EP0453879B1 - Device for filling containers with a liquid - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a filling device for filling containers with a liquid, in particular for filling large-volume bottles with drinks, according to the preamble of claim 1.

Filling devices for filling liquids into containers such as cans, bottles or the like usually have a storage container in which the liquid to be filled is kept ready and which has a gas space above the liquid. A control device ensures that the liquid level in the storage container is kept as constant as possible in order to create defined and reproducible conditions for the filling process. The reservoir is usually designed as a rotating bowl, for example as a ring bowl, with a central liquid supply. Along its circumference there are a large number of filling heads with centering and sealing means for docking successive containers to be filled, which contain the necessary liquid passages and valves as well as air and gas lines with the associated actuators. With such filling devices, liquids of all kinds can be filled into containers. These devices are preferably used for filling beverages, both for still beverages, such as still water, juices, milk and the like, and especially for carbonated beverages which are filled under counterpressure. The necessary equipment, such as tension and return gas lines, are integrated in the filling head. A known filling head for a filling device is described for example in DE-OS 30 25 786.

A device of the type described above is by German utility model 72 38 305 became known. The filling head described in the document has a swirl-generating device which forces the liquid flowing from a storage container into a container to be filled to swirl around the axis of the filling opening. The centrifugal force acting on the liquid as a result of the swirl causes the liquid to flow along the container wall as it flows out of the filling head and does not come into contact with the return gas pipe projecting into the container to be filled. This prevents the gas escaping from the container through the return gas pipe during the filling process from entraining liquid. A major disadvantage of the known device is that a valve chamber with a valve body for opening and closing the liquid outlet is provided as the swirl-generating device, in which the liquid must flow around eddy-forming edges, which hinders the formation of a clean wall flow. In addition, volumetric metering of the liquid to be filled is not possible with this device. Instead, a fill level limitation takes place through the provided return gas tube, which, in addition to the disadvantage associated with wetting the tube end when the predetermined fill level is reached, has the further disadvantage of a relatively large stroke between filling head and container when the containers are docked, which contributes to limiting the performance of the filling device .

A device corresponding to the preamble of claim 1 with a swirl-generating device at the liquid outlet is described in US Pat. No. 4,156,444. There, the swirl channel runs from the inlet opening of the swirl chamber to its outlet opening in the form of a spiral through several horizontally divided levels, which serve to change the swirl and flow rate in opposite directions. Not only the horizontal partitions of the are in the flow path of the liquid Levels with circular through openings installed, but also actuators or valve elements that control the liquid inflow and outflow. This inevitably results in inhomogeneities which disrupt the liquid flow and can lead to turbulence with undesirable effects such as bubble and foam formation and a reduction in the flow rate.

The invention is based on the object of designing a device of the type described in the introduction in such a way that turbulence of the outflowing liquid is avoided in the swirl chamber and the formation of foam and gas bubbles are prevented as far as possible.

This object is achieved according to the invention by the features specified in the characterizing part of claim 1. This design of the swirl chamber with a swirl channel that preferably runs at an angle of 360 ° from the inlet opening to the outlet opening causes swirl-free swirl generation and trouble-free drainage of the liquid into the container to be filled. The helical design of the swirl channel results in a largely rotationally symmetrical flow, which significantly promotes swirl generation and the formation of a wall flow in the container inlet. The reduction in the flow cross-section to preferably approximately zero has the advantage that the swirl channel is completely filled with liquid essentially until the end of the liquid drain. The pressure of the escaping liquid can act uniformly throughout the swirl channel, which increases the rotating movement component when the liquid flows out, prevents the formation of vortices in the swirl channel and stabilizes the swirl imparted by the liquid. The liquid flow is therefore always reliably pressed against the container wall.

The measures according to the invention thus accelerate the liquid flow and prevent the formation of gas bubbles.

Refinements as well as continuations and developments of the invention, some of which are independently patentable, are contained in the subclaims. The features of claims 2 to 4 relate to a particularly preferred geometric and structural design of the swirl chamber. Claims 5 to 9 contain a preferred continuation of the present invention. They relate to the arrangement and design of a drain funnel in the area of the drain opening of the swirl chamber. The discharge funnel directs the liquid emerging from the swirl channel into the container to be filled while maintaining the swirl through the discharge opening. It is designed and arranged in such a way that a constant transition from the swirl channel to the drain opening is ensured and interruptions or disturbances in the rotating movement of the liquid during the outflow are prevented. At the same time, the drain funnel enables the swirl chamber to be constructed very economically. Claims 8 and 9 relate to measures for ending the swirl movement of residual amounts of liquid trailing at the outlet of the swirl channel. This accelerates the complete idling of the swirl chamber. Claim 10 contains a particularly preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, in which the swirl chamber and its drain opening are free of internals, so that an undisturbed swirl generation and an unimpeded leakage of the liquid are ensured. Claim 11 relates to a further preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, which allows the filling of volumetrically metered amounts of liquid with swirl, the arrangement here also ensuring a trouble-free, quick and complete leakage of the portioned liquid amount. The use of one to be filled in Filling tube or return gas tube immersing the container is not necessary in this device, which, due to the reduction in stroke associated with the elimination of such a filling tube, causes an increase in the capacity of the filling device when a container to be filled is docked.

Overall, the filling device according to the invention offers a number of advantages. It allows the filling of volumetrically metered quantities of liquid with swirl, so that there is no need for a filling or return gas pipe which projects through the outlet opening into the container to be filled. This reduces the stroke required to dock the containers to be filled, which enables both a design simplification and a faster working cycle of the filling device, that is to say increased performance. The swirl chamber proposed according to the invention has no valve internals with moving parts and is therefore distinguished by a very simple construction. A particularly advantageous feature is the swirl and bubble-free generation of swirls, combined with the unimpeded drainage of the liquid to be filled into the container. A rotationally symmetrical flow is generated, which runs close to the wall of the container to be filled due to the high centrifugal force. The strong wall flow and the lack of internals in the swirl chamber and in the outlet funnel have the advantage that particles contained in the liquid cannot get stuck. This also ensures that the return gas escaping from the container to be filled through the center of the swirl movement during the filling process cannot entrain any liquid. Because of the high achievable filling speed, the filling device is particularly suitable for filling large-volume bottles and similar containers. The forced termination of the swirling movement of remaining amounts of liquid in the inlet area of the discharge funnel accelerates the emptying of the filling element and thus also contributes to its increased performance. The arrangement of the swirl chamber downstream of the liquid outlet of the metering chamber of the volumetric metering filling element is also of particular importance within the scope of the invention. This results in a structurally and functionally very favorable construction of the metering filling element.

Fig. 1

einen vertikalen Schnitt durch eine Füllvorichtung nach der Erfindung in einer schematischen Darstellung,

Fig. 2

eine vergrößerte Darstellung des vertikalen Schnitts durch die Drallkammer der Fig. 1 (entspricht einem Schnitt entlang der Linie II-II der Fig. 3) und

Fig. 3

einen horizontalen Schnitt durch die Drallkammer der Figuren 1 und 2 entlang der Linie III-III der Fig. 2.

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing. Show it.

Fig. 1

2 shows a vertical section through a filling device according to the invention in a schematic illustration,

Fig. 2

an enlarged view of the vertical section through the swirl chamber of FIG. 1 (corresponds to a section along the line II-II of FIG. 3) and

Fig. 3

a horizontal section through the swirl chamber of Figures 1 and 2 along the line III-III of Fig. 2nd

In Fig. 1 an embodiment of a filling device according to the invention is shown schematically in a section. 1 designates a storage tank designed as an annular vessel, which contains a liquid 2 to be filled and a gas space 3 with a gas, for example CO₂, which is under a predetermined pressure in the exemplary embodiment shown. Around the circumference of the storage container 1, filling elements 4 with centering and sealing means 6 for docking successive containers 7 to be filled are attached to the underside thereof at regular angular intervals. The storage container 1 is connected in a known manner via feed lines 8 for the liquid to be filled and gas lines 9 to a central supply unit, not shown in the drawing. With known means not shown in the drawing, the liquid level in the reservoir is kept at a predetermined level. Likewise, the pressure in the gas space 3 is regulated as constant as possible in order to create as constant conditions as possible for the filling of the liquid. The storage container 1 runs around a vertical axis (not shown), successive containers 7 to be filled being successively docked, filled and released again with lifting plates 11 or similar devices on the filling elements 4. This process is known and need not be described here.

In the bottom of the storage container 1, openings 12 are provided next to one another in the circumferential direction, to which downwardly extending container extensions 13 are attached. The container lugs 13 are preferably designed as cylindrical tube pieces which are flanged around the bottom openings 12 on the storage container. Each container extension 13 protrudes from above into a metering chamber 14 and has at its lower end a liquid passage 16 from the reservoir 1 to the metering chamber 14. Preferably, the metering chamber forms with the Container attachment is a structural unit, the attachment of which to the storage container does not require any further modifications or additions to the storage container.

The dosing chamber is provided with a liquid outlet 17 at its lower end. The liquid passage 16 and the liquid outlet 17 are arranged opposite one another so that they can be closed alternately by means of a double-seat valve 18 with a common valve body 19. The valve body 19 can be moved from its first closed position, in which the liquid passage from the reservoir 1 to the metering chamber 14 and the liquid outlet 17 of the metering chamber is open, into a second closed position, in which the liquid outlet 17 is blocked and the liquid passage 16 is open.

The valve body 19 is fixedly attached to an actuating rod 21. A force element in the form of a tension spring 22 which is fastened on the one hand inside the container neck 13 and on the other hand outside on the actuating rod 21 acts via the actuating rod 21 on the valve body 19 so that it is pulled into its upper closed position, in which it moves the liquid passage from Storage container to the dosing chamber locks. As soon as there is atmospheric pressure from the outside at the liquid outlet 17, that is, when no container 7 to be filled is docked or a docked container is not yet biased, the valve body 19 is pressed against the force of the tension spring 22 by the pressure of the liquid in the filling element into its lower closed position and there held in which it blocks the liquid outlet of the metering chamber 14. The metering chamber 14 is filled with liquid. If a container 7 is docked and biased, pressure equalization takes place at the liquid outlet 17 of the metering chamber, and the spring 22 pulls the valve body 19 in its upper closed position, the liquid outlet 17 being opened to initiate a filling process. In order to move the valve body 19 after filling the container 7 against the pressure of the spring 22, which holds it in the upper closed position at the liquid passage 16, into its lower closed position at the liquid outlet 17, a switching element 23 is provided, which has a cam-operated eccentric 24 acts accordingly on the actuating rod 21. A mechanical flip-flop element with two stable switching positions can be provided as the switching element, as described in the applicant's older German patent application P 40 10 413.3. With such a switching element, the switching process always takes place at the same switching speed, regardless of the rotational speed of the storage container 1.

The dosing chamber 14 has a dosing space 26 for receiving a predetermined amount of the liquid to be filled and above it a gas space 27 which delimits the dosing space 26 in the dosing chamber upwards. A return gas line 28 connects the metering chamber 26 of the metering chamber to the gas chamber 3 of the storage container. The return gas line 28 opens below the gas chamber 27 in the metering chamber 14. The gas chamber 27 is closed off from the outside and thus contains a gas buffer which limits the metering volume of the metering chamber upwards. The metering volume of the metering chamber 26 of the metering chamber 14 can be changed with a displacer body 29 that is vertically adjustable from the outside. For adjusting the height of the displacement body 29, an actuating rod 31 is provided, which extends outside the storage container 1 and consequently does not require any conversions or installations on the storage container.

According to the invention, a swirl chamber 32 is connected to the liquid outlet 17 of the metering chamber 14. This swirl chamber 32 consists of a chamber housing 33 which has an inlet opening 34 connected to the liquid outlet 17 of the metering chamber, an outlet opening 36, an outlet funnel 37 and a swirl duct 38 connecting the inlet opening 34 to the outlet opening 36 via the outlet funnel 37. As shown in FIG. 2 in an enlarged view, the chamber housing 33 is composed of a lower chamber part 39 with a funnel-shaped inner surface 41 with an inlet cone 41a and an upper chamber part 42, which contains the inlet opening 34 and a return gas line 43 opening centrally in the outlet opening 36. The drain opening 36 is thus designed as an annular opening, which surrounds the mouth of the return gas pipe 43. The funnel-shaped inner surface 41 of the lower chamber part 39 and the upper chamber part 42 enclose the swirl channel 38 between them.
3, the swirl channel 38, starting from the inlet opening 34, extends helically around the axis 44 of the outlet opening 36. The swirl chamber 32 is constructed in such a way that the inlet opening 34 and the outlet opening 36 are arranged radially and axially offset from one another in such a way that however, the inlet opening 34 lies within the outer radius R of the helical swirl channel 38. This results in a compact structure of the swirl chamber and very favorable flow conditions.

The swirl channel extends just at an angle φ of approximately 360 ° around the axis 44 of the drain opening. The bottom of the swirl duct is formed by the upper part of the inner surface 41 of the lower housing part 39, which is designed as an inlet cone 41a of the discharge funnel. The swirl duct 38 is thus open to the discharge funnel at almost the entire circumferential angle. Starting from the inlet opening 34, its height h increases Dependence on the circumferential angle φ in accordance with the amount of liquid flowing through the discharge funnel 37. At the circumferential angle φ = 0, the swirl channel has its greatest height h 1. While the liquid is circulating in the direction of the arrows 46 in the swirl channel, part of the quantity of liquid flows downward with a strong component of movement in the direction of rotation in the direction of the arrows 47 through the discharge funnel into the container 7. In accordance with this decrease in the amount of liquid circulating, the height h 2 of the swirl channel is reduced compared to its original height h 1. By the end of the swirl channel after about 360 ° rotation he has the height h₃ of almost zero under the inlet opening. This height reduction of the swirl channel, which is matched to the amount of liquid flowing off in the swirl channel, has the effect that it remains completely filled during the passage of the liquid during the filling process, that the formation of bubbles and vortices is prevented and that the pressure of the subsequent amount of liquid on the one in the swirl channel Liquid is kept continuously. In this way, a rotating wall flow with high swirl is created in the discharge funnel, which is retained when it flows out into the neck of the container. This rotating wall flow 48 surrounds in the container neck a liquid-free space 49 through which the gas displaced from the container during the filling process can escape into the return gas line 43 and to the gas space of the storage container.

In order to accelerate the idling of the swirl channel 38 at the end of the filling process, swirl resistors 51 can be arranged on the surface of the inlet cone 41a. As swirl resistors 51, approximately radial edges are preferably provided transversely to the direction of flow. These edges can consist of baffles, webs, ribs and the like. Or of depressions such as troughs, channels, grooves and the like. Which, when the amount of liquid in the swirl channel 38 decreases, towards the end of the filling process Interrupt the swirl movement below a predetermined level and direct the liquid residue directly radially into the discharge funnel 37. The swirl resistors 51 are dimensioned such that they do not represent a significant obstacle for the rotating liquid when the swirl channel 38 is filled. The swirl resistances can, as shown in FIG. 3 using the example of the strip 51 a shown in broken lines, also deviate from the exactly radial alignment.

The return gas line 43 connecting the interior of the container 7 to be filled with the gas space of the storage container 1 extends through the upper housing part 42 of the swirl chamber 32, through a line section 52 in the filling element 4, through a pressure change valve 53 and through the container opening 12 into the gas space 3 of the storage container Further pipe section 54. The valve 56, which can be actuated by means of an actuating device 57, can be used to interrupt the return gas line in order to prevent a pressure loss in the gas space 3 of the storage container 1 as long as no container 7 is docked to the filling element. With a relief valve 58, the interior of the container can be brought from the elevated pressure prevailing there to atmospheric pressure after the filling process.

Via the pressure change valve 53, which can be actuated in the usual way with an actuating device 59, the interior of the container 7 to be filled can optionally be connected to the gas space 3 of the storage container 1 or an additional gas space 61, which reduces a gas under one compared to the gas space 3 Contains pressure. The filling process can thus be decisively accelerated, which has a positive effect in particular in the case of large-volume containers 7 to be filled.

To initiate the filling process, the one to be filled is first used Container 7, which can also be a PET bottle, is biased, ie it is acted upon by the pressure of the gas space 3 by opening the valve 56 and by establishing the connection to the gas space 3 of the storage container via the pressure change valve 53. Then the liquid outlet 17 of the metering chamber is opened by switching the valve body 19 into its upper closed position, so that the metered liquid can flow out of the metering chamber through the swirl chamber 32 into the container 7, forming a close-fitting rotating wall flow in the container neck the center of which the gas displaced from the container can escape into the return gas line 43. At a predetermined point in time during the filling process, the pressure changeover valve 53 switches over, so that the lower pressure of the additional gas space 61 is applied to the return gas line 43 and thus to the interior of the container. This significantly accelerates the outflow of the liquid from the swirl chamber. As soon as the filling process has ended, the valves are switched back again and the relief valve 58 is briefly opened. The liquid has now drained completely from the swirl channel 38 and the discharge funnel 37 into the container 7. This can then be removed from the filling element, for which only a small stroke of the lifting plate 11 is required.

Claims (13)

1. Filling apparatus for filling containers with a liquid, in particular for filling large-volume bottles with beverages, having a supply container (1) storing the liquid to be filled and having at least one filling member (4) which is connected to the supply container, has a liquid outlet (17) with centring and sealing means (6) for positing containers (7) to be filled and which has a swirl chamber (32) which is associated with the liquid outlet and has an inflow opening (34), an outflow opening (36), and a swirl space (32) which connects the inflow opening to the outflow opening and which is constructed as a swirl channel (38) which, starting from the inflow opening (34), runs around the axis (44) of the outflow opening (36) and whereof the throughflow cross-section decreases as a function of the angle of rotation (φ), characterized in that the swirl channel (38), starting from the inflow opening (34), runs in a spiral shape around the axis (44) of the outflow opening (36), and in that its height (h) decreases at the same time to effect the angle-dependent reduction in its throughflow cross-section.
2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that the inflow opening (34) and the outflow opening (36) of the swirl chamber (32) are arranged axially and radially offset with respect to one another.
3. Apparatus according to Claim 2, characterized in that the inflow opening (34) of the swirl chamber (32) and the swirl channel (34) are arranged with respect to one another such that the perpendicular projection of the inflow opening is within the outer radius of the swirl channel.
4. Apparatus according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the height (h) of the swirl channel (38) decreases in accordance with the liquid quantity flowing out while rotating about the axis (44) of the outflow opening (36).
5. Apparatus according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the swirl channel (38) merges downstream into an outflow funnel (37) which guides the liquid flowing out of the swirl channel to the outflow opening of the swirl chamber (32) while maintaining a swirl movement generated in the swirl channel and rotating about the axis of the outflow opening (36).
6. Apparatus according to Claim 5, characterized in that the inflow cone (41a) of the outflow funnel (37) forms the base of the swirl channel, and in that the swirl channel is open with respect to the upper inflow part of the outflow funnel at least approximately in its entire length about the axis (44) of the outflow opening (36).
7. Apparatus according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the radially outer delimitation wall of the swirl channel (38) runs approximately at the distance of the largest radius of the outflow funnel (37) substantially concentrically about the axis (44) of the outflow opening of the swirl chamber (32).
8. Apparatus according to one of Claims 5 to 7, characterized in that there is incorporated in the outflow funnel (37) at least one swirl resistance means (51, 51a) inhibiting or stopping the swirl movement of outflowing residual quantities of the outflowing liquid.
9. Apparatus according to Claim 8, characterized in that at least one guide edge which is arranged substantially radially in the inflow cone (41a) of the outflow funnel (37) and which interrupts the surface thereof is provided as a swirl resistance means (51, 51a).
10. Apparatus according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the filling member (4) has an outlet valve (18) for opening and closing the liquid outlet (17), and in that the outlet valve is constructed and arranged to open and close the inflow opening (34) of the swirl chamber (32).
11. Apparatus according to one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the filling member (4) has a metering chamber (14) which is connected by way of a closable liquid passage (16) to the supply container (1) and which has a closable liquid outlet (17), and in that the inflow opening (34) of the swirl chamber (32) is connected to the liquid outlet.
12. Apparatus according to one of Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the swirl channel (38) steadily runs through at least approximately 360° about the axis (44) of the outflow opening (36).
13. Apparatus according to one of Claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the throughflow cross-section of the swirl channel (38) decreases to almost zero.

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