IES80942B2 - A process for manufacturing liquid products - Google Patents

Description

K process for manufacturing liquid products INTRODUCTION The present invention relates to a process and apparatus for manufacturing liquid products and in particular to a process and apparatus for manufacturing liquid products formulated from various ingredients mixed together with water. Essentially such products are base ingredients and critical ingredients, the critical ones being those that are susceptible to subsequently separating back out of solution after manufacture.

In various industries particularly the food and certain process industries, detergents and sanitisers are of considerable importance. These ingredients often include detergents and chelating agents. The problem with these products is that they are often mixed and then they are filled into containers where they can stay for some considerable time. It has been known that when the product was allowed to stand that there was re-crystallisation and various critical ingredients came out of the solution. An ingredient that gives particular problems are the chelating agents and particularly those such as phosphates which are renowned for insolubility. The 0 problem with such products is that if they are to be acceptable to the customer after having been made, they have to be checked in a laboratory to ensure that during storage they will not crystallise out. However, heretofore any attempt to make relatively large batches of such products ended in an unacceptable batch.

Further considerable difficulty has been encountered in the past in filling such a product into containers. Generally such containers have deformable side walls manufactured of a plastics material. The logical and obvious way to fill such containers is to deliver them on a conveyor to a bottling plant, which bottling plant comprises a filler and a closure applicator and then to deliver the filled containers by conveyor to a further station where they are boxed, loaded onto or shrink wrapped onto pallets or otherwise provided in larger containers for subsequent transport to other locations such as those of customers. Unfortunately, with such containers continual problems are encountered when there any breakdowns in the system. In fact the word break down is strictly speaking incorrect and it would be more proper to say any minor mishap on the system. For example containers momentarily being stopped on the conveyor, delays for example in the removal of a container from one station to another and so on, very minor mishaps can cause containers to press against each other particularly where there is a long conveyor line and to jam the whole conveyor. Further when filling the containers if there is any pressure on them, the containers are distorted and the filling operation does not work effectively.

Similarly prior to applying a closure or indeed after the closure the filled containers if pushed together will tend to jam on the conveyor or other transfer means and it takes relatively little for the containers to burst and cause considerable trouble. Any bottleneck on the system such as for example a take off can cause considerable problems. Essentially the problem is that containers tend to get squashed and jamming and spilling occurs.

Although it may seem like a very simple procedure, a further problem is that only small batches can be handled. With the potential problems of conveyor jamming and bottlenecks, only small batches are put through and a large amount of human intervention is required.

There have been many patents describing mixing and apparatus for mixing. U.K. Patent No. 2058596 is directed to a mixing apparatus in which a plurality of chemical materials are to be incorporated in a predetermined sequence in desired proportions in a carrier liquid. European Patent No. 385895 discloses mixing a suspension of water and dry ingredients to form a final syrup. European Patent No. 301766 relates to an apparatus suitable for the preparations of emulsions of fuel oil in water and to a method for the preparation of emulsion of fuel oil in water. However, these patents did not deal with the problems of container filling, volume or solids coming out of solution.

The present invention is directed towards providing a process and apparatus for manufacturing liquid products formulated from various ingredients mixed together with water, some of which ingredients are susceptible to coming out of solution after manufacture.

Statements of Invention According to the invention there is provided a process for manufacturing liquid products formulated from various base and critical ingredients mixed together with 0 water comprising the steps of: adding water to a tank; adding base ingredients to the water; mixing the base ingredients and water; adding the critical ingredients so that the concentration of each of the critical ingredients increases at the rate of not greater than 0.5% w/w per minute until 50% of critical ingredient is added and then at a rate of not greater than 0.25% w/w per minute; and controlling the temperature of the liquid so that it does not exceed 85C.

In another embodiment of the invention there is a process in which the concentration of the critical ingredient increases at a rate of not greater than 0.4% w/w per minute until 50% of the ingredient is added and then at a rate not greater than 20% w/w per minute and the temperature does not exceed 60°C, preferably a rate of not greater than 0.25% w/w per minute .

In another embodiment of the invention there is a process in which the concentration of the critical ingredients increases at a rate of not greater than 0.10% w/w per minute.

In a further embodiment of the invention the mixing step is a combination of physical agitation of the water by the mixer blades and the pumping of the liquid back over itself.

In a still further embodiment of the invention the critical ingredients are chelating agents, preferably phosphates or silicates and the base ingredient includes a detergent.

In a further embodiment of the invention the apparatus comprises: a mixing tank including: a motorised mixing paddle; a cooling jacket surrounding the tank; a water circulation pump and associated supply piping for the cooling jacket; a tank temperature controller connected to the water circulating pump; a recirculation pump and associated pipework for the mixing tank; liquid inlet pipes and associated pumps; a dry ingredient hopper and a feed conveyor for delivery of the dry ingredients to the mixer tank from the hopper; and a bulk storage tank fed from the mixer and a bottling plant for containers have deformable side walls of a plastics material said bottling plant including: a filler; a closure applicator; a transfer conveyor assembly having a feed conveyor portion for the filler and closure applicator and a take off conveyor portion for the filled and closed containers; the transfer container assembly have a plurality of gates and associated presence sensors; the gates dividing the transfer conveyor into a plurality of separate sections whereby no more than a predetermined number of containers can be in contact at any one time.

In another embodiment of the invention the feed conveyor portion of the apparatus comprises a conveyor belt and spaced apart upstanding container support walls on either side of the conveyor belt to deliver a single line of containers to the filler and closure applicator part of one of the side walls forms a container entry wall being movable from a position adjacent the conveyor belt to a raised position for lateral movement of a row of empty closureless containers onto the conveyor belt.

In a further embodiment the means are provided in the apparatus for putting empty closureless containers onto the feed conveyor portion comprising: a transfer table for an array of rows and columns of empty closureless containers: a pusher arm for moving the array of containers across the table against the container entry walls and onto the conveyor belt when the container entry wall is raised.

In another embodiment of the invention a container sensor is mounted adjacent the container entry wall to cause the container entry wall to be raised when the conveyor belt adjacent the entry wall is empty of containers and for the pusher bar to push a row of containers onto the conveyor and to lower the container entry wall when the containers are on the conveyor belt.

In a further embodiment of the invention the take off conveyor comprises transfer means for changing the single line of filled and closed containers into a double line, said means comprising: a pivot pin mounted above the conveyor belt intermediate a pair of upstanding side walls; a trailing plate mounted on the pivot pin; an impact plate mounted on the trailing plate intermediate its ends and projecting substantially at right angles thereto; a leading closure plate forming an extension of the trailing plate on the opposite side of the pivot pin and splayed slightly away from the impact plate; and with the impact plate transversely across the conveyor belt the leading closure plate forms a guide for a container to direct it against the impact plate which pivots out of the way in line with the conveyor to allow the container to pass by and simultaneously the closure plate pivots across the conveyor to direct the next container against the trailing plate which then pivots out of the way of the passing container to pivot the impact plate to be transversely across the conveyor belt.

In another embodiment of the invention each gate comprises a plate mounted transversely with respect to the conveyor belt on a support framework by a fluid actuated ram with each plate adapted for limited pivoting in line with the conveyor. Preferably, at least the lower most portion of the plate is manufactured from a flexible elastic material.

In a further embodiment of the invention the filler is of the type comprising a filling head having a delivery pipe moveable from a position above the container to a position within the container and at which guide means are provided for the delivery pipe adjacent where it enters the container.

In a still further embodiment of the invention the guide means comprises a body member having a delivery pipe receiving bore having an entrance and an exit with the diameter reducing from entrance to exit.

In another embodiment of the invention the dry ingredient hopper comprises an open grid across the hopper for support of a bag of dry material thereon and an upstanding blade on the grid for contact and cutting of a bag placed thereon. Preferably the blade is a saw-tooth blade each tooth terminating in a sharp and piercing point.

Detailed Description of the Drawings The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of an embodiment thereof given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of an apparatus for carrying out the process according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a mixing tank and feed hopper according to the invention; Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the feed hopper illustrated in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a plan view of a bottling plant forming part of the apparatus; Fig. 5 is a perspective part diagrammatic view of portion of the bottling plant; Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing portion of a gate used on the bottling plant; Fig. 7 is a front view a filler forming part of the bottling plant, and Fig. 8 (A - C) shows operation of a takeoff conveyor forming parts of the bottling plant.

Referring to the drawing there is illustrated an apparatus for manufacturing liquid products formulated in accordance with the invention, which apparatus comprises a mixing tank indicated generally by the reference numeral 1, a bulk storage tank indicated generally by the reference numeral 2 and a bottling plant indicated generally by the reference numeral 3. The mixing tank 1 feeds the bulk storage tank 2 through a feed pipe 4 and the bulk storage tank 2 feeds the bottling plant 3 through a feed pipe . Throughout the specification it should be appreciated that there are many feed pipes all of which are not necessarily identified in the drawings.

Referring firstly to Figs. 2 and 3 there is illustrated the mixing tank 1 in more detail. The mixing tank 1 comprises a motorised mixing paddle (not shown) and incorporates a liquid circulation pump and associated supply piping 11 together with a mains water inlet supply pipe 12. A cooling jacket 13 surrounds the mixing tank 1 and is provided with suitable supply piping 14 fed from the inlet supply 12 by appropriate piping mains not shown. A liquid ingredient supply pipe 14 is provided for some base liquid ingredients as is a storage tank 15 and further piping 16 for other liquid ingredients. Generally the liquid ingredients put in the storage tank 15 would be those that are of relatively small bulk. Associated pumps not shown often are provided. The dry ingredients hopper 20 having a grid 21 mounted thereon feeds a screw conveyor 22 driven by a motor 26, an removable upstanding salt tooth blade 27 is mounted across the grid 21 the blades terminating in a series of sharp and piercing points 20. A bag of dry critical ingredients is identified by interrupted lines in Fig. 3 and is identified by the reference numeral 28. Various other pumps piping etc. of the mixing tank 1 as well as its motorised paddle are not illustrated.

The bulk storage tank 2 is of generally conventional construction and incorporates various pumps such as a pump and various piping 31 for cleaning. The bottling plant 3 comprises a filler 40 a closure applicator 31 and a transfer conveyor assembly having a feed conveyor portion 42 for the filler 40 and closure applicator 41 and a take off for conveyor portion 43. Each of the ver portions 42 and 43 have a plurality of gates 45 defining the transfer conveyor into plurality of separate sections. Not all of the gates are illustrated. The plastic containers having deformable side walls are identified by the reference numeral 46. The feed conveyor portion 42 comprises a transfer table 50, incorporating a pusher arm 51. The feed conveyor portion 42 also includes a conveyor belt 52 with container support walls 50.

Referring now specifically to Fig. 5 one of the containers support walls 53 forms a container entry wall 54 mounted by pneumatic rams 55 on across beam 50.

Referring now to Fig. 6 there is illustrated portion of the feed conveyor portion 42 above which is mounted a gate 45. Each gate 45 comprises a plate 60 suspended by a pneumatic ram 61. The framework incorporating two upright 62 and a cross beam 63, adjacent each gate 45 is a container presence sensor 64. Similar presence sensors are provided at various critical portions of the transfer conveyor assembly all of which are not illustrated.

The filler 40 comprises a paid of filling heads having delivery pipe 71 which can be moved up and down into a container 46 for filling. Guide means indicated generally by the reference numeral 75 is provided and comprises a body member 76 having a 0 pair conical shaped delivery piped receiving board 77. The body member 76 is height adjustable on upright 78.

Referring now again initially to Fig. 4 each pick off conveyor portion 43 again is formed from conveyor belts to an upstanding conveyor walls 53 as is the feed conveyor portion 42. However, it will be noted that a portion of the take off conveyor portion 43 that the conveyors are arranged side by side. The take off feed conveyor portion 43 incorporates a transfer table 80 having a pusher arm 81 which in turn feeds two side by side conveyor belts 52.

Referring now specifically to Fig. 8 there is illustrated transfer means indicated generally by the reference numeral 85, the transfer means 85 comprises a upright pivot pin 86 intermediate a pair of conveyor belts 52 on which is mounted a trailing place 87 substantially vertically arranged relative to the conveyor belt 52 and an impact plate 88 mounted on the trailing plate 87 intermediate the end its ends and projecting substantial right angles there too. A leading closure plate 89 forms an extension of the trailing plate 87 on the opposite side of the pivot pin 86 and is displayed slightly away from the impact plate 88.

In operation water, is delivered through the main water inlet supply pipe 12 to the mixing tank 1 as are various liquid ingredients. The mixing paddle is operated as is the liquid circulation pump 10. Dry critical ingredient is introduced into the dry ingredient hopper 20 by placing a bag of dry ingredients 28 on top of the salt tooth blade 27 which will pierce the bag and cause it to be opened and the contents to be delivered in to the hopper 20 where it is transferred by the screw conveyor 25 to the 0 mixing tank 1. The dry critical ingredient is delivered very slowly into the mixing tank 1 as will be described here and after when the actual various examples of formulated according to the invention and the process are described in more detail, but for example the mixing process could take for example two and a half hours for a volume of 7,000 litres during which the dry ingredient is introduced would increase the specific gravity of the mixture from 1,265 to 1,295. Thus a relatively small amount of dry ingredient is delivered into the mixing tank over a short period of time. If for example there were certain critical liquid ingredients they would be delivered from the storage tank 15 again very slowly. When the batch is fully mixed it is delivered through the feed pipe 4 to the bulk storage tank 2. When it is desired to use the bottling plant 3 the stored liquid is delivered through the feed pipe to the bottling plant 3 and in fact directly to the filler 40.

Referring now to operate the bottling plant columns of empty containers 46 are placed on transfer table 50 and then moved as is appropriate by hand across the transfer table 50 until they are in front of the pusher on 51, which will push the empty containers against the entry wall 54. When the container and sensor associated with the container entry wall 54 senses that there are no containers on the conveyor belt 52 behind the entry wall 54, the entry wall 54 is raised by the pneumatic rams 55 to receive one line of empty containers 46 onto the conveyor belt 52. The empty conveyors are then transported along the conveyor 52 until two of the containers are below the filling heads 70 when the delivery pipes 71 are lowered, the containers are filled and the delivery pipe is then raised to allow the filled containers to be passed to the closure applicator 41 where the closures are placed in conventional fashion. It would be appreciated that the various gates 45 ensure sufficient separation of the 0 containers. When the container 46 is moved onto the transfer table 80 the pusher arm 81 pushes the filled container 46 across the table 80 towards the two in line conveyor belts 52.

Now referring specifically to Fig. 8 (A-C). As various letter subscripts are used for the numeral 46 in the description of the operation of the various containers in these drawings to facilitate their understanding. As a filled container 46 approaches the transfer means 85 if it should impinge against the leading closure plate 89 as illustrated in Fig. A the leading closure plate 89 will guide it towards the impact plate 88. It will be seen how a previously passing container 46(B) as will be referred again later causes the leading closure plate 89 to pivot into the position shown. When the container 46(A) impinges against the impact plate 88 it pivots the leading closure plate 89 across the conveyor belt 52 into the position as illustrated in Fig. 8(b). Next container 46(c) will then impact against the leading closure plate 89 as illustrated in Fig. 8(c) and will then pass down against the trailing plate 87 pushing it aside as was done by the container 46(b) as illustrated in Fig. 8(a). The containers 46 are then delivered side by side to the various gates where they can be taken off for packing onto pallets or into containers.

Example 1: the volume of 7,000 litres of water, detergents andchelating agents were added to the mixing tank. Then critical dry ingredient comprising Trisodium phosphate was added to the mixing tank at a rate of 0.75 kilos per second. It is envisaged that the plate forming each gate may be adapted for limited pivoting in line with the conveyor belt above which it is placed so that it will accommodate slight differences in the container. The plate could tor example be made from flexible elastic material. By doing this it would ensure that when the plate descended down onto the 0 conveyor belt that it would not impact on a container and distort it.

TABLE 1 Detergent Formulae Formula No. 1 2 3 4 5 Propyleneoxide/Ethylene Oxide 40.5 3.0 5.0 Primary Alcohol Ethoxylate 18.0 Cocobenzenedimethylammonium chloride 5.0 Blue dye 0.05 0.45 EDTA 1.0 2.25 Isopropanol 4.5 Sodium hypochloride 16% 17.7 Salt 5.0 Coconut oil 20.0 Phosphoric acid 15.0 Pine oil 4.0 12.5 Trisodium phosphate 6.0 Caustic soda 5.0 32 Total volume to 100L with water I All quantities in KG

Claims (5)

1. A process for manufacturing liquid products formulated from ingredients mixed together with water comprising the steps of: adding water to a tank; adding ingredients to the water; 10 mixing the ingredients and water; adding the ingredients to the water so that the concentration of each of the ingredients increases at the rate of not greater than 0.5% w/w per minute until 50% of critical ingredient is added and then at a rate of not 15 greater than 0.25% w/w per minute; and controlling the temperature of the liquid so that it does not exceed 85°C.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the mixing step is a combination of physical agitation of the water by the mixer blades and the pumping of the liquid back over itself, the ingredients are base and chelating agents, the chelating agents are phosphates or silicates and the base ingredient includes 25 a detergent.

3. A process for manufacturing liquid products substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. 30

4. Apparatus for carrying out the process as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 comprising: a mixing tank including: a motorised mixing paddle; a cooling jacket surrounding the tank; a water circulation pump and associated supply piping for the cooling jacket; a tank temperature controller connected to the water circulating pump; a recirculation pump and associated pipework for the mixing tank; liquid inlet pipes and associated pumps; a dry ingredient hopper and a feed conveyor for delivery of the dry ingredients to the mixer tank from the hopper; a bulk storage tank fed from the mixer and a bottling plant for containers have deformable side walls of a plastics material said bottling plant including: a filler; a closure applicator; a transfer conveyor assembly having a feed conveyor portion for the filler and closure applicator and a take off conveyor portion for the filled and closed containers; the transfer container assembly have a plurality of gates and associated presence sensors; the gates dividing the transfer conveyor into a plurality of separate sections whereby no more than a predetermined number of containers can be in contact at any one time. • ,

5. Apparatus substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. X ..