EP3834954A1 - Apparatus for filling a container with cip-cleaning - Google Patents

Abstract

Device (1) for filling a container (100) with a filling product, preferably in a beverage filling plant, as well as a method for cleaning and / or sterilizing such a device, the device (1) having: a main component supply (2) for supplying a main component, preferably water, of the filling product; at least one filling element (6), which is in fluid connection with the main component supply (2), for filling the container (100) to be filled with the filling product; and a CIP device (200) for cleaning and / or sterilization of components of the device (1) coming into contact with the filling product by means of a CIP medium, the CIP device (200) having a CIP inlet (201) for feeding a CIP main component, preferably water, of the CIP medium and a CIP outlet (202) for dispensing the CIP medium, characterized in that the CIP device (200) also has a CIP metering branch (210, 210 ') which is set up to meter a CIP concentrate into the CIP main component between the main component supply (2) and the filling element (6) or the CIP outlet (202), whereby the CIP medium is produced.

Description

Technical area

The present invention relates to a device for filling a container with a filling product, preferably in a beverage filling plant, as well as a method for cleaning and / or sterilizing such a device.

State of the art

Various methods for cleaning and sterilizing filling devices for filling containers with a filling product, such as beverages, are known. For example, the so-called CIP (“Cleaning-In-Place”) and SIP (“Sterilization-In-Place”) processes have established themselves, in which the components and components that are in contact with the filling product or the intermediate products and auxiliary materials are dismantled Lands can essentially be dispensed with. For example, the filling elements do not have to be removed for cleaning or sterilization, but rather they are flushed through or dampened with a cleaning medium or sterilizing medium in the installed state.

For the sake of linguistic simplicity, the SIP process is subsumed under the CIP process, i.e. the CIP process includes cleaning and / or sterilization.

The EP 2 275 381 A2 describes a device for filling beverages with CIP cleaning and a suitable control for CIP caps, which close the filling elements in cleaning operation so that a cleaning medium can be passed through the filling elements. A cleaning system for an industrial food mixer, such as a dough mixer, is disclosed in US Pat WO 2009/041835 A1 known.

Conventionally, the CIP cleaning of a plant in the food industry, such as a beverage filling plant, blow molding machine for the production of plastic bottles, etc., is carried out by a separate CIP plant. The cleaning medium, for example water with caustic soda, nitric acid or peracetic acid, is prepared in the CIP system, mixed in the correct concentration, heated if necessary and then conveyed to the system (s) to be cleaned. To do this, the steps of flow, return and circulation are required to To keep media mixing as low as possible. The preparation, mixing, storage, transport of the cleaning medium to the systems to be cleaned as well as a possible return of the cleaning medium are carried out by means of a pipe system, tanks, heat exchangers and other fluid-technical devices that set up the CIP system.

A multi-stage cleaning process is usually carried out, for example a three-stage CIP process in the sequence water-lye-water. Acid cleaning is usually only carried out at irregular intervals.

It can happen that the CIP system is located relatively far away from the systems to be cleaned. This results in long pipe systems in which media can mix, which increases the need for cleaning agents and the cleaning times. In the case of beverage filling systems equipped with a mixer, in particular, considerable media mixing can occur if the feed quantity of the cleaning medium is not set correctly. In addition, the medium cools down in the lines, which means that higher temperatures have to be set on the CIP system, which in turn leads to higher energy consumption.

Another problem is that the availability of the CIP system must be coordinated with the operation of the system (s) to be cleaned so that the desired cleaning agent is available in good time. There may be delays if, for example, the lye is not available at the right time in the required concentration and temperature and the cleaning cannot be started in time.

Furthermore, the CIP system is a separate machine with its own control. The communication between the CIP system and the systems to be cleaned takes place via signal exchange. The CIP system as "master" determines the cleaning process and the cleaning duration. The process of the various cleaning steps (pre-flow, pumping out, circulation, etc.) must be well coordinated among the systems involved. The complex control is comparatively prone to errors. In addition, only the CIP system's own measuring devices are often used for monitoring. The measuring devices of the system (s) to be cleaned, such as mixers and fillers in a beverage filling system, are usually not included in the cleaning.

The production or preparation of the cleaning medium is also associated with technical difficulties. In the case of so-called "inline dosing", the entire pipeline system is first filled with water. Then the desired amount of Disinfectant, lye or acid dosed. In order to compensate for fluctuations in concentration in the system, a relatively large compensation tank must be installed despite inline dosing, which increases the costs and space requirements of the CIP system.

Presentation of the invention

One object of the invention is to improve the cleaning and / or sterilization of a device for filling containers, preferably in a beverage filling plant, in particular to accelerate the cleaning and / or to make it more compact and / or reliable in terms of mechanical engineering.

The object is achieved by a device for filling a container, also referred to herein as a "filling device", with the features of claim 1 and a method with the features of the independent method claim. Advantageous developments follow from the subclaims, the following presentation of the invention and the description of preferred exemplary embodiments.

The filling device is used to fill a container with a filling product. The filling product is preferably a multi-component filling product composed of at least two components, one of the components being referred to herein as the “main component” for linguistic differentiation. Any further components of the filling product are referred to as "dosage component (s)". In addition to the filling of the filling product, the filling device is set up in the case of a plurality of components for bringing together and mixing the components and in this respect takes over at least part of the manufacturing process for the filling product to be filled.

The main component is, for example, water or beer. The dosage component (s) may include syrup, pulp containing liquids, pulp, flavorings, and the like. If the filling product consists of only one main component, without dosage component (s), the terms "main component" and "filling product" are used synonymously. The device is preferably used in a beverage filling plant. Carbon dioxide, the flexible adjustment or addition of which is also possible by the filling device described herein, does not fall under the designation “dosage component”.

The device according to the invention comprises: a main component supply for supplying the main component of the filling product; at least one filling element, which is in fluid connection with the main component supply, for filling the container to be filled with the Filling product; and a CIP device for cleaning and / or sterilizing components of the filling device that come into contact with the filling product by means of a CIP medium. The CIP device has a CIP inlet for supplying a main CIP component, preferably water, of the CIP medium and a CIP outlet for dispensing the CIP medium from the filling device.

For cleaning and / or sterilization, the CIP medium is moved in the device, for example circulated or brought into circulation, so that the components and surfaces of the filling device that come into contact with the filling product or the intermediate products and auxiliary materials come into contact therewith. For this purpose, the CIP inlet and the CIP outlet are preferably connected to one another via a line or a line system of the CIP device, so that a closed circuit for the CIP medium can be provided for cleaning and / or sterilization.

According to the invention, the CIP device also has a CIP metering branch which is set up to meter a CIP concentrate, such as an alkali, acid or a disinfectant, into the CIP main component between the main component supply and the filling element or CIP outlet, thereby producing the CIP medium. The CIP concentrate is thus dosed directly into the main CIP component in the filling device, i.e. the CIP medium is at least partially produced in the filling device.

In particular, sodium hydroxide solution, nitric acid and / or peracetic acid come into consideration as the CIP concentrate.

It should be pointed out that position information such as "between", "in front of", "behind" etc. are to be understood primarily in terms of fluid technology, unless the technical context indicates otherwise. The indication that the CIP dosing branch doses the CIP concentrate between the main component feed and the filling element or the CIP outlet means that the CIP concentrate is dosed into the CIP main component stream within the filling device; more precisely, downstream of the main component feed and upstream of the filling element or the CIP outlet.

In this way, the CIP device is at least partially integrated into the filling device.

This means that existing equipment in the filling device can also be used for CIP cleaning / sterilization. This means that many components can be saved on the CIP device. These include, for example, metering pumps, measuring devices, CIP feed pump (s), pipelines, valves, etc. This not only reduces investment costs also the maintenance effort. In addition, the space requirement is significantly less than with conventional CIP systems, which means that the overall system can be more compact overall.

The CIP concentrate can be metered into the system where the greatest contamination occurs. As a result, these areas are cleaned with the highest concentration of cleaning / sterilizing agent, which can shorten the cleaning / sterilizing time.

The control of the CIP device can be partially or completely integrated into the control of the filling device. This results in a simplified operation. In addition, the cleaning time, CIP concentration and the process sequence can be monitored centrally in one machine, making the process less error-prone, faster and more efficient.

Thanks to the integration, the CIP medium is always immediately available. There is no need for forward and backward movements, which means that the cleaning / sterilization time can be further shortened thanks to the short distances and shorter mixing phases. The need for CIP concentrate can also be reduced by using fewer mixing phases. A temperature drop in supply lines is avoided, which means that the energy requirement can be reduced.

The filling device preferably has a mixer for mixing the filling product from the main component and at least one dosage component. In this case, the CIP metering branch is preferably set up to meter the CIP concentrate into the mixer. The mixer includes, for example, a metering branch, preferably with a metering reservoir and a metering valve, which feeds the metering component from the metering reservoir via a metering point into the main component supply. The CIP dosing branch can now be set up in such a way that the CIP concentrate is dosed at the dosing point and / or into the dosing branch, preferably between the dosing reservoir and the dosing valve. The dosing point is preferably located in front of a bubble separator, i.e. in particular in front of the dosing reservoir.

As a result, a connection of the main component that is present on the mixer of the filling device, which is mostly a water connection, can be used directly, whereby additional components can be saved here as well. In addition, the greatest contamination usually occurs on the mixer, especially in the dosing branch. The above preferred positioning of the CIP dosing branch consequently realizes a particularly effective CIP cleaning / sterilization. Furthermore, the mixer control can be used or at least also be used for metering in the CIP concentrate.

The filling device preferably has a buffer tank for receiving the filling product in a buffered manner. In this case, the CIP metering branch is preferably set up to meter the CIP concentrate into the buffer tank. This is particularly useful in the case of small amounts of CIP, such as peracetic acid as a CIP concentrate. In this case, the corresponding amount of CIP concentrate is metered into the buffer tank and then preferably topped up with the required CIP main component. The CIP medium can be optimally mixed via a possible circulation line on the buffer tank and "cloud formation", i.e. an inhomogeneous concentration, can be prevented.

It goes without saying that several CIP metering branches can be provided in order to be able to mix different CIP media. Any number of CIP dosing branches can, for example, be connected together to one dosing branch or distributed across several dosing branches of the mixer. At least one CIP metering branch is preferably arranged on the mixer and on the buffer tank. It is also possible to connect one or more CIP metering branches at another point on the filling device.

For the sake of linguistic simplicity, features, properties, etc. are mostly described in relation to a CIP dosage branch (singular); however, these can be used analogously for the case of several CIP dosing branches.

The CIP metering branch preferably has a CIP concentrate container for receiving the CIP concentrate. The CIP concentrate container can be equipped with a CIP level measurement to monitor the level of the CIP concentrate in the CIP concentrate container. The CIP metering branch preferably also has a CIP concentrate pump, for example a barrel or compressed air pump, the CIP concentrate pump being set up to meter the CIP concentrate from the CIP concentrate container into the main CIP component. In this way, the inline dosing of the CIP concentrate can be implemented in a simple and reliable way in terms of mechanical engineering.

The CIP dosing branch preferably comprises a CIP emptying branch, comprising, for example, an outlet and one or more valves for emptying the CIP concentrate container. In this way, the CIP medium can be changed quickly and easily within the filling device. The valves or the drain function primarily as a leakage protection. Furthermore, a suction lance and / or the concentrate line can be flushed through these valves. Emptying via this route does not have to be implemented, but is in principle possible.

The CIP device preferably has a CIP heat exchanger which is set up for temperature control, preferably heating, of the CIP medium. The CIP heat exchanger is installed in a connecting line between the CIP inlet and the CIP outlet. If the filling device comprises a heat exchanger for temperature control of the filling product or components thereof, this can also be used synergistically for temperature control of the CIP medium.

The CIP device preferably has a CIP stacking tank which is set up to receive the CIP medium, in particular after use, and to buffer it. In this way, all or part of the CIP medium can be reused. The CIP stacking tank can be installed in a connecting line inside or outside the filling device, regardless of the mixer equipment.

The optionally available CIP stacking tank can already be tempered, preferably heated, during regular production of the filling device and / or CIP cleaning / sterilization, so that the recycled CIP medium is already at the desired or required temperature at the time of reuse.

For this purpose, the temperature of the CIP stacking tank can preferably be controlled by connecting it to the heat exchanger via a line. The CIP medium can be heated synergistically in this way.

The CIP inlet is preferably located at the main component feed or is identical to it, as a result of which the structural integration of the CIP device into the filling device is continued.

The main component and the CIP main component are preferably the same. In particular, water comes into consideration here. In this way, the structural integration of the CIP device into the filling device is further optimized, since many parts of the system that are involved in the provision, conveyance, monitoring, etc. of the main component, work synergistically for both regular production / filling and cleaning / Sterilization can be used.

The filling element is preferably connected to the buffer tank without a buffer. As a result, an intermediate buffer and in particular a filler tank between the filling element and the buffer tank can be dispensed with, resulting in a more efficient structure. In other words, in the Device on at least one buffer tank, which was provided in conventional filling product filling systems, can be dispensed with. This results in an improvement in the structure, inter alia, in that the total temporarily buffered filling product volume can be reduced, which results in improved efficiency of the device, since less or no filling product at all has to be discarded at the end of the filling or when changing the product. Furthermore, the device can be controlled or regulated more easily, since coordination or monitoring of the filling levels of several buffers that interact with one another can be avoided between the mixer and the filling element.

Buffer-free is understood here to mean that there is no dedicated buffer device which enables filling product to be buffered, for example during production breaks or in the event of malfunctions in the filling device. In particular, the present pipelines through which the filling product flows and which are filled with the filling product either over their entire cross section or at least over part of their cross section during the filling operation are not understood as buffer devices. A ring line in a filler carousel, which supplies the respective filling organs with filling product, is also not a buffer according to the present understanding.

Rather, a buffer device is understood to mean only a dedicated buffer reservoir which is provided as such and which provides a corresponding buffer volume. The buffer device can thus take up a substantial amount of additional filling product which arises during production breaks or in the event of system malfunctions and which is not removed directly from the filling device.

Particularly preferably, the mixer is also connected to the buffer tank without a buffer. In other words, there is preferably only a single buffer tank between the mixer and the filling element, in which both the intermediate storage of the filling product produced in the mixer and the provision of the filling product produced in the mixer for provision at the filling element is provided. In this way, the total buffer volume to be kept can be reduced and dependencies between different buffer tanks, for example with regard to their filling height, can be avoided. Accordingly, not only can the efficiency of the device be increased, but defined conditions can also be provided for the filling element.

In a preferred further development, only pipelines and / or process engineering components and / or a rotary distributor are present between the filling element and the buffer tank, and preferably only pipelines and / or are also located between the mixer and the buffer tank procedural components. Process engineering components include butterfly valves, sensors, flow meters, valves, pipe clamps, branches, etc., which are used to guide the filling product but do not provide a buffer volume and have no buffering effect.

Accordingly, only buffer-free piping is preferably provided between the mixer and the buffer tank or between the buffer tank and the filling element. This results in a simple structure and a simplified system control can be achieved, since no additional buffer volumes would have to be taken into account when controlling the system.

The above-mentioned object is also achieved by a method for cleaning and / or sterilizing the filling device according to one or more of the embodiment variants set out above. The method comprises: introducing a main CIP component, preferably water, into the filling device; Metering a CIP concentrate into the CIP main component, whereby a CIP medium is produced, the CIP concentrate being metered into the CIP main component between the main component feed and the filling element or the CIP outlet; and moving, preferably circulating, the CIP medium so that components of the filling device coming into contact with the filling product are cleaned and / or sterilized by means of the CIP medium.

The features, technical effects, advantages and exemplary embodiments that were described in relation to the device apply analogously to the method.

For the reasons mentioned above, the temperature of the CIP medium is preferably controlled, in particular heated, by means of a CIP heat exchanger, which is installed, for example, in a connecting line between the CIP inlet and the CIP outlet.

For the reasons mentioned above, the CIP medium is preferably introduced into a CIP stacking tank and buffered therein after the cleaning and / or sterilization has ended. Here, the CIP medium can be tempered, preferably heated, during the regular production of the filling device and / or during the cleaning and / or sterilization of the filling device.

Further advantages and features of the present invention can be seen from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments. The features described therein can be used alone or in combination with one or more of the features set out above implemented as long as the features do not contradict each other. The following description of preferred exemplary embodiments is made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the figures

• Figur 1 eine schematische Darstellung (in Form eines Schaltplans der Fluidtechnik) einer Vorrichtung zum Befüllen eines Behälters mit einem Füllprodukt und einer integrierten CIP-Einrichtung; und
• Figur 2 eine schematische Darstellung (in Form eines Schaltplans der Fluidtechnik) einer Vorrichtung zum Befüllen eines Behälters mit einem Füllprodukt und einer integrierten CIP-Einrichtung gemäß einem weiteren Ausführungsbeispiel.

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

• Figure 1 a schematic representation (in the form of a circuit diagram of fluid technology) of a device for filling a container with a filling product and an integrated CIP device; and
• Figure 2 a schematic representation (in the form of a circuit diagram of fluid technology) of a device for filling a container with a filling product and an integrated CIP device according to a further embodiment.

Detailed description of preferred exemplary embodiments

Preferred exemplary embodiments are described below with reference to the figures. Identical, similar or identically acting elements are provided with identical reference symbols in the figures, and a repeated description of these elements is in some cases dispensed with in order to avoid redundancies.

In the Figure 1 a device 1 for filling a schematically indicated container 100 with a filling product is shown schematically, the device 1 being shown here in the form of a beverage filling system or as part of such a system. The device 1 is used, for example, to fill a stream of supplied containers 100 to be filled with a carbonated soft drink.

The Figure 1 will now be described on the basis of the flow of the filling product into the container 100 to be filled:
First, a main component of the filling product, preferably water, which can already be pre-cleaned and processed, is supplied from a main component supply 2.

The main component can, if necessary, be passed to a degassing device 20.

The degassing device 20 is indicated here schematically in the form of a degassing tank, in FIG which the main component obtained from the main component supply 2 is sprayed via schematically indicated spray nozzles 22.

The degassing device 20 can be implemented in the form of a pressure degassing in which the oxygen and nitrogen proportions in the main component are discharged _{by adding CO 2.}

The degassing device 20 can, however, also be implemented in the form of a vacuum degassing, in which a negative pressure is generated in the degassing tank, by means of which the oxygen and nitrogen components in the main component are discharged.

The spraying of the main component via the spray nozzles 22 in the degassing tank of the degassing device 20 serves to enlarge the surface of the water so that the degassing process can be carried out efficiently.

Subsequent to the degassing device 20, the main component prepared in this way is fed to a mixer 3, by means of which the filling product can be mixed from at least two components.

The first component is the main component already described, i.e. preferably a product water stream. For example, the base material of the soft drink, additives, aroma, syrup, pulp, pulp or the like can be provided as the second component. The one or more additional components are also referred to herein as "dosage components".

The mixer 3 accordingly has a metering valve 34 which feeds a component from a metering reservoir 32 via a metering point 31 into the main component supply. Correspondingly, the supplied dosage component is mixed with the supplied, prepared main component in the dosage point 31, and in this way the filling product is mixed.

The dosage reservoir 32 also serves in particular as a bubble separator, so that the dosage component drawn from the dosage reservoir 32 is essentially free of bubbles and a reliable dosage is accordingly achieved.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, only a single dosing branch 30 with dosing point 31 is provided, so that the prepared main component is mixed at this dosing point 31 with a dosing component, which is held here in the dosing reservoir 32. Ever After the mixer 3 has been designed, however, two, three or any number of metering branches 30, each comprising a metering point 31, can be provided in order to finally produce the desired filling product by adding different components to the respective main component stream (also with components already mixed in) by mixing the respective components.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, a carbonation device 4 is provided next to the mixer 3, by means of which the mixed filling product is carbonized. For this purpose a Karbonisierungsstelle 40 is provided, which can for example be formed as Karbonisierungsdüse, is introduced via the fed from a CO ₂ supply 42 CO ₂ in the filling product being mixed. The dosage of the CO ₂ that is fed to the filling product via the carbonation point 40 depends on the desired properties of the filling product.

A bypass 24 is provided around the carbonation point 40, which is set up to always provide the same conditions with regard to the flow rate and / or pressure for the CO ₂ metering - regardless of the mixer output or the mixer output.

The filling product produced in this way, which is also present in the intended carbonation after the carbonation device 4, is temporarily buffered in a buffer tank 5.

The buffer tank 5 accordingly receives the mixed and carbonized filling product and forms a filling product reservoir for the filler described below. In the buffer tank 5, the carbonization of the mixed and carbonized filling product can be maintained by preloading the buffer tank 5 with CO ₂ at such a pressure that the CO ₂ bound in the filling product is prevented from being released.

The pre-tensioning of the buffer tank 5 is achieved by a pre-tensioning device 50, by means of which CO _{2 is introduced} from a CO ₂ supply 52 into the head space of the buffer tank 5. Accordingly, there is a CO ₂ atmosphere in the buffer tank under a pressure _{which prevents the CO 2} from being released from the mixed and carbonized filling product which is temporarily stored in the buffer tank 5.

The buffer tank 5 is connected to a filling element 6, which has a filling valve, of a schematically indicated filler for filling the container 100, preferably without a buffer. In order to a fluid connection between the buffer tank 5 and the filling element 6 is designed in such a way that an intermediate buffering of filling product is preferably not provided and also not possible here.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the gas space of the buffer tank 5 is also connected to the filling element 6 via a tensioning gas line 54 in order to provide tensioning gas to the filling element 6. The buffer tank 5 is connected by this tensioning gas line 54 to the head space of the container 100 to be filled during the filling process. The container 100 is pretensioned via this connection and the return gas is returned to the buffer tank 6 when it is filled.

Conventional line connections are not understood as buffers in this context. Rather, a buffer is understood to be a dedicated reservoir designed as a buffer, which has a corresponding volume that not only serves to transport the filling product, but also enables intermediate storage. Process-related components, such as butterfly valves, sensors, flow meters, valves, pipe clamps, branches, etc., are also not understood as buffers in this context, as they are used to guide the filling product, but do not provide a buffer volume and therefore have no buffering effect.

The filling element 6 is provided on a schematically indicated filler carousel 60 of the filler, on the circumference of which a plurality of filling elements 6 is arranged in the usual manner. A filler carousel 60 is installed in beverage filling systems in the usual way in order to receive a steady stream of containers to be filled, to fill them with the filling product while circulating via the respective filling organs 6 and to output the then filled containers 100 to a subsequent transport or processing device .

A rotary distributor 72 is provided in order to transfer the filling product from a stationary system part of the device 1, in which, among other things, the buffer tank 5 and the filling product line 70 are provided, to the filler carousel 60 rotating relative thereto. The rotary distributor 72 accordingly transfers the filling product supplied via the filling product line 70 to a further filling product line 74 on the filler carousel 60, by means of which the filling product is then passed to the filling element 6 or to the filling elements 6.

In the specific design of the Figure 1 a filling product line 70 is provided between the buffer tank 5 and the rotary distributor 72. By means of the rotary distributor 72, the filling product is transferred from that part of the filling product line 70 located in the stationary part of the device 1 to the top Transferring filler carousel 60 rotating relative to it. On the filler carousel 60, the filling product is then transported from the part of the filler product line 70 located on the filler carousel 70 to the filling element 6. A buffer is preferably not provided between the filling element 6 and the buffer tank 5.

The filling element 6 particularly preferably has a filling valve which is designed as a proportional valve. By designing the filling valve as a proportional valve, it is possible to regulate the filling product flow, which is fed from the filling element 6 to the container 100 to be filled, in several stages or, particularly preferably, continuously.

The filling valve can be designed, for example, in the form of a cone valve, a valve seat being provided in which a valve cone can be lowered in order to close the valve. By gradually lifting the valve cone out of the valve seat, the annular gap between the valve cone and the valve seat can be varied in its cross-section, so that this also results in a variation of the flow of filling product flowing through the proportional valve.

The one in the Figure 1 The embodiment shown thus enables the mixed and carbonized filling product received in the buffer tank 5 to be transferred without a buffer to the filling element 6 and then to be poured into the container 100 to be filled in a controlled manner.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, which is also in the Figure 1 is shown, the buffer tank 5 is arranged above the filling element 6, and the filling product guide located between the filling element 6 and the buffer tank 5 is arranged in such a way that it rises continuously. Accordingly, there is no siphon effect. In this way, gas that may be present in the filling element 6 can rise continuously to the buffer tank 5 and vent into it without it accumulating at a specific position in the filling product guide.

In other words, the gas present in the filling element 6 and / or in the filling product line 70 can rise in the rising filling product line 70, so that the filling product is correspondingly applied to the filling element 70 without the presence of gas bubbles.

From the Figure 1 the result is that preferably no buffer is arranged between the mixer 3 and the buffer tank 5 either. Accordingly, the mixer 3 is connected to the buffer tank 5 without a buffer.

This results in a very efficient construction of the device 1, since only a single buffer tank, namely the buffer tank 5, is arranged between the mixer 3 and the filling element 6.

Because only a single buffer tank 5 is preferably provided, the control or regulation of the respective filling level of the filling product in the buffer tank 5 can be carried out in a simple manner, and the complex dependencies between different buffer tanks known from the prior art do not occur in the exemplary embodiment shown, so that the process control or process regulation is also simplified.

In order to allow the container filled with the carbonized filling product to be vented at the filling element 6 before the container 100 is removed from the filling element 6, a relief line 8 is preferably provided, which is discharged to the outside via a rotary distributor 82. The relief line 8 or the rotary distributor 82 can be used for a CIP outlet 202 described below. Alternatively, this can be arranged on a CIP cap, not shown, for closing the filling element 6 during cleaning and / or sterilization of the device 1.

Because only a single buffer tank 5 is provided, the cleaning and / or sterilization process detailed below can also be simplified, and the surfaces involved, which may also lead to a cooling of the cleaning and / or sterilization medium and to an increased Cleaning and / or sterilization costs can be reduced.

In order to be able to monitor and regulate the quality of the filling product in the buffer tank 5, a circulation line 9 is also provided, in which filling product can be removed from the buffer tank 5 by means of a circulating pump 90 and returned to it. _{A CO 2} sensor 92 for monitoring the CO ₂ content of the filling product and a Brix sensor 94 for reading out the Brix values are provided here in the circuit line 9, for example. Other sensors can also or alternatively be installed in the circulation line 9.

Correspondingly, this results in a particularly efficient structure of the device, which is associated with both reduced material expenditure in the construction of the device and thus with a reduced investment volume, as well as more efficient filling, since the total volume of filling product to be kept can be reduced and accordingly a discarding of Filling product volumes at the end of production or when changing products can be reduced or avoided.

A CIP device 200 is fully or at least partially integrated into the device 1. For this purpose, according to the exemplary embodiment of Figure 1 the dosing branch 30 present on the mixer 3 is used to introduce a cleaning and / or sterilization concentrate, also referred to herein as “CIP concentrate”, into the line system of the device 1 and to mix it in the correct ratio.

Sodium hydroxide, nitric acid, peracetic acid or a disinfectant can be used as the CIP concentrate. However, other suitable cleaning and / or sterilizing agents can also be used.

The CIP device 200 has a CIP inlet 201, which is preferably arranged on the main component feed 2 or implemented by this and set up to feed a CIP main component, preferably water, into the device 1 during a cleaning and / or sterilization process Initiate the line system of the device 1. It is also possible to use the main component for regular filling as the CIP main component, if suitable. A feed line at the mixer 3 can thus be used as the CIP inlet 201. This is a configurable valve combination that makes the CIP circuit independent of the supply lines for the main component and the dosing component. The CIP circulation is brought about, for example, by a return pump located in line 202.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned CIP outlet 202 is provided, which is preferably installed on the filling element 6 or implemented by it. The CIP medium, i.e. the mixture of the main CIP component and the CIP concentrate, can be dispensed directly via the outlet of the filling element 6. Alternatively, the CIP medium can be dispensed via the relief line 8 and the rotary distributor 82.

The CIP device 200 has a CIP dosing branch 210 which first doses the CIP concentrate into the dosing branch 30 and above it "inline" into the main CIP component flow. For this purpose, the CIP dosage branch 210 comprises, for example, a CIP concentrate container 211 and a CIP concentrate pump 212, for example implemented by a barrel or compressed air pump, which is set up to transfer the CIP concentrate from the CIP concentrate container 211 into the dosage branch 30, preferably between Dosage reservoir 32 and metering valve 34 to initiate. In an alternative embodiment, the dosage of the CIP concentrate can take place in the dosage reservoir 32 or directly in front of the dosage reservoir 32. All or part of the equipment available on mixer 3 can also be used for the dosage.

The CIP dosing branch 210 can further comprise means for dosing, monitoring emptying and so on. So is in the embodiment of Figure 1 a CIP emptying branch 213, comprising an outlet 213a and valves 213b, are provided for emptying the CIP concentrate container 211. Furthermore, a CIP level measurement 214 can be installed in order to monitor the current level of the CIP concentrate in the CIP concentrate container 211. As an alternative or in addition, any conductivity measuring devices that can be configured on the mixer 3 can be used to monitor the concentrations. These can be installed in the inlet of the main component and / or dosage component (s) and / or at the product outlet.

It goes without saying that several CIP metering branches 210 can be installed in order to be able to mix different CIP media. Any number of CIP dosing branches 210 can be connected together to a dosing branch 30 or distributed across several dosing branches 30 of the mixer 3. A connection of the one or more CIP dosing branches 210 at another point of the device 1 is also possible, as is done by way of example in the embodiment of FIG Figure 2 is shown.

The CIP medium mixed in this way directly in the device 1 can be circulated via a line system of the CIP device 200.

The CIP device 200 preferably has a CIP heat exchanger 220 which is set up for temperature control, preferably heating, of the CIP medium. The CIP heat exchanger 200 is installed here, for example, in a connecting line outside the device 1 between the CIP outlet 202 and the CIP inlet 201 and thus does not affect the equipment / design of the integrated mixer 3 or the CIP dosing branch 210. Alternatively or additionally, a cooler / heater (not shown in the figures) often arranged on the mixer 3 can be used synergistically to control the temperature of the CIP medium.

A CIP cleaning process of the device 1 preferably takes place with the steps of water-lye-water. The water connection already available on mixer 3 can be used for the "water steps". This pre-rinses the system and rinses out any CIP medium, for example residual caustic solution. The CIP concentrate is dosed inline as described above, heated if necessary and its concentration in the CP medium is monitored.

The CIP device 200 can furthermore have a CIP stacking tank 230, which can preferably be cleaned in order to be able to collect the CIP medium after use and, if necessary, to be able to reuse it at this or another point. The CIP stacking tank 230 can be independent of the Equipment of the mixer 3 must be installed in the connection line. The CIP medium can also be ejected into the CIP stacking tank 230 using the existing return pump.

The optionally available CIP stacking tank 230 can already be heated during production by means of a CIP return pump via the heat exchanger 220, as shown in FIG Figure 1 is shown by a dashed line.

In the embodiment of Figure 1 the CIP concentrate is metered inline into the main CIP component flow. The required mixing ratios can be covered directly with the metering branch 30 on the mixer 3.

The CIP medium mixed in this way is then circulated and, if necessary, heated via the CIP heat exchanger 220, as a result of which the device 1 is cleaned and / or sterilized.

Alternatively or additionally, the buffer tank 5 can be used for CIP media preparation, as is the case in the exemplary embodiment in FIG Figure 2 is shown. This is particularly useful in the case of small amounts of CIP, such as peracetic acid as a CIP concentrate. In this case, the corresponding amount of CIP concentrate is metered into the buffer tank 5 and preferably then topped up with the required CIP main component. This function is also available with the embodiment of FIG Figure 1 possible in that, starting from a supply of water in the buffer tank 5, a dosage of CIP medium into the buffer tank 5 and mixing is carried out via the circulation line 9.

The CIP concentrate can be metered in via a CIP metering branch 210 ′, analogous to the CIP metering branch 210. The CIP dosing branch 210 ′ can have essentially the same structure as the CIP dosing branch 210 or a different structure.

The CIP medium can be optimally mixed via the circulation line 9 on the buffer tank 5 and "cloud formation", ie an inhomogeneous concentration, can be prevented. The buffer tank 5 is large enough to hold sufficient CIP medium for the integrated mixer 3, and thus the buffer tank 5 can be used as a CIP preparation tank. If necessary, a CIP concentration sensor 240 for monitoring the concentration of the CIP concentrate in the CIP medium can be installed in the area of the buffer tank, preferably in the circulation line 9. The CIP concentration sensor 240 can be used to control the addition of the CIP concentrate to the Buffer tank 5 can be used. As an alternative or in addition, equipment that is already present on the buffer tank 5 and / or in the circulation line 9, such as the Brix sensor 94, for example, can also be used.

The mixed CIP medium is then circulated and, if necessary, heated via the CIP heat exchanger 220, as a result of which the device 1 is cleaned and / or sterilized.

As a result of the complete or partial integration of the CIP device 200 into the filling device 1, existing equipment can be used ideally and thus many components on the CIP device 200 can be saved. These include, for example, metering pumps, measuring devices, CIP feed pump (s), pipelines, valves, etc. The connection of the main component already present on mixer 3, usually a water connection, can be used directly, which means that additional components can be saved here as well.

In addition to the investment costs, this also reduces the maintenance effort. In addition, the space requirement is significantly less than with conventional CIP systems, which means that the overall system can be more compact overall.

The CIP concentrate can be metered into the system in a targeted manner where the greatest impurities, mostly in the metering branch 30, occur. As a result, these areas are cleaned with the highest concentration of cleaning / sterilizing agent, which can shorten the cleaning / sterilizing time.

The control of the CIP device 200 can be partially or completely integrated into the control of the filling device 1, for example the mixer control. This results in a simplified operation. In addition, the cleaning time, CIP concentration and the process sequence are monitored centrally in one machine, making the process less error-prone, faster and more efficient.

Thanks to the integration, the CIP medium is always immediately available. Advance and extension can be omitted, which means that the cleaning time can be further shortened thanks to the short distances and fewer mixing phases. The need for CIP concentrate can also be reduced by using fewer mixing phases.

The optionally available CIP stacking tank 230 can already be heated up during production by means of a CIP return pump via the heat exchanger 220. Thus, the Provision of the CIP medium can be ideally matched to the production. A type change in the filling device 1 can be implemented quickly and easily, as a result of which the product change time can be reduced.

As far as applicable, all of the individual features shown in the exemplary embodiments can be combined with one another and / or exchanged without departing from the scope of the invention.

Reference list

1

Device for filling a container

2

Main component supply

20th

Degassing device

22nd

Spray nozzle

3

mixer

30th

Dosage branch

31

Dosing point

32

Dosage reservoir

34

Dosing valve

4th

Carbonation device

40

Carbonation point

42

CO ₂ supply

5

Buffer tank

50

Pretensioner

52

CO ₂ supply

54

Tension gas line

6th

Filling organ

60

Filler carousel

70

Filling product line

72

Rotary distributor

74

Filling product line

8th

Discharge line

82

Rotary distributor

9

Circulation line

90

Circulation pump

92

CO ₂ sensor

94

Brix sensor

100

container

200

CIP facility

201

CIP infeed

202

CIP outlet

210

CIP dosing branch

210 '

CIP dosing branch

211

CIP concentrate container

212

CIP concentrate pump

213

CIP emptying branch

213a

procedure

213b

Valve

214

CIP level measurement

220

CIP heat exchanger

230

CIP stacking tank

240

CIP concentration sensor

Claims (15)

Device (1) for filling a container (100) with a filling product, preferably in a beverage filling plant, which has: a main component supply (2) for supplying a main component, preferably water, of the filling product; at least one filling element (6), which is in fluid connection with the main component supply (2), for filling the container (100) to be filled with the filling product; and a CIP device (200) for cleaning and / or sterilization of components of the device (1) coming into contact with the filling product by means of a CIP medium, the CIP device (200) having a CIP inlet (201) for supplying a CIP main component, preferably water, of the CIP medium and a CIP outlet (202) for dispensing the CIP medium, characterized in that the CIP device (200) further comprises a CIP metering branch (210, 210 ') which is set up to feed a CIP concentrate between the main component supply (2) and the filling element (6) or the CIP outlet (202) to meter in the main CIP component, whereby the CIP medium is produced. Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a mixer (3) for mixing the filling product from the main component and at least one dosage component and the CIP dosage branch (210) is set up to dispense the CIP concentrate into the mixer ( 3) to be dosed. Device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has a buffer tank (5) for the buffering reception of the filling product and the CIP metering branch (210 ') is set up to meter the CIP concentrate into the buffer tank (5) , wherein the filling element (6) is preferably connected to the buffer tank (5) without a buffer. Device (1) according to Claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the mixer (3) is connected to the buffer tank (5) without a buffer. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the CIP dosing branch (210, 210 ') has a CIP concentrate container (211) for receiving the CIP concentrate, preferably equipped with a CIP level measurement (214) for monitoring the level of the CIP concentrate in the CIP concentrate container (211), and a CIP concentrate pump (212), preferably a barrel or compressed air pump, the CIP concentrate pump (212) being set up to extract the CIP concentrate from the CIP -Concentrate container (211) to be metered into the main CIP component. Device (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the CIP dosing branch (210, 210 ') has a CIP emptying branch (213), comprising an outlet (213a) and one or more valves (213b), for emptying the CIP Has concentrate container (211). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the CIP device (200) has a CIP heat exchanger (220) which is set up for temperature control, preferably heating, of the CIP medium, the CIP heat exchanger ( 220) is preferably installed in a connecting line between the CIP inlet (201) and the CIP outlet (202). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the CIP device (200) has a CIP stacking tank (230) which is set up to collect and buffer the CIP medium, and is preferably temperature controllable. Device (1) according to Claim 6 and 7, characterized in that the temperature of the CIP stacking tank (230) can be controlled by connecting it to the heat exchanger (220) via a line so that the CIP stacking tank (230) can be via the heat exchanger (220) can be tempered, preferably heated. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the CIP inlet (201) is located on the main component supply (2) or is identical to it. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the main component and the CIP main component are the same, preferably water. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the CIP medium comprises a disinfectant and / or sodium hydroxide solution and / or nitric acid and / or peracetic acid. Method for cleaning and / or sterilizing a device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the method comprises: Introducing a main CIP component, preferably water, into the device (1); Metering of a CIP concentrate into the CIP main component, whereby a CIP medium is produced, the CIP concentrate being metered into the CIP main component between the main component supply (2) and the filling element (6) or the CIP outlet (202) becomes; and Moving, preferably circulating, the CIP medium so that components of the device (1) coming into contact with the filling product are cleaned and / or sterilized by means of the CIP medium. Method according to claim 13, characterized in that the CIP medium is tempered, preferably heated, by means of a CIP heat exchanger (220), which is preferably installed in a connecting line between the CIP inlet (201) and the CIP outlet (202) , becomes. Method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the CIP medium is introduced into a CIP stacking tank (230) after the cleaning and / or sterilization has ended and is buffered therein, the CIP stacking tank (230) preferably being used during the regular production of the device (1) and / or by means of the CIP medium during the cleaning and / or sterilization of the device (1) is tempered, preferably heated.

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