GB2271558A

GB2271558A - Cask taps

Info

Publication number: GB2271558A
Application number: GB9321167A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Craig Brinton Metcalfe
Original assignee: BROOK HOLLOW WARE Ltd
Current assignee: BROOK HOLLOW WARE Ltd
Priority date: 1992-10-16
Filing date: 1993-10-13
Publication date: 1994-04-20
Also published as: GB9221823D0; GB9321167D0

Abstract

A cask tap which is driven into a predetermined bung hole position in a cask to breach the cask and allow the beverage therein to be drawn from the cask through the tap and supplied to dispensing apparatus comprises a body member 14 having connection means 26 for connecting the body member to the dispensing apparatus and an automatically operable valve 22 for controlling the flow of liquid through the tap disposed wholly within the body member and/or the connection means. The valve is opened by the actuation of the dispensing apparatus to draw liquid from the cask creating a pressure differential across the valve and is urged to the closed position by resilient means 34, eg helical compressing spring, whose closing force is adjustable eg by nut 34. The valve preferably includes an axially slidable valve spool 30 mounted within a carrier 28, the spool having a head sealing with a seat on the carrier. A T-piece may be provided on connection position 26 to enable two dispensing apparatuses to be attached to the tap. The body member and the valve are of corrosion resistant material such as stainless steel or acetal. <IMAGE>

Description

"lmprovements in or relating to cask taps.

This invention relates to cask taps and more particularly, but not exclusively, to cask taps which are driven into a predetermined bung hole position in the cask to breach the cask and allow the beverage therein to be drawn from the cask through the tap and supplied to dispensing apparatus.

Such cask taps are normally used with casks of beer and the beer is drawn from the cask through the tap by a beer pump or engine wich is connected to the tap by a conventional pipe or pipework.

Conventional cask taps have been formed from brass and have incorporated a manually-operable valve also formed of brass which has been journalled in the brass body of the tap.

However, it has been found under certain conditions that the brass material from which such conventional cask taps have been formed can cause the beverage drawn therethrough to become contaminated with toxic substances produced by the action of the beverage, such as beer, on the brass material.

It has therefore been necessary to discontinue the use of conventional brass taps and to use alternative materials such as stainless steel or plastics material which are not subject to attack by the beverage being drawn therethrough.

Although stainless steel has adequate strength and resistance to corrosion, it has relatively poor self lubricating properties resulting in a stainless steel valve member which is journalled in the stainless steel body of the tap being subjected to undue wear thereby reducing the useful working life of such a tap to an unacceptably low level. It is found during sliding contact between the stainless steel valve member and the stainless steel tap body that after limited use there is scuffing and pick-up of material on the valve member causing a breakdown of the sealing contact therebetween and allowing leakage of the beverage from the exterior of the tap.

Whilst cask taps having a body and a valve member journalled therein which are both formed of a plastics material are not subject to the same level of reduction of useful working life due to inadequate self lubricating properties of the plastics material, it will be appreciated that a cask tap formed of plastics material is more likely to be damaged when the cask tap is driven into the cask than a cask tap formed of stainless steel.

Furthermore, it is found that cask taps formed of plastics material having a conventional valve member in the form of a bore extending through the valve member which is turned in the body to be in line with a main bore to permit flow through the tap and is turned out of alignment with said main bore to prevent flow through the tap suffer from the disadvantage that the plastics material is subject to plastic flow of the body material into the bore in the valve member if the valve is left in the closed position for a period of time resulting in the valve becoming inoperable.

The object of this invention is to provide a cask tap in which one or more of the above disadvantages are alleviated.

According to the invention, a cask tap adapted to be inserted into a cask and capable of being connected in fluid communication with a dispensing apparatus to supply liquid in the cask to said dispensing apparatus comprises a body member having connection means for connecting the body member to the dispensing apparatus and valve means for controlling the flow of liquid through the tap wherein the valve means is disposed wholly within the body member and/or the connection means.

Preferably1 the valve means is automatically operable.

Preferably, also, the valve means is opened by the actuation of the dispensing apparatus to draw liquid from the cask which creates a pressure differential across the valve means to effect automatic opening of the valve means.

The valve means is, preferably, urged to the closed position by resilient means.

Preferably, the closing force exerted on the valve means by the resilient means is adjustable.

Preferably, also, the valve means comprises a valve spool which is axially slidable between an opened and a closed position.

The valve spool is, preferably, slidably mounted within a carrier disposed in a bore in the tap body member through which the liquid in the cask is supplied to the dispensing apparatus.

Preferably, the valve spool is provided with a sealing ring which engages in sealing contact with a face on the carrier and/or tap body member when the valve is in the closed position.

Preferably, also, the body member of the tap and the valve means are formed of corrosion resistant material such as stainless steel or acetal.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:- Figure 1 is a partly sectioned side view of a cask tap; and Figure 2 is a side view of an alternative cask tap in a dismantled condition.

Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawings, a cask tap indicated generally at 10 comprises an elongate body member 12 having a co-axial bore 14 extending therethrough. The body member 12 has a tapered external surface to facilitate sealing contact when the tap 10 is driven in conventional manner into a cask (not shown) through a predetermined bung hole position. The end of the bore 14 in the portion of the body member 12 which is inserted into the cask is closed by a screw-threaded plug 16 which can be removed to facilitate cleaning of the tap 10 after use. A plurality of radially extending holes 18 are formed in the end of the body member 12 which is inserted into the cask to enable the liquid, such as beer, in the cask to flow into the bore 14.

The end of the bore 14 remote from the plug 16 has an enlarged diameter portion 20 in which a valve assembly indicated generally at 22 is located. The valve assembly 22 is secured in position within the enlarged diameter portion 20 of the bore 14 of the body member 12 by a connector 24 which is screwed onto an externally screw-threaded portion of the body 12. The connector 24 also has an externally screw-threaded end 26 onto which a conventional pipe (not shown) is connected to connect the tap 10 to a conventional dispensing apparatus (not shown) such as a beer engine.

The valve assembly 22 comprises a carrier 28 having a valve spool 30 slidably mounted therein for sliding movement between an open position in which the head of the valve spool 30 is spaced-apart from the seat on the carrier 28 and a closed positions shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, in which the head of the valve spool 30 is in sealing contact with the seat on the carrier 28. The valve spool 30 has a stem 32 which extends through the carrier 28 and projects from the end thereof. The end of the stem 32 has an external screw-threaded portion onto which a nut 34 is screwed and a helical compression spring 36 is mounted on the projecting portion of the stem 32 and confined endwise between the carrier 28 and the nut 34 to urge the valve spool 30 into the closed position.

The portion of the valve spool 30 between the head and the stem 32 is of a tapered shape to facilitate centralisation of the head of the valve spool 30 on the seat of the carrier 28 and an 0-ring (not shown) is mounted in a groove at the head end of the valve spool 30 to facilitate sealing engagement.

In operation, the tap 10 is driven into the bung hole of the cask and the liquid in the cask is retained therein due to the valve assembly 22 being maintained in the closed position by the action of the spring 36 on the valve spool 30. The closing force exerted by the spring 36 iS adjustable prior to insertion of the tap 10 by means of the nut 34 thereby enabling the tap 10 to accommodate different pressures exerted by the liquid in the cask and thus different sizes of casks.

When the dispensing apparatus is actuated to draw liquid from the cask, a pressure differential is created across the valve assembly 22 which overcomes the force exerted by the spring 36 and the valve spool 30 automatically moves to the open position allowing liquid to be supplied on demand to the dispensing apparatus.

The sliding movement of the valve spool 30 is under conditions of low frictional force as distinct from a manually journalled valve thereby allowing the use of materials having poor self lubricating properties but high corrosion resistance, such as stainless steel, in the production of the tap. Furthermore, the automatic as distinct from manual operation of the valve assembly 22 in the tap 10 obviates the need for any part of the valve having to extend from the exterior of the tap 10 so that leakage of liquid from this source is eliminated.

Referring now to Figure 2 of the drawings1 in an alternative to the tap described in Figure 1 of the drawings where the same components are indicated by the same reference numerals, the valve carrier 28 and the connector 24 are replaced by a single assembly 40 which is screwed into the end of the body member 12 of the tap 10 with a sealing washer 42 disposed therebetween.

In a further modification, a T-piece is mounted on the connector 24 or the assembly 40 to enable two dispensing apparatuses such as beer engines to be connected to a single cask tap.

It will be appreciated that although the above described cask taps are particularly suitable for production in stainless steel, they can also be produced in a plastics material such as acetal.

Although cask taps according to this invention are particularly suitable for use as taps for beer casks or barrels, it will be appreciated the cask taps could be used for tapping casks or containers of other liquids without departing from the scope of this invention.

Claims

What we claim is:

1. A cask tap adapted to be inserted into a cask and capable of being connected in fluid communication with a dispensing apparatus to supply liquid in the cask to said dispensing apparatus comprising a body member having connection means for connecting the body member to the dispensing apparatus and valve means for controlling the flow of liquid through the tap wherein the valve means is disposed wholly within the body member and/or the connection means.

2. A cask tap according to Claim 1, wherein the valve means is automatically operable.

3. A cask tap according to Claim 2, wherein the valve means is opened by the actuation of the dispensing apparatus to draw liquid from the cask which creates a pressure differential across the valve means to effect automatic opening of the valve means.

4. A cask tap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the valve means is urged to the closed position by resilient means.

5. A cask tap according to Claim 4, wherein the closing force exerted on the valve means by the resilient means is adjustable.

6. A cask tap according to any one of the preceding claims1 wherein the valve means comprises a valve spool which is axially slidable between an opened and a closed position.

7. A cask tap according to Claim 6, wherein the valve spool is slidably mounted within a carrier disposed in a bore in the tap body member through which the liquid in the cask is supplied to the dispensing apparatus.

8. A cask tap according to Claim 7, wherein the valve spool is provided with a sealing ring which engages in sealing contact with a face on the carrier and/or tap body member when the valve is in the closed position.

9. A cask tap according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body member of the tap and the valve means are formed of corrosion resistant material.

10. A cask tap according to Claim 9, wherein the corrosion resistant material is stainless steel or acetal.

11. A cask tap constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by, the accompanying drawings.