GB2081867A - Improvement in milking apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A milking apparatus has a milking parlour connected to a bulk storage tank by means of a conduit. In order to cool the milk from the parlour before it reaches the bulk tank, there is incorporated in the conduit a cooler in which heat is extracted from the milk by surrounding tubes carrying the milk with counterflowing cold water. The cooler comprises a plurality of stainless steel tubes 6 which extend through a tubular housing 5 and whose ends are supported in rubber plugs 7 at the two ends of the housing. The tubes 6 pass through the plugs 7 and communicate with chambers 15 which are formed between the plugs 7 and sleeve-like closure members 10 and which are coupled to the conduit 2 carrying the milk. Cold water is supplied to the interior of the tubular housing via additional tubes 16 so as to surround the tubes 6 carrying the milk. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvement in milking apparatus The present invention concerns milking apparatus.

Briefly, milking apparatus on a farm includes a parlour in which the milking takes place and a bulk tankwhich receives and stores the milk for later collection by a tanker vehicle. It is necessary to cool the milk and to maintain the milk in a cooled condition. This cooling has hitherto been achieved in the bulk tank, the tank being designed and constructed to meet this requirement. The construction and operation of the bulk tank is not itself a part of the present invention but will be familiar to those versed in the dairy industry. The bulk tank does not therefore warrant further description.

In operation, the bulk tank consumes a considerable supply of electricity and with ever increasing energy costs this is a significant factor in the overall economy of the milk production.

The aim of the invention is to provide means for cooling the milk prior to entry into the bulk tank whereby to reduce the running costs of the tank.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided milking apparatus including a parlour and a bulk tank, with a conduit for conveying milk from the parlour to the tank, and in which a cooler is provided in the conduit whereby to cool the milk before it enters the bulk tank.

Preferably, the cooler is installed at a position adjacent to the end of the conduit which discharges milk into the bulk tank.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a cooler for inclusion in a milk flow line to a bulk tank comprises a housing having inlet and outlet ports for the circulation of a cooling medium, a plurality of tubes extending through the housing between the ends of the housing, and means at the ends for coupling the tubes to the milk flow line.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa diagrammatic illustration of a milking apparatus incorporating several coolers in accordance with this invention in the flow line; Figure 2 is a partly sectional view of one embodiment of a cooler in accordance with the invention, and Figure 3 is a section on 1-1 in Figure 2.

Figure 1 depicts, diagrammatically a milking apparatus in which milk flows from a parlour 1 housing the milking equipment along a conduit 2 into a bulk tank 3. The bulk tank is of a conventional construction and is designed to cool the milk and to maintain the milk in a cooled condition while awaiting collection by a tanker vehicle. Such a system is typical of current practice on farms and it will be appreciated that the energy costs of operating the bulk tank for long periods can be considerable.

In the present apparatus, one or more coolers 4 (four in Figure 1) are included in the delivery conduit 2, preferably at a position adjacent to the bulk tank 3.

As a result the milk is pre-cooled before entry into the bulktank. The bulk tank still functions as before but due to the pre-cooling of its contents the energy required for operating the bulk tank and maintaining the milk therein in a cooled condition is greatly reduced resulting in significant savings in energy and operational running costs.

With reference to Figures 2 and 3, the or each cooler4 comprises an elongate tubular housing 5, which can be formed from a plastics material, with a cluster of stainless steel tubes 6 extending the length of the housing between the ends thereof. In the illustrated example, the cluster comprises five stainless steel tubes arranged at equal distances from the centre line of the housing. Other configurations and numbers of stainless steel tubes are possible.

The stainless steel tubes 6 are located and positioned by means of two end plugs 7 which sealingly close the ends of the housing 5. The plugs 7 can be made of rubber and the ends of the tubes 6 sealingly fit in apertures in the plugs 7. The plugs 7 are shaped with a reduced diameter portion 8 which is a tight sliding fit in the end of the housing 5 and a larger portion 9 which abuts against the end of the housing 5. A clamping clip (not shown) can be provided about the end of the housing to secure the end about the reduced diameter portion 8 of the plug.

A closure member in the form of a rubber sleeve 10 is fitted to each end of the housing 5, one end of the sleeve 10 being closed by a transverse wall 11 which is formed with two axially directed, sleeved apertures 12,13. The main bore of the sleeve 10 has an intermediate shoulder 14 which abuts the end of the plug 7 so that a cylindrical chamber 15 is defined between the plug 7 and the end wall 11 of the sleeve 10. As shown in Figure 2, the ends of the stainless steel tubes 6 extend right through the plugs 7 and communicate directly with the chamber 15. The sleeved aperture 12 is dimensioned to tightly receive the conduit 2, the conduit having been cut and a length of the conduit replaced by the cooler 4.

Clamping clips (not shown) can be employed to secure the sleeved apertures 12 to the respective ends ofthe conduit 2. Again, as best seen in Figure 2, the ends of the severed portions of the conduit 2 communicate directly with the chamber 15 at the two ends of the cooler, respectively.

A further tube 16, which can be stainless steel or a plastics material, extends through the sleeved aperture 13, through the chamber 15 through a further aperture in the plug 7 and communicates directly with the interior of the tubular housing 5. A further tube 16 is similarly disposed at the other end of the cooler. Further clamping clips (not shown) can be used to secure the sleeved apertures 13 to the tubes 16.

In Figure 2 the direction of the milk flow is indicated by arrow A. The milk flows from the parlour 1 along conduit 2 to enter the cooler. At the right hand end of the cooler as seen in Figure 2 the milk emerges from the end of the conduit 2 into the interior chamber 15 of the sleeve 10 and then passes along the interior of the five stainless steel tubes 6 to the opposite end of the cooler. At the opposite end the milk enters the interior chamber 15 of the other sleeve 10 and passes out along the further length of conduit 2 to the bulk tank. Cold water is introduced via the left-hand pipe 16 into the interior of the tubular housing 5 where it flows in the direction of arrow B (counter to direction A) and leaves via the left-hand tube 16. In passing along the housing 5, the cold water surrounds the stainless steel tubes 6 so as to cool the milk being conveyed through the latter tubes.The cold water can be obtained from any convenient source such as a mains supply or storage tank (not shown).

Consequently, due to the presence of the cooler 4 in the conduit 2, the milk is cooled prior to entry into the bulktank. Considerable and significant savings are thereby achieved in the operational running costs of the system.

It will be appreciated that when the cooler is not in use and the water supply is not present, the maximum water level which can remain in the cooler is indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3, i.e. there remains an air space above the water level. This acts as a safety measure to prevent damage to the tubular housing in the event of freezing of the water remaining in the cooler.

It will further be appreciated that the number and spacing of the stainless steel tubes 6 can be varied to suit requirements, as can the length and other dimensions of the cooler.

Although the abovedescribed arrangement is preferred, other means of introducing and removing the cooling water could be used. For example, the inlet tubes 16 could be replaced by transversely extending connecting pipes communicating directly with the interior of the tubular housing. Any number of coolers 4 can be connected in series as shown in Figure 1 to suit the requirements of a particular situation.

Claims (13)

1. A milking apparatus including a parlour and a bulk tank with a conduit for conveying milk from the parlour to the tank, and in which a cooler is provided in the conduit whereby to cool the milk before it enters the bulk tank.

2. A milking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cooler is installed at a position adjacent to the end of the conduit which discharges milk into the bulk tank.

3. A milking apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the cooler comprises a housing having inlet and outlet ports for the circulation of a cooling medium, a plurality of tubes extending through the housing between the ends of the housing, and means at the ends of the housing for coupling the tubes to the milk flow line.

4. A milking apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the housing comprises an elongate tubular member whose two ends are closed by respective plug members, a pair of sleeve-like closure members fitted respectively to the two ends of the tubular member and coupled by sections of the milk flow line to the parlour and bulk tank, respectively, said plurality of tubes extending through and being supported by the plug members such that the ends of the tubes communicate with chambers formed between said sleeve-like closure members and said plugs.

5. A milking apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said inlet and outlet ports comprise respective further tubes extending respectively through said sleeve-like closure members, said chambers, and said plugs so as to communicate with the interior of said tubular members at opposite ends thereof.

6. A milking apparatus as claimed in claim 3,4 or 5, wherein said plugs are of rubber and said plurality of tubes are of stainless steel.

7. A milking apparatus as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6, wherein the tubular member is made of a plastics material.

8. A milking apparatus as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6, wherein said plurality of tubes are all spaced equidistantly from the longitudinal central axis of the tubular member.

9. A cooler for inclusion in a milk flow line to a bulk tank comprising a housing having inlet and outlet ports for the circulation of a cooling medium, a plurality of tubes extending through the housing between the ends of the housing, and means at the ends of the housing for coupling the tubes to the milk flow line.

10. A cooler as claimed in claim 9 wherein the housing comprises an elongate tubular member whose two ends are closed by respective plug members, a pairofsleeve-like closure members fitted respectively to the two ends of the tubular member and adapted to be coupled to sections of the milk flow line, respectively, said plurality of tubes extending through and being supported by the plug members such that the ends of the tubes communicate with chambers formed between said sleeve-like closure members and said plugs.

11. A cooler as claimed in claim 10 wherein said inlet and outlet ports comprise respective further tubes extending respectively through said sleevelike closure members, said chambers and said plugs so as to communicate with the interior of said tubular member at opposite ends thereof.

12. A cooler substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

13. A milking apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.