JPH03128809A - Aseptic screw conveyor and quantitative filling method for solid-liquid mixture using the same conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make the separate measuring and filling of solid and liquid possible in the case of the above quantitative filling process executed under a sterilized condition by rotating a flexible spiral body in a drawing direction in an inclined cylindrical body into which sterilizing steam and slightly positive pressure maintaining air have been supplied to draw up the solid-liquid mixture as solid- liquid separation is carried out in the lower end part of the cylindrical body. CONSTITUTION:A solid-liquid mixture 19 is supplied into a hopper 8 as steam and sterilized air are supplied there. The mixture 19 then enters the lower end part 4' of the hopper 8, and the liquid 20 flows down through a liquid dropping hole 11. The solid liquid mixture containing much solid is lifted to the upper end part 4 of the hopper 8 by a spiral vane 2. Liquid part is further separated during the above lifting process and flows down. The solid enters a measuring tank 18 from the upper end part 4, and is measured and filled into each vessel 22. Thus the solid and the liquid can be separately measured and filled under sterilized condition without the damage of the solid.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an aseptic screw conveyor that performs solid-liquid separation and solid transportation under reduced cylinder conditions, and a method for quantifying solid-liquid mixtures under sterile conditions using the same conveyor. Regarding the filling method, it is mainly used for filling solid foods.

[Conventional technology]

Food sterilization methods include sterilization inside containers and sterilization outside containers. In-container sterilization is performed by heating food in a filled and sealed autoclave.

Most of the room-temperature food products currently on the market are processed using this method of sterilization inside the container, but the combination of sterilization outside the container and aseptic filling is not carried out for the following reasons:

■ Pumping through piping is generally used as a means of transporting food, but food containing solids, especially those that are large in size and the viscosity of the liquid portion is relatively low,
When processing foods with a large difference in specific gravity between solid and liquid, solids settle in the piping of the sterilization/filling equipment, resulting in large variations in solids content between filled containers, making the food unsuitable for commercial use.

■In the worst case, the inside of the pipe may become clogged with solid matter, making operation impossible.

Therefore, due to the above reasons, namely transportation and filling problems, currently,
Foods containing solids are sterilized inside the container.

However, for in-container sterilization in which food is sterilized using an autoclave, the temperature and time conditions for sterilization must be set based on the temperature of the part near the center of the package, where heat transfer is slowest. Foods near walls must be exposed to extremely high temperatures for long periods of time, and foods that are highly heat sensitive, such as white sauce, may suffer from undesirable effects such as browning or loss of flavour. .

As described above, from a quality standpoint, processing is currently being carried out using methods that are not optimal for commercial products.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The present invention is capable of transporting solids in a sterile state at a stable required speed even for solid foods that tend to settle, significantly reducing damage to the solids, and storing solids and liquid in separate containers. A new accessory screw conveyor and solid-liquid conveyor using the same conveyor, which can measure and fill food products, improve filling accuracy, and aseptically fill foods containing large solids. The object is to provide a method for quantitatively filling a mixture.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the aseptic screw conveyor of the present invention and a method for quantitatively filling a solid-liquid mixture using the conveyor utilize a flexible helical body in which blades are spirally wound around a flexible shaft, with both upper and lower ends facing horizontally. It is rotatably housed in a cylinder with a closed structure in which the middle part is inclined, and one end of the 7-lexiple shaft is sealed with a shaft seal part and protrudes from one end of the cylinder, and the entire helix is attached to this protruding end. A motor that rotates in the pumping direction is connected, and a solid-liquid mixing hole is formed on the upper surface of the lower end of the cylinder, a liquid separation hole is formed on the lower surface of the lower end, and a solid separation hole is also formed on the lower surface of the upper end. Using an Asboutique Sufu Liu conveyor, which has a steam inlet hole for sterilizing the inside of the cylinder and an air inlet for removing carbon dioxide to maintain a slight positive pressure inside the cylinder, In this acebutic screw conveyor, a hopper is installed in the solid-liquid mixing cut-off hole, a liquid transfer pump is installed in the liquid fractionation hole, a solids metering tank is installed in the solids drop-off hole, and steam is pressurized and supplied to the steam inlet hole. After connecting the sterilized air supply device to the air inlet of the device with a structure that prevents the intrusion of fine soda, water vapor and carbon dioxide air are fed from the steam pressurized supply device and the sterilized air supply device, and the air is removed. The solid-liquid contaminants are supplied from the hopper and separated into flowing liquid and solids at the lower end of the aseptic screw conveyor. The solids are transported to a drop hole and dropped into a solid weighing tank through a circular hole, then weighed in this weighing tank, and a fixed amount of solids is transferred to a container in a sterile atmosphere inside a clean room. Pour the liquid into the container containing the solids with a liquid transfer pump in a clean room environment in a sterile atmosphere,
The containers containing these solid and liquid components are calibrated using a calibration means such as a load cell in a sterile atmosphere inside a clean room.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, a blade (2) made of a soft elastic material such as heat-resistant rubber or plastic is spirally attached to a flexible shaft (1) constructed by twisting, braiding, or bundling steel wires. A flexible helix (3) wound into a shape is rotatably built into a cylinder (5) with a closed structure in which both the upper and lower ends (4) (4)' are oriented horizontally and the middle part is oriented tilted. 5) Seal the upper end of the flexible shaft (1) with a double-sealed shaft seal portion (6) and allow it to protrude outside the upper end;
A motor (not shown) that rotates the entire spiral body (3) in the pumping direction is connected to this projecting end (7), and a cylindrical body (
5) Solid-liquid mixed cut-off hole (9) on the upper surface of the lower end (4)'
Similarly, there is a hole for liquid fractionation on the lower surface of the lower end (4)'.
Similarly, a solid droplet hole α is provided on the lower surface of the upper end (4), and a water vapor inlet hole (13) for sterilizing the inside of the cylinder (5) is provided on the wall of the cylinder (5). An acebutic screw conveyor (1cJ) is configured by providing a carbon removal air inlet hole C14 for maintaining positive pressure.

Next, a solid-liquid contaminant drop hole (9) and a K hopper (8) are connected, a liquid transfer pump (not shown) called an on-off valve is connected to the liquid drop hole (11J), and a load cell α is connected to the solid drop hole (1). Powered solids measuring tank (18), water vapor inlet (
A pressurized water vapor supply device (not shown) is connected to C13, and a sterilized air supply device (not shown) is connected to the air inlet hole C14), respectively, with a structure to prevent the intrusion of bacteria.

After that, the steam button and sterilized air are fed from the steam pressurized supply device and the sterilized air supply device, and in this feeding state, the solid-liquid contaminant α9 is supplied from the hopper (8) to remove the solid-liquid contaminant. The material (2) is flowed down at the lower end of the Asboutique screw conveyor (I5) to form liquid (2) and solid (2).
21) The solids 01 are transported through the solids drop hole a34 by the rotation of the spiral body (3) and dropped into the solids weighing tank α building from the same hole αD, and then weighed in this weighing tank U. A fixed amount of solids (2υ) was transferred to the container (2) in a clean room, and the liquid amount was transferred to the container containing the solids using a liquid transfer pump via a liquid droplet in the clean room (to). Pour, these solids (21
), the same container (company) containing liquid kanji is calibrated using a load cell (24) made in a clean room, and after this calibration, the lid (to) is closed in clean room Q3. .

In addition, in the figure (5), the shutter top of the hopper (8) is the shutter of the solids measuring tank α, and the top is the on-off valve α.
Shows the valve rondo that Q has.

According to the present invention, the middle portion of the cylinder (5) is shown as a straight line in the figure by a dotted line, but the same portion is long and curved.

In addition, sterilized air is delivered in an amount that maintains a slight positive pressure inside the cylinder (5), within the measuring tank α frame, within the liquid drop-off hole 09 portion, and within the solid drop-off hole α portion. It is made to be.

! In addition, the water vapor is cooled and liquefied in the cylinder (5), the measuring tank (le), one part of the liquid drop-off hole, and one part of the solid drop-off hole, and the part that leaks outside. The cylinder body (5) is thereby kept in a pressurized state.

In the figure, A is the sterilization tack side part, B is the conveying part, O is the filling machine part, D is the solid filling part, and E is the liquid filling part.

[For production]

The solid content in the solid-containing food supplied from the solid-liquid contaminant drop hole (9) is conveyed diagonally upward by the spiral body (3), while the liquid content is conveyed to the wall of the vane (2) and cylinder (5). The gap between

It flows down between them and is separated.

The solid and liquid components separated into solid and liquid in this way are transported separately to the filling equipment, and the solid components are weighed and filled into Q containers, and then the liquid components are weighed and filled into the same containers. .

〔Effect of the invention〕

The aseptic screw conveyor of the present invention has a flexible helical body, in which blades are wound spirally around a flexible shaft, rotatably built into a cylindrical body with a sealed structure in which both the upper and lower ends are horizontal and the middle is slanted. One end of the flexible shaft is sealed with a shaft seal part outside one end, and a motor that rotates the entire helical body in the direction of pumping is connected to this protruding end. A liquid drop-off hole is provided on the lower surface of the lower end, and a solid drop-off hole is provided on the lower surface of the upper end, and a water vapor inlet hole for sterilization inside the cylinder and a water vapor inlet hole for sterilization inside the cylinder are provided on the wall of the cylinder. It is characterized by having a sterilized air inlet to maintain a slight positive pressure inside the body, so it can reliably separate solid and liquid and transport the solid and liquid separately to a distant location by curved lines while maintaining sterile conditions. This aseptic screw conveyor is extremely suitable for quantitative filling of solid-liquid mixture foods into containers. The quantitative filling method of a solid-liquid mixture using the above-mentioned aseptic screw conveyor includes a hopper in the solid-liquid mixing hole in the above-mentioned aseptic screw conveyor, a liquid transport pump in the liquid drop-off hole,
After connecting the solids measuring tank to the solids drop hole, the pressurized steam supply device to the steam inlet, and the sterilization air supply device to the air inlet with a narrow cylinder intrusion prevention structure, pressurize steam supply. A steam button and sterilized air are fed from the device and the sterilized air supply device, and in this feeding state, solid-liquid contaminants are supplied from the hopper and the solid-liquid contaminants are transferred to the lower end of the aseptic screw conveyor. The solids are separated into a liquid and a solid by the flow down at the part, and the solids are dropped by the rotation of the helix, transported dead weight, and dropped into a solids measuring tank through the same hole, and then weighed in this measuring tank to obtain a fixed amount of solids. The contents of the clean room are transferred to a container in a sterile atmosphere, and the liquid contents are poured into the container containing the solids in a sterile atmosphere through a liquid drop hole using a liquid transfer pump. The method is characterized in that the same container containing a certain amount of solid matter and a certain amount of liquid is calibrated using a calibration means such as a load cell in an atmosphere without seedlings, such as in a clean room or room, so a certain amount of solid matter and a certain amount of liquid are stored in separate containers. It is advantageous for weighing and filling the solids, and since it can be filled with a constant solid-liquid ratio, it greatly contributes to improving the accuracy of the filling amount.It also has a structure in which the solids are conveyed separately in a spiral body. Therefore, it has practical effects such as enabling aseptic filling of foods containing large solids.

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[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. (1)...Flexible shaft, (2)...Blade, (3
)...Spiral body, C4) (4) '...Upper and lower end portions, (5)...Cylinder body, (6)...Shaft seal portion, (7).
...Protrusion end, (8)...Hopper, (9)...Solid-liquid mixing hole, (l[I...Opening/closing valve, αυ...Fluid-solid drop hole, (1'' lJ...Solid drop hole, 0...
・Water vapor inlet hole, (1) Sterilization air inlet, α...
・Conveyor, wholesaler...Load cell, H...solids measuring tank, scream...solid-liquid contaminants, (a)...liquid, C2
])...solid, (company)...container, (to)...clean room, (c)11. Load cell, (5) (to)
...shutter, kiln...benrod.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A flexible helical body in which blades are spirally wound around a flexible shaft is rotatably built into a cylinder with a sealed structure in which both the upper and lower ends are horizontal and the middle is inclined. One end of the flexible shaft is sealed with a shaft seal part outside one end, and a motor that rotates the entire spiral in the direction of pumping is connected to this protruding end. A drop hole is provided on the lower surface of the lower end, and a solid drop hole is provided on the lower surface of the upper end. Also, a water vapor inlet hole for sterilization inside the cylinder and a water vapor inlet hole for sterilization inside the cylinder are provided on the wall of the cylinder. An aseptic screw conveyor characterized by having a sterilized air inlet for maintaining slight positive pressure inside the body. 2. The aseptic screw conveyor according to claim 1 is used, wherein a hopper is installed in the solid-liquid contaminant drop hole, a liquid conveying pump is installed in the liquid drop hole, a solids measuring tank is installed in the solid drop hole, and a water vapor After connecting the steam pressurized supply device to the inlet hole and the sterilized air supply device to the air inlet hole with a structure that prevents the intrusion of bacteria, steam and sterilized air are supplied from the steam pressurized supply device and the sterilized air supply device. In this feeding state, solid-liquid contaminants are supplied from the hopper, and the solid-liquid contaminants are separated into liquid and solid components by flowing down at the lower end of the aseptic screw conveyor. The solids are conveyed by rotation to the solids drop hole and dropped into the solids weighing tank through the same hole, and the solids are weighed in this weighing tank and a fixed amount of solids is transferred to a container in a sterile atmosphere such as in a clean room. is poured into the container containing solids using a liquid transfer pump through a liquid drop hole in a sterile atmosphere such as in a clean room, and the same containers containing solids and liquids are placed in a sterile environment such as in a clean room. A method for quantitatively filling a solid-liquid mixture using an aseptic screw conveyor, which is characterized by performing calibration using a calibration means such as a load cell in an atmosphere.