EP0705788A2 - Method for filling bottles or similar containers with a liquid product - Google Patents

Abstract

The filling process for bottles (7) takes place in a filling system with a filling element (1), issuing aperture (12) and fluid channel (10) with fluid valve (16), and at least one gas path (13). The washing in the pre-handling stage consists of a first wash and a later second wash, done entirely by steam. The first stage of each wash consists of evacuating the bottle, then introducing a preset amount of steam. This takes place independently of the power supply driving the filling system. A final evacuation takes place after the last wash. The introduction of the steam is time-controlled.

Description

The invention relates to a method according to the preamble of claim 1.

Methods for filling liquid contents, in particular beverages (especially beer), are known. It is also common here to rinse the respective container before the actual prestressing in a pretreatment phase and / or to apply a vacuum, i.e. to evacuate and / or treat with water vapor (superheated steam or saturated steam).

In order to ensure quality and durability, in particular in the case of oxygen-sensitive contents, it must be demanded that the air originally present in the container is removed or displaced as completely as possible during flushing, and thus the proportion of air and thus oxygen in the flushed and pre-stressed container is as low as possible. Furthermore, it is also desired to ensure efficient one and cost bottling the consumption of expensive inert gas which usually CO2 _- is gas, but nitrogen (N₂) may be, while keeping the entire filling operation as low as possible and also to prevent that used inert gas is produced, which must be released into the atmosphere as an emission gas.

The object of the invention is to provide a method which optimally reconciles these aforementioned, sometimes contradicting requirements and ensures the lowest possible consumption of inert gas during filling with the lowest possible air and oxygen content in the prestressed container.

To achieve this object, a method is designed according to the characterizing part of patent claim 1.

In the method according to the invention, the respective container is rinsed in the pretreatment phase exclusively using steam (water vapor), with at least two or more rinses being carried out in succession, with each rinsing or before each introduction of the steam into the interior of the container being evacuated . This not only removes air and / or steam from the respective container interior, but in particular also ensures that a pressure prevails in the container after the evacuation, at which the evaporation temperature or saturated steam temperature is clearly below the temperature of the steam supplied during the treatment , for example in the range between 40 and 60 ° C, preferably around 45 ° C. This prevents condensation or separation in the container when rinsing with the steam, in particular when the container or its wall has a temperature that is significantly below the temperature of the steam introduced. It is not necessary to preheat the containers to avoid condensation.

At the end of the pretreatment phase and before the container is pretensioned, it is evacuated again. With each evacuation, the respective container is preferably evacuated to approximately 90% of its total volume.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, rinsing twice, i.e. a double introduction of steam, each with a previous evacuation and a further evacuation following the second flush.

The container is then prestressed with inert gas, with a preferred embodiment of the invention first prestressing a partial prestress from the return gas collecting duct.

The method according to the invention ensures high concentrations of inert gas or small amounts of air and oxygen in the respective container during the actual process Filling, and with an extremely low consumption of inert gas, since this is only used for biasing. Due to the low consumption of inert gas, the filling costs and the emissions of inert gas to the atmosphere can be significantly reduced.

In the method according to the invention, the amount of steam introduced into the container during rinsing is precisely controlled, preferably in a time-controlled manner and independently of the respective output with which the filling system is operated. In the case of a rotating machine with a filling system having a filling system, the amount of steam introduced into the container is therefore independent of the speed and power of this machine.

Since each introduction of steam into the interior of the container is preceded by an evacuation, there is a precisely defined pressure at the beginning of the introduction of water vapor into the interior of the container, so that the amount of steam introduced into the container during flushing is very simple via a time function or control and can be controlled precisely.

The cost of the amount of steam required for purging is much lower than the cost of a corresponding amount of inert gas.

Developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

Fig. 1

in vereinfachter Darstellung und im Schnitt ein füllrohrloses Füllelement zum Abfüllen eines flüssigen Füllgutes in Flaschen unter Gegendruck;

Fig. 2

in Positionen a - f, die der eigentlichen Füllphase vorausgehenden Verfahrensschritte bei einer Ausführungsform des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens, und zwar zur Erläuterung der in diesen Verfahrensschritten aus der jeweiligen Flasche abgeführten Luft- und Gasmengen, sowie der der jeweiligen Flasche zugeführten Menge an Wasserdampf.

The invention is explained below with reference to the figures using an exemplary embodiment. Show it:

Fig. 1

in a simplified representation and in section, a filler-less filling element for filling a liquid filling material into bottles under counterpressure;

Fig. 2

in positions a - f, the process steps preceding the actual filling phase in one embodiment of the method according to the invention, specifically to explain the air and gas quantities discharged from the respective bottle in these process steps, and the amount of water vapor supplied to the respective bottle.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a filling element which, together with a large number of identical filling elements, is provided on the circumference of a rotor 2 of a type that rotates around a vertical machine axis. An annular bowl 3, which is common to all the filling elements 1 and also concentrically surrounds the vertical machine axis, is also provided on the rotor 2 and serves to receive and to supply the liquid filling material to the individual filling elements 1. The ring bowl 3 is filled with this filling material up to a predetermined level N, in such a way that a gas space 5 is formed above the level N or the liquid space 4 occupied by the liquid filling material. The ring bowl 3 or its liquid space 4 is connected to a line (not shown) for supplying the liquid filling material. Furthermore, the gas space 5 is connected via a line, also not shown, to a source for an inert compressed gas (preferably CO 2 gas) such that the gas space 5 has a predetermined constant overpressure (filling pressure P1) when the filling machine is in operation.

On the rotor 2 there is also a common return gas collecting channel 6, which serves in the manner described in more detail below, among other things, for receiving the CO2 gas displaced from these when filling the bottles 7 and in which a predetermined overpressure P2 is set. Based on an atmospheric pressure, the filling pressure P1 is, for example, 2 bar overpressure and the pressure P2 in the return gas collection channel 6 is about 1 bar overpressure.

Finally, on the rotor 2 there is also a vacuum channel 8 common to all the filling elements 1, which is connected to a vacuum source via a line (not shown) and, for example, has a vacuum P3 of 0.9 bar, again in relation to the atmospheric pressure.

Each filling element 1 has a housing 9, in which a liquid channel 10 is formed, one end of which is connected to the liquid space 4 via an opening 11. The other end of the liquid channel 10 forms an annular discharge opening 12 for the liquid filling material on the underside of the filling element 1 or the housing 9, which concentrically encloses a return gas pipe 13 ′ forming a return gas channel 13. The return gas duct 13 is part of the gas path when brining, evacuating, prestressing, etc., as will be described below.

In the return gas pipe 13 'which projects above the underside of the filling element 1 and is open at its lower end, the probe 14 which determines the filling height is arranged in the usual way, in such a way that this probe, with its end having the probe contact 15, passes over the return gas pipe 13 'protrudes downwards and with its axis coaxially with the axis of the return gas pipe 13' or is arranged with the vertical filling element axis FA.

In the liquid channel 10, the liquid valve 16 is further provided in the usual way, which has a valve body 17 which, in the embodiment shown, is made in one piece with the return gas pipe 13 'and is raised by a predetermined stroke in the direction of the filler element axis FA between the raised and the liquid valve 16 and in the position shown in FIG. 1 and in a lowered position closing the liquid valve 16, by a pneumatic actuating device 18th

On the underside of the filling element 1 or the housing 9, a centering tulip 19 is also provided, against which or the seal 20 the respective bottle 7 with its bottle mouth 7 'lies tight when filling and which in turn lies tight against the underside of the housing 9, so that when the bottle 7 is attached to the filling element 1, the interior of this bottle is sealed to the outside via the discharge opening 12 and communicates with the liquid channel 10. When the bottle 7 is attached to the filling element 1, the return gas pipe 13 'and the probe 14 also extend through the bottle mouth 7' into the interior of the bottle 7.

Each filling element 1 also has a control valve device, which in the embodiment shown consists of four individually controllable valves 21, 22, 23 and 35, which are designed as pneumatically actuable valves and are connected in the manner indicated below:

Valve 21 :

On the input side via a channel 24 to a room 25 and on the output side via a channel 26 to the vacuum channel 8.

The space 25 communicates with the upper end of the annular return gas duct 13, which is formed within the return gas tube 13 'and surrounds the probe 14.

Valve 22:

On the input side via channel sections 28 and 29 and the channel 24 with the space 25 and on the output side via a channel 30 with the return gas collection channel 6.

Valve 23:

On the input side via channel 29 and channel 24 with space 25 and on the output side via a channel 31 with gas space 5, which is partially formed in housing 9 and partially in rotor 2 or ring bowl 3.

Valve 35:

On the input side via a connection 36 with a steam source common to all filling elements 1, which in the embodiment shown is formed by a steam channel 37, the saturated steam or superheated steam with a temperature of approx. 120-135 ° C. at an overpressure P4 of about 1.0 - 2.0 bar leads, and
on the output side via a channel section 38 with the space 25.

In the housing 9 of each filling element 1, a channel 32 is also provided which connects the outlet of the valve 22 with the inlet of the valve 23, i.e. connects the channel 30 to the channel 29 and thus the return gas collection channel 6 to the space 25 and in which a ball or check valve 33 and a throttle 34 are arranged in series, namely the check valve 33 such that it closes when the Pressure in the room 25 is below the pressure P2 of the return gas collecting duct 6.

Since the pressure P4 in the steam channel 37 is lower than the pressure P2 in the return gas collection channel 6, this check valve has the advantage that the treatment of the respective bottle 7 with the steam, which will be described in more detail below, is possible without the need to separate the return gas. Collection channel 6 from the interior of the bottle 7 and a further controlled valve is necessary to prevent steam from entering the return gas collection channel 6. The design of the control valve device of the filling element is thus considerably simplified.

1. Evacuate the bottle 7

The respective bottle 7 is lifted from the lifting element assigned to each filling element 1, of which only the bottle plate 39 is shown in FIG. 1, from below in the usual way to the filling element 1 and with its bottle mouth 7 'in sealing position with the filling element 1 brought. The valve 21 is then opened by the electronic control device 40, whereby a connection is established between the interior of the bottle 7 and the vacuum channel 8 for evacuating the bottle 7 via the channels 24 and 26, the space 25, the return gas channel 13 and the opened valve 21 becomes. The check valve 33 is here in the closed position, since the pressure in the space 25 is significantly below the pressure P2 of the return gas collecting duct 6.

This process step, which is shown in FIG. 2 in position a, is controlled in time and / or by the selection of the negative pressure P3 in the vacuum channel 8 such that a 90% vacuum is obtained in the respective bottle 7, i.e. only about 10% of the amount of air originally present in the bottle remained in the bottle.

If bottle 7 is a 1.0 l bottle with a total volume of 1030 ml, at the end of this process step there is still approximately 103 ml of air in bottle 7, i.e. 927 ml of air were removed.

2. First rinse the bottle with steam from the steam channel

After an evacuation time freely selectable via the electronic control device 40, the valve 21 is closed again. Simultaneously or subsequently, the valve 35 opens, via which a connection between the steam channel 37 and the space 25 is then established, so that steam flows into the interior of the bottle 7 via the return gas pipe 13 'protruding into the bottle 7, for a first rinsing of this interior with the saturated steam. Via the control electronics 40, the opening time of the valve 35 is preselected or controlled in such a way that an amount of steam is introduced into the bottle which is approximately a quarter of the total volume of the bottle, i.e. corresponds to about 250 ml.

The purging time can be varied by the control device 40, so that any amount of steam that can be increased in this first purging is also possible.

Since the respective bottle 7 was evacuated before rinsing with steam in the previous method step and there is therefore a negative pressure in the bottle 7 at the beginning of the rinsing, at which the evaporation temperature of water or the saturated steam temperature is approximately 45 ° C., rinsing a condensate formation in the bottle 7 completely or at least to an effective extent prevented.

In this method step too, the check valve 33 is closed by the pressure difference present there between the pressure P2 of the return gas collecting duct 6 and the pressure in the interior of the bottle 7. In order to achieve this reliably, the pressure P2 is greater than the pressure P4 in the steam channel 37.

This first rinsing of the bottle is shown in position b of FIG. 2.

3. Second evacuation of the bottle

After the first rinsing time, the valve 35 is closed again. Immediately afterwards, the valve 21 is opened and thus a connection between the interior of the bottle 7 and the vacuum channel is established. The bottle 7 is thus evacuated again via the return gas duct 13 to a 90% vacuum, i.e. about 177 ml of steam and 73 ml of residual air are removed from the bottle as shown in position c of FIG. 2, so that about 73 ml of steam and 30 ml of air remain in the bottle.

4. Second rinse the bottle with steam

After the time freely selectable via the control electronics 40 for the second evacuation, the valve 21 is closed. Analogous to method step 2, once the valve 35 is opened, saturated steam is again blown into the bottle 7 from the steam channel 37 via the return gas channel 13 again controls an amount of steam that corresponds to about a quarter of the total volume of the bottle, ie about 250 ml. Here, too, the amount of steam introduced is controlled again by controlling the opening time of valve 35. By increasing the opening or flushing time, the amount of steam introduced can be changed, for example, be enlarged.

This second rinsing also has the advantage that the saturated steam temperature is very low as a result of the preceding evacuation, so that the formation of condensate is avoided.

At the end of this process step, which is shown in position d of FIG. 2, in the selected example there are approximately 323 ml of steam and only 30 ml of residual air in the bottle 7.
Further flushing and evacuation processes of this type can follow.

5. Third evacuation of the bottle

The valve 35 is closed again for the initiation of this method step, which can also be referred to as end evacuation of the bottle 7. The valve 21 is opened again, as a result of which the interior of the bottle 7 is again connected to the vacuum channel 8 and the bottle 7 is evacuated via the return gas pipe 13 ′ to an approximately 90% vacuum. This process step is shown in FIG. 2 in position e.

In the selected example, about 21.1 ml of residual air and 228.8 ml of steam are removed from bottle 7 in this process step, so that 94.2 ml of steam and a negligible amount of residual air, namely 8.8 ml of residual air, then remain there ie prktisch all the air out of the respective bottle 7 without the use of CO2 _- gas has been displaced, wherein all of the air as well as the entire vapor are extracted from the bottle 7 via the vacuum channel. 8

6. Prestressing the bottle with CO2 _- Gas from the return gas collection channel

The valve 21 is closed in a time-controlled manner. Simultaneously or immediately thereafter, the valve 22 is opened, thus establishing an unthrottled connection between the return gas collection channel 6 and the interior of the bottle 7, specifically via the open valve 22, the channels 30, 28 and 29, the space 25 and the return gas channel 13. the interior of the bottle 7 is compared with the CO2 _- biased gas from the return gas collecting channel on the local pressure P2. Thus, for this partial biasing only the displaced during the filling of the respective bottle 7 CO2 _- Gas used, that is, the CO2 emitted during filling 6 to the return gas collecting channel _- gas quantity is thus recovered for the process.

7. Prestress the bottle with CO2 _- Gas from the gas chamber of the ring bowl

The valve 22 is closed in a time-controlled manner by the control device 40. Then the control valve 23 is opened, which creates an unthrottled connection between the interior of the bottle 7 and the gas space 5, via the channels 31 and 24, the space 5, the return gas channel 13 and the opened valve 23. The interior of the bottle 7 is compared with the CO2 _-, biased gas from the gas space 5, which also has a high concentration of CO2, and that is on the adjusted in the gas space 5 filling pressure P1, for example, an overpressure of 2.5 bar.

In position f of FIG. 2, the prestressing of the respective bottle for process steps 6 and 7 is shown. The CO2 _-. Amount of gas that was supplied at the end of biasing the bottle 7 is approximately 3596 ml The remaining vapor, which was located at the beginning of step 6 in the bottle 7, is eliminated by cooling as condensate, wherein the amount of this Condensate is negligibly small.

During the prestressing from the gas space 5, the check valve 33 opens, so that a throttled connection to the return gas collecting duct 6 results via this valve and the throttle 34. The here over flowing during pretensioning amount of CO2 _- but gas can be neglected, especially since this CO2 _- gas from the return gas collecting duct 6 again for the partial tempering (step 6) is used.

8. Slow filling

At the end of the prestressing, the connection between the bottle 7 and the gas space 5 is interrupted by closing the valve 23. Immediately afterwards, the liquid valve 16 is opened. Because of the existing pressure difference between the interior of the bottle 7 and the return gas collecting duct 6, the ball valve 33 remains open. The throttle 34 provides a throttling of the displaced from the bottle 7 via the return gas passage 13 into the return gas collecting duct 6 CO2 _- Gas flow, and thus for a gentle and slow Anfüllgeschwindigkeit. The filling speed actually achieved here results from the effective cross section of the throttle 34 and from the pressure difference between the pressures P1 and P2. These parameters can be set depending on the sensitivity of the product to be filled. The duration of the filling phase is controlled by the control electronics 40 and is limited, for example, to a few 100 ms. Slow filling is not necessary for insensitive products.

9. Quick fill

In order to achieve the highest possible performance during filling, the non-critical, cylindrical central region of the bottle 7 is filled at a high inflow or filling speed. For this purpose, the valve 23 is opened, so that there is an unthrottled gas path into the gas space 5 via the return gas channel 13 and the opened valve 23, in addition to the gas path via the throttle 34, which results in a filling speed which is essentially through the static height difference between the level N of the product level in the ring bowl 3 and in the respective bottle 7 is determined. The filling speed can be adapted to the requirements of the respective filling material and / or the shape of the respective bottle 7 via an automatic control of the level N.

The rapid filling phase is ended when the product level has reached the bottleneck that becomes narrower, controlled by the probe 14 or by a probe contact 15 provided at the lower end of this probe. The rapid filling phase can also be terminated by the control electronics 40 in a time-controlled manner.

10. Brake and correction fill

After the rapid filling phase, the valve 23 is closed again, so that the same filling speed is established as for the slow filling. After the response of the probe 14 or of a probe contact which is displaced further upward with respect to the probe tip, the liquid valve 16 is closed in the usual manner, if appropriate after a preselectable or set correction time has elapsed.

During this braking and correction filling there is sufficient time for gas bubbles present in the filling material to rise to the filling material level and thus not contribute to unnecessary foam formation during the subsequent unloading. With the correction time, a fill level correction in the range up to 30 mm is possible.

11. Preliminary relief and calming as well as residual relief

After the liquid valve 16 has been closed, the pressure in the interior of the bottle decreases to the pressure P2 of the return gas collecting channel 6 via the gas path which is still open and has the ball valve 33. The speed of this pressure reduction can be accelerated by opening the valve 22.

At the level of the pressure P2 in the vicinity of the CO2 _- saturation pressure is, via a predetermined period of time a settling phase, can not ascend dissolved gas bubbles to the surface in the presence of the filling material, whereby the formation of foam in the bottle or the bottle neck is avoided.

After the calming phase, the residual relief takes place. For this purpose, the valve 22 is closed and the valve 21 is briefly opened by the control electronics 40, specifically for connecting the interior of the bottle to the vacuum channel 8. The control electronics 40 dimension the opening time of the valve 21 in such a way that immediately before the Bottle 7 from the filling element 1 inside the bottle still has a slight excess pressure. The bottle 7 is then withdrawn from the filling element 1 in the usual manner by lowering the bottle plate 39.

The method described above has the advantage of extremely low CO2 _- consumption as well as the advantage of an economical use of steam.

The return gas displaced from the respective pre-stressed bottle 7 during the actual filling flows back into the return gas collecting duct 6 or into the gas space 5. This high concentration of CO2 containing CO2 _- gas is reused again on subsequent fills.

A consumption of CO2 _- gas is generated only during the final depressurization by the emitted into the vacuum channel 8 gas quantity. This amount of gas is extremely small, even if only because of the low volume, which in the final depressurization of CO2 _- is taken gas. The total amount of CO2 _- gas consumed when relieving the load, ie when filling, is 30 - 50 g per hectoliter of filling.

The amount of steam consumed when rinsing the bottles 7, taking into account losses caused by condensation, is about 113 g per hectoliter of filling.

When rinsing the bottles (process steps 2 and 4), of course, drink-damaging microorganisms on the inner surfaces of the bottle are also killed.

By used when flushing steam, CO2 can _- concentration in the bottle during filling are controlled, ie increasing the Dampfspülmenge also increases this CO2 _- concentration, because of the higher Spüleffektes.

As described above, the probe 14 preferably has at least two probe contacts 15 at different heights, so that the initiation and termination of method step 10 can be controlled with these contacts.

The quantities or volumes given above in ml refer to ambient pressure.

Reference list

1

Filling element

2nd

rotor

3rd

Ring bowl

4th

Fluid space

5

Gas space

6

Return gas collecting duct

7

bottle

7 '

Bottle mouth

8th

Vacuum channel

9

casing

10th

Liquid channel

11

opening

12th

Delivery opening

13

Return gas pipe

13 '

Return gas duct

14

probe

15

Probe contact

16

Liquid valve

17th

Valve body

18th

Actuator

19th

Centering tulip

20th

poetry

21-23

Valve

24th

channel

25th

room

26

channel

28-32

channel

33

check valve

34

throttle

35

Valve

36

Connection

37

Steam channel

38

Canal section

39

Bottle plate

40

Control device

Claims (12)

Method for filling bottles or similar containers (7) with a liquid filling material using a filling system with at least one filling element (1), with a liquid channel (10) forming a discharge opening (12) for the liquid filling material and having a liquid valve (16) ) as well as with at least one gas path (13), in which (method) of the respective, in the sealing position with the filling element (1) located container (7) in a pretensioning stage via the gas path with an inert gas, CO2 is preferably _- gas is biased, which in a subsequent filling phase, in which the liquid filling material flows to the interior of the container via the discharge opening (12) when the liquid valve (16) is open, is at least temporarily displaced via the gas path (13) into a return gas collecting duct (6), and at The (process) of the pretreatment phase is preceded by a pretreatment phase in which the interior of the respective container is flushed out to displace air t and applying a vacuum to the interior of the container (evacuating the container) and introducing steam into the container (7), characterized in that the rinsing in the pretreatment phase takes place exclusively using steam, specifically by at least one first rinsing and a further rinsing following in time, with each rinsing firstly evacuating the interior of the container (7) and then a controlled introduction of a predetermined amount of steam into the interior of the container (7), regardless of the power, with which the filling system is operated, and that the last flushing is followed by a further evacuation of the interior of the container (7). Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the steam is introduced in a time-controlled manner. Method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the interior of the container (7) is connected in a time-controlled manner to a source for the negative pressure, for example a vacuum channel (8), for evacuation via a first control valve arrangement (21). Method according to one of claims 1 - 3, characterized in that the interior of the container (7) for introducing the predetermined amount of steam during the respective flushing is time-controlled via a second control valve arrangement (35) with a source for the steam, preferably with a steam channel ( 37) is connected. Method according to one of claims 1-4, characterized in that in the pretreatment phase there is a first evacuation followed by a first introduction of steam, then a second evacuation followed by a second introduction of steam and a third evacuation, to which the pre-stressing of the Connects container (7) with inert gas. Method according to one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the negative pressure of the negative pressure source (8) and the duration of the respective evacuation of the container are selected such that a negative pressure of approximately 0.5-0 each is present in the container at the end of the evacuation , Sets 95 bar. Method according to one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the negative pressure of the negative pressure source (8) and the duration of the respective evacuation of the container (7) are selected such that the container (7) is evacuated to approximately 90% of its total volume. Method according to one of claims 1-7, characterized by the use of saturated steam with a temperature between about 111 and 155 ° C and with an overpressure of about 0.5 - 4.5 bar, preferably with a temperature between 120 - 130 ° C and with an overpressure of approx. 1.0 - 2.5 bar. Method according to one of claims 1-8, characterized in that the interior of the container (7) is acted upon by a vapor pressure (P4) which is lower than a pressure set in the return gas collecting duct (6). Method according to one of claims 1-9, characterized in that a non-return valve (33) is used in the gas path, via which the inert gas is at least temporarily displaced into the return gas collecting channel (6) during the filling phase, which only opens , if the pressure in the tank is higher than the pressure in the return gas collecting duct (6). Method according to one of claims 1-10, characterized in that the negative pressure of the negative pressure source (8) and the duration of the respective evacuation are set such that a negative pressure results in the interior of the container (7) after the evacuation, at which the evaporation temperature of water or the saturated steam temperature is between about 40-60 ° C, preferably about 45 ° C. Method according to one of claims 1-11, characterized in that the prestressing of the container (7) takes place partly on the return gas collecting duct (6).

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