EP2209734B1 - Unit for filling containers, comprising an insulator, especially for a production installation - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a container filling unit comprising an insulator, in particular for a production installation.

Many facilities for the production of containers, in particular bottles, are known, such as the installation described in the document EP-B1-1.012.047 .

Such a manufacturing facility generally comprises different units between which are disposed transfer means so as to perform successively the operations of the manufacturing process from the formation of the container to obtaining a filled and plugged container forming a finished product .

In an installation for manufacturing plastic bottles such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), the procedure is first upstream to the transformation of preforms into bottles in a blowing unit, the shaping is carried out by blowing or drawing blowing into a mold of a preform previously heated in an oven.

Generally, the blowing unit is integrated into the manufacturing facility to obtain a compact monobloc installation capable of fully performing the manufacturing process from the beginning until finished products ready to be marketed. Alternatively the unit is at least disposed upstream so that the bottles produced can then feed directly to the entrance of an installation grouping all units succeeding it according to the manufacturing process.

The installation represented at figure 1 of this document mainly comprises, in addition to the above-mentioned blowing unit, a cleaning unit in which a sanitizing or sterilizing treatment is carried out in order to decontaminate the interior and / or the outside of the bottle, a filling unit and a plugging unit.

The manufacturing facility represented at figure 1 of the document EP-B1-1.012.047 has a sterile enclosure defining a volume within which are arranged the different units so that the manufacturing process is performed in an aseptic or sterile environment to limit the risk of contamination of the bottles produced.

In the manufacturing process, the filling operation of the container is usually recognized as being the most sensitive with regard to the risks of contamination, in particular particulate airborne contamination by germs, bacteria, etc. likely to contaminate the interior volume of the container.

This is why, in addition to the sterilization or sanitization treatments directly targeting the liquid and the container, in particular its inner wall, other means are generally used to reduce the risk of contamination especially during the filling.

In addition to the presence of a general enclosure for isolating from the surrounding atmosphere an interior space in which are arranged the manufacturing units of the installation, it is known to equip the filling unit with an insulator.

By definition, an isolator is an enclosure allowing operations to be carried out without risk of contamination.

We have shown figure 1 an example of such an insulator of a filling unit according to the state of the art known to the applicant but which does not give complete satisfaction.

Indeed, it has been found for such a filling unit equipped with an insulator, that there remains in particular a risk of contamination by particles that would be present on the outer surface of the container and which are likely to be unhooked by the turbulent flow of air that is blown into the enclosure of the insulator to establish an overpressure.

A filling unit according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from the document EP-A-0405402 .

The invention therefore aims to solve the aforementioned drawbacks and to provide a particular solution to reduce the risk of particulate contamination in such a filling unit having an insulator.

For this purpose, the invention provides a container filling unit according to claim 1.

Thanks to the combination of arrangement of the insufflation means and the exhaust means according to the invention, if a particle present on the outer surface of the container is unhooked, it is then immediately captured by the laminar flow of leaching sterile air. the container and discharged directly via the exhaust means out of the enclosure of the insulator.

Advantageously, the exhaust means are made simply and economically by omitting to fill the lower dynamic seal of the isolator of the filling unit with sterilizing liquid to create a passage to which the laminar flow flows naturally. sterile air.

The invention is therefore likely to be easily implemented on an existing insulator filling unit.

• les moyens d'échappement sont implantés au plus près des récipients afin que le flux laminaire d'air stérile insufflé soit principalement évacué hors de l'enceinte par lesdits moyens d'échappement ;
• la section de passage des moyens d'échappement est supérieure à la section de passage de l'entrée et/ou la sortie de l'isolateur ménagées dans l'enceinte ;
• l'isolateur comporte des moyens d'extraction associés aux moyens d'échappement de manière à contrôler l'évacuation du flux laminaire d'air stérile ;
• l'isolateur de l'unité de remplissage comporte des moyens d'étanchéité dynamique, respectivement au moins un joint d'étanchéité dynamique supérieur et un joint d'étanchéité dynamique inférieur, qui sont disposés entre l'enceinte et une partie mobile de la structure interne, chacun desdits joints d'étanchéité dynamique comportant un premier élément et un deuxième élément d'étanchéité entre lesquels l'étanchéité est assurée par la présence d'un liquide stérilisant baignant au moins une partie des premier et deuxième éléments et les moyens d'échappement sont constitués par le joint d'étanchéité dynamique inférieur entre les premier et deuxième éléments duquel aucun liquide stérilisant n'est introduit de manière à créer un passage destiné à évacuer directement, après le léchage des récipients, le flux laminaire d'air stérile insufflé ;
• le flux laminaire d'air stérile est apte à entraîner vers les moyens d'échappement toutes particules contaminantes présentes sur la surface externe du récipient, notamment susceptibles de contaminer le volume intérieur des récipients ;
• la valeur de la surpression établie dans la zone aseptique de travail de l'isolateur est inférieure ou égale à 15 Pascal (Pa) de manière à maintenir un écoulement de type laminaire pour le flux d'air stérile insufflé.

According to other means of realization:

• the exhaust means are located closer to the containers so that the laminar flow of sterile air blown is mainly discharged from the enclosure by said exhaust means;
• the passage section of the exhaust means is greater than the passage section of the inlet and / or the outlet of the insulator provided in the enclosure;
• the isolator comprises extraction means associated with the exhaust means so as to control the discharge of the laminar flow of sterile air;
• the insulator of the filling unit comprises dynamic sealing means, respectively at least one upper dynamic seal and one lower dynamic seal, which are arranged between the enclosure and a movable part of the structure internal, each of said dynamic seals comprising a first element and a second sealing element between which the seal is provided by the presence of a sterilizing liquid bathing at least a portion of the first and second elements and the means of exhaust are constituted by the lower dynamic seal between the first and second elements of which no sterilizing liquid is introduced so as to create a passage intended to evacuate directly, after the licking of the containers, the laminar flow of sterile air insufflated;
• the laminar flow of sterile air is capable of driving towards the exhaust means any contaminating particles present on the outer surface of the container, in particular likely to contaminate the interior volume of the containers;
• the value of the overpressure established in the aseptic working zone of the insulator is less than or equal to 15 Pascal (Pa) so as to maintain a flow of laminar type for the flow of sterile air blown.

The invention also proposes a container manufacturing installation comprising a filling unit, characterized in that the installation comprises a controlled atmosphere containment enclosure delimiting an interior volume in which at least one cleaning unit is arranged, the unit filling and capping unit and associated sterile air insufflation means adapted to establish an overpressure in said interior volume of the containment whose value is lower than the value of the overpressure established in the aseptic zone of work of the isolator.

• la figure 1 est une vue schématique d'une unité de remplissage selon l'état de la technique comportant un isolateur équipé de moyens d'insufflation d'air stérile, qui illustre en particulier l'écoulement turbulent du flux d'air stérile dans la zone aseptique de travail dans laquelle on procède au moins au remplissage des récipients ;
• la figure 2 est une vue schématique d'une unité de remplissage selon l'invention qui illustre l'écoulement laminaire du flux d'air stérile dans la zone aseptique de travail qui lèche la surface externe du récipient avant d'être évacué par les moyens d'échappement associés.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the detailed description which follows for the understanding of which reference will be made to the appended drawings in which:

• the figure 1 is a schematic view of a filling unit according to the state of the art comprising an isolator equipped with sterile air insufflation means, which illustrates in particular the turbulent flow of the sterile air flow in the aseptic zone of work in which at least the filling of the containers is carried out;
• the figure 2 is a schematic view of a filling unit according to the invention which illustrates the laminar flow of the sterile airflow in the aseptic working area which licks the external surface of the container before being evacuated by the associated exhaust means.

In the description which follows and the claims, the terms, such as "upper" and "lower", "axial" and "radial", and the longitudinal, vertical and transverse orientations for respectively designating elements according to the invention will be used in a nonlimiting manner. the definitions given in the description and with respect to the trihedron (L, V, T) shown in the figures.

In the description, identical, similar or similar elements will be designated by the same reference numerals.

In order to explain the invention, it is shown in figure 1 a filling unit 10 according to the state of the art, which is particularly likely to be integrated in a plant 12 for producing containers.

In the remainder of the present description, the term "container" refers generically and non-limitatively to all types of containers 14, such as bottles, flasks etc.

The container filling unit 10 comprises an insulator 16 in order to carry out the filling operations of the containers in a controlled environment having in particular high sanitization or sterilization conditions to guarantee a reduced risk of contamination of the containers 14 by means of particles or pathogens, such as bacteria, germs etc.

In known manner, such an insulator 16 comprises an external enclosure 18 which is respectively provided with an inlet opening "E" through which the containers 14 to be filled coming from upstream are introduced into the insulator 16 and a outlet opening "S" through which the containers 14 are discharged downstream from the enclosure 18 of the insulator 16.

The insulator 16 here comprises an internal structure 20 which is arranged centrally which is surmounted and surrounded by the enclosure 18.

The enclosure 18 delimits, with the internal structure 20, a volume "V" forming an aseptic working zone 22 which is for example of annular shape and comprised radially between the internal face of a wall 24 delimiting the internal structure 20 and the internal face of a wall 26 of the enclosure 18.

The insulator 16 also comprises means for insufflating sterile air 28 which are generally arranged in the upper part of the insulator 16 so as to inject a flow "f" of sterile air into the volume "V". forming the aseptic working zone 22 in which the containers 14 introduced by the inlet opening E are intended to be successively filled.

The flow of sterile air injected by the insufflation means 28 is intended to establish an overpressure inside the volume V to isolate the aseptic working zone 22 from the risk of external contamination by particles (germs, viruses, bacteria , etc.) that may be present in particular in the surrounding air located outside the chamber 18 and around the insulator 16.

Indeed, the filling of the container 14 is usually considered as the operation in which the risk of contamination of the container, in particular of its internal volume, is the most critical.

Due to the overpressure established inside the enclosure 18 of the insulator 16, such particles can not enter the aseptic working zone 22 from the outside while being airborne.

Thus, at least a portion of the degree of sterilization or sanitization is controlled. Indeed, the control is however not total therefore particles are likely to be introduced by the containers 14 inside the insulator 16.

This is again the reason why the isolator 16 comprises dynamic sealing means 30 respectively here constituted by an upper dynamic seal 32 and a lower dynamic seal 34.

Indeed, the insulator 16 has an upper portion 36 of the inner structure 20 which is rotatably mounted relative to the housing 18 and with respect to a fixed lower portion 38 of the internal structure 20 forming a frame.

The dynamic sealing means 30 are arranged between the enclosure 18 and said movable upper portion 36 of the internal structure 20 of the insulator 16.

The movable portion 36 is generally constituted by a carousel provided with a plurality of filling stations which are distributed circumferentially and which are each capable of moving with a container from the inlet opening E to the exit opening S, during this journey, at least filling the container 14.

The upper dynamic seal 32 and the lower dynamic seal 34 forming the dynamic sealing means 30 are for example arranged at the upper and lower ends of the wall 24, at the junction between the internal structure 20 and the pregnant 18.

The upper dynamic seal 32 and the lower dynamic seal 34 each comprise a first element 32a, 34a and a second sealing member 32b, 34b, between which the seal is ensured by the presence of a liquid sterilant 40 bathing at least a portion of said first and second elements.

Therefore, the containers 14 introduced through the inlet E are essentially the possible vector of propagation of the particles.

The containers 14 thus generally undergo an aseptic treatment upstream of the insulator 16, treatment at the end of which the containers 14 are supported by conventional transfer means (not shown) and introduced continuously by the inlet opening E inside the chamber 18 of the insulator 16, in the aseptic working zone 22 to be filled.

The flow of sterile air blown by the insufflation means 28 flows vertically up and down following a turbulent type flow through the aseptic working zone 22 in which the containers 14 are filled in particular.

Indeed, the flow of sterile air flows from the blowing means 28 "falling" partially plumb above the containers 14 and filling means 42 carried by the carousel 36 forming the movable part of the internal structure 20.

The rotation of the assembly 14, 36, 42 therefore causes large swirls in the air flow, which is necessarily a turbulent type flow.

In addition, the evacuation of the flow of sterile air maintaining the overpressure inside the insulator 16 is effected through the inlet openings E and outlet S of the enclosure 18, inlet openings E and outlet S through which the containers 14 are permanently introduced or evacuated so that it still contributes to cause a flow of sterile air that is turbulent.

Thus, it will be understood that if one of the containers 14 comprises, for example on its outer surface 44, a contaminating particle such as a bacterium, a germ etc., there is then a risk of airborne contamination of the aseptic zone of work 22 by this particle and more particularly of contamination of the interior volume 46 of one of the containers 14 introduced into said aseptic working zone 22 for filling.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a simple and economical solution for controlling the risk of particulate contamination by such particles that may be present on the outer surface 44 of the container 14 despite the sanitizing or sterilizing treatment operations of the container 14 carried upstream of the insulator 16.

According to the invention, the sterile air insufflation means 28 are arranged in the upper part of the insulator 16 so as to project a laminar flow F of sterile air intended to lick the outer wall 44 of the containers 14. and the insulator 16 has in the lower part exhaust means 48 for allowing a controlled discharge of the flow F sterile air blown.

We have shown figure 2 an example of a container filling unit 10 according to the invention which will be described hereinafter by comparison with the unit shown in FIG. figure 1 .

Therefore, the similar or identical means of the filling unit 10 according to the invention will not be described again in detail and will be designated by the same reference numbers as those used for the unit according to the state of the art. represented at figure 1 .

Advantageously, the blowing means 28 are arranged in the upper part of the insulator 16, in this case of its enclosure 18, with a determined angle inclination "α".

The angle α of inclination is defined by the intersection of a main axis A of insufflation means 28 with a vertical axis X of reference of the insulator 16.

The value of the angle α is determined in such a way that the laminar flow F of sterile air flows globally vertically from top to bottom by coming to lick the outer wall 44 of each container 14 introduced into the aseptic working zone 22 in order to of their filling.

The vertical axis X of the reference of the insulator 16 is here parallel to the main axis of the containers 14 which extend vertically below filling means 42 able to introduce a determined amount of liquid into each container.

Conventionally, the filling is performed by means of a filling spout 50 may be introduced into an opening 52 of the container 14 held in position by the support means 54 to pour the liquid.

As can be seen on the figure 2 , the laminar flow F of sterile air flows well in a laminar flow, so non-turbulent, before being evacuated by the exhaust means 48.

Advantageously, the exhaust means 48 are located closer to the containers 14 and further from the inlet openings E and exit S of the insulator 16.

In addition, the passage section of the exhaust means 48 is advantageously greater than the passage section of the inlet E and / or the output S of the insulator 16 formed in the wall 26 of the enclosure 18.

Advantageously, the laminar flow F of sterile air insufflated by the blowing means 28 is essentially discharged from the enclosure 18 by said exhaust means 48 and no longer by the inlet openings E or outlet S so that that the flow of the laminar flow F through the aseptic working zone 22 is fully controlled to further reduce the risk of particulate contamination of the interior volume 46 of one of the containers 14 or a portion of the unit 10 such that the filling means 42.

Indeed, in a unit 10 comprising insufflation 28 and exhaust means 48 arranged according to the teachings of the invention, if a particle on the outer surface 44 of the container 14 is detached, this particle is then immediately captured by the laminar flow F of sterile air licking the container 14 and driven downwards by the laminar flow F so as to be directly discharged out of the aseptic working zone 22 via the exhaust means 48 of the insulator 16.

Advantageously, the laminar flow F of sterile air is able to drive towards the exhaust means 48 the air contained inside each container 14 which, during the filling operations, is progressively expelled by the opening 52 upper filling the container 14.

Advantageously, the insulator 16 includes extraction means 56 associated with the exhaust means 48 so as to cause an additional suction effect and to guarantee that the removal of the laminar flow F of sterile air is mainly effected, c is almost completely, by the exhaust means 48.

Preferably, the air of the laminar flow F sucked by the extraction means 56 is discharged to the outside in the atmosphere so that the contaminating particles present in this air can not contaminate, in an installation 12, the other units adjacent to the filling unit 10.

As a variant, the air of the laminar flow F sucked by the extraction means 56 could be recycled to supply back the insufflation means 28, the recycling comprising treatment operations, in particular by filtration and / or sterilization, of the extracted before reintroduction to ensure that it is free of any contaminating particles.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the exhaust means 48 consist of the lower dynamic seal 34 between the first and second elements 34a, 34b of which no sterilizing liquid 40 is introduced so as to create voluntarily a passage able to directly evacuate, after the licking of the containers 14, the laminar flow F of sterile air blown by the insufflation means 28.

Advantageously, the lower dynamic seal 34 is therefore capable of receiving or not sterilizing liquid 40 to form in a particularly simple and economic exhaust means 48 associated with the inclining means 28 inclined according to the invention.

The sterilizing liquid 40 is thus introduced selectively into the lower dynamic seal 34 depending on whether it is desired to respectively open, during the filling operations of the containers 14, a passage for the controlled evacuation of the laminar flow F by said seal. lower dynamic sealing 34 or closing said passage for example to restore tightness during maintenance operations of the insulator 16, in particular of decontamination of the aseptic working zone 22.

As a variant, the exhaust means 48 are made in a given part of the insulator 16, for example in the wall 24 of the internal structure 20, the dynamic sealing means 30, 32 and 34 then being kept operational.

The invention is therefore likely to be easily implemented in a filling unit 10 by the sole modification of the insufflation means 28 of the laminar flow F, without other substantial modifications, in particular for producing the exhaust means 48 of the laminar flow F when they are constituted by the opening of the lower seal 34.

Preferably, the value of the overpressure established in the aseptic working zone 22 of the insulator 16 is less than or equal to 15 Pascal (Pa) so that the flow of the sterile airflow is always of laminar type.

Advantageously, the filling unit 10 with insulator 16 which has just been described is capable of being integrated in a container manufacturing installation 12 not shown in detail.

Such an installation 12 is for example of monoblock type as the installation shown in FIG. figure 1 of the aforementioned document EP-B1-1 .012.047 .

Advantageously, such a container manufacturing installation 12 comprises a containment enclosure (not shown) with a controlled atmosphere delimiting an interior volume in which the various units necessary for the implementation of the manufacturing process are arranged.

To do this, the installation 12 comprises at least one cleaning unit, a filling unit according to the invention and a corking unit for closing the filled containers 14.

The installation 12 also comprises associated sterile air insufflation means which are able to establish an overpressure in said interior volume of the containment enclosure.

Advantageously, the value of the overpressure established in the internal volume of the confinement enclosure is lower than the value of the overpressure established in the aseptic working zone 22 of the insulator 16 of the filling unit 10.

The value of the overpressure established in the aseptic working zone 22 of the insulator 16 of the filling unit 10 is for example between 10 and 15 Pascal while the value of the overpressure established in the containment is the order of 7 Pascal.

Advantageously, a positive pressure gradient is created relative to the atmospheric pressure outside the installation, the value of the overpressure increasing as a function of the importance of the risks of particulate contamination.

Thanks to such a pressure gradient, the air flow in the installation 12 is always carried out from the cleanest and most sensitive areas, here the aseptic working zone 22 of the insulator 16 of the unit of filling 10, to the least sensitive areas, namely successively the interior volume of the containment chamber comprising the other units and the atmosphere outside the enclosure of the installation.

Preferably, such a container manufacturing installation 12 comprises, upstream of the cleaning unit, a unit blowing device capable of producing the containers 14, for example PET bottles obtained by blow molding or stretch-blow molding from preforms preheated in an oven before being introduced into a mold.

Claims (6)

1. A unit (10) for filling containers (14), especially for a container production installation (12), which comprises an insulator (16) comprising an outer housing (18) provided with an inlet (E) and an outlet (S) through which the containers (14) are respectively introduced and evacuated downstream out of the housing (18) of the insulator (16), the housing (18) delimiting, with an internal structure (20), a volume (V) forming an aseptic working area (22) and comprising means (28) of insufflating sterile air which, arranged at the top part of the insulator (16), are able to insufflate a sterile air flow for creating an overpressure inside the volume (V), in which the insulator (16) comprises in its top part exhaust means (48), separate from the inlet (E) and of the outlet (S), intended to allow evacuation of insufflated sterile air flow,
   characterized in that said sterile air insufflation means (28) are able to project a laminar flow (F) of sterile air and are arranged in the top part of the insulator (16) with a predetermined inclination so as to project a laminar flow (F) of sterile air toward the outer surface (44) of the container (14) with respect to an angle (α) defined by the intersection between a main axis (A) of the insufflation means (28) and a main axis of the containers (14) which extend vertically in order to be filled.
2. The filling unit (10) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the exhaust means (48) are located as close as possible to the containers (14) in order for the laminar flow (F) of insufflated sterile air to be primarily evacuated from the housing (18) by said exhaust means (48).
3. The filling unit (10) as claimed in one of the claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the insulator (16) comprises extraction means (56) which, associated with the exhaust means (48), are able to provoke an additional suction effect of sterile air in order to control the evacuation of the laminar flow (F) of sterile air.
4. The filling unit (10) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the insulator (16) comprises dynamic sealing means (30), respectively at least one top dynamic seal (32) and one bottom dynamic seal (34), which are arranged between the housing (18) and a moving part (36) of the internal structure (20), each of said dynamic seals (32, 34) comprising a first sealing element (32a, 34a) and a second sealing element (32b, 34b) between which sealing is ensured by the presence of a sterilizing liquid (40) in which at least a part of the first and second elements (32a, 34a, 32b, 34b) is immersed, characterized in that the exhaust means (48) consist of the bottom dynamic seal (34) between the first and second elements (34a, 34b) of which no sterilizing liquid (40) is introduced, thus creating a bore intended to directly evacuate, after the containers (14) have been swept over, the laminar flow (F) of insufflated sterile air.
5. The filling unit (10) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the value of the overpressure created in the aseptic working area (22) of the insulator (16) is less than or equal to 15 pascal (Pa) so as to maintain a laminar-type flow for the flow (F) of insufflated sterile air.
6. A container manufacturing installation (12) comprising a filling unit (10) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the installation (12) comprises a containment housing with controlled atmosphere delimiting an internal volume in which are arranged at least one cleaning unit, the filling unit (10) and a plugging unit and associated sterile air insufflation means able to create an overpressure in said internal volume of the containment housing, the value of which overpressure is less than the value of the overpressure created in the aseptic working area (22) of the insulator (16).

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