IE913726A1 - Beverage dispense arrangements - Google Patents

Abstract

Beverage dispensing arrangement in which an adaptor manifold 17 is provided to allow controlled circulation of beverage and coolant through a heat exchanger 1. The beverage and coolant initially passing through the python and the manifold/heat exchanger combination providing the benefits of local or dispense tap beverage temperature control. The manifold includes a beverage flow detector 19 which regulates a valve 21 in the coolant inlet so that the flow of coolant is matched to the flow of beverage.

Description

Beverage Dispense Arrangements The present invention relates to beverage dispense arrangements and more particularly but not exclusively to beverage dispense arrangements for beer from a python distribution system.

A beverage dispense python comprises a thermally insulating sheath within which several beverage product feed pipes are located along with coolant piping to ensure that the beverage product in the feed pipes remains chilled. It will be understood that the beverage product is only dispensed when a tap is opened whilst the coolant is constantly flowing. Each beverage, particularly beers, has an optimum dispense temperature determined by many factors such as CO2 gas content and customer preference; however, with a single python it is difficult to accommodate a range of temperatures for each beverage product. A solution is to provide individual heat exchanger arrangements at each dispense tap.

It will be appreciated that it is possible to use a small number of heat exchangers with a python without significantly reducing coolant temperature as only a small proportion of the coolant is diverted from the flow. This diverted coolant freely flows through the heat exchanger usually regulated to a specified constant flow rate to ensure prescribed cooling of the product beverage at the tap. This regulation of flow is usually through a ball valve connected to the heat exchanger by pipe work. This pipe work and separate heat exchanger and adapter manifold construction causes problems of manufacture and increases costs.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a manifold arrangement for coupling a heat exchanger to a circulating coolant system, the manifold including channels to direct a flow of coolant and a flow of beverage to respective channels of a heat exchanger, and the manifold including detector means to detect beverage flow in the manifold and valve means to adjust coolant flow in relation to beverage flow.

Preferably, the coolant flow is completely stopped when there is no beverage flow or there is only a trickle flow rate.

Preferably, the detector means is either a flow 10 switch in the beverage flow channel such as a bobbin switch or turbine meter or a detector to detect activation of the beverage dispense tap or a temperature sensor for the coolant and/or each product.

Preferably, the manifold is integral with the heat 15 exchanger.

Preferably, the coolant flow rate would be adjusted by the valve means in accordance with beverage input temperature and relative beverage flow rate rather than just actual beverage flow.

Preferably, the coolant and product should be arranged to flow in opposite directions.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings on which:25 Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a manifold coupled to a heat exchanger; and, Figure 2 illustrates in schematic fashion an integral manifold/heat exchanger.

Refering to Figure 1, a plate heat exchanger 1 is 30 constructed of several plates 3 arranged to provide respective channels for beverage product and coolant through the exchanger 1 from inlets 5, 7 to outlets 9, 11. The plates 3 are sealed from one another and usually encapsulated in a thermally insulating material 15. It will be appreciated the effect of the heat exchanger 1 is to cool or chill the beverage product using a coolant such as water and/or glycol. The rate of cooling depends upon respective inlet temperatures, respective flow rates, the type of material from which the heat exchanger 1 is constructed and the channel patterns in the plates 3 along with product/coolant flow direction. It is thus possible, by appropriate determination of these and other factors to accurately and consistently establish a required beverage output temperature. With conventional heat exchanger arrangements, a ball valve or choke was provided upon the coolant inlet to ensure consistent flow rates. The coolant was constantly flowing which lends to a relatively heavy drain on a python coolant circuit so limiting the number of heat exchangers that could be used and if beverage in the exchanger 1 was dispensed for a period it became super cooled and unpalatable.

In the present invention, a manifold 17 is provided that incorporates a flow detector 19 and a valve and coolant inlet pipe 25. The detector 19 is arranged to detect flow of beverage, that is to say through beverage outlet 27 or an inlet if required. The detector 19 when detecting beverage flow activates a valve 21 to allow coolant to flow through inlet 25 in a prescribed ratio to the beverage flow. Usually, the valve 21 co-operates with a screw or aperture choke, to form a co-operative valve means to allow further control of coolant flow.

Inlet temperature sensors 29, 30 can be added to enhance performance. It will be appreciated that coolant from the python is thus only drawn when beverage is dispensed significantly reducing the temperature drain and allowing more heat exchanger arrangements to be used in the python system.

The beverage flow detector 19 may be a simple bobbin type switch or an electronic flow detector used. Inherent problems with the manifold 17/heat exchanger arrangement 1 of Figure 1 are the number of seals necessary between the manifold 17 and the exchanger 1, its volume for accommodation below a confined bar and actual number of connections. These problems cause reliability and fabrication difficulties.

Figure 2 illustrates an integral manifold/heat exchanger assembly in which the manifold layer 41 is incorporated into the heat exchanger during its manufacture .

Plate heat exchangers, as stated previously comprise several layers of plates 43 held in compressive arrangement to define beverage and coolant channels. The plates 43 are either welded or bolted together. In Figure 2, the manifold layer or plate 41 is added to the heat exchanger plates 43 and secured with them. The manifold plate 41 includes channels 42, 44 to couple inlets 45, 47 to the heat exchanger plates 43 and channels 46, 48 to couple outlets 51, 52 to the heat exchanger plates 43. In channel 42, a beverage flow detector 55 is incorporated to detect beverage flow and control a coolant flow valve 56 so that beverage and coolant flow rates are in the correct ratio. Product temperature maintenance in achieved by controlling the coolant flow rate through the heat exchanger as product is dispensed. This is usually achieved, similarly to the arrangments in Figure 1 by using a manually adjustable throttle or choke device and a valve to form a valve assembly. Inlet temperature detectors 58, 60 can be added to enhance performance.

It will be understood that in order to determine flow ratios more accurately a turbine type meter could be used as detector 55 rather than a simple ON-OFF detector of the bobbin type.

The heat exchanger of Figure 1 and the integral manifold/heat exchanger of Figure 2 are usually encapsulated in insulating material.

Claims (7)

CLAIMS:

1. A manifold arrangement for coupling a heat exchanger to a circulating coolant system, the manifold including channels to direct a flow of coolant and a flow of beverage to respective channels of a heat exchanger, and the manifold including detector means to detect beverage flow in the manifold and valve means to adjust coolant flow in relation to beverage flow.

2. A manifold arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the valve means is arranged to completely stop or reduce to a trickle the coolant flow rate in response to no beverage flow detected by the detector means.

3. A manifold arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the detector means is a bobbin switch or turbine meter device or a detector to detect activation of a beverage dispense tap or a temperature sensor for the coolant and/or a respective product.

4. A manifold as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the manifold is integral with the heat exchanger.

5. A manifold as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the valve means and detector means are arranged to ensure the coolant flow rate is dependent upon initial beverage temperature.

6. A manifold as claimed in any preceding claim in which the respective coolant and product flows are arranged to flow in opposite directions.

7. A manifold substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.