufficient to use a stationary spray station with one or more spray nozzles 9, 9 'to cover the outer surface of the filler in the sterility-sensitive area of the bottle 4 with a spray mist that adequately sterilizes all surface parts when the spray jet is suitably aligned.

The tube 7 is connected in a manner not shown to a supply of suitable sterilizing liquid, which is supplied for example with suitable pumps under sufficient pressure to spray the nozzles 9, 9 '. A very fine mist is preferably produced which covers the surfaces of the filler to be sprayed over the entire surface with a thin film of sterilizing liquid which remains thin and dries quickly, i.e. cannot drip into bottles 4 after the sterilizing process.

For sterilization, the filler is first switched with suitable control devices so that bottles are no longer fed. The actuators for the valves are turned off, so that the valves do not open, and it is then switched on with the filler rotating, the spray station consisting of the nozzles 9, 9 ', which is arranged stationary at any circumferential point next to the filler. Then the entire filler is sprayed around its entire circumference in a few cycles.

As a rule, devices are provided around the filler shown, which are intended to protect the operating personnel, in particular against splashing liquid and fragments flying away from the filler. A bottle 4 can burst with a counterpressure filler under the high preload pressure of several bar, with fragments flying outwards. Therefore, as shown in the figure, fillers are usually provided with a jacket plate 10 arranged in a circle around the filler, which, when set up at a sufficient height, surrounds the filler at a short distance. Usually, as shown, radially inwardly projecting partitions 11 are provided on the jacket sheet, which usually consist of elastic material and which should prevent the reflective throwing back of broken glass when a bottle bursts, so that there is no chain explosion of several bottles. These surfaces of parts 10, 11, which are set up directly next to the rotating filler, are also always loaded with germs, which can get to the filler and into the bottle 4 by vibration and drafts.

Therefore, the invention further provides that one or more spray stations are provided on the rotating filler, as shown in the figure. On the ring bowl 1, a pipe 12 is mounted, which, like the pipe 7 mentioned above, is connected to the supply of sterilizing liquid. At the circumferential point of the filler shown, two pipes 13, 13 'are connected to the pipeline 12, which lead to spray nozzles 14, 14'. These are directed essentially towards the outside of the casing sheet 10 and the partition walls 11 and spray the entire casing with a sterilizing spray mist after pressurization when the filler circulates.

The outlet 3 of the bottle valve is particularly at risk of sterility, since germs which occur in it, when it is filled, that is to say after the valve body 2 has been lifted, are conveyed into the bottle 4 from the outflowing beverage with great certainty will. The outlet 3 must therefore be sterilized with special care. This can be achieved, for example, that the stationary nozzle 9 'is directed with a directional effect on the area of the outlets 3 of the valves passing by.

However, it is advantageous to provide a separate sterilization of the outlet 3, specifically for all valves arranged on the filler. This is shown in the figure.

To simplify the distribution of the sterilizing liquid to all of the valves to be connected, a ring line 15 is provided, which leads past all valves and in which a branch line 16 branches off at each valve. This leads to an actuating valve 17 located on the outside of the valve, which is briefly actuated via the illustrated radially outwardly protruding button while running past suitable stationary stops and releases sterilizing liquid into the outlet 3 via the inner channel 18 shown.

For example, an already existing Cip flushing line can be used as the ring line 15, which leads to all valves anyway.

If the filler is designed as a vacuum filler, the vacuum line can be used as the ring line 15, in which case the actuation valve 17 is the vacuum actuation valve. It is then only necessary to provide a changeover valve on the filler in the feed line leading to the ring line 15, which is optionally switched to vacuum or to the supply of sterilizing liquid.

The inner channel 18, which supplies the outlet 3 of a valve with sterilizing liquid, advantageously opens out at the top of the outlet 3 so that it is rinsed over its entire length. The cross sections are preferably such that the sterilizing liquid is supplied in abundance and drips down onto the tulip 6 and also sterilizes it.

Suitable liquids can be used for sterilization, such as, for example, ozonized water. Hot water at a suitable temperature is also suitable for sterilization.

When operating a beverage filler, very sticky liquids such as fruit juices or beer are often filled, and glass containers often burst. Over time, a thick sticky layer with broken glass accumulates on the surfaces of the filler and the stationary parts surrounding it. With sterilization in the manner described above, only superficial sterilization is achieved. There are still germs inside this layer. If pieces of this layer come loose and fall into bottle 4, germination occurs.

The invention therefore advantageously provides that not only is sterilization periodically with a spray mist, but the entire surfaces in the sterility-critical area are thoroughly washed off at intervals. For this spray nozzle systems can be used, which are connected to pressurized water and are arranged similarly to the spray nozzles 9, 9 ', 13, 13'. So there can be stationary, inwardly spraying on the filler spray nozzles, similar to the spray nozzles 9, 9 'and arranged on the filler, outwardly spraying on the jacket water nozzles, which are similar to the spray nozzles 14, 14' arranged on the filler. There is no need for a separate representation of the spray nozzles. These can be supplied via water supply pipes, which are arranged similar to the pipes 7, 12. The mode of operation is the same as for spraying with sterilizing liquid, only that you work with much stronger shower jets that wash the surfaces thoroughly with larger amounts of water.

Claims (5)

1. External spraying device for rotating beverage filling machines (1,2,3) with a plurality of rotating filling valves (3) and valve control devices and including container supply control devices and including nozzles (9,9'), which are stationarily installed adjacent the filling machine (1,2,3) and directed towards the area around the valves (3), with a connection to a supply of liquid supplied under pressure, characterised in that a sterilising liquid is provided as the liquid, that the nozzles are constructed as spraying nozzles (9,9') for producing a spray and that an actuation controller is provided for the nozzles (9,9'), which operates when required and which switches on the nozzles (9,9') when the valves (2,3) are closed, the supply of containers is switched off and when the filling machine (1,2,3) is running.
2. External spraying device as claimed in claim 1 for beverage filling machines with a stationary splinter or spray protective casing, characterised in that arranged on the filling machine there are further nozzles (14,14') which rotate with it and are directed outwardly onto the casing (10,11).
3. External spraying device as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that flushing passages (18) are provided which are connected to the supply and which open out into the valve outlets (3).
4. External spraying device for vacuum filling machines as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that the vacuum ring conduit (15) is switchably connected to the supply.
5. External spraying device as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that, in addition to the spraying nozzle (9,9'), spray nozzles are provided which are connected to pressurised water and which are stationary and adjacent the filling machine (1,2,3) and directed onto the region around the valves (3) and/or rotate with the filling machine (1) and are directed outwardly.

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