GB2119910A - Apparatus for cooling liquids - Google Patents

Abstract

Cooling apparatus for cooling ale kegs comprises a structure having a platform portion (21) adapted to fit over the end of a keg (10). The structure carries a refrigeration system (24) having a compressor and control arrangement (25) mounted on the upper surface of the platform portion (21) and a coolant (or evaporator) coil (26) mounted below the platform portion (21) within the peripheral confines thereof, the coolant coil (26) being resiliently biassed away from the structure at least to a limited extent to effect contact with the keg (10) when the apparatus is in use. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Cooling apparatus This invention relates to cooling apparatus and more particularly to self-contained cooling apparatus purpose designed for use on ale kegs to cool the contents thereof.

Until recently the ale provided by brewers in kegs has been of a quality which has permitted extraction of the ale from the keg under carbon dioxide gas pressure and the extracted ale has been transmitted through a flash cooler before being discharged at a font for consumption. Lately however there has been a strong market demand for so-called 'real ale' which is produced by a different brewing process and, partly due to the suspended solids content, requires different and more careful handling priorto being discharged; in particular this 'real ale' does not maintain its quality if transmitted through the conventional flash cooler.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide cooling apparatus particularly, but not exclusively, for cooling real ale.

According to the present invention there is provided cooling apparatus comprising a structure adapted to be fitted to an ale keg and incorporating a platform portion arranged to fit over the end of a said keg, said structure carrying a refrigeration system comprising a compressor and control arrangement interconnected with a condenser coil and with a coolant (or evaporator) coil, and wherein the compressor and control arrangement is mounted on the upper surface of the platform portion of said structure and the coolant coil is resiliently carried by said structure below said platform portion and within the peripheral confines thereof, the resilient mounting being such as to bias the coolant coil away from said structure at least to a limited extent and into contact with a said keg when the apparatus is in use.

In one embodiment the structure comprises a skirted platform adapted to fit over the end of an ale keg and the coolant coil is mounted on the undersurface of the platform portion and arranged to be biassed into engagement with the recessed end surface of the keg when in use. Preferably an insulation jacket is releasablyfitted around the keg during use of the cooling apparatus to minimise heat transfer from the surrounding atmosphere to the keg contents. Conveniently the insulation jacket com prises fibre glass or glass wool or any other known insulation medium which is sufficiently flexible to be wrapped around the keg. Conveniently the insulation medium is housed within a fabric jacket with fastening means such as a loop and hook fastener, a sliding clasp fastener or hooks and a tie string.In order to permit the cooling apparatus of this embo dimentto be retained in position on the end of the keg during withdrawal of ale from the keg via the conventional bung located in the recessed surface of the keg end it is preferred that the skirted platform has a radially-extending cut-out and that the coolant coil be disposed to leave the cut-out portion free.

The cut-out may extend to the centre of the platform portion in order to accommodate either a centrallydisposed bung or a non-centrally disposed bung.

In another embodiment the structure comprises a hollow cylindrical casing said platform portion forming a closure at one end of the casing and the collant coil is mounted on the interior of the cylindrical wall of the casing and arranged to be biassed into engagement with the cylindrical surface of the ale keg when in use. The casing is a laminated structure incorporating a thermal insulant material and is formed in two hinged sections whereby the casing can be opened to permit entry of a keg and thereafter closed around the keg. In this embodiment the casing is preferably floor-mounted being provided with wheels/castors at the end remote from said platform portion.

In a stiil further embodiment the structure comprises a hollow cylindrical casing with said platform portion forming a closure at one end of the casing and the coolant coil is mounted on the undersurface of the platform portion and biassed into engagement with the end surface of the keg when in use. In this embodiment the casing is unitary and of a length substantially equal to that of a keg.

In each embodiment the condenser coil is fixedly mounted either directly to the structure or to the compressor and control arrangement. For example, where the compressor and control arrangement is protected by an air-permeable cowl the condenser coil may be secured to that cowl. Alternatively the condenser coil may be mounted on the platform skirt.

It will now be appreciated that the cooling apparatus of the present invention is self-contained, requiring only a connection to a mains electricity supply, and purpose designed for use on ale kegs which are predominantly if not exclusively made of metal.

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In Figure 1 of the drawings there is shown an ale keg 10 which is generally cylindrical or barrelshaped the ends 11, 12 of which are protected by protruding circumferential flanges 1 1A, 12A respectively whereby the outer surfaces of ends 11, 12 are recessed. The upper end 11 of the keg 10 incorporates a central bung 14 by means of which the keg is initially filled and, when broached in conventional manner permits discharge of the ale contents under air pressure. In the case of real ale the suspended solids content of the ale is considerable and requires a settling time of the order of 24 to 48 hours before discharge commences whereas this is not the case with other forms of ale.

The cooling apparatus 20 comprises a platform 21, which may be made of any suitably robust but thermally insulating material, having a depending skirt 22. The diametrical size of the platform 21 and skirt 22 is sufficient to permit the apparatus 20 to be fitted to the upper end of the keg 10 when the circumferential surface of the keg 10 is surrounded by an insulation jacket 17 as illustrated. The platform 21 supports a refrigeration system 24 formed by a compressor and control arrangement 25 together with a condenser coil 23 mounted on the upper surface of the platform 21 and a coolant coil 26 resiliently mounted on the lower surface of the platform 21, the system 24 being controlled by a thermostat or a pressure cut-out (not shown). The condenser 23 is air cooled and to reduce its size a fan 27 is provided but this is not essential.

Figure 2 illustrates the coolant coil 26 in greater detail from which it will be seen that the coil 26 follows a serpentine path within the confines of the skirt 22 and within the confines of the keg flange 11A. The coil 26 is carried by riggers 30 which are generally radially disposed and these riggers 30 are urged by springs (not shown) away from the undersurface of the platform 21, the extent of movement being limited by the springs so that when fully extended the coil 26 remains protected by the skirt 22 in the absence of a keg 10. The coil 26 is preferably made of copper tubing which is relatively malleable rather than aluminium tubing and its serpentine path is configured so as to clear a radial cut-out 32 formed in the platform 21 and skirt 22 to permit the apparatus 20 to be fitted to or removed from a keg 10 which has been broached through bung 14.It will be evident that the disposition of the components on the upper surface of the platform 21 (not shown in Figure 2 in the interests of clarity) likewise requires to clear the cut-out 32 and in the interests of safety these components are preferably covered by an air-permeable cowl.

By way of example the apparatus 20 has been tested on an 11 gallon ale keg and with an ambient temperature of 77"F the ale was cooled to its preferred dispense temperature of 54"F in 23 hours which is less than the necessary settling time of the real ale in the keg. The ale was thereafter maintained at 54"F with the apparatus 20 operating with a duty cycle of 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off. The test apparatus utilised a 1/14 Hp compressor, a 10 inch by 8 inch 8 row 2 bank force-draught condenser, a 20 ft long coolant coil of 1/4 inch outside diameter and the refrigerant was R12. The electrical consumption of the apparatus was about 100 watts.

In the arrangement diagrammatically depicted in Figure 3 the apparatus 20 is carried by an arm 35 secured to a slider 36 which is movable in a vertical direction along a post 37 forming part of a stand assembly 40. Assembly 40 comprises a base 41 with a circular locating recess 42 for receiving and pre-positioningthe base flange 12A of a keg 10.

Vertical post 37 is secured to base 41 and braced by brace members 44,45 which are so located as to leave room for the keg 10 and its insulation jacket 17 when positioned in the base recess 42. Slider 36 is slidable on that part of the post 37 which is above the brace members 44,45 and arm 35 is secured to the lower end of a slider 36 so that when a standard size keg 10 is located in the assembly 40 the apparatus 20 is fitted to the keg 10 as previously explained. Slider 36 is movable vertically along the post 37 in order to remove the apparatus 20 from the keg 10 when the keg 10 requires to be replaced, by means of a lever arrangement 46.Arrangement 46 comprises a link 46A and an actuator 46B pivotally intterconnected at 47. Actuator 46B incorporates an offset portion which functions as a handie 48 and by manua movement of the handle 48 in the direction of the arrow A slider 36 is caused to move vertically. If so desired a locking pin (not shown) may be provided to lock slider 36 in its upper most position whilst keg 10 is replaced. The locking pin envisaged would penetrate slider 36 and post 37 by means of prepositioned holes therein.

With regard to the apparatus 20 Figure 3 illustrates the air-permeable cowl secured to the upper surface of the platform 21 and housing the compressor and control arrangement 25. The condenser coil 23 may conveniently be secured externally to the cowl as illustrated. Furthermore it will be noted that the platform cut-out 32 in this embodiment is in the form of a circular hole located to register with a centralised keg bung 14. Accordingly this embodiment is dedicated to use with such kegs but it offers the advantage that coil 26 on the undersurface of platform 21 can be circularly disposed which is relatively simple to fabricate.

It will also be noted that in the Figure 3 embodiment arm 35 is arranged to support the weight of the apparatus 20 and is releasably secured to platform 21 by means of a bolt 49 which is readily accessible, preferably from the upper surface of the platform 21, so that in the event of failure apparatus 20 can be dismounted quickly and easily from the stand assemby 40 for servicing and a replacement apparatus 20 can be quickly and easily fitted to assembly 40.

It will also be appreciated that the prime purpose of skirt 22 on platform 21 is to protect coil 26 from mechaical damage when the apparatus 20 is being moved or stored away from stand assembly 40 or a keg 10 and accordingly it need not be circumferentially continuous.

In the embodiment of Figure 4 the apparatus 20 comprises a generally cylindrical hollow casing 51 which is formed in two halves 51A, 51 B which are interconnected by hinges 52 and are capable of being secured together by a fastener 53. The lower end of casing 51 is open and is provided with wheels/castors 54 to render the casing 51 floor mounted and capable of being opened and closed without difficulty. The upper end of casing 51 is closed by means of a platform portion 55 formed preferably in two halves one being secured to or integral with each casing half 51A, 51 B and the compressor and control arrangement 25 is mounted on the upper surface of the portion 55, the coolant coil 26 is mounted on the inner surface of casing half 51A and resiliently biassed inwardly therefrom, and the condenser coil 56 is mounted in fixed manner on the outer surface of casing half 51A. Coil 26 may be arranged with generally circumferential portions interconnected by end turns as shown or it may be arranged with generally axial portions interconnected by end turns. Furthermore coil 26 may be formed in sections which are individually resiliently mounted so that the sections are independently biassed against the keg thereby reducing the accuracy with which the coil 26 geometry has to be fabricated in order to conform to the keg surface.

A further embodiment is illustrated in Figure 5 from which it will be evident that the platform 21 forms one end of a hollow cylindrical sleeve 60 of preset axial length and diameter such that sleeve 60 fits neatly over and around the keg 10 (only part of which is shown in the interests of clarity). The sleeve 60 may be made of fibre glass preferably with a lining of thermal insulation and in the interests of mechanical strength may have axially-extending corrugations. The platform 21 and sleeve 60 are integral and a circular cut-out 61 is provided to register with a de-centralised keg bung 62 and accordingly this embodiment is dedicated to use with such kegs. The upper surface of platform 21 is arranged as previously such that compressor and control arrangement 25 covered by an air-permeable cowl is located thereon whilst coolant coil 26 is resiliently mounted on the undersurface of the platform 21. In this embodiment the condenser coil 63 is externally mounted on the sleeve 60.

Claims (8)

1. Cooling apparatus comprising a structure adapted to be fitted to an ale keg and incorporating a platform portion arranged to fit over the end of a said keg, said structure carrying a refrigeration system comprising a compressor and control arrangement interconnected with a condenser coil and with a coolant (or evaporator) coil, and wherein the compressor and control arrangement is mounted on the upper surface of the platform portion of said structure and the coolant coil is resiliently carried by said structure below said platform portion and within the peripheral confines thereof, the resilient mounting being such as to bias the coolant coil away from said structure at least to a limited extent and into contact with a said keg when the apparatus is in use.

2. Cooling apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said coolant coil is mounted on the undersurface of said platform portion and biassed into engagement with the end surface of the keg when in use.

3. Cooling apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said coolant coil is mounted on the inner surface of the platform skirt and biassed into engagement with the circumferential surface of the keg when in use.

4. Cooling apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the condenser coil is mounted on the upper surface of the platform portion.

5. Cooling apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the compressor and control arrangement is located within an air-permeable cowl and the condenser coil is mounted on the cowl.

6. Cooling apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1-3, wherein the condenser coil is mounted on the outer surface of the platform skirt.

7. Cooling apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said structure is releasably secured to a stand assembly comprising means for moving the structure vertically between in-use and out-of-use positions.

8. Cooling apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings.