GB1600478A - Dispensing system with refrigeration unit water break - Google Patents

Description

(54) DISPENSING SYSTEM WITH REFRIGERATION UNIT WATER BREAK (71) We, SCHWEPPES LIMITED, a British Company of Grosvenor Road, St.

Albans, Hertfordshire, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to post mix beverage dispensing systems of the type comprising a beverage dispensing head to which water is supplied and a refrigeration unit for cooling the water before it reaches the dispensing head.

The water is supplied from a mains source, and may be fed through pipes or passages to a carbonating vessel in which the water is carbonated, if a carbonated beverage is to be provided. The water is fed through pipes or passages to a water dispensing outlet in the dispensing head and a supply of syrup is fed through pipes or passages to a syrup dispensing outlet in the dispensing head which syrup outlet is adjacent the water dispensing outlet such that both water and syrup can discharge into the same container to provide the beverage.

The water is cooled in the refrigeration unit by being passed through pipes in a refrigerated water tank. Such systems will be referred to hereinafter and in the claims as "post mix beverage dispensing systems".

It is necessary where there is a risk of water or syrup or water and syrup or any other material flowing backwards into the water supply for a break or space to be provided between the water supply and the postmix dispensing system. The conventional method of forming such break or space is by the use of a valve with a part open to atmosphere or a storage tank containing water from the supply.

The disadvantages of this system are that, firstly, additional devices in the form of a valve or a storage tank are required to be fitted in the water supply system and, secondly, in the case of a storage tank there is also the possibility of the breeding of bacteria or moulds in the water stored in the ambient temperature.

The present invention seeks to obviate or mitigate these disadvantages and in accordance with the preesnt invention, in a post mix dispensing system, a break in the water supply is provided at the refrigeration tank, the supply water flowing into the refrigeration tank through a level controlled valve forming said break and, the supply water forms the water of the tank and the water for making the beverage is drawn from the water of the tank.

The advantages of such a system are that no additional break tank needs to be provided and that the supply water is kept in refrigerated condition which mitigates against the breeding of bacteria and the formation of moulds.

Furthermore, it is easier to render the refrigeration tank such that the risk of contamination of the tank water by airborne particles is much reduced, as the tank can be, and usually is, within the confines of the system. To this end, the tank is provided with its own lid and the tank and lid can be enclosed within a large cabinet.

In a conventional post mix dispensing system using a refrigerated water tank as the refrigerating unit, the bath water is not dispensed at the dispensing head whereas, in the operation of the system in accordance with the invention, the water which is dispensed at the dispensing head is drawn from the refrigerated tank bath water.

Preferably, the water drawn from the refrigerated tank is passed to a carbonating unit, wherein it is carbonated, before being passed to the dispensing head.

The refrigeration unit preferably has cooling coils through which a cooling medium, which may be water, is passed, the coils being arranged to contact the water in the refrigeration tank. The said coils preferably are of stainless steel which has the desirable properties in that it is non-toxic and corrosion resistant.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein : - Fig. 1 shows in diagrammatic form a post mix beverage dispensing system and in accordance with the present invention; and Figs. 2 and 3 respectively show in diagrammatic form two modifications either of which maybe embodied in the system where the dispensing head and a refrigerated tank are relatively remotely located.

Referring to the drawings, line 1 represents a supply of clean water and this leads to a valve 2 which may be controlled by a mechanical or electrical means depending upon the level 3 of the water in a tank or bath 4 containing a body of water 5. The tank 4 also contains refrigeration means in the form of coils 6, such coils being connected to be supplied with refrigerant from a refrigeration compressor which is not shown in the drawing.

Water can be drawn from the body of water 5 through a tank outlet 7 to a pumping means 8 and the pumping means 8 in turn is connected by pipeline 9 to a carbonating unit 10 in which the water is carbonated. Carbonated water from the carbonating unit 10 is supplied through a pipeline 11 to a dispensing head including a water dispensing valve 12. The system illustrated is also provided with a container 13 containing syrup and this is supplied to a syrup dispensing outlet 15 of the dispensing head through a pipe 14. At the dispensing head the syrup and carbonated water are dispensed in the form of a beverage.

In use, clean water is supplied from line 1 to valve 2 and when the water level 3 in the tank 4 is at a predetermined level, valve 2 will open permitting clean water to be supplied to tank 4. When the level reaches another predetermined level higher than the first, the valve 2 will close preventing the supply of further water to tank 4.

The water in the tank 4 is cooled by the refrigeration coils 6, and the pump draws water from the tank 4 through outlet 7 and delivers it to the carbonating unit 10. The carbonating unit supplies carbonated water through pipeline 11 to the dispensing valve 12. The dis pensing takes place on demand when it is required that beverage should be dispensed from the dispensing head.

It will be seen that the refrigeration tank 4 is provided with an overflow comprising an outwardly bent elbow pipe 4A which leads to a T-junction box 4B having a second outlet 4C. In the T-junction is a lightweight ball 4D which serves to close the elbow pipe 4A when overflow conditions do not prevail, in order to prevent the back flow of airborne bacteria into the tank 4. On the top of the T-junction is provided a filter 4E which also assists in the preventing of undesirable articles and particles falling into the T-junction 4B. When overflow conditions prevail, the ball 4D floats on the overflowing water which passes to outlet 4C and then through appropriate pipework to waste.

The embodiments of the invention shown in Figs. 2 and 3 are useful when the overflow refrigeration tank 4 is spaced some substantial distance from the dispensing head (not shown in Figs. 2 and 3). In such circumstances, it is necessary to supply a means for cooling the pipeline connecting the tank and the valves in the dispensing head to ensure that the syrup and water which are to be mixed at the dispensing head are maintained at a low temperature whilst standing in the pipes. This ensures that the finished drink is dispensed at the desired low temperature.

This cooling is effected conventionally by providing a flow and return pipe arrangement to be installed alongside the syrup and water pipes, all of the pipes being enclosed in an insulating material. It is also normal practice for the same cooling medium as is used in the refrigeration tank to be passed through the flow and return pipes, the means for creating the flow being a submersible pump located in the refrigeration tank.

Because the bath water in the refrigeration tank in the present invention is to be used for drinking, it is not desirable to use a submersible pump because such a means can, by virtue of its mechanical design, increase the risk of contamination of the water.

One arrangement for circulating cooling liquid to cool the pipelines connecting the tank 4 and the valves in the dispensing head, is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 2 and another is shown in Fig. 3. Referring to Fig. 2, located in the tank 4 is a vertical cylindrical shaped vessel 30 of which the top is closed and the bottom is open. This can be described as a "Primatic system". The water is drawn from inside the vessel 30 through a tube 32 by means of a pump 34 and the water passes along the pipeline 36 and eventually returns to the vessel 30 through an opening 38 in the top thereof.

A small vent hole 40 is provided in the top of the vessel and allows excess air which may build up inside the vessel to be vented. Water drawn from the vessel is made up from the surrounding bath water which flows into the vessel through the open end. By this arrangement, the same water is used continuously and only need be replaced from the bath water as the system demands. The cylinder 30 itself which is preferably of stainless steel acts as a heat exchanger which allows the water inside the vessel to be cooled by the surrounding bath water both at the base and through the walls of the vessel.

Referring to Fig. 3, the circulating cooling pipes similar to those shown in Fig. 2 are also shown, but it will be observed that the cooling is effected by taking liquid from an auxiliary tank 50 by means of a submersible pump 52, and the liquid so pumped is circulated through the cooling pipes and then to a heat exchanger element 54 arranged in the refrigeration tank 4. In this arrangement, the cooling fluid does not come into contact with the water contained in the refrigeration tank 4, although the cooling fluid is chilled by passing through the heat exchanger 54. The heat exchanger 54 is preferably stainless steel heat exchange coil.

It is normal to arrange for the agitation of the water in the refrigeration tank to ensure that an even temperature is maintained therein and that heat is effectively exchanged at the exchange surfaces. The normal practice is to incorporate an agitator and a submersible pump on the same driving means, but as a submersible pump is not used in the tank 4 in either modification described above, a very much lighter duty drive can be utilised to operate the agitator only. This drive may be a direct coupled drive or a magnet drive coupled through the outside surface of the tank.

As stated herein, by utilising the bath water from the refrigeration unit, this water is maintained in refrigerated condition, preventing the growth of bacteria and the formation of moulds in tank 4. Furthermore, the break in the supply of water is provided at the refrigeration tank 4 and therefore no further break tanks or valves are necessary for the effective operation of the system.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:- 1. In a post mix dispensing system, a break in the water supply is provided at the refrigeration tank, the supply water flowing into the refrigeration tank through a level controlled valve forming said break and, the supply water forms the water of the tank and the water for making the beverage is drawn from the water of the tank.

2. A dispensing system according to claim 1, wherein the refrigeration tank is provided with an overflow including a ball valve member preventing back flow through the overflow of airborne bacteria.

3. A dispensing system according to claim 1 or 2, including a carbonating unit to which water from the refrigeration tank passes.

4. A dispensing system according to any preceding claim, wherein the refrigeration unit has cooling coils through which a cooling medium, which may be water, is passed, the coils being aranged to contact the water in the refrigeration tank.

5. A dispensing system according to claim 4, wherein the cooling coils are of non-toxic corrosion resistant stainless steel.

6. A dispensing system according to any preceding claim, including cooling pipes arranged adjacent the pipes along which the water passes from the refrigeration tank to the dispensing head, pump means for circulating the water from the tank along the cooling pipes and back to the refrigeration tank.

7. A dispensing system according to claim 6, wherein there is a cylindrical vessel in the regfrigeration tank which is closed at the top apart from a vent hole and open at the bottom, and from which water is drawn to be circulated through the cooling pipes, the circulated water being returned to the top of the vessel.

8. A dispensing system according to any of claims 1 to 5, including cooling pipes arranged adjacent the pipes along which the water passes from the refrigeration tank to the dispensing means, pump means arranged to circulate cooling fluid from an auxiliary tank through said cooling pipes, through a heat exchanger in the refrigeration tank and back to the auxiliary tank.

9. A dispensing system according to claim 8, wherein the pump means is a submersible pump.

10. A post mix dispensing system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 1, or Fig. 1 as modified by Figs. 3 or 3.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (10)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. not come into contact with the water contained in the refrigeration tank 4, although the cooling fluid is chilled by passing through the heat exchanger 54. The heat exchanger 54 is preferably stainless steel heat exchange coil. It is normal to arrange for the agitation of the water in the refrigeration tank to ensure that an even temperature is maintained therein and that heat is effectively exchanged at the exchange surfaces. The normal practice is to incorporate an agitator and a submersible pump on the same driving means, but as a submersible pump is not used in the tank 4 in either modification described above, a very much lighter duty drive can be utilised to operate the agitator only. This drive may be a direct coupled drive or a magnet drive coupled through the outside surface of the tank. As stated herein, by utilising the bath water from the refrigeration unit, this water is maintained in refrigerated condition, preventing the growth of bacteria and the formation of moulds in tank 4. Furthermore, the break in the supply of water is provided at the refrigeration tank 4 and therefore no further break tanks or valves are necessary for the effective operation of the system. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:-

1. In a post mix dispensing system, a break in the water supply is provided at the refrigeration tank, the supply water flowing into the refrigeration tank through a level controlled valve forming said break and, the supply water forms the water of the tank and the water for making the beverage is drawn from the water of the tank.

2. A dispensing system according to claim 1, wherein the refrigeration tank is provided with an overflow including a ball valve member preventing back flow through the overflow of airborne bacteria.

3. A dispensing system according to claim 1 or 2, including a carbonating unit to which water from the refrigeration tank passes.

4. A dispensing system according to any preceding claim, wherein the refrigeration unit has cooling coils through which a cooling medium, which may be water, is passed, the coils being aranged to contact the water in the refrigeration tank.

5. A dispensing system according to claim 4, wherein the cooling coils are of non-toxic corrosion resistant stainless steel.

6. A dispensing system according to any preceding claim, including cooling pipes arranged adjacent the pipes along which the water passes from the refrigeration tank to the dispensing head, pump means for circulating the water from the tank along the cooling pipes and back to the refrigeration tank.

7. A dispensing system according to claim 6, wherein there is a cylindrical vessel in the regfrigeration tank which is closed at the top apart from a vent hole and open at the bottom, and from which water is drawn to be circulated through the cooling pipes, the circulated water being returned to the top of the vessel.

8. A dispensing system according to any of claims 1 to 5, including cooling pipes arranged adjacent the pipes along which the water passes from the refrigeration tank to the dispensing means, pump means arranged to circulate cooling fluid from an auxiliary tank through said cooling pipes, through a heat exchanger in the refrigeration tank and back to the auxiliary tank.

9. A dispensing system according to claim 8, wherein the pump means is a submersible pump.

10. A post mix dispensing system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 1, or Fig. 1 as modified by Figs. 3 or 3.