GB2323153A

GB2323153A - Dispensing beverages

Info

Publication number: GB2323153A
Application number: GB9812191A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William Little
Original assignee: Bass PLC
Current assignee: Bass PLC
Priority date: 1994-11-07
Filing date: 1995-11-06
Publication date: 1998-09-16
Anticipated expiration: 2015-11-06
Also published as: GB2323153B; GB9812191D0

Abstract

Drinks such as lager are cooled before they are dispensed from a tap (15) by using both a bar-mounted dispense tap cooling heat exchanger (14) and a bar-mounted cooling heat exchanger (13) provided near to the site of dispense preferably out of sight below the level of the bar. Preferably, the dispense tap (15) and the dispense tap cooling heat exchanger (14) are provided as a single unit. The bar counter and the dispense tap cooling heat exchanger could be separate heat exchangers or could be a combined heat exchanger having a portion hidden by the bar counter. The bar cooling heat exchanger (13) is preferably larger than the dispense tap cooling heat exchanger.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO DISPENSING BEVERAGES This invention relates to improvements in and relating to, dispensing beverages, especially, but not exclusively, alcoholic beverages such as beer, lager, stout, ale, porter, cider and the like.

It is often desired to dispense beverages cold. It is common in the UK public houses to have beer, or lager, in large kegs in the cellar of the public house at cellar temperature and have a heat exchanger, or chiller, reducing the temperature of beverage as it travels from the keg to the dispense tap on the bar of the pub. A typical UK dispense temperature for beer is about 12"C, and for lager is about 4"C to 6"C.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide a new way of controlling the temperature of beverage dispensed from a dispense tap.

According to a first aspect of the invention we provide a method of cooling beverage dispensed from a dispense tap at a bar comprising providing a heat exchanger at the bar upon which a dispense tap assembly is mounted, providing a heat exchanger in the dispense tap assembly to cool the beverage at the dispense tap, and cooling the beverage in the bar heat exchanger before the beverage reaches the dispense tap heat exchanger.

This cools the beverage at the point of dispense and minimises the opportunity for the beverage to warm up again after it has been cooled.

In the standard arrangement used in UK pubs the beverage travels along a substantial length of pipe between being cooled and being dispensed from the tap.

In addition to cooling the beverage at the dispense tap, we also provide a heat exchanger at the bar, or in the region of the bar, to cool the beverage before it reaches the dispense tap assembly heat exchanger.

Preferably the method comprises using the bar heat exchanger to take more heat out of the beverage than does the dispense tap heat exchanger, and most preferably substantially more.

We appreciated that it is desirable to have a relatively small heat exchanger in the dispense tap assembly and a larger heat exchanger adjacent the dispense tap assembly, preferably out of sight below the surface of the bar. This allows us to dispense beverage at a colder temperature than is normal without having too large a structure on the top of the bar.

It will be appreciated that the larger heat exchanger below the surface of the bar may comprise a refrigeration unit.

Preferably the dispense tap heat exchanger cools the beverage to substantially the same temperature to which it is cooled by the bar heat exchanger, the beverage having warmed a little in the journey from the bar heat exchanger to the dispense tap.

We may cool the beverage using a primary heat exchanger, cool it further using a secondary heat exchanger, and cool it again using a dispense tap assembly heat exchanger (tertiary heat exchanger).

The primary heat exchanger, when provided, is typically the standard heat exchanger provided in many pubs, often referred to as a "Python coolant system". This may cool the beverage to, say, 6"C.

The secondary heat exchanger may cool the beverage to about 2"C.

The tertiary heat exchanger may also cool the beverage to about 2"C.

The beer is cooled to its dispense temperature in at least two stages, and may be cooled in three stages. There may be a fourth or further cooling stage.

Preferably, indeed most preferably, the coolant used in dispense tap heat exchanger or the heat exchangers is water.

Preferably the coolant is at 1"C + I/2 C.

According to a second aspect of the invention we provide a beverage dispensing system comprising a beverage dispense tap assembly mounted on a bar, a first heat exchanger provided in the dispense tap assembly, a second heat exchanger provided at the bar, adjacent the dispense tap assembly, and the arrangement being such that the beverage is cooled in the second heat exchanger before being supplied to the first heat exchanger to cool the beverage at a dispense tap of said dispense tap assembly.

There may also be a third heat exchanger provided remote from the dispense tap. When such a third heat exchanger is provided it can be considered to be a primary heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger a secondary heat exchanger, and the first heat exchanger a tertiary heat exchanger.

The bar heat exchanger is preferably bigger, and most preferably substantially bigger (e.g. twice as big) as the dispense tap heat exchanger.

The ratio of the heat exchange area of the bar heat exchanger in comparison with that of the dispense tap heat exchanger may be about 20:1; or 15:1; or 12:1; or 8:1; or 5:1; or 3:1; or 2:1, or any range defined between these points.

The dispense tap assembly may comprise a column portion and a tap portion, the column portion housing the first heat exchanger, and the tap portion comprising a valve and a dispense nozzle.

Preferably the tap assembly has a housing and the dispense tap heat exchanger is received within the housing. Preferably substantially all of the housing is in use visible above the counter. Promotional advertising for the beverage may be displayed on the outside of the housing.

If desired, a kit of parts may be provided from which to build a beverage dispensing system as aforesaid, the parts being adapted to be fitted to a bar. The kit can comprise a dispense tap, a dispense tap assembly heat exchanger associated with the dispense tap, and a second heat exchanger. The kit may include a plurality of dispense taps and dispense tap assembly heat exchangers. The kit may include a plurality of second heat exchangers.

It will be appreciated that the bar heat exchanger, provided beneath the bar counter and the dispense tap heat exchanger, provided above the bar counter could be separate heat exchangers each mounted to the bar, or they could be a combined heat exchanger having a portion hidden by the bar counter and a projecting portion comprising the dispense tap assembly heat exchanger. The dispense tap heat exchanger could be connected to the "below counter" heat exchanger by fluid coupling pipes, or could be integrally formed with it. In one preferred embodiment the dispense tap assembly heat exchanger comprises a separate exchange surface area coupled to the below counter heat exchanger by pipes for heat exchange fluid connection, and also mechanically mounted on the blow counter heat exchanger.

The dispense tap assembly heat exchanger and the below counter heat exchanger may be mechanically fixed to each other so that they effectively form a single unit for installation/removal from the bar counter. This may make installation easier. The dispense tap heat exchanger and the below counter heat exchanger may each have an associated housing that is attached to the housing of the other heat exchanger.

This application is divided from GB 2 294 750, which is directed towards the feature of three-stage cooling of the beverage.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a dispense system for lager in which there is a single dispense point; Figure 2 shows a similar system to that of Figure 1, but with two dispense taps each at a respective dispense point; Figure 3 shows a schematic view of the dispense tap unit of Figures 1 or 2; and Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the system of Figure 1.

Figure 1 shows a dispense tap assembly, unit, or module, 10 mounted on a counter 11 of a bar. Product, lager, is provided from a keg of lager (not shown) kept in a cellar of the public house. A primary heat exchanger comprising a "python" P is provided to cool the beverage after it has left the keg. A secondary heat exchanger 13 is provided beneath the counter 11, and a tertiary heat exchanger 14 is provided in the dispense tap assembly 10.

A primary cooler 12 for coolant medium is provided in the cellar of a public house. A pipe 20 carries the product or beverage from the cellar to the secondary heat exchanger 13, and pipe 21 from the secondary heat exchanger to a dispense tap 15 of the dispense tap assembly 10, via the tertiary heat exchanger 14. Coolant flow pipes 22, 23, carry water, the coolant medium, from the primary cooler 12 to the secondary heat exchanger 13, and on to the tertiary heat exchanger 14. Pipe 24 returns the coolant to the primary cooler 12. The pipes 20, 22 and 24 are bundled together in known manner to form the python P. The coolant pipes 22, 24 are preferably 12.5mm (half inch) bore PVC tube.

The coolant pipes 22 to 24 are, of course, insulated from external ambient heat. The water in the heat exchangers is at 1"C i 1/20C.

The primary heat exchanger comprising the python P cools the beverage down to about 6"C as the beverage is transported substantial distances, of the order of 5 to 10 metres to the secondary heat exchanger 13 which is a relatively large heat exchanger (perhaps 1/2m x 1/2m x 1/4m). This cools the beverage to 2"C. The beverage is then delivered to the tap 15, via the tertiary heat exchanger 14 which cools the beverage as it is dispensed. The journey from the secondary heat exchanger to the tertiary heat exchanger is about m.

During this journey the beverage may warm up a little, or may need cooling slightly further (if for example the secondary heat exchanger is, for whatever reason, only achieving a beverage temperature of 21/20C).

The tertiary heat exchanger cools the beverage further and the beverage is dispensed at 20C. In the glass it may have a temperature of 3"C, due to the heat capacity of the glass and other effects.

It will be appreciated we use water as the coolant because it is the standard coolant. It would be catastrophic to use a poisonous coolant and have a contamination of the beverage. Using water limits the temperature differential we can achieve.

The secondary heat exchanger has about 6.5ft2 (0.604m2) of exchange surface area compared with about 0.35ft2 (0.032m2) in the tertiary heat exchanger. This gives a ratio of about 20:1. A ratio of 10:1 or more is preferred in order to keep the tertiary exch'anger small. For further comparison a typical python will have about 3.0-3.5ft2, say 3.2ft2 (0.278-0.325m2, say 0.297m2) of heat exchange area. It will be appreciated that different installations will have different pythons which may have different heat exchange areas.

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment. Similar components have been given similar reference numerals. There are two dispense units/modules 10' on bar counter 11' in Figure 2. The primary cooler, equivalent to cooler 12 in Figure 1, is not shown. Python P' comprises product or beverage pipes 20' and coolant flow pipe 22' and coolant return pipe 241. Secondary under counter heat exchangers are at 13', and a tertiary heat exchanger is provided in each dispense unit/module 10'.

Preferably the dispense tap assembly and the tap heat exchanger are provided as a unit. The unit is preferably securable to the bar counter, for example by manually operable screw threaded clamps. Figures 3 and 4 show this in more detail.

A separate tap dispense unit 30 is shown in Figures 3 and 4. This has a tap dispense heat exchanger 31 (the tertiary heat exchanger) which takes up practically all of the volume inside a housing 32. In this example the housing 32 is cylindrical, but it need not be (for example a rectangular section housing may be preferred because it is easier to slide in and out of confined spaces). The housing 32 is made of plastics material and carried advertising/promotional material visible from the front, referenced 33, and is internally illuminated to help display the promotional material (usually the name of the beverage). A dispense tap 34 is provided and has a manually operable control 35. A pair of clamps 36 are provided to enable the unit 30 to be 'clamped onto the counter of a bar. In this embodiment the clamps 36 are operable by hand, without the use of tools. Coolant supply, coolant return, and beverage supply, pipes (referenced 37) enter the base of the unit via an aperture 38 from the secondary heat exchanger 13 (Figure 4).

In one embodiment the pipes 37 have couplings adapted to be releasably coupled to complementary couplings of complementary feed/return pipes, which may also be provided with control/isolation valves. This enables the unit to be mounted/demounted very easily and quickly.

In this example the unit 30 has about 15 metres of coolant pipe of about lem diameter.

It will be appreciated that although we prefer to have a separate secondary heat exchanger for each tertiary heat exchanger (or a separate sub-counter heat exchanger for each dispense tap heat exchanger when no "primary" heat exchanger is provided), and that is what is shown in Figure 2, we may instead have two or more dispense tap units sharing a common secondary (second) heat exchanger. Because the secondary heat exchanger is out of sight we can allow it to be bigger.

Claims

1. A method of cooling beverage dispensed from a dispense tap at a bar comprising providing a heat exchanger at the bar upon which a dispense tap assembly is mounted, providing a heat exchanger in the dispense tap assembly to cool the beverage at the dispense tap, and cooling the beverages in the bar heat exchanger before the beverage reaches the dispense tap heat exchanger.

2. A method according to Claim 1, which further comprises using the bar heat exchanger to take more heat out of the beverage than does the dispense heat exchanger.

3. A method according to Claim 3 in which the bar heat exchanger takes out substantially more heat than does the dispense tap assembly heat exchanger.

4. A method according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which the bar heat exchanger is out of sight below the surface of the bar.

5. A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 which comprises using the dispense tap heat exchanger to cool the beverage to substantially the same temperature to which it is cooled and output by the bar heat exchanger to the tap heat exchanger.

6. A method according to any preceding claim in which the beverage is cooled to about 2"C by the dispense tap heat exchanger.

7. A method according to any preceding claim in which the secondary heat exchanger cools the beverage to about 2"C.

8. A method according to any preceding claim in which the dispense tap heat exchanger cools the beverage to about 2"C.

9. A method according to any preceding claim which further comprises using water as coolant in the dispense tap heat exchanger or in each said heat exchanger.

10. A method according to any preceding claim in which coolant in the dispense tap heat or in said heat exchangers is at a temperature of about 1"C + 1/20C.

11. A method according to any preceding claim in which lager or beer, or other like alcoholic beverage, is the beverage being cooled.

12. A beverage dispensing system comprising a beverage dispense tap assembly provided at a bar, a first heat exchanger provided in the dispense tap assembly, a second heat exchanger provided at the bar, adjacent the dispense tap assembly, and the arrangement being such that the beverage is cooled in the second heat exchanger before being supplied to the first heat exchanger to cool the beverage at a dispense tap of said dispense tap assembly.

13. A system according to Claim 12 in which the bar heat exchanger is adapted to take more heat out of the beverage than is the dispense tap heat exchanger.

14. A system according to Claim 13 in which the bar heat exchanger is at least twice as big as the dispense tap heat exchanger.

15. A system according to Claim 14 in which the ratio of the heat exchange area of the bar heat exchanger in comparison with that of the dispense tap heat exchanger is about 20:1; or 15:1; or 12:1; or 8:1; or 5:1; or 3:1; or 2:1, or any range defined between these points.

16. A system according to any one of Claims 12 to 16 in which the dispense tap assembly is mounted on a bar or counter, and the bar heat exchanger is provided adjacent the dispense tap assembly, but out of sight below the level of the bar or counter.

17. A system according to any one of Claims 12 to 16 in which the dispense tap heat exchanger or each said heat exchanger uses water as its coolant.

18. A system according to any one of Claims 12 to 17, which is a lager, or a beer or like beverage, dispensing system.

19. A system as claimed in any one of Claims 12 to 18 in which the dispense tap assembly comprises a housing within which the dispense tap heat exchanger is received.

20. A system as claimed in Claim 19 when appended to Claim 16 in which substantially all of the housing is visible above the counter.

21. A system according to any one of claims 12 to 20 in which the dispense tap heat exchanger and the bar heat exchanger are separate heat exchangers each mounted to the bar.

22. A system according to any one of Claims 12 to 20 in which the dispense tap heat exchanger and the bar heat exchanger are combined as an integral heat exchanger.

23. A system according to Claim 22 in which the integral heat exchanger has a portion hidden by the bar counter comprising the bar heat exchanger and a projecting portion above the bar comprising the dispense tap heat exchanger.

24. A kit from which to build a system as claimed in any one of Claim 12 to 23 in which said kit comprises a said dispense tap assembly and a said dispense tap heat exchanger therefor, and a said bar heat exchanger.

25. A kit from which to build a system as claimed in any one of Claims 12 to 23 in which said kit comprises a plurality of said dispense tap assemblies and a plurality of said dispense tap heat exchangers therefor, and a plurality of said bar heat exchangers.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows

1. A method of cooling beverage dispensed from a dispense tap at a bar comprising providing a heat exchanger at the bar upon which a dispense tap assembly is mounted, providing a heat exchanger in the dispense tap assembly to cool the beverage at the dispense tap, and cooling the beverage in the bar heat exchanger before the beverage reaches the dispense tap heat exchanger.

12. A beverage dispensing system comprising a bar, a beverage dispense tap assembly provided at the bar, a first heat exchanger provided in the dispense tap assembly, a second heat exchanger provided at the bar, adjacent the dispense tap assembly, and the arrangement being such that the beverage is cooled in the second heat exchanger before being supplied to the first heat exchanger to cool the beverage at a dispense tap of said dispense tap assembly.