EP1317394B1 - Pre-warming structure for a linear charger - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a pre-warming structure for a linear charger. According to the invention, the packages can be displaced in an intermittent manner in at least two parallel longitudinal rows in-between differing work stations in order to warm, sterilise and fill. Said device comprises equipment for generating warm compressed air, pipes (19) and at least two air nozzles with warm air (3) connected to the pipes (19) in order to allow the surfaces of the packages to be exposed to warm air. The aim of the invention is to ensure effective and sufficient sterilisation even when smaller quantities of sterilisation agents are used and to ensure homogeneous treatment of packaging, while at the same time reducing the damage to the environment. A distributor (6) therefore is connected to at least two air nozzles for improving the turbulence and distribution of warm air upstream from the air nozzles (3). A feeder tube (11) flows into the distributor. The flow cross section is received by a rotating disk (18).

Description

The invention relates to a preheating structure for a linear filler, in which packs in at least two parallel longitudinal rows intermittently under different processing stations for Preheating, sterilizing and filling are movable, with facilities in the preheating structure to generate heated compressed air, pipelines and at least two with the pipelines connected hot air nozzles are provided such that the surfaces of the packs with Warm air can be supplied.

Before filling packs, they are used especially for liquid foods Packaged goods sterilized. For killing the bacteria on the packaging surface you can use different processes and forms of energy, for example packs sterilize with gases. In industry, packs are often sold in large numbers per unit of time manufactured, sterilized and filled. Here, the packs are continuous, for example conveyed by a round filler or intermittently, for example by means of a linear filler. Such linear fillers similar to the type mentioned at the outset are known. To improve sterilization the respective pack has been warmed before filling and sterilizing. With a known The entire package is preheated to at least 60 ° C to avoid the disadvantageous process To prevent condensation of subsequently introduced sterilizing gases on the packaging walls. The packs can be heated by receiving a pack Carrier which itself has heating devices which heats packages. Alternatively, there are procedures where hot gases, such as hot air, are blown into the package before sterilization become.

To increase the performance of linear fillers, you have several processing lines in parallel arranged and the packs standing on these lines intermittently with the same rhythm advanced. In the direction transverse to this conveying direction and thus across the processing line there are a number of processing stations. If the pack comes to a standstill, Example of preheating. After moving on, the package is later sterilized and filled.

In order to preheat the respective pack with warm air, one uses the appropriate devices in the preheat assembly fans, pumps or compressors to the heated and preferably to bring germ-free air to a pressure above atmospheric pressure and into the preheating structure introduce. This heated compressed air is piped into hot air nozzles pressed and occurs from these on the surfaces of the package to be heated. This encounter can be done outside or inside.

DE-A-2 839 543, or DE-A-1 99 45 500 describe further examples.

In known linear fillers with higher performance, in which several processing lines in parallel Arranged side by side, it is disadvantageously not possible to get out of the hot air nozzles Keep warm air at the same temperature everywhere. Rather, there have been temperature fluctuations so far accepted at the outlet of the various hot air nozzles. Similarly you also have fluctuations in the amount of hot air through the series of processing stations detected. A balance could be achieved through energy and time, and one uneven treatment of the packs was accepted as unavoidable.

The object of the invention is to improve the preheating structure for a linear filler in such a way that that even when using smaller amounts of sterilizing agent, an effective and sufficient Sterilization with more uniform treatment of the packs takes place and the environment is less polluted becomes.

This object is achieved according to the invention by improving the swirl and distribution of the hot air upstream of the nozzles connected to at least two nozzles Distribution box is provided, in which a feed pipe opens, the flow cross section is taken up by a swirl disk. When developing and studying the new Preheating was found that both the quantities and the temperature of the warm air can be evened out over the individual warm air nozzles in that the Warm air supplied to the nozzle previously distributed better to the processing stations (preheating stations) passes on, with turbulence contributing significantly to better distribution results. forwards the warm air generated from the pipes is not directly fed to the respective nozzle, but instead if you make a swirl and distribution in a distribution box, then you can the temperature fluctuations reduce across many preheating stations, all of which are connected in parallel. It has been shown that the quantity fluctuation is also remarkable due to the distribution box is reduced. The distribution box and, thanks to this structure, even the upstream ones Pipelines have storage functions that can also be understood as tank functions. As a result, the pressure in the distribution box at the at least two nozzles is evened out with the As a result of lower fluctuations in volume.

The measures according to the invention therefore make it possible to reproducibly and exactly the same Bring a lot of warm air to the surfaces of the respective packs and apply them very precisely preheat the desired temperature. One arrives in the subsequent sterilization station then surprisingly with a smaller amount of sterilizing agent when the same is reached Effect. This means that the environment is less polluted. It has also been found that with different degrees of preheating, plastic packs are influenced to different extents and possibly even be changed. With the heating of the usual plastics for packs, For example, polyethylene or PET for plastic bottles, there is a shrinkage, which is small, but can play a role in more precise machining processes. Due to the more precise heating of the packs with the preheating structure according to the invention Shape changes through the shrinkage process reproducible for all packs evenly being held.

The swirling and distribution of the warm air supplied to the nozzles are further increased by the mentioned swirl disk improved, which extends across the feed pipe and therefore its Flow cross-section occupies more or less. The still in the longitudinal direction of the pipeline flowing warm gases are given a swirl by the swirl disk, i.e. a rotational component around the longitudinal direction of the tube with the desired effect of further swirling and good distribution of the warm air and thus the temperature, even before it starts the same in the distribution box. The hot air generated is namely from the pipeline the swirl disk is fed into the feed pipe and from there it reaches the distribution box, on which the at least two nozzles are mounted so that the hot air from the distribution box directly in the nozzles are pressed and then led to the respective pack at the outlet end.

In an advantageous further embodiment of the invention, at least two distribution boxes are in the Preheating station installed in a transverse row next to each other, is upstream in front of each feed pipe One heating tube each is attached to a heating rod, and a temperature sensor is attached to the supply tube. According to the invention, one does not build a single distribution box for a large number of preheating stations arranged in the transverse row, but arranges the in this transverse row Distribution boxes next to each other, because this means the distribution of the warm air quantities and also theirs Temperature be equalized.

In addition, direct influence of the temperature has proven to be particularly advantageous. In the opposite of the flow direction of the warm air in front of the respective feed pipe Heating tube is namely installed in the preheating structure according to the invention, whose heating power is controllable. In general it is a temperature increase, which is why this piece of the "heating pipe" pipeline arranged upstream of the feed pipe is called. The one arriving before entering the swirl disk and entering the feed tube Warm air sweeps past the heating element in the heating tube and is, depending on that in the end area of the Feed tube measured temperature of the warm air more or less heated additionally.

This allows you to move from preheating station to preheating station, which are next to each other in the transverse row are arranged, all temperature values are coordinated and strongly evened out. Experiments managed to keep temperature differences of 3 ° C. Even with less accuracy The control manages the temperature difference of the warm air exiting at the individual nozzles set to ≤ 10 ° C. It has been shown that in such a case, any changes in the treated pack can then be neglected.

It is also advantageous according to the invention if on a substantially horizontal nozzle carrier plate preferably five distribution boxes with preferably four nozzles each arranged in the transverse row and when all heating pipes are connected to a manifold. The generated, low-germ Warm air enters the manifold mentioned, which feeds the heating pipes directly. In extension of the heating pipes are the feed pipes, the swirl disk preferably on this Connection point between the downstream end of the heating pipe and the upstream end of the feed pipe is arranged. Four hot air nozzles go out from each distribution box. This Nozzles are arranged in pairs next to and behind one another, so two nozzles each in a transverse row and two nozzles are each mounted in a longitudinal row. This allows two Always run parallel longitudinal rows of packages under two preheating stations, stop there and preheated so that the conveyor always advances two packs in the direction of conveyance, which are arranged one behind the other at the distance of the nozzles. The structure according to the invention thus allows twenty packs to be preheated at the same time, and yet it is Preheating structure is simple, because there is only one manifold, which runs essentially parallel to the nozzle support plate mentioned and all heating pipes fed.

It is advantageous if, according to the invention, the swirl disk has a circular disk shape with a closed center area, around the slanted blades, the approximately sector-like openings partially seal, are arranged like a wreath. If you face a preferred one Embodiment the heating pipes lying in the vertical direction, then the swirl disk is in arranged in a substantially horizontal plane and the flow is perpendicular. The below Pressurized warm air flows in the direction of the vertical heating pipe and meets the one arranged transversely Swirl disc, whereby the central area is closed and only the warm air can pass through through the wreath-like openings around this central area. For one particularly intensive swirling and thus good distribution of possibly differently heated Partial flows of warm air get a swirl, i.e. a component of rotation about the longitudinal axis of the heating tube, this longitudinal axis being perpendicular to the swirl disk. Out of the plane The swirl disk protrudes at an angle and directs the incoming warm air like a stationary paddle wheel. Close radially as seen from the side of the swirl disk the blades, which are each preferably planar, form an angle with the plane of the swirl disk of between 20 and 60 °, preferably 40 °. In the preferred embodiment described here the swirl disk has a circular disk shape because of the cross section of both the heating tube as well as the feed tube is circular. With a different tube shape, the disc can of course, be designed differently accordingly. In the example considered here must Imagine the openings in a sector-like manner, with a partial circular ring being particularly preferred The inner circumference should be considered with the outer circumference of the closed central area coincides and its outer circumference by a narrow, also closed Partial ring is formed so that the swirl disk remains a piece despite the openings. Preferably you can make any opening by making U-shaped from the circular ring cut out a shovel on three sides and on the fourth side from the plane of the swirl disk, for example down, bends out.

It is particularly advantageous if, according to the invention, the heating pipes with a bypass pipe, for example same diameter are connected, at one end a closable discharge opening is attached and the other end is closed. For reasons of space, it is convenient if the bypass tube, which extends over the area of all heating tubes, approximately parallel to that Distribution pipe runs and preferably downstream with the respective heating pipe at its downstream End is connected. One end of this bypass tube is closed or opens the first heating tube, and the opposite end of the bypass tube can be remote controlled Valve are opened such that a blow-out opening for special operating conditions is opened. In the event of a machine downtime, for example, continuously generated Warm air can be blown out through this bypass pipe until the machine starts again and the warm air is directed through the nozzles into the packs. The bypass pipe can also be used to move the package carrier from one treatment station to the next the volume flow with which is blown onto the package carrier will decrease - for example to 10%. This can be done by opening the blow-out opening with the help of a remote-controlled valve. A further reduction in Probability of any particles or product residues on the packaging be entered in the package.

The invention is advantageously further developed in that the hot air nozzle is a from the floor of the distribution box with the nozzle tube extending closely to the top of the pack has a narrowed outlet. The junction box has that in this preferred embodiment Shape of a flat box with four side walls of comparatively low height, the bottom are connected by a floor and above by an upper wall. There is in the top wall a hole with a connection to the feed pipe, so that warm air led out of the feed pipe can flow through this hole in the distribution box. For example, while the hole in the The hot air nozzles are distributed in the middle of the top floor of the distribution box farther outside, so that the incoming warm air with the swirl initially in the middle of the floor flows and from there, so to speak, radially into the outer areas of the distribution box and via the inlet openings of the individual nozzles. Each nozzle is tubular with the nozzle tube mentioned, which in connection with the latter via the inlet openings in the bottom of the distribution box stands. Because the inlet opening is in the bottom of the junction box, this extends Nozzle pipe from this floor to the outside of the distribution box towards the one to be blown Pack, usually on top of the pack. Because the packs are in rows must be moved under the warm air nozzles, there is a small distance between the respective top of the pack and the outlet opening of the nozzle. This results in complete Free movement of the packs, a simple preheating setup with stationary nozzles Nozzle tube and still the perfect preheating effect.

It is expedient for an alternative embodiment of the package if the Warm air nozzle from the bottom of the junction box to just above the top of the package extending nozzle tube, the downstream end of which is parallel to the conveying direction of the packs extending parallel to the longitudinal rows of the packs at both ends and overlaps open blow channel, the side walls of which inside the nozzle tube Has blowholes. The former embodiment with the nozzle tube, the outlet opening has a narrowed outlet to produce a throttling effect for the warm air first embodiment of package, which is open at the top, for example one made of plastic manufactured bottle with bottle neck on top with external thread. The outlet opening then ends a short distance above the top of the bottle neck. The last one here described embodiment with the bladder channel applies to the treatment and Pre-heating of blown plastic bottles that are still closed in the upper area. It For example, so-called EBM (extrusion blow molding) bottles made of polyethylene, especially high-density polyethylene (HDPE), the bottleneck of which is marked with a Cathedral is closed from the manufacturing process. After preheating, the cathedral is at made this type of pack aseptic and then cut off.

As in the first embodiment, each extends from the bottom of the distribution box a nozzle tube, but which has a comparatively larger inner diameter, so is great that with a corresponding recess the bottle neck with the dome still attached can be moved through the nozzle tube. The packs or bottles run in a blower duct, which is therefore open at both ends and below, so that the channel shape is only two Sides and above the bottle. Located in two places below the distribution box similar to the first embodiment, the nozzles with the downwardly extending ones Nozzle tubes, the nozzle tubes in the second embodiment considered here the blow channel spread. The blow channel runs parallel to the direction of the packs, because they are are to be guided with the help of this channel through the downstream end of the nozzle tube become. The blower duct also extends parallel to the longitudinal rows of the packs because it Two packs are always conveyed under two nozzle pipes and then for the preheating process stopped. The blowing channel runs inside and, so to speak, "through" the nozzle tube, whereby however, the tube and the blowing channel are open at the bottom. The side walls of the blow channel have Area of the nozzle tube, i.e. So inside it, blowholes through which the pressurized Warm air present in the nozzle pipe inside the blower duct on the top of the pack or bottle can be inflated. In addition to the side walls and in particular holes for the loading of the upper floor of the blower duct connecting them the surface of the pack may be provided with warm air.

The attachment of the hot air nozzles with their nozzle pipes has to be imagined that in a nozzle carrier plate at 5 x 4 points holes with shoulders are inserted, in which the upstream Fixing flanges located at the end of the respective nozzle tube can. A distribution box with an attached surface on the top is placed on four nozzle pipes each Feed pipe placed on and clamped to the nozzle carrier plate by means of screws and clamping bolts.

The temperature sensor described above gives electrical via appropriate devices Control signals to the heating element in the respective heating tube, so that a desired temperature profile that emerges from the outlet openings of the nozzles or through the blow holes of the nozzle pipes Warm air can be set.

Figur 1

den Querschnitt wichtiger Teile des abgebrochen dargestellten Vorwärmaufbaus mit einem Verteilerkasten mit zwei in Querrichtung nebeneinander angeordneten Warmluftdüsen,

Figur 2

eine ähnliche Darstellung wie Figur 1, wobei jedoch zwei Packungen in Form von Kunststoffflaschen unter den Düsen angeordnet dargestellt sind,

Figur 3

abgebrochen, perspektivisch und vergrößert die Anordnung der Drallscheibe zwischen Zuführrohr und Heizrohr,

Figur 4

eine perspektivische Draufsicht auf die Drallscheibe,

Figur 5

eine Draufsicht auf die Drallscheibe in Fließrichtung der Warmluft,

Figur 6

eine Querschnittsansicht der Drallscheibe entlang der Linie A-A der Figur 5,

Figur 7

den Vorwärmaufbau mit fünf Verteilerkästen, die in Querrichtung nebeneinander angeordnet sind und jeweils vier Düsen aufweisen, einschließlich des etwa horizontal verlaufenden Verteilerrohres und des Bypaßrohres,

Figur 8

im Schnitt ein ähnlicher Aufbau wie Figur 7, jedoch ohne Bypaßrohr,

Figur 9

die Querschnittsansicht einer Warmluftdüse einer alternativen Ausführungsform mit Blasekanal und

Figur 10

perspektivisch und teilweise abgebrochen zwei Düsenrohre und den Blasekanal mit Blaslöchern.

Further advantages, features and possible applications of the present invention result from the following description of preferred embodiments in conjunction with the attached drawings. These show:

Figure 1

the cross section of important parts of the preheating structure shown broken off with a distribution box with two hot air nozzles arranged next to one another in the transverse direction,

Figure 2

a representation similar to Figure 1, but two packs in the form of plastic bottles are shown below the nozzles,

Figure 3

broken off, perspective and enlarged the arrangement of the swirl disk between the feed pipe and the heating pipe,

Figure 4

a perspective top view of the swirl disc,

Figure 5

a plan view of the swirl disk in the flow direction of the warm air,

Figure 6

3 shows a cross-sectional view of the swirl disk along the line AA in FIG. 5,

Figure 7

the preheating structure with five distributor boxes, which are arranged next to one another in the transverse direction and each have four nozzles, including the approximately horizontally running distributor pipe and the bypass pipe,

Figure 8

on average a similar structure to Figure 7, but without a bypass tube,

Figure 9

the cross-sectional view of a hot air nozzle of an alternative embodiment with blowing channel and

Figure 10

Perspectively and partially broken off two nozzle pipes and the blow channel with blow holes.

A core element of the embodiment of the preheating structure according to the invention shown here is shown in Figures 1 and 2. Warm air nozzles are located in the passage holes 2 of a nozzle carrier plate 1 3 pushed through and put on shoulders 4. The bottom 5 of a distribution box 6 is placed from above so that the interior of the nozzle upper holes 7 in the bottom 5 with the interior of the distribution box 6 is connected. Via mounting screws shown in Figures 7 and 8 8, the distribution box 6 with the nozzles 3 is clamped to the nozzle carrier plate 1.

The air inlet hole 10 is located approximately in the middle of the upper floor 9 of the distribution box 6 fixedly attached to the upper floor 9 and protruding from this feed pipe 11 from the outside a temperature sensor 12 which is connected to a controller via the plug 13.

At the upstream upper end of the feed pipe 11, the lower connecting flange 15 is attached, which together with the upper connecting flange 16 via the clamping screws 17 shown generally designated 18 swirl disc clamped between the flanges 15, 16. The upper connecting flange 16 is located at the downstream end of the heating tube 19. Figure 2 shows, in addition to the one just described, at a short distance below the outlet opening 20 of the nozzle 3 arranged pack 21, here as a one-piece, open PET bottle is shown. It stands vertically on a conveyor, not shown, and has the bottle neck at the top 22 on, without touching a small but sufficient distance from the outlet opening 20 of the nozzle 3 is held. The packs 21 are produced in parallel longitudinal regions Representation of Figures 1 and 2 intermittently moved forward and against the viewing direction when stopping the bottle necks 22 under the outlet opening 20 of the nozzle 3 with warm air inside applied.

Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of the upper, upstream end of the feed pipe 11 with the lower Connection flange 15 and above the upper connection flange 16 on the lower, downstream side End of the heating tube 19. Between the flanges 15 and 16, the swirl disk 18 is inserted and fixed sealingly on the sealing ring 23 on the outside.

The swirl disk 18 is shown in three different views in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. This clearly has a circular disc shape with a closed central area 24. Draw around it there are two partial circular rings, namely the inner partial circular ring 25 with the sector-shaped ring-shaped arrangement Openings 27 and the outer circular ring 26, which in turn is closed and over the radial webs 28 are connected to the closed central region 24. One also sees clearly the inclined blades 29, the angle of attack most clearly from the Side view of the swirl disk 18 according to FIG. 6 emerges. The swirl disk is preferably present 18 made of stainless steel, the blades 29 being connected to the radial webs 28 via the bending lines 30 are and are only angled downwards, so that the warm air flows from top to bottom is to think and only strokes through the openings 27.

The preheating structure shown in somewhat more detail in FIGS. 7 and 8 with the pipelines has a flow meter 31 for the pressurized, low-germ preheating air, the flows in the direction of arrow 32 past the inlet valve 33 into the distributor pipe 34. Of this Manifold tube 34 with a larger diameter has five inlets 35 for feeding five heating tubes 19 from. Like the nozzle carrier plate 1, the distributor pipe 34 runs essentially horizontally, while the heating tubes 19 extend vertically from the inlets 35 down to the flanges 15, 16 extend and open into the respective feed pipe 11 via the swirl disk 18. At the top In the area of the respective heating tube 19, a heating rod 36 is attached, which leads through a current feedthrough is supplied with power in the lid 37. In this area there is also another, temperature sensor 38 connected to the heating element control. When controlling the heating elements 36 the signal of the temperature sensor fixed in the feed pipe 11 is also taken into account.

In relation to the inlets 35 located above, the heating pipes are further downstream 19 below connecting pieces 39 which connect the heating pipes 19 with a bypass pipe 40 (This is only shown in the embodiment of FIG. 7). Being one (left in Figure 7) End is designed as a connector and closed to the outside, while the other End of the bypass tube 40 (right in Figure 7) is provided with a blow-out opening 42 which a remote controlled valve 41 can be opened or closed. It was already up there mentions that in the event of a machine standstill if no preheating air is retrieved from the nozzles 3 is, the blow-out opening 42 is opened so that the main flow of the low-germ preheating air is removed through the bypass tube 40. This is sufficient in every company A lot of hot air is available, the flow meter 31 gives a signal to a not shown Control for the supply of a larger or smaller amount of low-germ warm air.

The conveying direction of the packs 21 can be assumed in FIG. 8 against the viewing direction while in FIG. 7 the conveying direction is to be thought to the left and indicated by arrow 43 is. The circle shown in the middle at the bottom in FIG. 8 shows the front view of FIG Point of arrow 43.

The distribution boxes 6 serve to better distribute and swirl the supplied warm air and have the task of making the difference in air flow velocities in each Reduce nozzles 3. While the diameter of the manifold at a preferred Example is 3 inches, the diameter of the heating tubes and the bypass tube is about 2 Inch. The temperature of the heating rods in normal operation is, for example, 110 ° C. It then succeeds in the temperature of the hot air emerging from the outlet opening 20 of the nozzle 3 Maintain 90 ° C to 100 ° C. The packs 21 are heated while the packs are at a standstill under the nozzles in a period of about 5 seconds.

The warm air nozzle 3, shown enlarged in FIGS. 1 and 2, contains a nozzle tube 44, so that the nozzle 3 has the shape of an elongated tube. The nozzle tube 44 has in the on the upstream (upper) two thirds of its length a main duct 45 of larger diameter, which is followed downstream by an outlet channel 46 with a smaller diameter, to ultimately end in the outlet opening 20 below. The narrowed outlet or the outlet channel 46 with the smaller cross section provides for the warm air flowing vertically from top to bottom a throttle. This structure of the nozzle 3 also serves to distribute the warm air more evenly. The embodiment of the nozzle 3 according to FIGS. 1 and 2 is mainly used for the application the inner surface of a package 21 open at the top, in particular one on the neck 22 open PET bottle.

But there is also another embodiment of a warm air nozzle 3, as it is clear and enlarged is illustrated in Figures 9 and 10.

In the case of the warm air nozzle 3 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, it extends from the one not shown here Bottom of the junction box up to the top of the pack 21 in turn a nozzle tube 44a. At the top is a mounting flange 47 for mounting the Nozzle tube 44a attached to the nozzle support plate 1 and to the distribution box 6. The top opening 48 of the nozzle tube 44a again fits into the holes 7 in the base 5 of the distributor box 6, so that the warm air flows in from top to bottom. The main channel 45a is in the nozzle tube 44a relatively large and can not only the bottle neck 22 of the pack 21, but also the reach around at a distance from this molded dome 49. In the downstream end of the nozzle tube 44a lies between the dome 49 of the pack 21 and the nozzle tube 44a Blow channel 50, the downwardly open channel shape of which can be clearly seen in FIGS. 9 and 10 is. At the locations where the nozzle tubes 44a surround the blower duct 50, the latter points at both Blowing channels 50 have longitudinal ends of open blowing channels 50, in particular on its side walls 54. This allows the warm air entering through the upper opening 48 downward from the nozzle tube 44a through the blow holes 51 inwards into the blow channel 50 and thus onto the surface the dome 22 and the bottle neck 22 are inflated. These packing surfaces will be thereby warmed. A further blow hole 52 in the closed is expedient in FIG Upper floor 53 of the blowing channel 50 is provided.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

Nozzle carrier plate

2

Through hole

3

hot air nozzle

4

shoulder

5

Bottom of the distribution box

6

distribution box

7

Holes in the bottom of the junction box

8th

fixing screw

9

topsoil

10

Air inlet hole

11

feed

12

temperature sensor

13

plug

15

lower connection flange

16

upper connection flange

17

clamping screw

18

swirl disk

19

heating pipe

20

outlet

21

Pack, bottle

22

bottleneck

23

seal

24

Center area of the swirl disk

25

inner circular ring

26

outer circular ring

27

sector-shaped opening

28

radial web

29

shovel

30

elastic line

31

flowmeter

32

Arrow, flow direction

33

intake valve

34

manifold

35

Inlet

36

heater

37

cover

38

upper temperature sensor

39

joint

40

bypass pipe

41

remote controlled valve

42

exhaust vent

43

Arrow, conveying direction of the pack

44, 44a

nozzle tube

45, 45a

main channel

46

outlet channel

47

mounting flange

48

upper opening

49

Cathedral on the bottle

50

blowholes

52

another blowhole

53

closed topsoil

54

Side wall of the blow duct

Claims (7)

1. A pre-warming structure for a linear filling apparatus, in which packs (21) are movable in at least two parallel longitudinal rows intermittently under different working stations for pre-warming, sterilising and filling, wherein provided in the pre-warming structure are devices for producing warmed compressed air, pipes (19, 34, 40) and at least two warm air nozzles (3) connected to the pipes (19, 34, 40), in such a way that the surfaces of the packs (21) are exposed to warm air, characterised in that to improve the turbulence and distribution of the warm air provided upstream of the nozzles (3) is a distributor box (6) which is connected to at least two nozzles and into which opens a feed tube (11) whose flow cross-section is occupied by a swirl disc (18).
2. A pre-warming structure according to claim 1 characterised in that at least two distributor boxes (6) are arranged in the pre-warming station in mutually juxtaposed relationship in a transverse row, fixed upstream of each feed tube (11) is a respective heating tube (19) with a heating bar (36), and disposed in the feed tube (11) is a temperature sensor (12).
3. A pre-warming structure according to claim 1 or claim 2 characterised in that preferably five distributor boxes (6) each preferably with four nozzles (3) are arranged in the transverse row at a substantially horizontal carrier plate (1) and all heating tubes (19) are connected to a distributor tube (34).
4. A pre-warming structure according to one of claims 1 to 3 characterised in that the swirl disc (18) is in the form of a circular disc with a closed central region (24) around which vanes (29) which are set inclinedly and which partially close substantially sector-like openings (27) are arranged in a ring-like configuration.
5. A pre-warming structure according to one of claims 1 to 4 characterised in that the heating tubes (19) are connected to a by-pass tube (40) of approximately the same diameter, at the one end of which is disposed a closable blowing-out opening (42) and the other end of which is closed.
6. A pre-warming structure according to one of claims 1 to 5 characterised in that the warm air nozzle (3) has a nozzle tube (44) with a constricted outlet (46), which extends from the bottom (5) of the distributor box (6) to closely above the top side (22) of the pack (21).
7. A pre-warming structure according to one of claims 1 to 5 characterised in that the warm air nozzle (3) has a nozzle tube (44a) which extends from the bottom (5) of the distributor box (6) to closely above the top side (22, 49) of the pack (21) and whose downstream end engages over a blowing duct (50) which extends parallel to the conveyor direction (43) of the packs (21) parallel to the longitudinal rows of the packs (21) and is closed at both ends and downwardly, the side walls (54) of the blowing duct having blowing holes (51, 52) within the nozzle tube (44a).

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