IES79089B2 - An automatic beerline cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to the cleaning of beerlines, in particular but not exclusively to those in public houses and licensed premises. Beerlines must be cleaned regularly with a solution of sodium hydroxide otherwise there is a build up of yeast on the walls on the lines which causes a sour taste. This invention will clean a line in 12 minutes 20 seconds. The cycle starts with a 50 second rinse, followed by a 1.5 minutes fluid injection period, followed by a 7.5 minutes soak period, and finally by a 2.5 minute rinse. The concentration is accurately maintained at 2% by the use of a venturi. An indicator light will come on when the sodium hydroxide container is empty, or if there is insufficient water in the tank. In both cases the cycle will not start until the problem is rectified.

Description

APPLICATION Sfe.

An Automatic Beerline Cleaner. present invention relates to the cleaning of beerlines, and in * particular to those lines used in public houses and other licensed premises.

All beerlines used in licensed premises for the purpose of dispensing beer need to be cleaned on a regular basis (one clean per week is recommended) with a dilute solution of sodium hydroxide. If these lines are not cleaned regularly, yeast will form on the inner walls of the lines and a io built up of yeast will occur. The result of this build up of yeast will be that the beer dispensed will be of poor quality and will have a sour taste.

The procedure for cleaning beerlines involves the following steps.

Firstly, a clean bucket is filled with fresh water. The beerline is removed from the keg and placed into this bucket. Up at the bar, a second bucket is is placed under the tap that is to be cleaned and the tap is pumped to suck the water up the line and hence rinse the line. Then when the line is rinsed the bucket is filled with a known quantity of fresh water and a known quantity of sodium hydroxide added to it to make up a 1% concentration solution. This solution is sucked into the line and as soon as the line is full it is allowed to soak for a period of 30 minutes. After this period the bucket is thoroughly rinsed with water and refilled with fresh water which is pulled through the line. Several gallons are needed for this final rinse to ensure that the line is clear from any of the sodium hydroxide solution which is toxic. The line is t now clean. This procedure is repeated for each line. The time taken for each line to be cleaned is about 40 minutes. * It is possible to use a large sealed bucket in the cellar that enables the pressure from the beer gas bottles to push the rinse water and the solution up ϊ 25 the lines which eliminates the need for having to pump the taps to suck up the solutions. However, even with this system the solution still has to be made up manually which is prone to error. The soaking period is timed manually and is prone to error. The quantity of water used for rinsing may not be adequate and hence the line may still have traces of sodium hydroxide. The line may also have traces of sodium hydroxide after the final rinse if the the cleaning bucket was not properly rinsed free of the sodium hydroxide solution before it was filled with the final rinse fresh water. The system is also unhygienic as the cleaning bucket may not be clean at the start of the cleaning cycle. The container holding the concentrated sodium hydroxide solution has to be handled manually and the solution measured out in a measuring cup. This is prone to spills, and often comes in contact with the operators skin as in practice safety gloves and goggles are seldom used.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an automatic beerline cleaning system that avoids the above problems, that greatly increases the accuracy and quality of the clean, and that decreases the time required to clean a line.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a means whereby the cleaning cycle is electronically controlled, with its own electronic circuit, pump, venturi, two solenoid valves, and its own water tank. This results in exact concentration of solution, exact soaking periods together with accurate fresh water rinsing periods. In addition, because of the accurate monitoring of the cycle it is possible to safely increase the concentration of the sodium hydroxide to 2% and so reduce the total cleaning time to 12 minutes 20 seconds. The invention has incorporated in it’s front panel a control console with a start button, a pause button and a stop button. It also has indicator lights that indicate that the program is running, that the program has being paused, that the program is complete and that there is a power supply to the unit. There are also diagnostic indicator lights to indicate whether there is adequate water for the cleaning cycle and whether there is adequate sodium hydroxide cleaning fluid for the cleaning cycle. If either of these two lights are illuminated then the cleaning cycle is unable to commence.

One embodiment of the invention is hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows a schematic illustration of the invention in a cellar.

Figure 2 shows a front view of the invention.

Figure 3 shows a front view of the control panel.

Figure 4 shows a schematic representation of the invention. is Referring initially to figure 2 the housing 1 is either metal or MFD.

The container of concentrated sodium hydroxide 2 (this is the container that the fluid is purchased in and not a special container that the fluid has to be transferred into) is placed on a platform support 3 which is moulded from polypropylene and on the left side of the housing is bolted on a sheet of polypropylene to avoid corrosion in case of any spill when the container in placed on the platform support. A 3mm inside diameter PVC tube 4 which comes out of the top of the housing is placed inside the container. The platform for the container is hinged 5 and a micro-switch 6 is closed indicating there is enough fluid to carry out the cleaning cycle. When the quantity of cleaning fluid decrease to a low level the spring 7 will be strong ί 25 enough to raise the empty fluid container and so open the micro-switch, which will in turn cause the cleaning fluid empty light 2 in figure 3 to come on indicating that the container needs to be replaced with a new one. The start button 6 in figure 3 is linked in series through the micro-switch. This must be closed to make a circuit for the start switch.

The water tank 2 in figure 4 is incorporated so that the pump 6 in figure 4 will not be subjected to any variations in the mains water pressure which commonly occur, and hence the invention can therefore deliver the water through the line at constant pressure regardless of the mains water supply pressure. This water tank contains a ball cock 1 to ensure that the water drawn from the tank by the pump is replenished, and a float switch 3 is situated low in the tank to indicate if there is a shortage of water for the cleaning cycle. This float switch is connected in series with the platform micro-switch 6 in figure 2 and also the start button 6 in figure 3 so that the float switch must be closed for a circuit to make when the start button is pressed, other wise the cleaning cycle will not commence. If the float switch is open an indicator light 3 in figure 3 will come on. These protect the invention from either running through a cleaning cycle without cleaning fluid or without water.

The invention 1 in figure 1 would usually be placed on the wall using suitable brackets. The mains water supply is connected to the PVC braided tubing 8 in figure 2. In figure 2, the tube 9 is connected to the ringmain 2 in figure 1 (which is a row of sockets similar to the sockets on the kegs of beer). When a line 3 in figure 1 is to be cleaned the gas supply is switched off and the line removed from the keg 5 in figure 1 and plugged into a socket 4 in figure 1 on the ringmain 2. Up in the bar a bucket in placed under the tap and the tap opened. The cycle can now be started.

When the start button is pressed and assuming that there is adequate cleaning fluid, an adequate water supply and that the is a 220v single phase power supply to the unit indicated by the light 1 in figure 3, the cycle will commence. First the program running light 4 in figure 3 on the control panel will light and the pump 6 in figure 4 will start. This will suck water from the water tank 2 through the venturi 4 and push this fresh water up through the line 3 in figure 1. After 50 seconds the fluid injection solenoid 7 in figure 4 opens. The pump which is still running now sucks not only water from the water tank but also sodium hydroxide from the container 9 through the io injection solenoid 7 and through the venturi 4. The inlet into the venturi for the sodium hydroxide is a small highly accurately bored diameter stainless steel tube 10 which is calibrated to give a 2% concentration. The greater the negative pressure (suction) the greater the draw on the fluid and also on the water. The accuracy of the system is such that the pre-set concentration of is 2% will be maintained within plus or minus 3% over a range of flow rates between 0.5gal. to 2.2gal. per minute.

After 1.5 minutes the injection solenoid 7 is closed and solenoid 8 is opened for 2 seconds. This is to flush out the tubing and the venturi of any sodium hydroxide as the pump will pump water through solenoid 8 and back through tube 5 which will still contain sodium hydroxide after solenoid 7 is closed. While solenoid 8 is still open solenoid 7 is also opened for 0.5 seconds to pump the sodium hydroxide back through solenoid 7 and clear it of the fluid. The pump then stops.

The soak period (i.e. the period of time that the inner wall of the beer line is in contact with the sodium hydroxide solution) for a 1% concentration solution is 30 minutes. Applying the inverse square law this implies that at 2% concentration a soak period of 7.5 minutes is sufficient.

After soaking for 7.5minutes the pump starts and rinses out the line with fresh water for 2.5 minutes. Then the pump stops and the program * complete light 5 in figure 3 comes on, and will stay on until the stop button 9 in figure 3 is pressed. The line is now fully cleaned. The tap up at the bar is k closed the beer line removed from the socket on the ringmain and replaced on the keg.

If at any stage during the cycle the stop button 9 is pressed then the program stops and can only be restarted from the beginning of the cycle. If the pause button 7 is pressed at any stage during the cleaning cycle, a light 8 io will come on and the timing sequence is paused which will only resume when the start button is pressed again.

All the tubing used is food quality clear PVC. The pump, the venturi and the two solenoids are stainless steel because of the corrosive nature of the sodium hydroxide. is It will be understood that the invention provides the following advantages.

A) It can clean a line in 12 minutes 20 seconds.

B) The concentration of the solution can be accurately maintained at 2%.

C) The soak period is accurate.

D) The line is properly rinsed and left free of sodium hydroxide.

E) The cleaning is carried out hygienically.

F) It avoids people skin coming in contact with the sodium hydroxide.

Claims (4)

1. Claims; 1) An automatic beerline cleaner which cleans and rinses a beer line in 12minutes 20seconds.

2. ) An automatic beerline cleaner as in claim 1 which utilises a venturi, a 5 pump, two solenoid valves and its own water tank.

3. ) An automatic beerline cleaner as in claim 1 and 2 that accurately maintains the concentration of sodium hydroxide at 2% flow rates in the range 0.5gal. to 2.2gal..

4. ) An automatic beerline cleaner as in claim 1, 2 and 3 that indicated when io there is no sodium hydroxide present or no water present to clean the line.