JP2008049219A - Device for transferring fluid - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for transferring a fluid such as food and drink of which the structure is simplified. <P>SOLUTION: The device for transferring the fluid is provided with a transferring pipe 3 to transfer the fluid from a first storing tank 1 to a secondary storing tank 2, a pig 4 that is inserted into the transferring pipe so as to be transferable, a waiting chamber 5 of the pig installed at the upstream side of the transferring pipe and a dead end chamber 6 installed at the downstream side of the transferring pipe. The waiting chamber consists of a branched pipe 5a where the front part of the pig is inserted and an extended pipe 5b where the rear part of the pig is inserted. The extended pipe is connected with a steam supply pipe 14 for sterilization and a pig working fluid supply pipe 15. A restriction implement 13 to penetrate the penetration apertures 17 of the pipe wall into the pipe is installed at the waiting chamber. When steam for sterilization is supplied from the steam supply pipe for sterilization, the restriction implement is transferred towards the pig in the waiting chamber to restrict the pig. When the pig working fluid is supplied from the pig working fluid supply pipe, the restriction is separated from the pig to release the pig. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid transfer device for transferring a fluid such as food or drink.

  In general, a fluid transfer device for transferring food and drink, a transfer pipe for transferring a fluid from a first storage tank to a second storage tank, a pig movably inserted in the transfer pipe, and a transfer pipe And a pig waiting chamber provided on the downstream side of the transfer pipe. After waiting the pig in the standby chamber, the fluid is poured from the first storage tank into the transfer pipe and transferred to the second storage tank. When the transfer of the fluid is completed, the pig is sent from the waiting chamber to the stop chamber by a working fluid such as pressurized air, and the remaining fluid adhering to the inner wall surface of the transfer pipe is scraped off by the pig, and the second storage tank To collect. Thereby, after the transfer of the fluid such as food and drink is completed, the fluid remaining in the transfer pipe can be removed and recovered in the second storage tank (see, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3). .)

Japanese Patent No. 3600342 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-192620 JP 2000-193199 A

  The conventional fluid transfer device has a structure for collecting the fluid remaining in the transfer tube while controlling the position and speed of the pig in the transfer tube (for example, see Patent Document 1), or cleaning the pig. A chamber is provided on the upstream side of the transfer pipe and the pig is constrained in the cleaning chamber to wash the pig and the like with a cleaning liquid (see, for example, Patent Document 2). (See, for example, Patent Document 3), and has a drawback that the structure is complicated, large, expensive, and troublesome to maintain. In addition, when cleaning and sterilizing a pig, the pig is suspended in a dedicated cleaning chamber, so that the structure of the device is further complicated and a device for automatically taking in and out the cleaning chamber is required. There is a drawback.

  An object of this invention is to provide the fluid transfer apparatus which eliminates such a problem.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following configuration.

  That is, the invention according to claim 1 includes a transfer pipe (3) for transferring the fluid (A) from the first storage tank (1) to the second storage tank (2), and the transfer pipe (3). A pig (4) movably inserted therein, a waiting chamber (5) of the pig (4) provided upstream of the transfer pipe (3), and a downstream side of the transfer pipe (3) In the fluid transfer device provided with the closing chamber (6) of the pig (4) provided, the standby chamber (5) is the transfer pipe (3) into which the front portion of the pig (4) is inserted. And a branch pipe (5b) into which the rear part of the pig (4) is inserted. The extension pipe (5b) includes a sterilizing steam. A supply pipe (14) and a pig working fluid supply pipe (15) are connected, and the standby chamber (5) has a through-hole (17) in its tube wall provided in a standby chamber ( ) Is provided with a restraining tool (13) penetrating into the sterilizing steam supply pipe (14), and when the sterilizing steam is supplied from the sterilizing steam supply pipe (14), the restraining tool (13) is connected to the pig ( 4) to move the restraint (13) away from the pig (4) when restraining the pig (4) and supplying the pig working fluid from the pig working fluid supply pipe (15). The pig (4) is released.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the fluid transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the annular groove (4a) is formed in the pig (4), and the restraining tool (13) is placed in the annular groove (4a). When entering, the pig (4) is restrained, and when coming out of the annular groove (4a), the pig (4) is released.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the fluid transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer pipe (3) is a straight pipe between the standby chamber (5) and the closing chamber (6). Features.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the fluid transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that an O-ring (12) is fitted around the front portion of the pig (4).

  Moreover, the invention which concerns on Claim 5 WHEREIN: In the fluid transfer apparatus of Claim 1, the groove | channel (18) extended in the front-back direction of a pig (4) was formed in the outer peripheral surface of a pig (4). Features.

  According to the present invention, the transfer pipe (3) for transferring the fluid (A) from the first storage tank (1) to the second storage tank (2) and movable in the transfer pipe (3) The pig (4) inserted into the pipe, the waiting chamber (5) of the pig (4) provided on the upstream side of the transfer pipe (3), and the above-mentioned provided on the downstream side of the transfer pipe (3) In the fluid transfer device including the closing chamber (6) of the pig (4), the standby chamber (5) is branched from the transfer pipe (3) into which the front portion of the pig (4) is inserted. A pipe (5a) and an extension pipe (5b) of the branch pipe (5a) into which the rear part of the pig (4) is inserted. The extension pipe (5b) includes a sterilization steam supply pipe (14 ) And a pig working fluid supply pipe (15), and the standby chamber (5) penetrates the through hole (17) of the tube wall into the standby chamber (5). When a bundle (13) is provided and sterilization steam is supplied from the sterilization steam supply pipe (14), the restraint (13) is moved toward the pig (4) in the standby chamber (5). When restraining the pig (4) and supplying the pig working fluid from the pig working fluid supply pipe (15), the restraining tool (13) is separated from the pig (4) and the pig (4) is moved. Since the fluid transfer device is designed to be released, the front part of the pig (4) is held by the branch pipe (5a), and the rear part is put into the extension pipe (5b) so that the pig (4) is placed in the waiting room ( 5) It can be held suspended in the interior, and the operator can restrain the pig (4) in the waiting room (5) by operating the restraining tool (13) from the outside of the tube. Therefore, the pig (4) can be cleaned or sterilized without providing a conventional special cleaning chamber, pig moving device, or the like, and the fluid transfer device can be downsized and simplified.

  In the present invention, when the transfer pipe (3) is a straight pipe between the standby chamber (5) and the closing chamber (6), the fluid transfer device can be further downsized and simplified. In addition, when returning the pig (4) from the closing chamber (6) to the standby chamber (5), it is very easy to simply insert a rod or the like into the transfer pipe (3) and retract the pig (4). Can be done.

  Moreover, in this invention, when the groove | channel (18) extended in the front-back direction of a pig (4) is formed in the outer peripheral surface of a pig (4), the vapor | steam for sterilization is guide | induced into a groove | channel (18) and pig ( The outer peripheral surface of 4) can be sterilized more appropriately.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
As shown in FIG. 1, this fluid transfer device includes a transfer pipe 3 that transfers a fluid such as soup, sauce, juice, etc., from a first storage tank 1 to a second storage tank 2, and this transfer pipe 3. A pig 4 movably inserted therein, a waiting chamber 5 for the pig 4 provided on the upstream side of the transfer pipe 3, and a closing chamber 6 for the pig 4 provided on the downstream side of the transfer pipe 3 are provided.

  The first storage tank 1 is a sealed container having a large volume for storing soup, sauce, juice and the like which are fluids to be transferred by the fluid transfer device. The first storage tank 1 is connected to a delivery pipe 7 that is upstream of the transfer pipe 3. A pump 8 is installed in the delivery pipe 7. The fluid is pumped from the first storage tank 1 to the transfer pipe 3 by driving the pump 8. Further, a sterilization steam supply pipe 9 is connected to the first storage tank 1.

  The second storage tank 2 has the same size as the first storage tank 1 and is connected to an inflow pipe 10 that is a downstream portion of the transfer pipe 3. The fluid in the first storage tank 1 flows into the second storage tank 2 from the inflow pipe 10 through the delivery pipe 7 and the transfer pipe 3. Connected to the second storage tank 2 is an exhaust pipe 11 for discharging the steam injected from the sterilizing steam supply pipe 9 into the fluid transfer apparatus to the outside of the fluid transfer apparatus. Initially, the first and second storage tanks 1 and 2 are emptied, and when steam is injected into the fluid transfer device from the sterilizing steam supply pipe 9, the steam is stored in the first storage tank 1, After the inside of the delivery pipe 7, the pump 8, the transfer pipe 3, the inflow pipe 10, the second storage tank 2, etc. is sterilized, it is discharged from the exhaust pipe 11. This vapor is, for example, about 130 ° C. and is injected for about 30 minutes. The second storage tank 2 is connected to a conduit (not shown) for sending the fluid to an aseptic filling machine that fills and packs the fluid in bags, containers and the like.

  The transfer pipe 3 may be bent and extended at a desired location from the upstream side to the downstream side, but preferably a straight pipe between the standby chamber 5 and the closing chamber 6 as shown in FIG. That is, it is configured as a straight tube. Thereby, the structure of the fluid transfer device is simplified, and space saving is also possible.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pig 4 is formed as a substantially cylindrical body by a resin, rubber, or the like that is a soft material and an elastic material. The pig 4 is formed so that its outer diameter is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the transfer pipe 3 so that the fluid remaining on the inner surface of the transfer pipe 3 while moving in the transfer pipe 3 can be scraped off. Is done. An O-ring 12 is fitted around the front part of the pig 4, that is, around the front part of the transfer pipe 3 that faces the flowing direction of the fluid. The fluid adhered to the inner surface of the transfer pipe 3 by the O-ring 12 is scraped off more effectively.

  In addition, an annular groove 4 a into which a later-described restraining tool 13 enters and disengages is provided at the center of the pig 4. When the restraining tool 13 enters the annular groove 4a, the pig 4 is restrained from moving from a fixed position in the standby chamber 5, and when it moves out of the annular groove 4a, the pig 4 is released and can move within the transfer pipe 3. Become.

  The waiting chamber 5 includes a branch pipe 5a having a thickness substantially the same as the transfer pipe 3 into which the front part of the pig 4 is inserted, and an extension pipe 5b of the branch pipe 5a into which the rear part of the pig 4 is inserted. The branch pipe 5a branches from the upstream of the transfer pipe 3, and the tip of the delivery pipe 7 extending from the first storage tank 1 is connected to the tip of the branch pipe 5a. The extension pipe 5b has an inner diameter larger than the diameter of the pig 4, and an empty space is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the pig 4 and the inner peripheral face of the extension pipe 5b. A conical tube 5c for gradually changing the inner diameter is provided between the extension tube 5b and the branch tube 5a as necessary. Of course, the branch pipe 5aa and the extension pipe 5b may have the same thickness as the transfer pipe 3.

  A sterilization steam supply pipe 14 and a pig working fluid supply pipe 15 are connected to the extension pipe 5b. An exhaust pipe 16 for sterilizing steam is also connected. When sterilizing steam is injected into the extension pipe 5b from the sterilizing steam supply pipe 14, the steam heat sterilizes the surface of the pig 4. This vapor is, for example, about 130 ° C. and is injected for about 30 minutes. Since the front part of the pig 4 is fitted into the branch pipe 5a during standby, the pig 4 is held suspended in the extension pipe 5b, and the vapor contacts the substantially entire surface. Therefore, the surface of the pig 4 is appropriately sterilized. After the sterilization of the pig 4, the steam is discharged to the outside from the exhaust pipe 16 connected to the extension pipe 5 b. Further, when the supply of the sterilizing steam is stopped and the pig working fluid is injected into the extension pipe 5b from the supply pipe 15, the pig 4 comes out of the standby chamber 5 into the transfer pipe 3 due to the pressure. It moves downstream and reaches the stop chamber 6 and stops. Pressurized air, water, or the like can be used as the pig working fluid. The pressure of the pig working fluid is about 0.3 to 0.4 MPa.

  The waiting chamber 5 is provided with a restraining tool 13 that penetrates the through hole 17 formed in the tube wall of the extension tube 5b into the tube. Specifically, the restraining tool 13 is a round bar, and when the operator inserts the restraining tool 13 into the standby chamber 5 from the through-hole 17, the tip of the restraining tool 13 bites into the annular groove 4 a of the pig 4. 4 is restrained in the waiting room 5. Accordingly, when supplying the sterilizing steam from the sterilizing steam supply pipe 14, the pig 4 stays at a fixed position in the standby chamber 5 against the steam pressure. Further, when the operator pulls the restraining tool 13 to the outside of the extension pipe 5 b to disengage the tip of the restraining tool 13 from the annular groove 4 a of the pig 4, the pig 4 is released from the restraint in the standby chamber 5. Thus, when the pig working fluid is supplied from the pig working fluid supply pipe 15, the pig 4 is pushed out from the standby chamber 5 into the transfer pipe 3.

  The closing chamber 6 is provided as an extension of the transfer pipe 3 at the downstream end of the transfer pipe 3. The end on the extension side is closed with an end plate 6a, and the pig 4 stops by hitting the end plate 6a. An inflow pipe 10, which is a downstream portion of the transfer pipe 3, extends from the upstream end of the closing chamber 6 toward the second storage tank 2. When the pig 4 moves from the standby chamber 5 to the closing chamber 6, the fluid that adheres to and remains on the inner wall surface of the transfer pipe 3 is scraped off by the pig 4, and the inflow pipe 10 passes through the second storage tank 2. It is collected by flowing into the.

  Next, the operation of the fluid transfer device will be described.

  (1) Initially, the first and second storage tanks 1 and 2 shown in FIG. 1 are emptied. As shown in FIG. 2, the operator inserts the restraining tool 13 into the standby chamber 5 from the through hole 17 of the extension pipe 5 b and inserts the tip of the restraining tool 13 into the annular groove 4 a of the pig 4. Thereby, the pig 4 is restrained in the waiting room 5.

(2) As shown in FIG. 4, sterilizing steam is injected into the first storage tank 1 from the sterilizing steam supply pipe 9. The steam flows from the first storage tank 1 to the delivery pipe 7, the pump 8, the transfer pipe 3, the inflow pipe 10, and the second storage tank 2. It is discharged out of the storage tank 2.
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the sterilizing steam is also injected from the sterilizing steam supply pipe 14 into the standby chamber 5, that is, inside the extension pipe 5b and the branch pipe 5a. The front part of the pig 4 is fitted in the branch pipe 5a in the standby chamber 5, and is held suspended in the extension pipe 5b. Thereby, the vapor | steam inject | poured in the extension pipe | tube 5b contacts the substantially whole surface of the pig 4, and is disinfected. Since the extension pipe 5 b is blocked by the O-ring 12 of the pig 4, the steam is discharged outside from the exhaust pipe 16 connected to the extension pipe 5 b after the sterilization of the pig 4.
Thus, when the inside of the fluid transfer device is sterilized, valves (not shown) provided in various pipes such as the sterilizing steam supply pipes 9 and 14 and the exhaust pipes 11 and 16 are closed and the system is sealed. .

  (3) As shown in FIG. 5, the sterilized first storage tank 1 is aseptically filled with a desired amount of fluid A such as soup, sauce and juice, and the first storage tank 1 is sealed again. Is done.

  (4) By driving the pump 8, the fluid A flows from the first storage tank 1 into the delivery pipe 7 upstream of the transfer pipe 3 as shown in FIG. 5. Since the branch pipe 5a on the upstream side of the transfer pipe 3 is closed by the O-ring 12 of the pig 4, the inflow of the fluid A to the branch pipe 5a and the extension pipe 5b is prevented. The fluid A flowing into the transfer pipe 3 is pumped downstream in the transfer pipe 3 and flows into the second storage tank 2 from the inflow pipe 10 on the downstream side of the transfer pipe 3.

  (5) When the transfer of the fluid A from the first storage tank 1 to the second storage tank 2 is completed, the operator pulls the restraining tool 13 to the outside of the extension pipe 5b as shown in FIG. The restraining tool 13 may be extracted from the through hole 17 of the extension pipe 5 b or may remain in the through hole 17. If left in the through hole 17, leakage of the pig working fluid can be prevented. Thus, when the restraint 13 is pulled out of the pipe and the tip of the restraint 13 is detached from the annular groove 4 a of the pig 4, the pig 4 is released from the restraint in the standby chamber 5.

(6) As shown in FIG. 6, when the pig working fluid is supplied from the pig working fluid supply pipe 15 into the extension pipe 5b, the pig 4 is pushed out from the standby chamber 5 into the transfer pipe 3 by the pressure. The pipe 3 moves downstream.
The pig 4 moves through the transfer pipe 3, scrapes off the remaining fluid adhering to the inner wall surface of the transfer pipe 3, and flows the scraped-down fluid into the second storage tank 2 from the inflow pipe 10.

  (7) Eventually, the pig 4 enters the closing chamber 6 as shown in FIG. 7, hits the end plate 6a, and stops. Thereby, the recovery of all the fluid remaining in the transfer pipe 3 is completed, and the transfer of the fluid from the first storage tank 1 to the second storage tank 2 is completed.

  (8) A conduit (not shown) is connected to the second storage tank 2, and the fluid A in the second storage tank 2 is sent from this conduit to an aseptic filling machine (not shown) and filled into bags, containers, and the like. Packaged.

(9) The pig 4 that has entered the closing chamber 6 is pushed back into the waiting chamber 5 by inserting an operating rod by an operator through a hole that has been previously drilled in the end plate 6a and closed with a plug, for example. Alternatively, it is also possible to inject compressed air from the hole of the end plate 6a and push it back.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pig 4 that has returned to the waiting chamber 5 is again restrained in the waiting chamber 5 by the restraining tool 13.

<Embodiment 2>
As shown in FIG. 8, in the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the branch pipe 5 a branched from the transfer pipe 3 and its extension pipe 5 b are formed to the same thickness as the transfer pipe 3.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of grooves 18 extending in the front-rear direction of the pig 4 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the pig 4. As a result, the steam injected from the sterilizing steam supply pipe 14 passes through the groove 18 to the entire outer peripheral surface of the pig 4, and the pig 4 is sterilized more appropriately.

  8 and 9, the same parts as those in Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  Although the present invention is configured as described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, the pig has a cylindrical shape in the above embodiment, but may have a structure in which, for example, a plurality of spheres are connected in one direction. Moreover, although the restraint tool is a round bar in the above-described embodiment, it may be screwed into a female screw formed in the through hole as, for example, a screw bar.

It is a conceptual diagram of the fluid transfer apparatus which concerns on this invention. In FIG. 1, it is an enlarged view of the principal part. It is a perspective view of an example of a pig. It is a conceptual diagram of the fluid transfer apparatus in the sterilization process. It is a conceptual diagram of the fluid transfer apparatus in a fluid transfer process. It is a conceptual diagram of the fluid transfer apparatus in a fluid collection | recovery process. It is a conceptual diagram of the fluid transfer apparatus at the time of completion of fluid collection | recovery. It is an enlarged view of the principal part in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a perspective view of the pig used in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS A ... Fluid 1 ... First storage tank 2 ... Second storage tank 3 ... Transfer pipe 4 ... Pig 4a ... Ring groove 5 ... Standby chamber 5a ... Branch pipe 5b ... Extension pipe 6 ... Closure chamber 12 ... O-ring 13 ... restraint tool 14 ... steam supply pipe for sterilization 15 ... pig working fluid supply pipe 17 ... through hole 18 ... groove

Claims (5)

  A transfer pipe for transferring the fluid from the first storage tank to the second storage tank, a pig inserted movably in the transfer pipe, and a waiting room for the pig provided on the upstream side of the transfer pipe And a fluid transfer device comprising a pig closing chamber provided downstream of the transfer pipe, wherein the standby chamber includes a branch pipe branched from the transfer pipe into which a front portion of the pig is inserted. The extension pipe of the branch pipe into which the rear portion of the pig is inserted is connected to a steam supply pipe for sterilization and a pig working fluid supply pipe. The pipe is connected to the standby chamber. A restraint that penetrates the through hole of the wall into the standby chamber is provided, and when supplying the sterilization steam from the sterilization steam supply pipe, the restraint is moved toward the pig in the standby chamber to restrain the pig. The pig working fluid is supplied from the pig working fluid supply pipe. , The fluid transfer device, characterized in that the restraint was to release the pig away from the pig.   2. The fluid transfer device according to claim 1, wherein an annular groove is formed in the pig, the pig is restrained when the restraining tool enters the annular groove, and the pig is released when it comes out of the annular groove. A fluid transfer device.   2. The fluid transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer pipe is a straight pipe between the standby chamber and the closing chamber.   2. The fluid transfer device according to claim 1, wherein an O-ring is fitted around a front portion of the pig.   2. The fluid transfer device according to claim 1, wherein a groove extending in the front-rear direction of the pig is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the pig.

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