ES318199A1 - Process for charging carbonated liquids into vessels - Google Patents

Abstract

In a counter-pressure bottle &c. filling machine, of the type in which first a valve 19 is opened to admit gas under pressure in a space 3 in a beer &c. container 1 through pipes &c. 13, 18, 14 to a bottle &c. to be filled, another valve 21 in a return gas pipe 20 is then opened and a further valve 8 is opened to allow beer &c. 2 in the container 1 to flow into the bottle &c., the beer &c. filling the bottle and entering the end 17 of the return gas pipe 20 up which it flows to the level of the beer &c. 2 in the container 1, the beer &c. in the return gas pipe 20 at the completion of the filling operation is retained in the return gas pipe when the filled bottle &c. is removed from the machine. To effect this, the beer &c. inlet valve 8 is closed, together with the inlet gas valve 19, and a double valve 22 is opened, to shift the gas under pressure in the neck 14 of the bottle through a pipe 24 to atmosphere, and simultaneously to admit air through a pipe 23 to the liquid inlet pipe 6, so that the beer &c. in it runs into the bottle &c. As shown, when a further bottle to be filled is positioned against a guide belt 15 of the machine and during the filling cycle the return gas valve 21 is opened, the beer &c. retained in the return gas pipe 20 runs into the bottle. In a modification, the gas inlet pipe 18 is branched into a supply pipe (26), Fig. 2 (not shown), from a further source of gas pressure and including a further control valve (27), while the gas return pipe (20), instead of leading directly to the container (1) leads into a ring-shaped liquid trap tank (28) surrounding the container (1). The liquid trap tank (28) is connected through a return gas pipe (29) and a filter (30) to the container 1. In this modification the liquid retained in the return gas pipe (20) following filling of a bottle is not emptied into the next bottle, but is instead forced up the pipe into the liquid trap tank (28) by the extra gas pressure. The gas passes on through the gas filter (30) to the top of the container (1).