JPH04180763A - Nozzle device for sterilization of tray type vessel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To uniformly and sufficiently heighten the temperature of the wall surface in the vessel and to obtain the sufficient sterilization effect by fixing a cover plate for covering the opening of the tray type vessel to be sterilized by a sterilization fluid to the periphery of an injection port for injecting the sterilization fluid concerned. CONSTITUTION:A sterilization fluid (a) is a mixture of high temperature and high humidity in which hot air (b) and vapor (c) are mixed. A cover plate 3 is a plate of a size for covering an opening 8 of a tray type vessel 7, and in its center, a hole 9 of the same shape as an injection port 2 of a first nozzle cylinder 4 is pierced, and the above plate is fixed to the above injection port 2 in the part of the periphery of its hole 9. At the time of executing a sterilization processing of the tray type vessel 7, a nozzle device 1 and the tray type vessel 7 are allowed to approach relatively and the opening the tray type vessel 7 is covered with the cover plate 3, and thereafter, the mixture (a) is injected into the tray type vessel 7 from the injection port 2. In such a way, in the tray type vessel 7, the mixture (a) of high temperature and high humidity is filled, its extends over the whole area in the vessel and a temperature in the vessel becomes high uniformly and sufficiently, and mildew, etc., are allowed to perish.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to a nozzle device for sterilizing tray-type containers.

[Conventional technology]

When packaging contents such as food aseptically, it is necessary to sterilize the container in advance.

Conventionally, for sterilization of such containers, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 1982
Nozzle devices such as those disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 316082 and Japanese Utility Model Application No. 189900 are used.

In this nozzle device, a second nozzle tube that guides steam is inserted from the side of the first nozzle tube that guides hot air, and its injection port is directed toward the injection port of the first nozzle tube. A mixture of steam and hot air is created in one nozzle cylinder, and the mixture is injected into the container from the injection port of the first nozzle cylinder. The container will be sterilized by this high temperature and high humidity mixture.

[Invention or problem to be solved]

However, according to the above-mentioned conventional nozzle device, it is possible to perform sufficient sterilization treatment on a vertically long container with a relatively deep bottom, but in the case of a container with a large opening or a shallow bottom, such as a tray-type container, the bottom of the container Since the air-fuel mixture is intensively sprayed onto the container and bounces back, sufficient sterilization cannot be performed, especially on the inner surface of the container.

Another problem is that if sufficient sterilization is performed, the container may become deformed.

The present invention makes it possible to efficiently spread the mixture inside the container even in such a tray-type container and to obtain a sufficient sterilization effect by uniformly and sufficiently increasing the temperature of the inner wall surface of the container. It is an object of the present invention to provide a nozzle device that can prevent damage to the device.

[Failure to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of Mokushi 1 is a tray type container in which a cover plate is fixed around a nozzle for spraying a sterilizing fluid to cover the opening of a tray type container to be sterilized with the sterilizing fluid. A nozzle device configuration for sterilizing containers is adopted, and the invention of Mokushi 2 is a nozzle device for sterilizing tray-type containers provided in the cover plate or an exhaust hole for discharging the sterilizing fluid injected into the tray-type container. According to the invention of Mokushi 3, an exhaust pipe for discharging the sterilizing fluid to the outside of the chamber of the aseptic filling machine partially equipped with the tray-type container sterilizing nozzle device is connected to the exhaust hole. The invention of Mokushi 4 adopts the configuration of a tray-type container sterilizing nozzle device, and the invention of Mokute 4 is characterized in that a diffusion plate having a large number of holes for diffusing the sterilizing fluid injected from the injection port is connected to the cover plate. The invention of Mokushi 5 adopts the configuration of a tray-type container sterilization nozzle device, and the invention of Mokushi 5 is such that a portion of the diffusion plate facing the injection port is a shielding portion without the hole, or the portion is a shielding plate. It adopts the configuration of a nozzle device for sterilizing covered tray-type containers.

[Effect]

According to the invention of Mokushi 1, since the cover plate covers the opening of the tray-type container, when the sterilizing fluid is injected from the injection port, the sterilizing fluid does not immediately come out from the opening but fills the container. It spreads over the entire area inside the container and raises the temperature inside the container uniformly and sufficiently. This provides a sufficient sterilizing effect.

According to the invention of Woodbrush 2, the sterilizing fluid injected into the tray-type container is discharged from the container through the exhaust hole in the cover plate. This reduces the back pressure generated when the sterilizing fluid is injected, and allows the sterilizing fluid to flow smoothly within the container.

According to the invention of Mokushi 3, the exhaust pipe discharges the sterilizing fluid exiting from the exhaust hole of the cover plate to the outside of the chamber of the aseptic filling machine.

Therefore, dew condensation within the chamber is prevented.

In the invention of the wood brush 4, the sterilizing fluid injected from the injection port hits the diffusion plate immediately after coming out from the injection port. The diffuser plate has a large number of holes to diffuse the sterilizing fluid.

Therefore, the sterilizing fluid quickly spreads throughout the container.

In the invention of Wooden Pen 5, the sterilizing fluid injected from the injection port hits the shielding portion of the diffuser plate or the shielding plate immediately after coming out from the injection port. Therefore, the sterilizing fluid quickly reaches the inner side of the container, and the temperature of the inner wall surface of the container is increased and uniformized more quickly.

〔Example〕

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples of the nozzle device for sterilizing tray-type containers according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Example 1 As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a tray-type container sterilizing nozzle device 1 has a cover plate 3 around an injection port 2 that injects a sterilizing fluid a.

The main body of the nozzle device 1 includes a first nozzle tube 4 that guides hot air.
and a second nozzle tube 5 for introducing steam C.
A second nozzle cylinder 5 is inserted into the first nozzle cylinder 4 from the lateral direction.
enters, and its injection port 6 is directed toward the injection port 2 of the first nozzle cylinder 4 .

The sterilizing fluid a in this case is a high-temperature, high-humidity mixture of hot air and steam C.

The hot air is obtained by heating compressed air or air from a blower to about 200° C. using a gas burner, an electric heater, etc., and is sent into the first nozzle tube 4. - On the other hand, steam C is water vapor created by a foiler, etc., and is approximately 1 atm (gauge pressure)
The flow becomes a pressure of about
sent inside.

Water vapor C is ejected from the injection port 6 of the second nozzle pipe 5 and simultaneously mixes with the hot air to form a high-temperature, high-humidity mixture of approximately 180°C and is ejected from the injection port 2 of the first nozzle pipe 4. It happens. The temperature of this mixture is adjusted in consideration of the heat resistance of the tray-shaped container 7 to be sterilized.

The cover plate 3 is a flat plate large enough to cover the opening 8 of the tray-shaped container 7 to be sterilized by the mixture a, and has a hole 9 in the same shape as the injection port 2 of the first nozzle cylinder 4 in the center thereof. It is bored and fixed to the injection port 2 at a portion around the hole 9.

When sterilizing the tray-shaped container 7, the nozzle device 1 and the tray-shaped container 7 are brought relatively close to each other, the cover plate 3 covers the opening 8 of the tray-shaped container 7, and then the air-fuel mixture a is injected from the injection port 2. Spray into tray-shaped container 7.

As a result, a high-temperature, high-humidity mixture a is created in the tray-shaped container 7.
is filled and distributed throughout the container, raising the temperature inside the container uniformly and sufficiently. In the embodiment, the inner wall surface of the tray-shaped container 7 is heated to about 90° C. to kill mold and the like.

Note that there is a slight gap 10 between the cover plate 3 and the tray-shaped container 7, from which the mixture a leaks out, so that the mixture a flows smoothly without staying in the container 7, and the mixture a flows smoothly into the container. It will touch the inner wall surface.

Example 2 As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, this nozzle device 11
The cover plate 12 is provided with exhaust holes 13 at a plurality of locations near the side wall portion for discharging the air-fuel mixture a injected into the tray-shaped container 7.

Therefore, a part of the air-fuel mixture a injected into the tray-shaped container 7 comes out of the container 7 through the exhaust hole 13, and the back pressure applied to the container 7 is reduced. Therefore, in this embodiment, the cover plate 12 is brought as close as possible to the opening 8 of the tray-shaped container 7, and the temperature inside the tray-shaped container 7 is raised to a level where a sufficient sterilization effect can be obtained in a short period of time. It becomes possible.

In addition, the presence of the exhaust hole 13 makes it easier for the air-fuel mixture a to flow within the tray-shaped container 7, and the temperature increases accordingly.

Example 3 As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, this nozzle device 1
The exhaust hole 13 of the cover plate 15 at 4 is connected to an exhaust pipe 16 for discharging the air-fuel mixture a to the outside of a chamber (not shown) of an aseptic filling machine, a part of which is provided with the nozzle device 14.

The exhaust pipe 16 is preferably configured to be suctioned by a pump or the like, so that the air-fuel mixture a in the tray-shaped container 7 is
is quickly discharged outside the chamber, preventing dew condensation within the chamber. Further, it is desirable to wrap the outer surface of the exhaust pipe 16 with a heater or the like to prevent water vapor from condensing on the inner surface and dropping water droplets into the container.

Example 4 As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, this nozzle device 1
The cover plate 18 of No. 7 is connected via a support rod 20 to a diffusion plate 19 that diffuses the air-fuel mixture a injected from the injection port.

The diffusion plate 19 is a flat plate having a large number of small holes 21, and in the illustrated example, a punching plate is used. Further, the diffusion plate 19 is a plate similar to the cover plate 18 and has an area sufficiently larger than the area of the injection port 2.

Since the diffusion plate 19 is located in front of the injection port 2 in this manner, the air-fuel mixture a injected from the injection port 2 collides with the diffusion plate 19 and is diffused. Therefore, the mixture a more quickly spreads over the entire area inside the container 7, and the inside of the container 7 is heated evenly and quickly.

Embodiment 5 As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, this nozzle device 22 also has a diffuser plate 24 below the cover plate 23 as in Embodiment 4.

However, a shielding plate 25 having an area slightly larger than the area of the injection port 2 is overlapped and bonded to a portion facing the injection port 2 of the air-fuel mixture a, thereby blocking the small hole 21 in that portion.

As a result, the air-fuel mixture a injected from the injection port 2 first collides with this shielding plate 25 and is directed toward the peripheral wall 26 of the container 7, and the portions far from the injection port 2 are heated more quickly. Become. Further, the mixture a is also diffused by the diffusion plate 24 at the same time, and the inside of the container 7 is uniformly heated.

Instead of the shielding plate 25, a part of the diffusion plate 24 is formed with small holes 2.
A similar effect can be obtained by using a shielding portion without 1.

In each of the embodiments described above, the sterilizing fluid a is not limited to the above-mentioned mixture, but may also be only hot air without adding steam C, or other fluids may be used instead.

Experimental Example Next, the sterilizing effect of the nozzle device of each of the above examples -11,
- An experimental example comparing the sterilizing effect of a conventional nozzle device on fruit is shown.

As shown in FIG. 9, the center 7a of the inner bottom surface of the tray-type container made of polypropylene resin, and the peripheral edge 7 of the inner bottom surface of the container
Biological indicators with black mold spores attached (104 pieces/piece) were installed at two locations, b, and the temperature of the hot air was set to 205°C, and the pressure of steam C was set to 1-0 kg/cnf. ,, Hot air b1 mixture a1 hot air b1 hot air was injected into the tray-shaped container 7 for 1 second each in the order of 5 seconds at room temperature. Thereafter, when the biological indicators were collected and cultured, they were all sterilized.

On the other hand, when sterilization was performed using a conventional nozzle, among the biological indicators at the two locations 7a and 7b, the black mold spores at the center 7a of the inner bottom of the container were sterilized, but the black mold spores at the peripheral edge 7b of the inner bottom of the container were sterilized. No mold spores were killed. Further, under the condition that all the black mold spores on the peripheral edge 7b of the inner bottom surface of the container were sterilized, the bottom surface of the container 7 was deformed.

- [Effects of the Invention] Since the present invention has the above-described configuration, even if it is a tray-type container, the sterilizing fluid can be efficiently distributed therein.
A sufficient sterilization effect can be obtained by uniformly and sufficiently increasing the temperature of the inner wall surface of the container. Further, the tray-shaped container is not damaged such as deformation, and the contents are not deteriorated in quality or produce a heated odor.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The figures show a nozzle device for sterilizing tray-type containers according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the nozzle device of the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a bottom view as seen from the cover plate side, and FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the nozzle device of the second embodiment, FIG. 4 is a bottom view as seen from the cover plate side, FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the nozzle device of the third embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the nozzle device of the fourth embodiment, FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the nozzle device of the fourth embodiment, FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the nozzle device of the fifth embodiment, as seen from the cover plate side. A vertical sectional view of the nozzle device, and FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the nozzle device as seen from the cover plate side. a...Fluid for sterilization, b...hot air, C...steam, 1...nozzle device, 2...injection port, 3...cover plate, 4...first
nozzle tube, 5... second nozzle tube, 6. injection lko,
7... Tray-type container, 7a... Center part of the inner bottom surface of the container,
7b... Container inner bottom periphery, 8... Opening, 9... Hole in cover plate, 10... Gap, 11... Nozzle device, 12...
・Cover plate, 13... Exhaust hole, 14... Nozzle device, 1
5... Cover plate, 16... Exhaust pipe, 17... Nozzle device,
18... Cover plate, 19... Diffusion plate, 20... Support rod,
21-... Small hole, 22... Nozzle device, 23... Covering plate, 24... Diffusion plate, 25... Shielding plate, 26...
Peripheral wall.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A tray-type container characterized in that a cover plate is fixed around an injection port for injecting a sterilization fluid to cover an opening of the tray-type container to be sterilized by the sterilization fluid. Sterilization nozzle device. 2. The nozzle device for sterilizing a tray-type container according to claim 1, wherein the cover plate is provided with an exhaust hole for discharging the sterilization fluid injected into the tray-type container. 3. The exhaust hole is connected to an exhaust pipe for discharging the sterilizing fluid outside the chamber of the aseptic filling machine, a part of which is provided with the tray-type container sterilizing nozzle device. 2. The tray-type container sterilization nozzle device according to 2. 4. The tray-type container according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein a diffusion plate having a large number of holes for diffusing the sterilizing fluid injected from the injection port is connected to the cover plate. Sterilization nozzle device. 5. A tray-type container for sterilization according to claim 4, wherein a portion of the diffusion plate facing the injection port is a shielding portion without holes or is covered with a shielding plate. nozzle device.