FR2856044A1 - Procedure and apparatus for transporting objects in a fluid, e.g. for continuous sterilization of objects, uses containers of similar density to that of transporting fluid - Google Patents

Abstract

The procedure, in which objects (703) are transported in a flow of a fluid, especially water, passing through a tube (700) between inlet (E) and outlet (S) points, uses plastic containers (701) that have a mean density close to that of the fluid. The tube has feed and return sections (704, 711), the latter being used to recycle the fluid, while a separate conveyor (723) returns the empty containers to the inlet point. In the feed section the fluid can be subjected to a variable temperature or pressure, e.g. to sterilize the transported objects.

Description

METHOD AND INSTALLATION FOR TRANSPORTING OBJECTS IN A FLOW OF LIQUID

  The present invention relates to a method of transporting objects 5 in a flow of fluid, usually water. It also relates to an installation equipped with hydraulic transport means for these objects and allowing the implementation of said method. The invention is more particularly applicable to the continuous sterilization of sealed containers containing or intended to contain food, pharmaceutical, chemical or equivalent products.

  The principle of the hydraulic transport of objects and its application to the thermal treatment of containers have been well known since the 1960s and to date, more than a dozen types of sterilizers coolers have been built.

  These installations consist of a set of appropriately shaped tubes inside which the containers to be treated circulate, driven by a stream of water maintained with a pump. To standardize the temperature within them, said containers can rotate by rolling on a steel guide. This mode of transport is called "rotary" to differentiate it from the so-called "stationary" mode, which comprises advancing said objects by translation without rotation.

  At each point of the hydraulic circuit, the water is brought to the appropriate temperature to achieve the desired heat treatment. The variations in temperature are generally accompanied by variations in pressure in order to prevent the boiling of the water, as well as the explosion or crushing of the containers due to the thermal expansion of their contents. These pressure variations are produced by dynamic means (pumps) or static (resistances, water columns).

  The successive stages of heating and cooling of the sterilization process correspond to the treatment undergone in the transport circuit. The transport of the containers can be provided by a single hydraulic circuit or, more generally, by several heating and cooling circuits. The passage of the containers from one circuit to another is then achieved by airlock.

  Examples of such installations are described in DE 2149122, DE 3508144 and CH 502744, for example.

  These installations have reached a good level of performance but remain perfectible. Indeed, a set of defects has not found a satisfactory overall solution, namely: the objects transported undergo shocks which can cause deformations, in particular in the case of metal containers; - blockages can occur, requiring a shutdown of the installation, which generates significant additional costs; rotary transport, which is often necessary to ensure a homogeneous distribution of heat, is only possible for objects of appropriate shape, cylindrical or conical; the section of the transport tubes must be adapted to the objects to be transported, which makes it impossible to standardize the tubes and very costly to change the format of these objects; and - the duration of the treatment varies between the beginning of the cycle (insertion of the first objects to be treated in the empty installation or after a stop) and its end (insertion of the last objects in the installation almost entirely filled).

  The object of the present invention is to overcome all of the aforementioned drawbacks, and in particular to provide a standardized apparatus and significantly lower economic cost, by proposing a decisive step forward with regard to the methods and hydraulic transport systems known to the prior art.

  The central idea of the invention is to carry the transport of said objects in containers having a density such that the containers circulate with a minimum of friction on the walls of the tubes in a common circuit portion to recycling loops.

  More specifically, the invention relates to a method of hydraulic transport and heat treatment of objects driven by a stream 5 of transport liquid inside a tubing under variable temperature and / or pressure conditions, wherein the transport of said objects is carried out in containers having a density close to that of the transport liquid, the circulation of the containers being carried out in a portion of the circuit formed by the common tube with two closed loops of 10 paths respectively dedicated to the containers. and the transport liquid.

  The use of such containers in such a circuit can make it possible to transport objects of various sizes in the same standardized installation, to effectively protect them from shocks and to control the duration of the treatment cycle. In addition, it facilitates the rotational transport of objects of any shape, particularly the flattened shape of the individual food preparation containers. The term density close to that of the transport liquid, a density of about 10% and preferably about + 5%, or even + 2%, of that of the liquid.

  According to a particular embodiment, the method comprises the following cyclically repeated steps: a) filling the containers with the objects to be transported and heat treated and their insertion inside a transport pipe; then b) transporting said containers inside the tubing by a flow of transport liquid whose temperature and / or pressure may vary from one point to another; then c) extracting the containers from the tubing, and extracting the objects from said containers; then d) return empty containers to the filling point and, simultaneously, return the transport liquid to the inlet of the tubing.

  In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, it is intended to check the contents of the containers at the inlet of the tubing to control an additional injection of transport liquid in the case where at least one container is at least partially 5 to compensate for the difference in volume in the corresponding portion of the circuit.

  According to advantageous characteristics: the number of containers inside the transport tubing is kept constant at all times; - several heating and cooling phases are carried out during transport; at least one of the containers is identifiable during its transit in the transport pipe in order to control the duration of each cycle or of each heating and cooling phase.

  The invention also relates to an installation for the hydraulic transport and the heat treatment of objects using the method defined above.

  Such an installation comprises transport tubes arranged between an inlet and an outlet of the installation, a transport liquid which fills said transport tubes in the direction of the inlet to the outlet, means of variation of temperature and / or or transport fluid pressure, a pump for maintaining a circulation current of said transport liquid which drives containers inside said tubes, as well as means for introducing the containers into the inlet and outlet tubes. extraction means at the exit of the installation. Such an installation also comprises means for introducing at least one object into each container at the inlet of said installation and for extracting them at the outlet, a circuit for recycling the liquid between the outlet and the inlet of the installation to form a closed circulation loop of the transport liquid, whereas the containers, composed of a material having a mean density close to that of the transport liquid, circulate in the tubes as well as in a recycling circuit of the containers disposed between the outlet and the entrance of the installation to form a container circulation loop, the transport tubes forming a common loop circuit portion of the two recycling circuits between the inlet and the outlet of the installation.

  According to particular embodiments: the means for introducing and extracting the containers are respectively constituted by entry and exit airlock; the transport tubes comprise guide structures for guiding said containers into the tubes; the guiding structures are formed by a profile comprising guide folds for the containers; - The guide tubes contain the guide section which extends continuously along these tubes or form themselves the guide profile; the guide structures are formed by guide rods fixed to the tubes, on a continuous profile or on frames regularly arranged in the tubes, slots which can be formed on the containers to cooperate with the guide rods; the guiding structures determine several superimposed parallel transport lines allowing the simultaneous transport of several containers; the transport tubes comprise straight elements and semicircular elbows; said straight elements, bends and guide structures may be made of stainless steel or a plastics material, in particular selected from a high density polypropylene, a polyethylene, a polyamide and a copolymer of two of these materials ; the containers are made of plastic material, in particular chosen from a high-density polypropylene, a polyethylene, a polyamide and a copolymer of two of these materials; the containers have a cylindrical side surface and two ends, at least one of which is open; the containers have a so-called "ring-container" shape of straight cylindrical shape whose height is substantially less than the main dimension in section, the ring-containers moving inside the transport tubes in so-called static mode by translation without rotation in the general direction of the tubes, perpendicular to the generatrices of the containers; the ring containers have an oblong, circular or rectangular section, two opposite sides of which have circular portions facing each other; one of the two ends of the ring containers is closed by a grid to prevent the transported objects from leaving the containers; the containers have a so-called "cylindrical container" shape with a circular cross-section of diameter substantially smaller than the height, the cylinder-containers moving inside the transport tubes, preferably in so-called rotary rotation mode around their axis of symmetry; - the cylinder containers have ends and reinforced by metal treads; - The side wall of the container comprises at least one elongate opening which facilitates the circulation of the transport liquid, and therefore the heat exchange; means for detecting the contents of the containers coupled to injection control means of a given volume of the transport liquid are provided at the entrance of the installation to make injections of a given volume of the transport liquid, to compensate for the volume of possibly missing objects; at least one of the containers has detectable identification means for measuring and controlling the duration of each heating or cooling phase; said detectable identification means are constituted by a color marking for a calorimetric detection or by a shape marking for detection by shape recognition, the detection being carried out through at least one porthole formed in the transport tubes; a flowmeter for measuring the flow of the transport liquid inside the tubes makes it possible to control the maintenance pump for the flow of said transport liquid.

  Other characteristics, details and advantages of the invention will emerge on reading the description which follows, given with reference to the appended drawings, given by way of non-limiting examples, and which represent respectively: FIG. general scheme of the hydraulic transport and sterilization process according to the present invention; FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C are perspective, sectional and top views of an exemplary ring container adapted for static transport and loaded with a container containing food products; FIG. 3, a perspective view of a second example of a "container ring" with partially curved walls; FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C are perspective and sectional views of an exemplary cylinder-container, more adapted for rotary transport and loaded with a plurality of containers containing food products; FIGS. 5A, 5B, 50 and 5D, cross-sectional views of three tubes adapted for the static or rotary transport of the containers illustrated in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3, 4a, 4B and 40; FIGS. 6A and 6B, two semicircular elbows adapted respectively to the static and rotary transport of containers of the type illustrated by FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3, 4A and 4B; and FIG. 7 is a general diagram of a hydraulic transport and heat treatment installation according to the present invention.

  Figure 1 shows a general diagram of the method object of the present invention. This process comprises four main phases: 1) filling the containers 10 with the objects 11 to be transported and heat treated at the inlet E of the installation, as well as their insertion inside the transport tubes 12; 2) transporting said containers 10 inside said tubes 12 by a stream of liquid 13, generally water, the temperature and pressure of which may vary from one point to another; 3) extraction of the containers 10 of the tubes 12 and extraction of the objects 11 of said containers at the outlet S of the installation; 4) return (arrow 4A) of the empty containers 10 to the filling point and, simultaneously, return (arrow 4B) of the transport liquid 13 to the inlet of the tubes 12.

  The method makes it possible to repeat this sequence of steps cyclically. Step 2) has several heating and cooling steps whose duration can be measured.

  The containers 10 circulate in a string forming a continuous "carousel" by loop recycling following a circulation in the tubes (arrow 2) and in the loop 4A. Part of this loop is therefore inside the tubes 12, the other part outside. In this way there is no "first" or "last" container, the number of containers inside the tubes 12 is constant and the duration of the treatment is more homogeneous than in the case of the known methods of the prior art.

  Both the containers 10 and the transport liquid 13 carry out closed-loop runs which partially coincide in the portion formed by the tubes 12.

  Figure 2A shows a side view of a container 201 according to the present invention. The container has a cylindrical shape whose height H, about 5 cm, is substantially less than the diameter D, about 25 cm in the example shown. The container 201 is made of a high density polypropylene, having a specific gravity of 0.98, very close to that of water, the transport liquid used in the example, and capable of maintaining a sufficient rigidity at a temperature which can reach 210 C0. The fact that the density of the container 201 is close to that of the water makes it possible to minimize the friction against the guide elements situated inside the transport tubes (see FIGS. 5A and 5B). Said container has a side wall 203, an open end 205 and an end 207 closed by a grid or brace 209. In the side wall 203 is formed at least 10 an elongate opening 211 which facilitates the circulation of water, and therefore heat exchanges.

  The sectional view of the same container 201 of Figure 2B highlights the positioning of the object 217 to be treated, here a container containing a food product having a density slightly higher than that of water. For this reason, the closed end 207 of the container 201 is oriented downwards, so as to prevent contact between the container 217 and the bottom wall of the transport tube. In the case where the density of the object 217 would have been lower than that of the water, said closed end 207 would have been oriented upwards. The transport of such a container is preferably "static" (non-rotatable) by keeping it approximately horizontal, by translation parallel to itself and in the mean direction of the transport tubes.

  Finally, FIG. 2C shows an upper view of the same container 201. It is clear that, with respect to the direct transport of a container 25 in a transport tube, the invention allows a better protection of the shocks by the presence of the containers.

  The ring containers may have various shapes by elevating generators based on adapted shaped base section. Figure 3 provides an example of a container 301 having a generally parallelepipedal base of rectangular section, with curved portions 303 and 305 of circular section on two opposite sides.

  Partitions raised in elevation, advantageously removable, may be provided in order to adapt the container to container shapes. Various container shapes, polygonal, scalloped or star shaped, adapted to the various shapes of the containers make the containers versatile in that they can accommodate several forms of containers.

  The feature that defines the "ring" type of the containers is a height substantially less than the dimensions of the base. Another type of container, called a "cylinder-container", is illustrated by the reference 401 in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 40. This type of container is more suitable for the rotary transport of several objects 413 simultaneously (parallelepiped-shaped containers). curved, in the example shown) to increase the flow of the installation. It is constituted by the side wall 402 of a cylinder having a height H 'substantially greater than the diameter D', 15 supplemented by lateral bases 403 and 405 open. Like the ring-container 201, the cylinder-container 401 has at least one opening 211 of elongate shape 407 to improve heat exchange.

  In order to be able to transport several objects 413 simultaneously, the container 401 has dimensions greater than that of the container 201: for example, the height H 'can be between 20 and 40 cm and the diameter D' can be between 10 and 20 cm. In addition, the internal volume of said container is divided into several compartments, 6 in the example, by transverse partitions 411 in order to avoid shocks between the objects 413 contained within the same container 401. The arrangement of the partitions 411 is visible in Figure 40, which shows a side view of the cylinder container.

  The cylinder-container 401 is advantageously used when it is desired to carry out a rotary transport. The arrow F shows that the rotation is around the axis of symmetry YY '. The shape of the container 401 is therefore of revolution, cylindrical with a circular base in the illustrated example.

  As in the case of the ring container, one of the ends of the cylinder container can be advantageously closed by a grid or spider 415.

  Cylinder containers can also be used to perform "static" transport.

  The rotary transport is made by rolling on metal rails located inside the transport tubes, as shown in FIG. 5D. To avoid that the containers 401, made of a plastic material of the same type as the ring containers 201, are damaged by contact with the rails, they are preferably provided with metal bearing strips 409 and 410, which encircle the edges 10 end. The treads 409 and 410 also have a stiffening function of the structure and ballast which makes the container 401 slightly heavier than water, so as to ensure contact with the rails at all times.

  In this example, the containers 413 have a parallelepiped shape. The rotary transport of such objects is not possible according to the prior art. However, the rotation of the containers 413 proves to be very useful because it allows a better transmission of heat inside said container: this is one of the advantages of the invention compared to the art. prior.

  The "ring containers" and "cylinder containers" illustrated are not the only conceivable cases. It is possible to envisage, for example, containers for static transport having a height close to, or even greater than, the diameter of the base, of rectangular or oblong base, containers of axial revolution for rotary transport, or containers of type "cylinders" but in which the height is of the order of magnitude of the diameter.

  FIGS. 5A to 5D illustrate different types of tubes adapted to be used for the hydraulic transport of the containers described above. These tubes generally have a rectangular section and their dimensions depend on those of the containers, but not that of the objects to be treated. It is therefore possible to transport objects of different shapes and sizes in the same containers and therefore in the same tubes: this is one of the main advantages of the invention over the prior art.

  FIG. 5A shows a rectangular tube section 501 for the static transport of a "ring container" 201. Inside said tube 501, and over its entire length, is located a metal section 503 having external ribs 505. positioning and internal bends 507 for guiding. The external ribs 505 maintain the profile 503 inside the tube 501, while allowing a good flow of water, while the internal folds 507 constitute guide elements of the container 201. The role of these elements guidance is to prevent the misplacement of the containers 201 inside the tube 501, and thus prevent blockages that sometimes occur in the known installations of the prior art.

  The rectangular tube 511, illustrated in FIG. 5B, comprises three parallel transport lines 512a, 512b and 512c for the stationary transport of "ring containers" 202. The guiding and separating function between the various transport lines is ensured. here by metal rods 513a to 513j and 515a to 515d located along the walls of the tube 511, and oriented along its length. Said rods are not in direct contact with said walls: they are supported, at regular intervals, by frames 518 connected to tube 511 by lugs 519. "Internal" rods 515a to 515d, which separate the various transport lines , as well as the rods 513c, d, e, h, i, j are connected to the frames 518 by lamellae 517a to 517d and 520c, d, e, h, i, j respectively.

  The containers 202 differ from the containers 201 by the presence of the slots 204 in which the guide rods 513c, 513d, 513e, 513h, 513i and 513j are inserted. These slots allow better guidance, as can be seen more easily in Figure 5C, which shows a section along the line C-C of the same transport system. A non-circular ring container, for example of the type illustrated in FIG. 3, may also include guide slots.

  It is possible to use the rods 513-515 as guide elements in the case of a tube having a single guide line or, conversely, to produce several parallel guide lines by a plurality of profiles 503 inserted in the same tube.

  The rotary transport is made possible by the tube 521, as illustrated in FIG. 5D, containing a metal section 523. This latter comprises external ribs 525 which allow its positioning in the tube 521 and wide internal folds 527 constituting rails. on which support the bearing strips 409, 410 of the "cylinder container" 401.

  As in the case of stationary transport, several profiles 523 inserted in the same tube make it possible to produce several parallel guide lines.

  The total length of a sterilization installation can reach several tens or even hundreds of meters. The tubular which constitutes it is folded on itself. This is made possible by semicircular bends 601 and 611, as illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B for the case of static transport and rotary transport respectively. The radius of curvature R of said bends 601 and 611 is sufficient not to constitute an obstacle to the passage of the containers 101. Inside the bends 601 and 611, the guide elements 603, 613 follow the curvature of the tube. Elbows 601 and 611 and straight members 501, 521 are connected by flanges 605, 615 according to a method known to those skilled in the art.

  The straight portions of the tubing and / or elbows and / or the guide system may advantageously be made of a plastics material which is resistant to mechanical wear and the required temperature and internal pressure conditions. This plastic material may, for example, be selected from a high density polypropylene, a polyethylene, a polyamide and a copolymer of two of these materials. The guide system may be separate from the tubes or integrated on their inner surface; for reasons of ease of manufacture, the plastic elbows preferably consist of two symmetrical half-shells, assembled during assembly.

  In the case of stationary transport, the orientation of the elbow 601 is such that the containers 201 are not inverted to prevent the exit of the objects 217. In the case of the rotary transport, on the contrary, the elbow 611 is situated in a plane vertical: the containers 401 are reversed and they reverse their direction of rotation, as illustrated by the arrows F and F '. This further improves the uniformity of the temperature inside the containers 413.

  A diagram of a hydraulic transport and heat treatment system for sterilization is illustrated in FIG. 7. Such an installation can operate whatever the type of container and the mode of transport, the transport liquid 700 being of water. Containers 701, containing one or more containers 703, are introduced into hydraulic plant 704 through an inlet lock 705 and conveyed within tube 707 to an outlet lock 709.

  In the case where the pressure of the water at the outlet is equal to the atmospheric pressure, the airlock 709 can be replaced by an output element other than an airlock. It is the same for the airlock.

  The water is recycled by a secondary hydraulic circuit 711 actuated by a pump 713. The water flow rate is continuously measured by a flow meter 714, which allows a servocontrol of said pump 713. The means for controlling the temperature and The temperature is modified by the heat exchangers 722 and 723 and the pressure is determined by the pump 713 and by the difference in level of the water pressure inside the installation. between the 705 and 709 exit airlock.

  At least one of said containers 701 is identified by a marking, here by a characteristic color. One or more control stations, constituted by portholes 715 and cameras 716 in the case of color marking, make it possible to measure the duration of each step of the process and thus to verify that the sterilization is carried out correctly and uniformly. for all the containers. This is made possible by the use of the containers 701 because the direct marking of the containers 703 is generally not possible. This therefore constitutes an additional advantage of the present invention over the prior art.

  The containers 701 are extracted from the installation by the airlock 709, emptied containers 703 treated they contain, then filled by new containers 703 to be treated and brought back to the airlock 705. The return to the airlock The inlet may, for example, be gravity-rolling along a ramp 723, as shown in the figure, with the airlock 709 at a higher elevation than the airlock 705. This configuration is advantageously because it allows a pressure inside the hydraulic system 704 which decreases going from the inlet E to the outlet S, which is often required in continuous sterilization processes.

  It may happen that, particularly because of a technical problem upstream, the flow of the containers 703 arriving at the inlet E of the installation is slowed down, and empty containers 701 are introduced into the hydraulic system 704. In this case, a volume of water corresponding to that of the missing containers 703 must be injected into the inlet lock 705 in order to keep the sum of the volumes of the water, the containers 701 and the containers 703 at the same time. inside the installation. This injection is performed by a water injection device 717. An optical device, for example a camera 721, makes it possible to measure the difference in volume to be compensated. The camera transmits a signal to a control member of the water injection device 717. Alternatively, a scale can be used to perform the same operation.

  In the known installations of the prior art, despite the injection or discharge of water carried out by a pump, any change in the number of containers to be treated inside the hydraulic circuit causes a variation in the duration of the heat treatment. In particular, when a new filling of the installation after a stop, the first introduced containers undergo a treatment of shorter duration than the last. The present invention overcomes this problem because the number of containers inside the hydraulic circuit is kept constant even when the plant is shut down. In this way, the duration of the treatment is substantially more homogeneous.

  The invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown. The identification means of the containers may be magnetic or electromagnetic by field variation. On the other hand, shape recognition can be achieved by passing or interrupting an optical beam through a particular protrusion or orifice in the container to be detected.

Claims (31)

  A method of hydraulically transporting and heat-treating objects (11) entrained by a flow of a transport liquid (13) within a tubing (12) under temperature and / or temperature conditions. variable pressure, characterized in that the transport of said objects (11) is carried out in containers (10) having an average density close to that of said transport liquid, the circulation of the containers being carried out in a portion of the circuit formed by the tubing ( 12) common to two closed loops 10 of course (4A, 4B) respectively dedicated to the containers and the transport liquid.   2. Method according to claim 1, comprising the following steps, repeated cyclically: a) filling the containers (10) with the objects (11) to be transported and heat-treated and their insertion inside a transport tubing (12); then b) transporting said containers (10) inside the tubing (12) by a stream of transport liquid (13) whose temperature and / or pressure can vary from one point to another; then c) extracting the containers (10) from the tubing (12), and extracting the objects (11) from said containers (10); then d) returning the empty containers (10) to the filling point and simultaneously returning the transport liquid (13) to the inlet of the tubing (12).   3. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein it is intended to check the contents of the containers (10) at the inlet of the tubing (12) to control an additional injection of transport liquid (13) in the case at least one container is at least partially empty, in order to compensate for the difference in volume in the corresponding portion of the circuit.   4. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the number of containers (10) inside the transport tubing (12) is kept constant at all times.   5. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein several heating and cooling phases are carried out during transport.   6. Method according to the preceding claim, wherein at least one of the containers (10) is identifiable during its transit through the transport tube (13), in order to control the duration of each cycle or of each heating phase and cooling.   7. Installation for carrying out the transport and treatment method according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising transport tubes (707) arranged between an inlet (E) and an outlet (S) of the installation. a transport liquid (700) which fills said transport tubes in the direction of the inlet to the outlet, means for varying temperature and / or pressure (722, 723) of the transport liquid (700), a pump (713) for maintaining a circulation flow of said transport liquid (700) which drives containers (701) within said tubes (707), as well as means (705) for introducing the containers (701) in the tubes at the inlet (E) and extraction means (709) at the outlet (S) of the installation, characterized in that it also comprises means for introducing at least one object (703) into each container at the inlet (E) of said installation and to extract them at the outlet (S), a recycling circuit (4B, 711) of the liquid between the outlet and the inlet of the installation to form with the transport tubes a closed circulation loop of the transport liquid, whereas the containers (701), composed of a material having an average density close to that of the transport liquid, circulate in the tubes as well as in a recycling circuit (4A, 723) containers between the outlet and the inlet of the installation to form a circulation loop of containers, the transport tubes forming a portion of the common loop circuit of the two recycling circuits (4A, 4B) between the inlet and the outlet of the installation.   8. Installation according to the preceding claim, wherein the means for introducing and extracting the containers are respectively constituted by entry and exit lock.   Apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the transport tubes (501, 511, 521, 707) comprise guide structures (503, 513a-513j, 517a-517d, 523) for guiding said containers into the tubes. .   10. Installation according to the preceding claim, wherein the guide structures are formed by a section (503, 523) having folds (507, 527) for guiding the containers (201, 401).   11. Installation according to one of claims 9 and 10, wherein the transport tubes (501, 511, 521, 707) contain the guide profile (503) which extends continuously along these tubes or form themselves the guide profile.   12. Installation according to claim 9, wherein the guide structures are formed by guide rods (513a to 513j, 517a to 517d) attached to the tubes, on a continuous profile or on frames 20 arranged regularly in the tubes. 13. Installation according to claim 12, wherein the side wall of the containers (202) has slots (204) for cooperating with the guide rods (513a to 513j, 517a to 517d).   14. Installation according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein said guiding structures determine several parallel and superimposed transport lines (512a to 512c), allowing the simultaneous transport of several containers (202).   The plant of any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein said transport tubes (501, 511, 521, 707) comprise upright members and semicircular elbows (601, 611).   16. Installation according to any one of claims 9 to 15, wherein said straight elements of the transport tubes, said semi-circular elbows (601, 611) and said guide structures are made of a material selected from steel stainless and a plastic material.   17. Installation according to any one of claims 7 to 16, wherein the containers (201, 202, 301, 401) are made of a plastic material.   18. Installation according to one of claims 16 and 17, wherein said plastic material is selected from a high density polypropylene, a polyethylene, a polyamide and a copolymer of two of these materials.   19. Installation according to one of claims 7 to 18, wherein the containers (201, 202, 301, 401) comprise a lateral surface (203, 402) and two ends (205, 207, 403, 405) of which at at least one is open.   20. Apparatus according to the preceding claim, wherein the containers (201, 202, 301) have a so-called straight cylindrical "container" shape whose height is substantially less than the main dimension in section, the ring containers moving to the inside of the transport tubes (501, 511) in said static mode by translation without rotation in the general direction of the tubes, perpendicularly to the generatrix of the containers.   21. Apparatus according to the preceding claim, wherein the ring containers (201, 301) have an oblong, circular or rectangular section whose two opposite sides have facing circular portions (303, 305).   22. Installation according to the preceding claim, wherein the ring containers have removable partitions, erected perpendicularly to the base section.   23. Installation according to claim 21 or 22, wherein the ring containers are made versatile having shapes adapted to predetermined shapes of containers.   24. The plant of claims 20 to 23, wherein one of the two ends of the ring containers (207) is closed by a grid (209) to prevent the transported objects (217) from leaving the containers.   25. Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the containers (401) have a so-called "cylindrical container" shape with a constant circular section, of height substantially greater than the diameter, the cylinder containers moving inside the tubes. preferentially in said rolling rotary mode inside the transport tubes (521) about their axis (Y-Y ') of symmetry.   26. Installation according to the preceding claim, wherein the containers (401) have an end cylinder shape (403, 405) reinforced by metal treads (409, 410).   27. Installation according to any one of claims 7 to 26, wherein the side wall (203, 402) of the containers comprises at least one elongated opening (211, 407) to facilitate the circulation 20 of the transport liquid.   28. Installation according to any one of claims 7 to 27, wherein means (721) for detecting the contents (703) of the containers (701) coupled to injection control means (716, 717) of a determined volume of the transport liquid (700) are provided at the inlet (E) 25 of the installation to make injections of a given volume of the transport liquid, to compensate for the volume of possibly missing objects.   29. The plant according to any one of claims 7 to 28, wherein at least one of the containers (701) has detectable identification means for measuring and controlling the duration of each heating or cooling phase. cooling.   30. Installation according to the preceding claim, wherein said detectable identification means are constituted by a color marking for colorimetric detection or by a shape marking for detection by shape recognition, the detection being carried out through at least one porthole (715) formed in the transport tubes (707).   31. Installation according to one of claims 7 to 29, comprising a flow meter (714) for measuring the flow of the transport liquid (700) inside the tubes (707) and control the pump (713) which maintains the flow of said transport liquid (700).