JP4275222B2 - Cleaning method of rotary filling machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Technical field belonging to the invention]
The present invention relates to a cleaning method for a rotary filling machine that fills a container with a filling machine through a filler bowl that is rotatably arranged.
[0002]
[Prior art]
11 is a perspective view of the rotary filling machine 2, FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the flow of the cleaning liquid 4 in the filler bowl 3 of the rotary filling machine 2 during cleaning, and FIG. 4 is a top view showing an opening operation section of the valve 30. FIG.
In FIG. 11, when a beverage as a filling liquid is filled into a container 6 by the rotary filling machine 2, after an empty container (feed bottle) 6 is sent by a transport conveyor (not shown), an indexing screw 7 is used. And is supplied to the rotary filling machine 2 via the inlet star wheel 8.
In the rotary filling machine 2, the inlet of the empty container 6 is pressed against the filling valve 30 (see FIG. 12) mounted on the lower surface of the filler bowl 3. When the space between the inlet of the empty container 6 and the filling valve 30 is sealed, the electromagnetic valve 33 is opened by a filling start command given from a control panel (not shown). Along with this, the air cylinder 34 extends and pushes down the stem 31, so that the valve portion 32 provided at the lower end thereof opens and the beverage flows into the container 6. At this time, the gas in the empty container 6 returns to the gas phase portion in the filler bowl 3 through the gas line 31 a of the stem 31.
The inflow of the beverage into the container 6 stops when the filling liquid level in the container 6 reaches the lower surface of the gas line 31a. The control panel outputs a filling end command when a predetermined time elapses after the stem 31 moves down. As a result, the electromagnetic valve 33 is closed, so that the stem 31 is raised by the force of the spring 39, and as a result, the valve portion 32 provided at the lower end of the stem 31 is closed. On the other hand, the container (bottle) 6 filled with the beverage is transferred from the rotary filling machine 2 to the outlet star wheel 13 and then sealed with a closure 70 and discharged.
Beverage is supplied to the rotating filler bowl 3 via the main liquid pipe 14, the rotary joint 21 (details not shown) and the horizontal main liquid pipe 15, and the supply flow rate is adjusted by the control valve 19 at that time. Is done. On the other hand, gas supply / exhaust in the filler bowl 3 is performed through the operation valve 20, the gas pipe 16, the rotary joint 22, and the lateral gas pipe 17 connected to the upper lid 5 of the filler bowl 3.
[0003]
In such a rotary filling machine 2, the filler bowl 3 and the main liquid pipe 14 etc. that are in direct contact with the beverage and the gas pipe 16 etc. in contact with the mist of the beverage contained in the gas are soiled by this beverage, The gas-liquid interface in the filler bowl 3 is most dirty. Therefore, a washing process is always executed after the beverage is manufactured.
When cleaning the inside of the rotary filling machine 2, a CIP cap 35 is attached to the lower end of the filling valve 30 to control the cleaning liquid 4 (for example, heated caustic soda aqueous solution) sent from a cleaning liquid tank (not shown). A main liquid pipe 14 is supplied through a valve 19.
The cleaning liquid 4 supplied to the main liquid pipe 14 flows into the filler bowl 3 through the rotary joint 21 and the horizontal main liquid pipe 15. When the filler bowl 3 is filled with the cleaning liquid 4, a part thereof is returned to the cleaning liquid tank through the lateral gas pipe 17, the rotary joint 22, the gas pipe 16 and the operation valve 20 connected to the upper lid 5 of the filler bowl 3. It is.
[0004]
When the filler bowl 3 is filled with the cleaning liquid 4, the outlet of the gas line 31 a opening at the upper end of the stem 31 is submerged in the cleaning liquid 4. For this reason, the cleaning liquid 4 flows into the CIP cap 35 through the gas line 31a, and then passes through the passage 36a in the spring cage 36, the passage 37 of the filling valve 30, and the drain pipe 38 to the outside of the rotary filling machine 2. To be discharged. The cleaning liquid 4 discharged from the drain pipe 38 is returned to the cleaning liquid tank through a return tank or a rotary joint (not shown).
On the other hand, cleaning of the liquid passage 30 a of the filling valve 30 is performed by operating the electromagnetic valve 33. That is, if the electromagnetic valve 33 is operated, the air cylinder 34 is extended to open the valve portion 32, so that the cleaning liquid 4 in the filler bowl 3 flows into the CIP cap 35 through the liquid passage 30a.
As described above, the cleaning liquid 4 circulates between the cleaning liquid tank and the rotary filling machine 2, and during that time, the filler bowl 3, the main liquid pipe 14, the gas pipe 16, the liquid passage 30 a of the filling valve 30, and the gas line of the stem 31. Wash 31a and the like.
[0005]
A plurality of the filling valves 30 are arranged along the circumferential direction of the filler bowl 3. Therefore, in order to clean these filling valves 30 evenly, the rotary filling machine 2 is rotated at a low speed of about 10 to 20% at the time of beverage production, and at the same time, each of which is located in an arbitrary rotation angle range α shown in FIG. The valve portion 32 of the filling valve 30 is opened, and the cleaning liquid 4 is circulated through the liquid passage 30 a of the filling valve 30.
Of course, while the rotary filling machine 2 is rotating, the cleaning liquid 4 always flows through the gas line 31a of the filling valve 30, the horizontal gas pipe 17, the rotary joint 22, and the gas pipe 16 which are gas supply and exhaust lines. .
The cleaning liquid 4 circulated as described above cleans / sterilizes the beverage and gas passages in the rotary filling machine 2.
In addition, when opening the valve part 32 of the said filling valve 30, the solenoid valve 33 shown in FIG. 12 is operated. The opening / closing control of the filling valve 30 positioned in the rotation angle range α is executed based on time or the operation of a fixed cam (not shown).
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The flow rate of the cleaning liquid 4 circulating through the rotary filling machine 2 cannot be increased so much because of the capacity of a pump (not shown), and is about twice the beverage flow rate during beverage production. At such a flow rate, although depending on the size of the rotary filling machine 2, the average flow rate of the cleaning liquid 4 in the inside of the filler bowl 3 is about 0.01 to 0.1 m / s.
In general, mechanical cleaning elements include chemical cleaning elements using cleaning agents and heat, etc., and physical cleaning elements using liquid flow, and cleaning by the interaction of these cleaning elements is most effective. It has been known.
However, in the rotary filling machine 2, the physicality due to the flow of the cleaning liquid 4 with respect to the part where dirt is most adhered during beverage production, that is, the gas-liquid interface part on the inner wall surface of the filler bowl 3 and the outer surface of the stem 31 of the filling valve 30 Force cannot be fully applied.
[0007]
On the other hand, due to the recent trend toward diversification of beverages, the production form has changed from a small-variety mass production type to a multi-variety small-quantity production type. In high-mix low-volume production, the number of times the cleaning of the filling machine 2 is inevitably increased. Therefore, in order to increase the operating rate of the machine (improve production efficiency), it is necessary to shorten the cleaning time, which is non-production time. Become.
Therefore, an expensive cleaning agent having a high cleaning power is used, or a cleaning nozzle such as a spray ball is installed in the rotary filling machine 2, and the cleaning liquid 4 is sprayed onto the gas-liquid interface portion where the dirt is noticeable. The measures are taken.
However, the former means has a disadvantage that it increases the running cost of beverage production, and the latter means has a disadvantage that it is necessary to clean the dirt adhering to the washing nozzle. For this reason, none of these means can be an effective cleaning promoting means.
In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning method that can efficiently clean a rotary filling machine without increasing running costs and equipment costs.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
1st invention is the washing | cleaning method of the rotary filling machine filled with the to-be-filled liquid through the filler bowl arrange | positioned rotatably, Comprising: After filling the said liquid with the washing | cleaning liquid, the said rotary filling machine The step of periodically raising and lowering the rotation speed and the step of supplying and circulating the cleaning liquid into the filler bowl between the time when the rotation speed is raised and the time when the rotation speed is lowered are included.
According to a second invention, in the first invention, a step of supplying and circulating the cleaning liquid into the filler bowl between the time when the rotational speed is lowered and the time when the rotational speed is raised is added.
3rd invention is the washing | cleaning method of the rotary type filling machine which fills a to-be-filled liquid with a container through the filler bowl arrange | positioned rotatably, Comprising: After filling the said washing liquid into the said filler bowl, the said rotary type A first step of periodically raising and lowering the rotational speed of the filling machine; and a second step of supplying the cleaning liquid into the filler bowl and continuously circulating the filler during execution of the first step. Contains.
4th invention is the washing | cleaning method of the rotary type filling machine which fills a to-be-filled liquid with a container through the filler bowl arrange | positioned rotatably, Comprising: The said rotary type in the state which filled the said washing liquid into the said filler bowl. A first step of periodically raising and lowering the rotational speed of the filling machine; and after the execution of the first step, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the filler bowl and circulated in a state in which the rotational speed is periodically raised and lowered. And a second step.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a cleaning method for a rotary filling machine according to the present invention will be described. The application target of the cleaning method according to this embodiment is the rotary filling machine 2 shown in FIG. Since the configuration of the rotary filling machine 2 and the circulation system of the cleaning liquid are as described above, description thereof will be omitted.
FIG. 1 is a top view showing a state in which the upper lid 5 of the filler bowl 3 shown in FIG. 12 is removed.
When the filler bowl 3 and the cleaning liquid 4 filled in it (see FIG. 12) are stationary, when the rotary filling machine 2 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1, due to the inertia of the cleaning liquid 4, A relative speed as illustrated in FIG. 2A is generated between the inner wall surface of the filler bowl 3 and the cleaning liquid 4 and between the outer surface of the stem 31 shown in FIG. A similar relative speed is generated between the filling valve 30 mounted on the filler bowl 3 and the cleaning liquid 4.
[0010]
If the rotation of the filler bowl 3 is continued, the speed of the cleaning liquid 4 increases due to the viscosity of the cleaning liquid 4 and the frictional force acting between the cleaning liquid 4 and the wall surface of the filler bowl 3, and as a result, the relative speed is as shown in FIG. As shown in (b), it decreases. Then, after a certain period of time, as shown in FIG. 2C, the speed of the cleaning liquid 4 coincides with the peripheral speed of the filler bowl 3. That is, the relative speed is greatest when the rotary filling machine 2 starts to rotate, and thereafter decreases with time and finally becomes zero.
On the other hand, when the rotary filling machine 2 rotating at a constant speed is stopped, the relative speed is generated due to the inertia of the cleaning liquid 4. In this case, the relative speed directions in FIGS. 2A and 2B are reversed.
[0011]
As a function of the fluid, the relative speed generates a shearing force on the inner wall surface of the filler bowl 3 and the surface of the stem 31 of the filling valve 30. The above-mentioned physical cleaning action means a cleaning action by this shearing force, whereby the dirt attached to the wall surface of the filler bowl 3 is peeled off. The larger the shearing force, in other words, the greater the relative speed between the fluid and the object to be cleaned, the better the cleaning effect, which contributes to shortening the cleaning time.
[0012]
As is clear from the above description, in the cleaning process of the rotary filling machine 2, the state in which the relative speed is high can be made by repeating the rotation and stop of the filler bowl 3, and this is the cleaning of the adhered dirt. Promote the effect.
Therefore, in the cleaning method according to the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the rotational speed of the rotary filling machine 2 is periodically raised and lowered to realize a state where the relative speed is high.
Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described.
[0013]
(Embodiment 1)
After filling the filler bowl 3 with the cleaning liquid 4, as shown in FIG. 3, the starting and stopping of the rotary filling machine 2 is repeated at a predetermined cycle. Immediately after the filling machine 2 is started, a large relative speed is generated as shown in FIG. 2A, and thereafter, the relative speed decreases with time.
In order to generate a large relative speed even when the filling machine 2 is stopped, the filling machine 2 is operated in a state where the relative speed generated at the time of start-up is sufficiently reduced, that is, in a state where the cleaning liquid 4 is rotating together with the filler bowl 3. It needs to be stopped.
However, it is not desirable to wait until the relative speed sufficiently decreases in order to shorten the cleaning time.
Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the supply process of the cleaning liquid to the filler bowl 3 (the cleaning liquid circulation process in the filler bowl 3) is executed in synchronization with the activation of the rotary filling machine 2, Thus, the relative speed is quickly reduced.
In order to circulate the cleaning liquid 4, the control valve 19 and the operation valve 20 shown in FIG. 12 are opened to form a circulation path including the main liquid pipe 14 and the gas pipe 16, and the rotation angle range 2 shown in FIG. The stems 31 of the plurality of filling valves 30 positioned are driven to open the valve portions 32 of the valves 30. Simultaneously with these operations, the cleaning liquid 4 is supplied to the main liquid pipe 14.
The stem 31 is moved down by the extension operation of the air cylinder 34 based on the operation of the electromagnetic valve 33 shown in FIG.
When the circulation of the cleaning liquid 4 is started by the above operation, the cleaning liquid 4 that has been flowing in the filler bowl 3 at a speed slower than that of the filler bowl 3 until then is rotated in the state where the plurality of filling valves 30 are open. As a result, the relative speed of the cleaning liquid 4 in the filler bowl decreases. That is, the rotational speed of the cleaning liquid 4 is brought close to the rotational speed of the filler bowl 3.
If the filling valve 30, the control valve 19 and the operation valve 20 are closed and the rotary filling machine 2 is stopped when the relative speed is reduced as described above, a large relative speed based on the inertia of the cleaning liquid 4 is generated.
Thus, according to this embodiment, a strong shearing force by the cleaning liquid 4 is repeatedly applied to the inner wall surface of the highly dirty filler bowl 3 and the outer surface of the stem 31 to dramatically improve the cleaning efficiency for the above surfaces. Can do.
Moreover, the stop timing of the rotary filling machine 2 can be advanced by the action of decreasing the relative speed due to the circulation of the cleaning liquid 4, and this contributes to shortening of the cleaning time together with the improvement of the cleaning efficiency.
The circulation of the cleaning liquid 4 is started when the relative speed that has increased with the start of the filling machine 2 decreases to a predetermined magnitude.
[0014]
(Embodiment 2)
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning liquid 4 is circulated even during the stop period of the rotary filling machine 2. Therefore, a higher cleaning effect can be obtained.
[0015]
(Embodiment 3)
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning liquid 4 is continuously circulated while the operation speed of the rotary filling machine 2 is periodically changed.
Also in this embodiment, the same cleaning effect as described above can be obtained.
[0016]
(Embodiment 4)
As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, starting and stopping of the rotary filling machine 2 are repeated for a predetermined time in a state in which the filler 4 is filled with the cleaning liquid 4 (cleaning liquid non-circulating state), and then the rotary filling is performed. The cleaning liquid 4 is supplied to the filler bowl 3 and circulated while the machine 2 is continuously started and stopped.
In the circulation period of the cleaning liquid 4 in this embodiment, any one of the circulation modes of the cleaning liquid 4 shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 can be adopted.
[0017]
(Embodiment 5)
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the rotary filling machine 2 is started and stopped at a predetermined cycle. However, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 corresponding to these drawings, the rotary filling machine 2 is started and stopped. The operation speed of the machine 2 may be periodically raised and lowered between a preset high speed operation speed and a low speed operation speed.
As the high speed operation speed, for example, an operation speed at the time of beverage production is adopted, and as the low speed operation speed, for example, a speed that is ½ of the high speed operation speed is adopted.
[0018]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the relative speed of the filler bowl and the cleaning liquid is increased by the periodic change of the rotational speed of the rotary filling machine, and as a result, a large cleaning force acts on the filler bowl. Therefore, the rotary filling machine can be cleaned efficiently without increasing the running cost and the equipment cost.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a filler bowl with an upper lid removed.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a distribution pattern of relative speeds of a filler bowl and a cleaning liquid.
FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a rotary filling machine.
FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a flow state of the cleaning liquid in the filler bowl.
FIG. 13 is a plan view showing an opening operation range of the filling valve in the fora bowl.
[Explanation of symbols]
2 Rotary Filling Machine 3 Filler Bowl 4 Cleaning Liquid 6 Container 14 Main Liquid Pipe 15 Horizontal Main Liquid Pipe 16 Gas Pipe 17 Horizontal Gas Pipe 19 Control Valve 20 Operation Valve 30 Filling Valve 31 Stem 31a Gas Line 32 Valve Portion 33 Solenoid Valve 34 Air Cylinder 35 CIP cap

Claims (4)

A cleaning method for a rotary filling machine that fills a container with a liquid to be filled through a filler bowl that is rotatably arranged,
Periodically filling the filler bowl with cleaning liquid, and periodically raising and lowering the rotational speed of the rotary filling machine;
Supplying and circulating the cleaning liquid into the filler bowl during a period from when the rotational speed is increased to when the rotational speed is decreased;
A cleaning method for a rotary filling machine, comprising: The cleaning method for a rotary filling machine according to claim 1, further comprising a step of supplying and circulating the cleaning liquid into the filler ball during a period from when the rotational speed is lowered to when it is raised. . A cleaning method for a rotary filling machine that fills a container with a liquid to be filled through a filler bowl that is rotatably arranged,
A first step of periodically raising and lowering the rotational speed of the rotary filling machine after filling the filler bowl with cleaning liquid;
A second step of supplying and continuously circulating the cleaning liquid into the filler ball during the execution of the first step;
A cleaning method for a rotary filling machine, comprising: A cleaning method for a rotary filling machine that fills a container with a liquid to be filled through a filler bowl that is rotatably arranged,
A first step of periodically raising and lowering the rotational speed of the rotary filling machine with the filler bowl filled with a cleaning liquid;
After the execution of the first step, a second step of supplying and circulating the cleaning liquid to the filler ball in a state where the periodic increase / decrease of the rotation speed is continued;
A cleaning method for a rotary filling machine, comprising:

Images