Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
  • B67C—CLEANING, FILLING WITH LIQUIDS OR SEMILIQUIDS, OR EMPTYING, OF BOTTLES, JARS, CANS, CASKS, BARRELS, OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; FUNNELS
  • B67C3/00—Bottling liquids or semiliquids; Filling jars or cans with liquids or semiliquids using bottling or like apparatus; Filling casks or barrels with liquids or semiliquids
  • B67C3/02—Bottling liquids or semiliquids; Filling jars or cans with liquids or semiliquids using bottling or like apparatus
  • B67C3/22—Details
  • B67C3/26—Filling-heads; Means for engaging filling-heads with bottle necks
  • B67C3/2642—Filling-heads; Means for engaging filling-heads with bottle necks specially adapted for sterilising prior to filling
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61L—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES
  • A61L2/00—Methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects other than foodstuffs or contact lenses; Accessories therefor
  • A61L2/02—Methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects other than foodstuffs or contact lenses; Accessories therefor using physical phenomena
  • A61L2/14—Plasma, i.e. ionised gases
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B55/00—Preserving, protecting or purifying packages or package contents in association with packaging
  • B65B55/02—Sterilising, e.g. of complete packages
  • B65B55/04—Sterilising wrappers or receptacles prior to, or during, packaging
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
  • B67C—CLEANING, FILLING WITH LIQUIDS OR SEMILIQUIDS, OR EMPTYING, OF BOTTLES, JARS, CANS, CASKS, BARRELS, OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; FUNNELS
  • B67C7/00—Concurrent cleaning, filling, and closing of bottles; Processes or devices for at least two of these operations
  • B67C7/0073—Sterilising, aseptic filling and closing

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method for disinfecting and deodorizing the interior volume and / or the interior surface of containers in a treatment chain (filling, closing and / or odor control) of containers. It also relates to a device for implementing this method.
• Drinks are filled in containers such as, for example, tin cans, glass bottles or recently, but increasingly, in plastic bottles. These containers are sent to a device of this type after being cleaned, either from a washing machine, when it is for example returnable bottles that are reused or, when it comes to new bottles, for example directly from a plastic molding machine or a rinser, which only rinses the bottles.
• the containers sent to this type of device are clean, but not sterile.
• the containers and their closing devices must be sterilized before filling, respectively before closing the container. In this way, the growth rate of microorganisms in these containers when filled and closed is reduced, and the shelf life of the drink is extended.
• devices of this type is meant both a simple filling machine and a simple closing machine.
• a filling and closing machine in which the containers are first filled and then closed.
• the disinfection installations that are known are mainly superheated steam treatment stations, but also sterilization installations employing chemical processes, which use, for example, peroxide d 'hydrogen (H 2 0 2 ).
• the aim of the present invention is to design a method and a device for filling and closing containers which allows highly sterile bottling of beverages, of high efficiency, ensuring a long storage period, high quality of the preserved product. and, in recycled bottles, the absence of any foreign smell.
• the invention relates to a method for disinfecting and deodorizing the interior volume and / or the interior surface of containers in a processing chain.
• a disinfection device comprising at least one disinfection station, in which the objects, namely the containers or their closing devices, are arranged and treated, between electrodes, by a high-frequency plasma flash at 1 inside the container or in the inner part of the closure.
• This disinfection device is arranged so as to synchronize the processing operations with the continuous flow of objects to be treated.
• the disinfection device It therefore works synchronously with a filling or closing machine and meets the high requirements currently required in the bottling industry.
• the disinfection device is integrated immediately before the filling or closing station, so that the risk of re-infection is reduced due to the very short distance between the disinfection device and the filling valve. or the closing mechanism.
• the disinfection station can also be equipped with several disinfection stations operating in parallel for a multi-channel operation, in particular for a clocked operation of the series filling type.
• the disinfection stations consist of two electrodes which can be constructively integrated into conventional container processing machines, such as conveyors, filling machines or closing machines.
• Disinfection with plasma has given very good results in preliminary tests. For constructively comparable installations, these tests give residual growth rates lower than those obtained with known sterilization methods using superheated steam or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).
• H2O2 hydrogen peroxide
• With an appropriate design of the disinfection station it is possible to achieve complete sterilization with high reliability. For example, it has been shown that, unlike sterilization by superheated steam or by H2O2, during a prior contamination of a PET bottle by microorganisms of the Byssochlamys nivea or fulva type at a rate of 10 ⁇ per bottle, after plasma treatment, no residue remains in the container. It has also been shown that the plasma treatment has a significant deodorant effect.
• the time required for the plasma treatment process is very short.
• containers can be treated which have a neck, even if it is narrow (for example 5 to 10 mm). It is possible to sterilize the interior space which contains germs suspended in its volume, as well as the internal surface of the container on which the germs rest.
• Conventional closing devices such as, for example, threaded caps for bottles, are also formed with a mouth opening outwardly in the form of a crucible or pot and their interior space as well as their exterior surface can be disinfected by a plasma flash.
• the features of claim 3 are provided for this purpose. With such a construction, the plasma is produced inside the object. Once created, the plasma exerts its sterilizing activity on the internal surface of the object.
• the high voltage electrode is fixed.
• the high-voltage electrode can be sterilized by the plasma jet which turns out to be emitted by the object itself, during the flash.
• An insulating layer, of variable thickness, can be provided on the internal surface of the ground electrode, which makes it possible to obtain a regular distribution of the plasma over the entire internal surface of the object.
• the grounded electrode can advantageously be made in the form of a pot, so as to match the shape of the object, leaving its mouth free.
• a disinfection station arranged so as to surround with a ground electrode, essentially in the form of a ring, the head space of the container above the level of the liquid, can be arranged after the place of filling and before closing the container.
• the mass electrode can advantageously be adapted to the external shape of the object so as to adapt to it like a mold in order to improve the uniformity of the treatment of the internal surface of the container.
• a disinfection station can be fully equipped with the two electrodes. For installations with high capacity, it is however difficult to bring the object and to place it correctly in an adequate position between the electrodes in the time available between the passage of two objects, then to move it away from this position.
• the ground electrodes can be moved with the treated objects so that, during this movement, there is a sufficient time for initiating, developing and stopping the discharge inside the object surrounded by these ground electrodes, the high frequency generator being controlled so that a pulse is generated each time the opening of an object is in front of the high voltage electrode.
• the high-voltage electrode remains fixed. This has the advantage that the high frequency generator as well as the connection line between the high voltage electrode and the high frequency generator, of expensive construction, and of sensitive geometry, as well as, if necessary, the necessary screens. against electrical disturbances in the environment can be fixed.
• the mass electrodes can be divided into two half-shells along the center line of the trajectory of the movement of the objects, and each of the half-shells is attached to separate transport devices which operate synchronously with the objects, so that 'an impulse is applied when the two half-shells of the disinfection station surround an object. In this way, the reception without stopping (in continuous movement) of the object in the mass electrode can be solved very simply with the usual means of construction in standard machines for processing containers.
• At least one high-voltage electrode can be disposed between the opening of the object, surrounded by the ground electrode, and a second grounded electrode.
• a second earthed electrode can be, for example, the filling member located above the container to be filled, so that its flow device, contaminated by the surrounding atmosphere, is sterilized simultaneously with the container.
• the ground electrode that surrounds the head space of the filled container and the second grounded electrode can surround the closure member when it is disposed above the container, ready to close it.
• the closure descending on the container and the head space located above the liquid in the container can advantageously be sterilized, simultaneously, directly before the closure of a container, so that the optimal sterility of the container directly before closing is guaranteed.
• One of the ground electrodes surrounding the closure element may constitute the member for actuating the closure of the closure element. In this way disinfection of the clasp in the closure device is possible directly before or even during closure, for example before attaching the cover or the cap.
• disinfection stations can be supplied with a single high-frequency generator with sufficient power. In this case, the installation is simplified and the cost operating is decreased.
• processing stations provided with high frequency generators can be served simultaneously or consecutively, for example by means of switches.
• Plasma can be generated in different gases or mixtures of gases. Vacuum devices are not required, since plasma can be generated at normal atmospheric pressure with an appropriately designed high-frequency generator. Since, depending on the opening, the generation of plasma takes place in an open atmosphere, the device is greatly simplified, since, in this case, it is not necessary to use gas-tight enclosures, airlocks or similar equipment.
• auxiliary gas which can facilitate the generation of plasma.
• Power can be supplied via the appropriately designed high-voltage electrode and can be directed appropriately into the internal space of objects through their orifice.
• a monitoring device can be provided to control the parameters of each pulse and to identify in disinfected objects.
• the monitoring device can give, from the established parameters, an even more reliable indication if the object treated has been treated with a plasma pulse included within the values of authorized parameters. Sterilization therefore takes place reproducibly.
• the defective object can be identified, while continuing its path and can then be extracted from the flow of objects at an appropriate station. In this way, maximum security is obtained in terms of initial contamination or recontamination.
• Fig. 1 in axial section, a disinfection station for empty plastic bottles;
• Fig. 2 in axial section, a disinfection station for closing elements
• Fig. 3 in axial section, a disinfection station for the head space of a filled bottle;
• Fig. 4 in section along line 4-4 in FIG. 5, a disinfection station having two star transport wheels;
• Fig. 5 in section along line 5-5 in FIG. 4, a disinfection station in FIG. 4;
• Fig. 6 in section along line 6-6 in FIG. 8, a disinfection station for an empty bottle and the adjoining filling member;
• Fig. 7 in section along line 7-7 in FIG. 8, a disinfection station for the head space of a filled bottle and for the adjoining closure element;
• Fig. 8 in section along line 8-8 in FIGS. 6 and 7, seen from above, a filling and closing machine with three disinfection stations; and Fig. 9: in schematic front view, a closing machine.
• Figure 1 shows a disinfection station for disinfecting the internal surfaces of a plastic bottle 1, for example PET, usually used for this use.
• the bottle 1 rests on its bottom, its opening 2 being open upwards.
• the bottle 1 is placed in a ground electrode 3, in the form of a pot, open upwards, which consists for example of an electrically conductive metal sheet.
• the ground electrode 3 is covered on its internal face with an insulating layer 4 made of an appropriate insulating material.
• a grounding conductor 5 by which the ground electrode 3 is connected to the ground. Earthing can naturally also be done by means of the structural elements on which the ground electrode 3 is fixed.
• the layer of insulating material separating the bottle to be treated from the ground electrode is of variable thickness, which ensures uniform distribution of the plasma treatment over the entire interior surface of the bottle.
• the total electrical resistance (impedance) between any point on the surface of the ground electrode relative to the high voltage electrode is constant along the current lines, regardless of the distance between them.
• This resistance is determined by three components, namely the capacitive, inductive and ohmic resistances. Each component of the system has its own characteristics.
• One of the components of the total resistance which plays a substantial role and which can easily be varied is the capacitance resistance of the insulator covering the ground electrode.
• FIG. 1 A device having such an insulator is represented in FIG. 1. Since the impedance of the system is a complicated function of these parameters, it does not appear to be possible to calculate the dependence of the thickness of the mass electrode by compared to the parameters mentioned. This must be found empirically.
• a high voltage electrode 6 is maintained with means not shown above the opening 2 of the bottle 1, which electrode is connected via a conductor 7 to the high voltage pole of a high frequency generator 9 grounded through a conductor 8.
• a high frequency generator can be used, which establishes between the electrodes 3, 6 a high frequency for example of 2 Mhz during a pulse time for example of 20 ms for a voltage of a few kV and an average electric current of 5 to 10 Amp. rms.
• the disinfection station shown can be placed in a specific atmosphere, comprising for example a non-shown room, airlocks for entry and exit, etc.
• a specific atmosphere comprising for example a non-shown room, airlocks for entry and exit, etc.
• the generation of plasma is however in an open atmosphere, so in the air.
• an auxiliary gas for example argon, which facilitates the initiation of the discharge.
• the high voltage electrode 6 in the embodiment shown has the form of a nozzle with a channel 11, which is connected via a flexible pipe 12 and a controllable valve 13 to an unrepresented gas reserve.
• the bottle 1 can be immediately removed and replaced with a new bottle.
• the pulses can be generated at a rate of up to 30 Hz, for example, so that the bottles can be disinfected with a very high processing speed.
• the current source is a high frequency generator, which can operate at frequencies of the order of megaherz (2-4, 13, 56, 50 MHz for example) as well as in the microwave field .
• FIG. 2 represents a disinfection station for the internal disinfection of a closure element 21 having an internal screw thread, such as that which is used for example as a threaded stopper for bottles. It is an object in the form of a pot having an opening 22 below and the internal surfaces of which must be disinfected, consequently an object of geometry similar to that of the bottle 1 represented in FIG. 1.
• a ground electrode 23 surrounding the closure element 21 in the form of a pot an electrode which in this case acts as a support for the closure element 21 and, by being actuated by means of 'A shaft 24, allows the screwing of the closure member 21 immediately on a bottle after the end of sterilization, the shaft 24 being rotated in the direction of the arrow.
• a high voltage electrode 26 connected to a generator high frequency 29 via a conductor 27, which generator is earthed via a conductor 28.
• the earth electrode 23 must be properly earthed, for example by means of a contact spring 25, during rotation the earth electrode 23 by means of a friction contact, or, which is preferable and simpler, by a contact of the "capacity" type, allowing the passage of a high frequency current.
• an auxiliary gas can be introduced inside the closing element 21 through the high-voltage electrode 26 or else in another way before the generation of the plasma.
• the high frequency generator 29 can have characteristics similar to those of the high frequency generator 9 mentioned above.
• closing elements such as for example a box cover, capsules with cork crowns or dielectric caps possibly containing, on their bottom, a thin metal sheet, covered with insulating polymeric material.
• the ground electrode which surrounds them can also be constituted by earthed closing members.
• Figure 3 shows a disinfection station for a bottle, which is arranged, in the subsequent treatment of the bottle, after filling and before closing.
• the bottle 1 shown has been sterilized beforehand, for example at the disinfection station according to FIG. 1, then has been filled up to level 31 and must now be closed.
• the headspace above level 31 can however be contaminated again during the journey from the filling station to the closing station and must therefore be re-sterilized.
• the disinfection station shown in Figure 3 plays this role.
• a ground electrode 33 having an internal insulating layer 34, surrounds, in a rotational symmetry and so as to adapt to it like a mold, the upper region of the bottle 1 comprising the region of the neck, that is to say - say the upper zone of the bottle, in which the head space is not filled with liquid.
• the ground electrode 33 is earthed by a grounding conductor 35.
• a high voltage electrode 26 is placed above the opening 2 of the bottle 1, which is connected with a conductor 37 to a high-voltage generator 39 connected to earth by a conductor 38.
• the ground electrode 3, 23, 33 must be adjusted to the external shape of the object to be disinfected, therefore of the bottle 1 or else of the closing element 21, so as to adapt to it like a mold, in order to obtain an appropriate plasma formation in the internal space of the object. Replacing the bottle 1 disinfected using a plasma pulse with the next bottle to be disinfected is difficult to do with the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 3 having ground electrodes 3 or 33 in block in the form of a pot or ring.
• FIGS. 4 and 5 In order to carry out in a simple manner the replacement of the bottles at the mentioned clocked frequency of 10 Hz, it is possible to design a disinfection station as represented in FIGS. 4 and 5.
• a container 41 in the form of a pot is shown, however , bottle 1 which is shown in Figures 1 and 3 can also be processed within this station.
• the containers 41 come in a continuous, single-channel movement flow towards the processing station shown, which has two transport star wheels 43 and 44 rotating in opposite synchronous rotation around vertical axes 42.
• the two star wheels have housings on their periphery and correspond in the top view of FIG. 4 to the transport star wheels usually used in standard bottle processing machines.
• the containers arrive for example by means of the transport star wheel 43, are placed in these housings, pass through the disinfection station located at 45 and emerge thanks to the transport star wheel 44, a railing 46 holding the receptacles 41 in the housings.
• All the housings of the two star wheels are, as shown in particular in Figure 5, made up of half-shells of cylindrical shape matching the shape of the bottle. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the transfer of the container 41 from one of the star wheels to the other star wheel takes place on the disinfection station 45, at the end where the two star wheels 43 and 44 are in contact with each other.
• Each of the two half-shells 47 of the two star wheels forms a cylinder completely enveloping one of the containers 41, which cylinder is closed towards a ground electrode 47, 47, 48 in the form of a pot from below below by a slide 48.
• This ground electrode is earthed via a ground conductor 49 on the slide 48.
• the transport star wheels 43 and 44 are brought into contact with the slide 48 through the friction contacts 50 set to the earth, so that the half-shells 47 are earthed. It is also possible to use an earthing of the "capacity" type as indicated above.
• a high voltage electrode 56 Above the opening of the container 41, there is fixed above the slide 48, therefore above the disinfection station 45, a high voltage electrode 56, isolated by the part 58, as indicated in the Figure 5.
• a conductor 57 goes to the high frequency generator.
• the containers 41 are transported one after the other by the transport star wheels 43 and 44. They arrive at the disinfection station 45 under the high-voltage electrode 56. At this moment, the container 41 is surrounded by the pot-shaped mass electrode formed by the two half-shells 47 and the slide 48 of the star wheels 43 and 44 and it is then possible to generate a synchronized plasma discharge. with the movement of the star wheels, as explained in Figure 1.
• the half-shells 47 are provided with an insulating layer 54, the thickness of which is variable along the generatrix of the cylinder which they form.
• the slide 48 can also be provided with an insulating layer.
• Figures 6 to 9 show a device for filling and for closing as well as for repeated disinfection of the bottles 61 which are shown ( Figure 6) with a neck having a projection 52 and an opening 63, but may also correspond to the shape presented in Figure 1. In this case, it may be conventional PET bottles sold. An odor control station may be placed in series.
• the bottles 61 arrive, as shown in FIG. 8, on a conveyor belt 80 towards an input star wheel 80, which delivers the bottles to the filling place 82 of a rotary filling machine around 'an axis 83 with a filling table 84.
• the bottles circulate with the filling table 84 located on the filling station 82 and are transferred with a wheel- transfer star 85 on the table 86 of rotation of a closing device, from which they are transferred after a rotation by means of an output star wheel 87 on a conveyor belt 88 for evacuation.
• the movement of the filling table 84, the closing table 86, as well as the conveyor belts 80, 88 and the star wheels 81, 85 and 87 are synchronized.
• FIG. 6 represents an axial section of a filling station 82 on a filling table 84 with a filling member 89 arranged on each filling station in a conventional configuration with a liquid flow device 90, a valve 91 and a gas supply pipe 92.
• a half-shell 93 of semi-cylindrical shape open towards the top is fixed on the filling table 84.
• FIG. 8 94 shows a fixed disinfection station, that is to say one that is not rotated with the filling table 84.
• this disinfection station 94 is arranged, next to the filling table 84, a star wheel 95 whose rotation is in the opposite direction to that of the half-shells 96.
• Figure 6 shows the disinfection station 94 formed in this way, on which, as also shown in Figure 8, a half-shell 96 of the star wheel 95 and a half-shell 93 of the filling table 84 surround the bottle 61 and together with the filling table 84 form a ground electrode enveloping the bottle 61 in the form of a pot.
• This electrode is similar to the ground electrode 3 shown in Figure 1.
• a high-voltage electrode 97 with an insulator 98 is fixed on the fixed disinfection station 94.
• This electrode is connected via a conductor 99, indicated diagrammatically, to a generator with high frequency 101 grounded via a conductor 100.
• the high voltage electrode 97, fixed, has ends 102 and 103 projecting from above and from below.
• the bottles 61 are located on the closing stations on the closing table 86.
• Each of these closing stations is provided with a half-shell 106, which is connected to the closing table 86 for example by means of a disk 107.
• Other half-shells 108 are fixed to the housings of a star wheel 109, which is arranged next to the closing table 86, in rotation, synchronously in the opposite direction.
• the half-shells 106 on the closing table 86 and the half-shells 108 on the star wheel 109 are maintained at a suitable height and are formed in such a way that, when they surround the bottle 61 in pairs, they constitute a ground electrode of similar shape and arrangement to that shown in FIG. 3, if necessary also with internal insulation which is shown there.
• the two half-shells must be, as shown in Figure 7, connected to the earth, for example, by via the closing table 86 and via the star wheel 109.
• closing elements 23 with shafts 24 are arranged for holding the closing elements 21, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9. They correspond to the representation of FIG. 2.
• the shafts 24 are subjected to a vertical movement in order to bring the closure elements 23 to the opening of the bottle, then to a rotational movement in order to screw this element onto the bottle.
• a high voltage electrode 97 is fixed, which, consequently, does not rotate with the assembly, and which corresponds to the high voltage electrode shown in FIG. 6 and which is provided with the same reference signs including the high voltage parts as a whole.
• the closing element 21 and the head space situated above the level 104 of the bottle 61 which is below the closing element are therefore sterilized simultaneously during the generation of a pulse on the high-voltage electrode 97.
• the closing process can be carried out directly on the closing device.
• a feed train 110 is also shown, with which the closure elements 21 are brought to the closure device, in which they are embedded in the closure members 23 in a mode not shown.
• the high voltage electrodes 97 of the two disinfection stations 94 and 105 must be connected to a high voltage generator 101 via a conductor 99, and in fact by via a distributor 111, which gives pulses simultaneously on the two high-voltage electrodes or else, with an appropriate switching device, also one after the other, with appropriate synchronization.
• FIG. 8 also presents an installation placed upstream of the conveyor belt 80 for controlling the odors of plastic bottles.
• the bottles 61 arrive on a conveyor 120 and then arrive in a disinfection station 121, which can be constituted for example as shown in Figures 4 and 5.
• a disinfection station 121 which can be constituted for example as shown in Figures 4 and 5.
• the disinfected bottles arrive on a conveyor 122 to a sniffer 123, which controls the odor contamination of the interior space of the bottles and ejects onto the conveyor 124 the excessively contaminated bottles. Uncontaminated bottles continue on the conveyor belt 80.
• the disinfection station 121 works for example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, with a generation of plasma and is connected via a conductor 99 to the dispenser 111. During the generation of the plasma in the bottles 61, not only does disinfection occur, but also a considerable reduction in odor contamination. The rejection on the conveyor 124 is therefore greatly reduced.
• the interposed odor control installation can also be omitted, when the bottles are not contaminated with odors or when, for example, for very low odor loads, the supply of plasma to the disinfection station 94 is sufficient for full deodorization.
• glass containers for example glass bottles
• metal objects such as beverage cans or metal closures, can be sterilized with plasma in a slightly modified manner.

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• 1998
  • 1998-05-12 AU AU70270/98A patent/AU7027098A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-05-12 WO PCT/CH1998/000196 patent/WO1998051608A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1998-05-12 EP EP98916786A patent/EP0981492A1/de not_active Withdrawn

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