EP1083983B1 - Dosing apparatus and method for continuous injection of a preferably small amount of secondary sterile liquid into a free-flowing primary component of sterile liquid - Google Patents

Dosing apparatus and method for continuous injection of a preferably small amount of secondary sterile liquid into a free-flowing primary component of sterile liquid Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1083983B1
EP1083983B1 EP99927045A EP99927045A EP1083983B1 EP 1083983 B1 EP1083983 B1 EP 1083983B1 EP 99927045 A EP99927045 A EP 99927045A EP 99927045 A EP99927045 A EP 99927045A EP 1083983 B1 EP1083983 B1 EP 1083983B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
dosing apparatus
inner part
liquid
protective wafer
sterile liquid
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP99927045A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1083983A1 (en
Inventor
Georg Ernston
Lars Dahlberg
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Tetra Laval Holdings and Finance SA
Original Assignee
Arom Pak International AB
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Arom Pak International AB filed Critical Arom Pak International AB
Publication of EP1083983A1 publication Critical patent/EP1083983A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1083983B1 publication Critical patent/EP1083983B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F23/00—Mixing according to the phases to be mixed, e.g. dispersing or emulsifying
    • B01F23/40—Mixing liquids with liquids; Emulsifying
    • B01F23/45—Mixing liquids with liquids; Emulsifying using flow mixing
    • B01F23/451—Mixing liquids with liquids; Emulsifying using flow mixing by injecting one liquid into another
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F25/00—Flow mixers; Mixers for falling materials, e.g. solid particles
    • B01F25/30—Injector mixers
    • B01F25/31—Injector mixers in conduits or tubes through which the main component flows
    • B01F25/314—Injector mixers in conduits or tubes through which the main component flows wherein additional components are introduced at the circumference of the conduit
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F33/00—Other mixers; Mixing plants; Combinations of mixers
    • B01F33/50—Movable or transportable mixing devices or plants
    • B01F33/501—Movable mixing devices, i.e. readily shifted or displaced from one place to another, e.g. portable during use
    • B01F33/5011—Movable mixing devices, i.e. readily shifted or displaced from one place to another, e.g. portable during use portable during use, e.g. hand-held
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F35/00—Accessories for mixers; Auxiliary operations or auxiliary devices; Parts or details of general application
    • B01F35/10—Maintenance of mixers
    • B01F35/145—Washing or cleaning mixers not provided for in other groups in this subclass; Inhibiting build-up of material on machine parts using other means
    • B01F35/1452—Washing or cleaning mixers not provided for in other groups in this subclass; Inhibiting build-up of material on machine parts using other means using fluids
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F35/00—Accessories for mixers; Auxiliary operations or auxiliary devices; Parts or details of general application
    • B01F35/71—Feed mechanisms
    • B01F35/713—Feed mechanisms comprising breaking packages or parts thereof, e.g. piercing or opening sealing elements between compartments or cartridges
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F35/00—Accessories for mixers; Auxiliary operations or auxiliary devices; Parts or details of general application
    • B01F35/71—Feed mechanisms
    • B01F35/713—Feed mechanisms comprising breaking packages or parts thereof, e.g. piercing or opening sealing elements between compartments or cartridges
    • B01F35/7137—Piercing, perforating or melting membranes or closures which seal the compartments
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F35/00—Accessories for mixers; Auxiliary operations or auxiliary devices; Parts or details of general application
    • B01F35/71—Feed mechanisms
    • B01F35/717—Feed mechanisms characterised by the means for feeding the components to the mixer
    • B01F35/71805—Feed mechanisms characterised by the means for feeding the components to the mixer using valves, gates, orifices or openings
    • B01F35/718051—Feed mechanisms characterised by the means for feeding the components to the mixer using valves, gates, orifices or openings being adjustable

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a dosing apparatus and a method for injection of a preferably small amount of secondary sterile liquid into a free-flowing primary component of sterile liquid.
  • the secondary component liquid (or liquids) consists of added volumes which are 0.05-10% of the volume of the primary liquid, and the added volume of secondary liquid in the completed packages are only allowed to vary to a very small degree, of course depending on the intended use of the liquid.
  • the variables are generally very small whereas in food technology it is possible to apply slightly greater variations such as 5%.
  • a previously filed patent application concerning adding of small quantities of liquid to a flowing liquid is, for instance, Swedish Patent Application No. 9602179-5.
  • the invention relates to the way in which this should be done under aseptic conditions.
  • the invention concerns the way of mixing sterile liquids with each other and packaging in a prior art manner the mixed liquid in aseptic containers. It is true that the invention is not completely directed to the liquids being uniform in respect of volume, but the practical applications that have been made have, however, been limited in such manner that the invention concerns the way in which 0.05-10% of a secondary liquid can be mixed with a primary liquid, thus enabling the result to be a closed package with a volume accuracy as intended, the mixed liquids supplied to the package being sterile.
  • liquids can be sterilised and handled in a way that maintains sterility. It is also known that such sterile liquid can be mixed in tanks and that the contents of these tanks can later be discharged and poured into packages. However, it has been found difficult to carry out these methods. They further necessitate large storage spaces and long mixing periods for the materials. However, by means of new packaging machines, for instance those sold by Tetra Pak AB under the trademark Tetra Brik, it is possible to continuously mix and package liquid material, such as liquids, in consumer packages.
  • Such packaging machines can be intended for the manufacture of aseptic packages, and with a view to obtaining such an aseptic package containing several liquids, the liquids must be mixed in a preparatory operation during the transport of the sterile liquid material from their storage to the packaging machine, thereby achieving a liquid mixture which is correct in terms of volume.
  • examples of such products are juice or milk products, but it is worth noticing, and has already been pointed out, that the invention can also be used for medical products, cleaning products etc.
  • the dosing apparatus according to invention disclosed in claim 1 is characterised in that the dosing apparatus for the product that is to be packaged has a controllable valve with a movable closing sleeve for controlling the supply of secondary liquid to the flowing primary liquid, that the dosing apparatus has an outer valve member which in itself comprises an inner part which is displaceable in relation to the valve member and has a recess or duct whose end facing the closing sleeve is covered with a sealing protective wafer, that a supply tube for supplying secondary sterile liquid is arranged in said recess or duct, and that the dosing apparatus has a means for rupturing the protective wafer to allow injection of the secondary sterile liquid into the primary sterile liquid through the supply tube.
  • Embodiments of the invention, or more precisely of the inventive dosing apparatus, will be described below and are disclosed in the dependent claims 2-9. It is possible to use the dosing apparatus for many other packaging machines than the above-mentioned Tetra Pak machine, which is only mentioned as an example of a suitable packaging machine, and it should be emphasised that the invention constitutes a suitable dosing valve for adding a sterile secondary liquid in the cases where mixing is to be carried out while the sterile liquids are being transported to the packaging machine and a well functioning mixing and an accurate mixing between the liquids are desirable.
  • Figs 1-6 illustrate the dosing apparatus in cross-section and how the apparatus is operated in the initial position and the shut-off position.
  • Fig. 1 shows how a primary conduit 1 is sterilised with vapour or gas.
  • a first embodiment of the dosing apparatus is connected to the primary conduit 1.
  • a closing sleeve or closing valve 16 of the dosing apparatus is open.
  • An inner part of the dosing apparatus is raised to its upper position and covered with a protective wafer 8.
  • Fig. 2 shows how a valve member 18 of the dosing apparatus in Fig. 1 is internally sterilised with the closing sleeve 16 in its closed position and the inner part 17 lowered under the position of a groove 5.
  • a sterilising agent preferably in the form of a liquid, is supplied through connecting tubes 4.
  • Fig. 3 shows the dosing apparatus in Fig. 1 in its operating position.
  • the closing sleeve 16 is raised and the inner part 17 is returned to its upper position.
  • a longitudinally adjustable supply tube 12 is raised so that its front edge has penetrated the wafer 8, which means that secondary liquids discharged through the supply tube 12 are being mixed with the primary liquid in the primary conduit 1.
  • Fig. 4 shows how the dosing apparatus in Fig. 1 can be quickly shut off by the closing sleeve 16 closing the contact between the dosing apparatus and the primary conduit 1.
  • Fig 5 a-c illustrate a connecting device for connecting the invention.
  • Fig. 6 shows a second embodiment of the inventive dosing apparatus.
  • the described apparatus can be used to mix and package liquids intended to be packaged in an aseptic packaging machine, for instance of the type sold under the trademark Tetra Brik.
  • the liquids have been produced and sterilised in advance in some suitable manner and packaged or stored in aseptic storage tanks.
  • One or more of the dosing apparatus according to the invention are connected in the pipe connection between the aseptic storage tanks and the packaging machine.
  • the connection is arranged in such manner that a dominating primary liquid is to be mixed with a secondary liquid whose volume in the mixture should be 0.05 to 10% of the total volume, but the mixing ratio should be constant in the packages produced.
  • this is achieved by measuring the flowing amount of primary liquid and letting the result of this measurement essentially control the supply of the secondary liquid so that the added amount of secondary liquid is always controlled by the amount of pumped primary liquid.
  • the two mixed liquids have been sterilised and they are to be mixed and packaged in an aseptic packaging machine without their sterility being lost.
  • FIGs 1-5 illustrate the dosing apparatus according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention. With a view to elucidating the description, the dosing apparatus is shown in section.
  • the dosing apparatus is presented in its static design and the conduit, below referred to as primary conduit, for the primary liquid is designated 1.
  • a seat for the dosing apparatus which essentially has two parts, viz. an upper movable closing sleeve 16 which is arranged to be moved upwards and downwards and be pressed against the upper part of the valve member 18 fixed in the primary conduit 1, the pressing being carried out by means of packing rings 2 mounted on the closing sleeve 16.
  • the lower part of the dosing apparatus comprises the valve member 18 which has an inner cylindrical wall and a circumferential groove or annular gap 5, which is connected to connecting tubes 4, through which a sterilising material can be supplied.
  • An inner part 17 is inserted into the cylindrical interior of the valve member 18.
  • the inner part 17 has a central bore or duct 19, which at the top is covered with a rupturable protective wafer 8.
  • the inner part 17 also has two spaced-apart packing rings 6, which in the upper position of the inner part 17 surround and seal the circumferential groove 5 of the valve member 18.
  • a supply tube 12 is arranged in the central duct 19 of the inner part 17.
  • the supply tube 12 is movable in relation to the inner part 17 but also connected so as to accompany the inner part 17 as this is moved back and forth.
  • the inner part 17 is moved by means of the guiding lug 7 while the supply tube 12 is displaced separately by means of the guiding lug 15.
  • the lower portion of the inner part 17 is sealingly connected with a folded connecting means or bellows 11 which can be moved without the tightness of the system being lost.
  • the folded connecting means 11 is kept in its position by the guiding lug 7, which can be moved up or down with the aid of means (not shown). As is evident from Fig. 5, the lower part of the folded connecting means 11 is fixed in a holder 14, which also holds the supply tube 12. The supply tube 12 can be raised with the aid of a further guide means 22 to a position above the protective wafer 8, which is then ruptured by the cutting edge 20 of the tube to form an opening 9.
  • the protective wafers 8 must have certain features. They must not be too easily rupturable and they must withstand high temperatures as well as high pressures. As far as our experience goes, the wafer material should be plastic or rubber and the wafers should withstand a temperature of 140°C at an excess pressure of 2 bar.
  • Fig 1 shows how the dosing apparatus is connected in the primary conduit 1 which extends between a storage tank (not shown) for the primary liquid and the packaging machine (not shown).
  • the closing sleeve 16 is raised and the lower part of the dosing apparatus is protected by the wafer 8.
  • the primary conduit 1 is flushed with a hot sterilising liquid or with some sterilising gas so as to make the primary conduit 1 sterile and maintain its sterility.
  • the closing sleeve 16 is closed, whereupon the inner part 17 is pulled backwards with the aid of said means 7 so that a free volume forms in the upper part of the valve member 18. Since in this position the circumferential groove 5 is uncovered, the upper part of the valve member 18 is sterilised together with the circumferential groove 5 by using a sterilising agent in the form of liquid or gas supplied through the connecting tubes 4.
  • the closing sleeve 16 is again raised and the inner part 17 is once more in its upper position.
  • the position of the supply tube 12 is raised so that the cutting edge 20 of the tube 12 ruptures the protective wafer 8.
  • the apparatus is now ready to be used and the primary liquid is supplied through the primary conduit 1 while at the same time feeding the previously mentioned secondary liquid, which is controlled by the flowing amount of the primary liquid.
  • Fig. 4 shows how the apparatus is stopped without sterility being lost. The stopping occurs simply by the closing sleeve 16 being lowered towards the valve member 18 so that the supply of secondary and primary liquid is stopped. In this manner, the apparatus can be switched off for a long period without necessitating the starting of a new sterilising programme.
  • Fig. 5 shows how the connecting devices to the dosing apparatus can be arranged.
  • Fig. a) shows the connecting device before being fixed on the dosing apparatus.
  • the inner part 17 with its applied protective wafer 8 and its packing rings 6 has already been described. It is evident from the Figure that the inner part 17 with the supply tube 12 can be connected, by means of a screw connection 23, to a distribution tube 25 whose opposite end can also have a tight protective wafer to be connected to a sterile tank for secondary liquid.
  • Fig. b) shows a smaller type of connecting device intended to be used when adding very small amounts of secondary liquid
  • Fig. c) shows protective sleeves which can be used to cover the contact surfaces of the not yet used connecting means.
  • the distribution tube 25 can, before the sterilising treatment, be packaged in a sealed plastic bag, but as a rule it is sufficient to use the protective sleeves 10 shown in Fig. 5 as an aseptic seal of the distribution tube 25.
  • Fig. 6 shows a second preferred embodiment of the dosing apparatus according to the invention. What differs this embodiment from the above first embodiment of the present invention is that the means for rupturing the protective wafer 8 in this case consists of a projection 24 arranged on the closing sleeve 16.
  • the projection 24 is made to engage the protective wafer 8 and, thus, penetrate the same.
  • the supply tube 12 can then be inserted through the thus formed opening 9 to allow injection of the secondary sterile liquid into the primary sterile liquid flowing in the primary conduit 1.

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Infusion, Injection, And Reservoir Apparatuses (AREA)
  • External Artificial Organs (AREA)
  • Supply Of Fluid Materials To The Packaging Location (AREA)
  • Medicinal Preparation (AREA)
  • Application Of Or Painting With Fluid Materials (AREA)
EP99927045A 1998-05-11 1999-05-10 Dosing apparatus and method for continuous injection of a preferably small amount of secondary sterile liquid into a free-flowing primary component of sterile liquid Expired - Lifetime EP1083983B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
SE9801615 1998-05-11
SE9801615A SE512503C2 (sv) 1998-05-11 1998-05-11 Dosermunstycke för kontinuerlig injicering av en mindre mängd steril, sekundär vätska i en fritt strömmande steril, primär vätska samt sätt att använda dosermunstycket
PCT/SE1999/000787 WO1999058234A1 (en) 1998-05-11 1999-05-10 Dosing apparatus for continuous injection of a preferably small amount of secondary sterile liquid into a free-flowing primary component of sterile liquid

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1083983A1 EP1083983A1 (en) 2001-03-21
EP1083983B1 true EP1083983B1 (en) 2003-01-02

Family

ID=20411236

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP99927045A Expired - Lifetime EP1083983B1 (en) 1998-05-11 1999-05-10 Dosing apparatus and method for continuous injection of a preferably small amount of secondary sterile liquid into a free-flowing primary component of sterile liquid

Country Status (8)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1083983B1 (sv)
AT (1) ATE230297T1 (sv)
AU (1) AU4403899A (sv)
DE (1) DE69904719T2 (sv)
DK (1) DK1083983T3 (sv)
ES (1) ES2188180T3 (sv)
SE (1) SE512503C2 (sv)
WO (1) WO1999058234A1 (sv)

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102010028572A1 (de) * 2010-05-05 2011-11-10 Voith Patent Gmbh Verfahren zur Zumischung einer flüssigen Chemikalie zu einem Prozessstrom und Vorrichtung
DE102011007274A1 (de) * 2011-04-13 2012-10-18 Voith Patent Gmbh Verfahren und Düsenanordnung zum Einbringen von Chemikalien und/oder Additiven in einen Prozessstrom eines Herstellungsprozesses

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
SE506791C2 (sv) * 1996-06-03 1998-02-09 Arom Pak Ab Doseringsanordning för att med ett kontinuerligt förfarande blanda en strömmande primärvätska med en eller flera tillförda sekundärvätskor samt sätt att sammanblanda två eller flera vätskor

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE69904719T2 (de) 2003-09-18
WO1999058234A1 (en) 1999-11-18
AU4403899A (en) 1999-11-29
DK1083983T3 (da) 2003-04-22
ES2188180T3 (es) 2003-06-16
SE512503C2 (sv) 2000-03-27
SE9801615D0 (sv) 1998-05-11
EP1083983A1 (en) 2001-03-21
SE9801615L (sv) 1999-11-12
DE69904719D1 (de) 2003-02-06
ATE230297T1 (de) 2003-01-15

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