EP3663255B1 - Device and method for filling a filling product into a container to be filled in a beverage filling system - Google Patents

Description

technical field

The present invention relates to a device and a method for filling a filling product into a container to be filled in a beverage filling plant, preferably for filling a carbonated beverage or for hot filling a beverage.

State of the art

Devices and methods for bottling beverages are known. As a rule, such devices comprise a filling product reservoir, in which the filling product to be filled is accommodated before filling, and a filling element which is in fluid communication with the filling product reservoir via a filling product channel.

Devices are known for filling carbonated beverages, in which the container to be filled is prestressed to a prestressing pressure with a prestressing gas before filling. For this purpose, the filling element is brought into sealing contact with an opening of the container to be filled, and the clamping gas is then introduced from the filling element into the container. The preload pressure in the container reduces or prevents outgassing of carbon dioxide from the filling product when the container is later filled with the carbonized filling product.

Devices are known in which the filling member is in fluid communication with a gas region of the filling product reservoir by means of a media channel, also called a pretensioning channel. The gas area of the filling product reservoir has a gas, mostly carbon dioxide, which is present in the filling product reservoir at a predetermined pressure and prevents outgassing of carbon dioxide from the carbonized filling product in the filling product reservoir. Consequently, the gas from the filling product reservoir is used as the prestressing gas in these devices. The present in the container after the biasing gas mixture from the Preloading gas and gases already previously in the container, mostly air, is displaced when the container is being filled by the inflowing filling product from the container into the preloading channel and can, especially if the filling product reservoir is designed as a ring reservoir or ring tube reservoir, get into the filling product reservoir and get there contaminate the gas atmosphere.

After filling, the excess gas pressure in the container is released via another media channel, the so-called release channel. The pressurized gas in the container is discharged to the environment or to the outside via the expansion channel.

When filling carbonated beverages that react sensitively to the presence of oxygen, such as beer, the container to be filled is additionally flushed with pure carbon dioxide before it is pressurized. The oxygen in the air, which is initially in the container to be filled, can thus be flushed out of the container before filling. For this purpose, the filling element is connected to an additional media channel, the pure CO2 channel, which supplies pure carbon dioxide to the filling element. The carbon dioxide flows through the pure CO2 channel into the container and first displaces the air and later in the flushing process the air/CO2 gas mixture from the container into the open expansion channel and further into the environment. The disadvantage here is that in addition to the preload line, the pure CO2 channel and corresponding valves for opening and closing the pure CO2 channel must also be provided, which makes the construction of such devices more complex and consequently increases the production and maintenance costs.

Devices and methods for hot filling are also known, in which the filling product is subjected to a heat treatment before being filled into the container in order to kill germs in the filling product and to achieve a specified or required microbiological shelf life. The filling element and the container are also sterilized during the filling process due to the filling product being filled hot. The filling product delivered to the filling element through the filling product channel displaces gases in the container during filling, mostly air, which are discharged into the environment via an expansion channel. In order to prevent the filling product from standing in the filling product channel and/or in the filling element when the filling valve of the filling element is closed or during a production interruption, and thereby cooling the filling product and/or the filling element below the required filling temperature, devices for hot filling have an additional media channel in the form of a hot -return channel on. The hot return channel is connected to the filling element and, when the filling valve is closed, enables the hot filling product to circulate in the filling element or in the device. Devices are also known which are suitable for filling a filling product into a container by means of a carbonized filling process and a hot filling process. This type of device is particularly suitable if mainly carbonated drinks are to be filled and a few drinks are also to be filled hot. Devices are known for this purpose which, in addition to the filling product channel, have on the one hand a prestressing channel and an expansion channel and additionally a hot return channel. An additional pure CO2 channel is also to be provided for filling oxygen-sensitive carbonized products. Due to the large number of media channels to be provided next to the filling product channel and their switching functions and valves, the devices for combined filling of carbonated drinks and hot drinks have a complex structure and are correspondingly large, expensive and maintenance-intensive.

The DE 10 2007 014 702 A1 describes a device and a method for filling a filling product into a container to be filled in a beverage filling plant, namely for filling a carbonated beverage or for hot filling a beverage according to the preamble of claim 1 or the preamble of claim 10. Other devices for filling Containers with a filling are from the DE 43 42 142 A1 , DE 198 36 500 A1 , DE 10 2010 024 522 A1 , EP 1 584 601 A1 , DE 10 2013 103 639 A1 , DE 30 24 099 A1 , EP 0 331 137 A1 and DE 1 076 518 A known.

Presentation of the invention

Based on the known prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved device for filling a filling product into a container to be filled in a beverage filling plant, preferably for filling a carbonated beverage or for hot filling a beverage, and a corresponding method.

The object is achieved by a device for filling a filling product into a container to be filled in a beverage filling plant, preferably for filling a carbonated beverage or for hot filling a beverage, with the features of claim 1. Advantageous developments result from the dependent claims.

Accordingly, a device is proposed for filling a filling product into a container to be filled in a beverage filling plant, namely for filling a carbonated beverage or for hot filling a beverage, comprising a filling product reservoir and a filling element in fluid communication with it via a filling product channel for introducing the filling product into the Container to be filled, wherein the filling element has media channels comprising a first media channel and a second media channel, for Providing media flows for the functions of flushing the container with a flushing gas prior to filling with the fill product and/or biasing the container with a biasing gas to a bias pressure prior to filling with the fill product when filling a carbonated fill product and/or flowing back from during the filling of the container with the gas displaced by the filling product and/or the relaxation of an excess gas pressure built up in the container after filling with the filling product and/or the circulation of a hot filling product through the filling element for temperature control of the filling element during hot filling during the filling process. According to the invention, a media channel is assigned at least two of the functions mentioned above.

Because a media channel is occupied by at least two of the functions mentioned above, the number of channels required to provide the media flows of the functions is reduced. Consequently, the device can be constructed more simply than devices known from the prior art. Due to the double assignment, different types of filling processes can also be carried out on the same device.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the first media channel is set up for flushing the container before it is filled with the filling product and for preloading the container to a preload pressure before it is filled with the filling product. This eliminates the need for an additional pure CO2 channel. The flushing of the container is preferably carried out, as is the pretensioning of the container with gas from the filling product reservoir. The quantity of gas removed from the filling product reservoir for the flushing is preferably constantly fed back into the filling product reservoir.

According to the invention, the device is set up in a first operating state for filling a carbonated filling product and in a second operating state for hot filling of a filling product, with one of the functions handled via one media channel preferably being assigned to the first operating state and the other of the functions handled via the same media channel being assigned to the second operating state is assigned. This makes it possible to fill both a carbonated filling product and a hot filling product in the device without having to provide separate additional media channels for each function of the two operating modes, which remain unused when the device is operated in the other operating state.

Furthermore, the second media channel, which is occupied in the first operating state with the expansion of the gas overpressure built up in the container and in the second operating state with circulation of the hot filling product, a further switching valve for selectively providing fluid communication with the filling product reservoir and/or the filling product channel or with the environment is on.

A particularly simple and effective structure of the device is achieved if, according to a further preferred embodiment, the first media channel is set up in the first operating state to carry out the functions of flushing the container before filling it with the filling product and prestressing the container to a prestressing pressure before filling to be carried out with the filling product and, in the second operating state, is set up to allow gas displaced from the container to flow back while the filling product is being filled.

The media channel is preferably in fluid communication with the filling product reservoir, preferably a gas region of the filling product reservoir.

If the second media channel according to the invention is set up in the first operating state to relieve excess gas pressure built up in the container after filling with the filling product and is set up in the second operating state to circulate a hot filling product through the filling element to temper the filling element during hot filling, one can additional return channel dispensed with, and yet the required circulation of the hot filling product can be made possible.

A particularly simple construction of the device can be achieved if exactly two media channels are provided according to a further preferred embodiment. The production costs and the maintenance effort of the device are reduced accordingly. A first media channel of the exactly two media channels is preferably set up in the first operating state to carry out the functions of flushing the container before filling it with the filling product and pre-tensioning the container to a pre-tensioning pressure before filling it with the filling product, and in the second operating state it is set up to to allow gas displaced from the container to flow back during the filling of the filling product, and/or a second media channel of exactly two media channels is set up in the first operating state to relieve an excess gas pressure built up in the container after filling with the filling product and in the second operating state to circulate a hot Filling product set up by the filling element for tempering the filling element during hot filling.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the filling product reservoir is designed as an adjacent filling product reservoir. This results in correspondingly large channel lengths between the filling element and the filling product reservoir, such that the media channel when Returning the gas displaced from the container acts as a buffer. In other words, the volume in one media channel, through which the gas displaced during the filling of the container with the filling product flows back, is so large that the gas flowing back does not reach the filling product reservoir. A contamination of the filling product reservoir by contaminated gas and/or air in the container is thus ruled out.

A media distributor for distributing the media provided by the filling product reservoir is preferably arranged between the filling product reservoir and the filling member. As a result, the structure of the device can be further simplified. The media distributor divides the media channels into a reservoir-distributor section and a distributor-filler section. If the device has a large number of filling elements, the reservoir-distribution section can be formed in a common channel for all filling elements. The filling elements are then each connected to the media distributor via their own distributor-filling element sections of the media channels and are connected from the media distributor to the adjacent filling product reservoir by means of the common reservoir-distribution sections of the media channels.

In order to enable the circulation of the hot filling product to be switched on and off during hot filling, according to a further preferred embodiment, a return switching valve is provided on the filling element for providing a filling product flow from the filling element into the media channel, which is occupied by the circulation of the hot filling product.

Furthermore, a switching valve and/or a non-return valve to prevent a gas flow into the filling product reservoir can be provided on the media channel, which is occupied with the backflow of gas displaced during the filling of the container with the filling product, and/or a vent valve for releasing gas or gas mixture from the media channel into the environment can be provided, with the vent valve preferably being able to be controlled/regulated via a switching position of the switching valve and/or the check valve.

In order to further increase the efficiency of the device in the first operating state, one media channel for flushing and for prestressing the container in the first operating state can be set up according to a further preferred embodiment for the purpose of displacing the filling product from the container into the media channel while the filling product is being filled into a container To use gas or gas mixture for flushing and / or biasing at least one other container to be filled.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the filling element comprises a filling valve, with the return flow switching valve being set up in the second operating state so that, when the filling valve is closed, the filling product that has flowed out of the filling product channel into the filling element flows into the media channel, which is occupied by the circulation of the hot filling product , to allow. This enables the filling element to be tempered and the required filling temperature of the hot filling product to be maintained. Furthermore, the return flow switching valve ensures that no filling product flows into the media channel while the container is being filled, which would otherwise reduce the filling capacity of the device.

For precise control/regulation of the media flows required for the functions, according to a further preferred embodiment, the media channel which is used for flushing and/or preloading the container can have a preload valve for connecting the filling element to the media channel and/or the media channel which is occupied in the first operating state with the expansion of the gas overpressure built up in the container, have an expansion valve for releasing gas or gas mixture from the filling element into the media channel.

In order to be able to fill several containers at the same time and thus to increase the filling performance of the device, the device has, according to a further preferred embodiment, a plurality of filling elements. The plurality of filling elements is preferably arranged on a transport device of the device, preferably a rotary transport device, with the filling elements each being connected to the media distributor by their own media channels and common media channels being present between the media distributor and the filling product reservoir. According to a further preferred embodiment, in the first operating state during filling of the filling product into a container, gas or gas mixture displaced from the container and returned into the media channel is provided for prestressing at least one further container. As a result, the gas volume flow required to operate the device in the first operating state can be reduced by the amount of recirculated gas. Since more gas is required to flush the container than flows back out of the container when it is being filled, it is ensured, particularly if the filling product reservoir, that the gas flow, viewed from the filling product reservoir, is always directed in the direction of the filling element. A contamination of the filling product reservoir is therefore not possible.

The task set out above is also achieved by a method for filling a filling product into a container to be filled in a beverage bottling plant, namely for filling a carbonated beverage or for hot-filling a beverage with the features of claim 10. Advantageous developments of the method result from the dependent claims and the present description and the figures.

• Spülen eines zu befüllenden Behälters mit einem Spülgas vor dem Befüllen mit dem Füllprodukt und/oder
• Vorspannen des Behälters mit einem Spanngas auf einen Vorspanndruck vor dem Befüllen mit dem Füllprodukt beim Abfüllen eines karbonisierten Füllprodukts und/oder
• Rückfließen von während dem Befüllen des Behälters mit dem Füllprodukt verdrängtem Gas und/oder
• Entspannen eines im Behälter aufgebauten Gasüberdrucks nach dem Befüllen mit dem Füllprodukt und/ oder
• Zirkulieren eines heißen Füllprodukts durch das Füllorgan zum Temperierendes Füllorgans bei der Heißabfüllung,

wobei ein Medienkanal für mindestens zwei der oben genannten Funktionen verwendet wird, in einem ersten Betriebszustand ein karbonisiertes Füllprodukt in den Behälter abgefüllt wird und in einem zweiten Betriebszustand ein heißes Füllprodukt in den Behälter abgefüllt wird, und der zweite Medienkanal im ersten Betriebszustand zum Entspannen eines im Behälter aufgebauten Gasüberdrucks nach dem Befüllen mit dem Füllprodukt verwendet wird und im zweiten Betriebszustand zum Zirkulieren eines heißen Füllprodukts durch das Füllorgan zum Temperieren des Füllorgans bei der Heißabfüllung verwendet wird, wobei der zweite Medienkanal ein Schaltventil zum selektiven Bereitstellen einer Fluidkommunikation mit dem Füllproduktreservoir und/oder dem Füllproduktkanal oder mit der Umgebung aufweist.Correspondingly, a method for filling a filling product into a container to be filled in a beverage filling plant, namely for filling a carbonated beverage or for hot filling a beverage, the filling product being transferred from a filling product reservoir via a filling product channel to a filling element for introducing the filling product into the container to be filled is supplied, the filling element communicating via media channels, comprising a first media channel and a second media channel, to provide media flows for the following functions during the filling process:

• Flushing a container to be filled with a flushing gas before filling with the filling product and/or
• Prestressing the container with a prestressing gas to a prestressing pressure before filling with the filling product when filling a carbonated filling product and/or
• backflow of gas displaced during filling of the container with the filling product and/or
• Relaxation of a gas overpressure built up in the container after filling with the filling product and/or
• Circulating a hot filling product through the filling element for tempering the filling element during hot filling,

wherein a media channel is used for at least two of the above functions, in a first operating state a carbonated filling product is filled into the container and in a second operating state a hot filling product is filled into the container, and the second media channel in the first operating state for relaxing an im Container built-up gas pressure is used after filling with the filling product and is used in the second operating state for circulating a hot filling product through the filling element for tempering the filling element during hot filling, the second media channel having a switching valve for selectively providing fluid communication with the filling product reservoir and/or has the filling product channel or with the environment.

The effects and advantages described for the device are achieved analogously by the method.

According to a preferred development, the first media channel is used to flush the container before it is filled with the filling product and to preload the container to a preload pressure before it is filled with the filling product.

According to a further preferred development, one media channel is used in the first operating state to carry out the functions of flushing the container before it is filled with the filling product and preloading the container to a preload pressure before it is filled with the filling product, and in the second operating state it is used to do this while to allow gas displaced from the container to flow back during filling of the filling product.

According to a further preferred development, exactly two media channels are used to provide media flows for the functions.

According to a further preferred development, during the filling of the filling product into a container preloaded with the pressurized gas, gas or gas mixture displaced from the preloaded container and returned into the media channel is used for preloading at least one further container.

According to a further preferred development, in the second operating state, the gas or gas mixture that was displaced during the filling and returned to the media channel is released into the environment.

Brief description of the figures

Figur 1

schematisch eine Seitenansicht einer Vorrichtung zum Abfüllen eines Füllprodukts in einen zu befüllenden Behälter gemäß einer ersten Ausführungsform; und

Figur 2

schematisch eine Seitenansicht einer Vorrichtung zum Abfüllen eines Füllprodukts in einen zu befüllenden Behälter gemäß einer weiteren Ausführungsform.

Preferred further embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail by the following description of the figures. show:

figure 1

schematically shows a side view of a device for filling a filling product into a container to be filled according to a first embodiment; and

figure 2

schematically shows a side view of a device for filling a filling product into a container to be filled according to a further embodiment.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments

Preferred exemplary embodiments are described below with reference to the figures. Elements that are the same, similar or have the same effect are provided with identical reference symbols in the different figures, and a repeated description of these elements is sometimes dispensed with in order to avoid redundancies.

In figure 1 a schematic side view of a device 1 for filling a filling product 17 into a container 16 to be filled is shown according to a first embodiment. In order to fill the container 16 to be filled with the filling product, a plurality of filling elements 2 are provided for introducing the filling product 17 into a respective container 16 to be filled which is arranged under the respective filling element 2 . The plurality of filling elements 2 are arranged on a transport device 21 which can be rotated about an axis of rotation 20, for example on the circumference of a filler carousel.

The device 1 also includes a filling product reservoir 4 which is stationary next to the transport device 21 , the filling elements 2 being in fluid communication with the filling product reservoir 4 via a common filling product channel 3 .

In addition to the filling product channel 3 , the filling elements 2 are in fluid communication with precisely two other media channels 5 , 6 .

in the in figure 1 In the configuration shown, a first media channel 5 is in fluid communication with a gas region 12 or head space of the filling product reservoir 4 . In the gas area 12 of the filling product reservoir 4 there is a tensioning gas which is usually provided in the form of carbon dioxide and is present at a predetermined pretensioning pressure. A second media channel 6 provides ventilation of the interior of the container to the environment or to the outside.

A media distributor 7 is arranged between the filling product reservoir 4 and the filling elements 2 , which distributes the media provided by the filling product reservoir 4 , and consequently the filling product 17 and the tensioning gas, to the individual filling elements 2 . The media distributor 7 divides the filling product channel 3 and the first media channel 5 into a reservoir-distribution section 18 and a distributor-filling element section 19, with the reservoir-distribution section 18 for all filling elements 2 in a common filling product channel 3 and a common first media channel 5 is formed.

In the distributor/filling element section 19 , the filling elements 2 are each connected to the media distributor 7 via their own sections of the filling product channel 3 and sections of the first media channel 5 . It is also possible for several filling elements 2 to be connected to the media distributor 7 via common sections.

In the following, the device 1 is further described as an example with reference to one of the plurality of filling elements 2 of similar design.

The filling element 2 has a container holder 22 in which a container 16 to be filled is held. The container 16 can be brought into sealing contact with the filling element 2 via the container holder 22 . In order to control or regulate the flow of the filling product 17 into the container 16 , a filling valve 9 is provided in the filling element 2 . In order to connect the filling element 2 to the first media channel 5, a preload valve 11 is also provided, and to connect the filling element 2 to the second media channel 6, an expansion valve 10 is provided.

The filling of an oxygen-sensitive, carbonated filling product 17, for example beer, into containers 16 to be filled is described below. After the container 16 has been transferred to the container holder 22 by a transfer device (not shown), the container 16 is brought into sealing contact with the filling element 2, the filling valve 9 of which is closed.

This is followed by flushing of the container 16 with flushing gas in order to remove air and in particular the oxygen contained in the air, which is initially in the container 16 to be filled, from the container 16 before filling. For flushing, the expansion valve 10 and the preload valve 11 are each brought into an open position, so that the carbon dioxide originating from the filling product reservoir 4 can flow from the first media channel 5 via the filling element 2 into the container 16 . The carbon dioxide flowing into the container 16 first displaces the air and later in the flushing process the air/CO2 gas mixture from the container 16 into the opened second media channel 6 and further into the environment via the ventilation.

After the container 16 has been flushed, the expansion valve 10 is closed again, so that a preload pressure corresponding to the preload pressure in the filling product reservoir 4 is set in the container 16 due to the carbon dioxide still flowing in. The preload pressure in Container 16 reduces or prevents outgassing of carbon dioxide from the filling product 17 when the container 16 is subsequently filled with the carbonized filling product 17.

Consequently, the gas from the filling product reservoir 4 is used both as a flushing gas and as a span gas. The first media channel 5 is therefore set up both for flushing the container 16 before filling with the filling product 17 and for prestressing the container 16 to a prestressing pressure before filling with the filling product 17 .

After prestressing, the filling valve 9 is opened so that the filling product 17 flows into the prestressed container 16 . The gas present in the container 16 after prestressing is displaced by the inflowing filling product 17 from the container 16 via the open prestressing valve 11 into the first media channel 5 and possibly into the media distributor 7 . The first media channel 5 is therefore also set up to allow gas displaced during the filling of the container 16 with the filling product 17 to flow back.

The media channel 5 is thus used to provide the flushing gas, to provide the tensioning gas and to absorb the return flow of the gas displaced from the container 16 during filling.

After the container 16 has been filled, the filling valve 9 and the preload valve 11 are closed and the excess gas pressure recorded in the container is discharged via the now open relief valve 10 into the second media channel 6 until the excess gas pressure built up in the container 16 after filling with the filling product 17 is released in a controlled manner to ambient pressure is, in order to then be able to separate the container 16 from the filling element. The pressurized gas in the container 16 is discharged into the environment or to the outside via the second media channel 6 and the vent.

Since more gas is required to flush the containers than flows back when the containers are filled, it is ensured that gas always flows from the filling product reservoir 4 in the direction of the media distributor 7 . It is consequently not possible for the filling product reservoir 4 to be contaminated by gas returned from the containers 16 . This is the case in particular because there is always a gas volume flow directed out of the filling product reservoir 4 due to the adjacent filling product reservoir 4 and the associated common reservoir-distributing section 18 in conjunction with the flow conditions in the reservoir-distributing section 18 .

In figure 2 a side view of a device 1 for filling a filling product 17 into a container 16 to be filled according to a further embodiment is shown schematically. The device 1 essentially corresponds to the device from FIG figure 1 , A return switching valve 8 for providing a flow of filling product from the filling element 2 into the second media channel 6 is additionally provided on the filling element 2 .

The device 1 is thus set up in a first operating state for filling a carbonated filling product 17 and in a second operating state for hot filling a filling product 17 .

The method for filling a carbonized filling product 17 according to the first operating state corresponds to the device 1 from FIG figure 2 that which was previously made out with regard to the device figure 1 was described. The reverse flow switching valve 8 is continuously held in a closed position.

The filling of a hot filling product 17, for example a juice, into the container 16 according to the second operating state is described below. In this case, the filling product 17 is subjected to a heat treatment before it is filled into the container 16 in order to kill germs in the filling product 17 and to achieve a specified or required microbiological shelf life. The filling element 2 and the container 16 are sterilized at the same time as the filling product 17 is filled hot during the filling process. The filling element 2 must be kept at an appropriate temperature so that the filling product 17 in the filling element 2 does not cool down before it flows into the container 16 . Hot filling takes place without rinsing or tempering.

In order to prevent the filling product 17 from standing in the filling product channel 3 and/or in the filling element 2 when the filling valve 9 of the filling element 2 is closed, for example during a transfer of a container 16 to or from the container receptacle 22 or during an interruption in production, and thereby the filling product 17 and/or the filling element 2 cool below the required filling temperature, the return flow switching valve 8 is brought into an open position, as a result of which the filling element 2 is connected to the second media channel 5 in the area of the filling valve 9 . As a result, the filling product 17 can circulate through the filling element 2 and via the second media channel 5 back into the filling product reservoir 4 and be heated again. The expansion valve 10 is closed so that no filling product 17 can get into the container 16 or into the environment.

The second media channel 6 also has a further switching valve 15, by means of which it is possible to switch between fluid communication with the filling product reservoir 4 or with the environment. The second media channel 6 therefore provides either a connection to the filling product reservoir 4 or venting to the environment, as indicated here by reference number 23 .

The second media channel 6 is consequently set up in the first operating state for relieving the excess gas pressure built up in the container 16 after filling with the filling product 17, and in the second operating state for circulating the hot filling product 17 through the filling element 2 for tempering the filling element 2 during hot filling.

To fill the container 16 , the container 16 is first brought into contact with the filling element 2 . After the return switching valve 8 is closed, the filling valve 9 is opened and the hot filling product 17 flows into the container 16. Since, in contrast to the filling of carbonated drinks according to the first operating state, the second media channel 6 in the second operating state with the circulation of the hot filling product 17 is occupied by the filling element 2, the gas displaced from the container 16 during the filling of the container 16 cannot flow back into the second media channel 6 via the expansion valve 10 as in the first operating state. In the second operating state, the displaced gas flows back via the first media channel 5. For this purpose, the preload valve 11 is opened during filling.

The first media channel 5 is therefore set up in the first operating state to perform the functions of flushing the container 16 before filling with the filling product 17, prestressing the container 16 to a prestressing pressure before filling with the filling product 17 and flowing back the displaced from the container Perform gas and set up in the second operating state to allow 17 displaced gas flow back from the container 16 during the filling of the filling product.

In order to prevent the gas that has been displaced from the container and has flowed back into the first media channel 5 from entering the filling product reservoir 4 , an additional switching valve 13 is installed, which separates the filling product reservoir 4 from the first media channel 5 . To ensure that the back-flowing gas in the first media channel 5 does not create a back pressure that would hinder filling, the first media channel 5 also has a vent valve 14 for venting gas or a gas mixture from the first media channel 5, and therefore venting to the environment, such as by means of the Reference number 23 indicated.

Reference List

1

contraption

2

filling element

3

filling product channel

4

fill product reservoir

5

media channel

6

media channel

7

media distributor

8th

return switching valve

9

filling valve

10

relief valve

11

preload valve

12

gas range

13

switching valve

14

vent valve

15

switching valve

16

container

17

filling product

18

Reservoir Manifold Section

19

Manifold Filler Section

20

axis of rotation

21

transport device

22

container pickup

23

ventilation

Claims (14)

1. Device (1) for filling a fill product (17) into a container (16) to be filled in a beverage filling plant, namely for filling a carbonated beverage or for hot filling a beverage, comprising a fill product reservoir (4) and a filling member (2), in fluid communication therewith via a fill product channel (3), for introducing the fill product (17) into the container (16) to be filled, wherein the filling member (2) communicates via media channels (5, 6), comprising a first media channel (5) and a second media channel (6), for providing media flows for the following functions during the filling process:

   - flushing the container (16) with a flushing gas before it is filled with the fill product (17) and/or

   - pressurising the container (16) with a pressurising gas to a pressurising pressure before said container is filled with the fill product (17) when filling a carbonated fill product (17) and/or

   - returning gas displaced during filling of the container (16) with the fill product (17) and/or

   - relieving a gas overpressure built up in the container (16) after said container is filled with the fill product (17) and/or

   - circulating a hot fill product (17) through the filling member (2) to control the temperature of the filling member (2) during hot filling, wherein

   a media channel (5, 6) is assigned at least two of the aforementioned functions, the device (1) is configured in a first operating state to fill a carbonated fill product (17) and in a second operating state to hot-fill a fill product (17), and

   the second media channel (6) is configured in the first operating state to relieve a gas overpressure built up in the container (16) after said container is filled with the fill product (17) and is configured in the second operating state to circulate a hot fill product (17) through the filling member (2) to control the temperature of the filling member (2) during hot filling,

   characterised in that

   the second media channel (6) has a switch valve (15) for selectively providing fluid communication with the fill product reservoir (4) and/or the fill product channel (3) or with the surrounding environment.
2. Device (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the first media channel (5) is configured to flush the container (16) before it is filled with the fill product (17) and to pressurise the container (16) to a pressurising pressure before it is filled with the fill product (17).
3. Device (1) according to claim 2, characterised in that the first media channel (5) is configured in the first operating state to perform the functions of flushing the container (16) before said container is filled with the fill product (17) and of pressurising the container (16) to a pressurising pressure before it is filled with the fill product (17), and is configured in the second operating state to allow gas displaced from the container (16) during the filling of the fill product (17) to flow back.
4. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that exactly two media channels (5, 6) are provided, and/or in that the fill product reservoir (4) is designed as an adjacent fill product reservoir (4), wherein a media distributor (7) for distributing the media provided by the fill product reservoir (4) is preferably arranged between the fill product reservoir (4) and the filling member (2), and/or in that a return switch valve (8) is provided on the filling member (2) for providing a fill product stream from the filling member (2) into the second media channel (6), which is assigned the function of circulating the hot fill product (17), and/or in that a switch valve (13) and/or a non-return valve for preventing a gas stream from entering the fill product reservoir (4) is provided on the first media channel (5), which is assigned the function of returning gas displaced during the filling of the container (16) with the fill product (17) during hot filling, and/or a vent valve (14) for releasing gas or gas mixture from the first media channel (5) into the surrounding environment is provided, wherein the vent valve (14) is preferably controllable/adjustable via a switch position of the switch valve (13) and/or the non-return valve.
5. Device (1) according to claim 2, characterised in that the first media channel (5) for flushing and for pressurising the container (16) is configured in the first operating state to use gas or gas mixture, displaced from the container (16) into the first media channel (5) during filling of the fill product (17) into a container (16), for flushing and/or pressurising at least one further container (16) to be filled.
6. Device (1) according to claim 4, characterised in that the filling member (2) comprises a filling valve (9), wherein the return switch valve (8) is configured in the second operating state to allow, when the filling valve (9) is closed, the fill product (17) which has flowed from the fill product channel into the filling member (2) to flow into the second media channel (6), which is assigned the function of circulating the hot fill product (17).
7. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first media channel (5), which is assigned the function of flushing and/or pressurising the container (16), has a pressurising valve (11) for connecting the filling member (2) to the first media channel (5), and/or the second media channel (6), which in the first operating state is assigned the function of relieving the gas overpressure built up in the container (16), has a relief valve (10) for releasing gas or gas mixture from the filling member (2) into the second media channel (6).
8. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised by a plurality of filling members (2).
9. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that, in the first operating state, gas or gas mixture which has been displaced from the container (16) during filling of the fill product (17) into a container (16) and returned to the first media channel (5) is provided for pressurising at least one further container (16).
10. Method (1) for filling a fill product (17) into a container (16) to be filled in a beverage filling plant, namely for filling a carbonated beverage or for hot filling a beverage, wherein the fill product (17) is conveyed from a fill product reservoir (4) via a fill product channel (3) to a filling member (2) for introducing the fill product (17) into the container (16) to be filled, wherein the filling member (2) communicates via media channels (5, 6), comprising a first media channel (5) and a second media channel (6), for providing media flows for the following functions during the filling process:

    - flushing the container (16) to be filled with a flushing gas before said container is filled with the fill product (17) and/or

    - pressurising the container (16) with a pressurising gas to a pressurising pressure before said container is filled with the fill product (17) when filling a carbonated fill product (17) and/or

    - returning gas displaced during filling of the container (16) with the fill product(17) and/or

    - relieving a gas overpressure built up in the container (16) after said container is filled with the fill product (17) and/or

    - circulating a hot fill product (17) through the filling member (2) to control the temperature of the filling member (2) during hot filling, wherein

    a media channel (5, 6) is used for at least two of the aforementioned functions,

    in a first operating state a carbonated fill product (17) is filled into the container (16) and in a second operating state a hot fill product (17) is filled into the container (16), and

    the second media channel (6) is used in the first operating state to relieve a gas overpressure built up in the container (16) after said container is filled with the fill product (17) and is used in the second operating state to circulate a hot fill product (17) through the filling member (2) to control the temperature of the filling member (2) during hot filling,

    characterised in that

    the second media channel (6) has a switch valve (15) for selectively providing fluid communication with the fill product reservoir (4) and/or the fill product channel (3) or with the surrounding environment.
11. Method according to claim 10, characterised in that the first media channel (5) is used to flush the container (16) before said container is filled with the fill product (17) and to pressurise the container (16) to a pressurising pressure before it is filled with the fill product (17).
12. Method according to claim 10 or 11, characterised in that the first media channel (5) is used in the first operating state to perform the functions of flushing the container (16) before said container is filled with the fill product (17) and of pressurising the container (16) to a pressurising pressure before it is filled with the fill product (17), and is used in the second operating state to allow gas displaced from the container (16) during the filling of the fill product (17) to flow back.
13. Method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterised in that exactly two media channels (5, 6) are used to provide media flows for the functions.
14. Method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterised in that, during filling of the fill product (17) into a container (16) pressurised with the pressurising gas, gas or gas mixture which has been displaced from the pressurised container (16) and returned to the first media channel (5) is used to pressurise at least one further container (16), and/or in that the gas or gas mixture displaced during hot filling and returned to the first media channel (5) is released into the surrounding environment.

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