JPH0526007Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a nozzle for sterilizing containers, particularly containers for aseptic packaging.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, when filling paper containers, plastic containers, etc. with food or other contents in a sterilized state, the hot filling method involves filling the container with the contents heated to a high temperature and sterilizing the container at the same time at the temperature of the contents. was taken. However, in this hot filling method, it is necessary to cool the container after filling, but since the container is cooled from the outside, the cooling efficiency is generally poor, and it takes a long time to cool down, which is affected by the shape and capacity of the container. As a result, quality may deteriorate, heating odor may occur,
The disadvantage is that cooling costs are high. Recently, aseptic filling methods have been attracting attention in order to improve these drawbacks. This aseptic filling method includes a method of using a sterilizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide and a method of injecting steam into the container.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

However, in the method of using a sterilizing agent, there is a risk that the sterilizing agent may remain in the container and mix with the contents, or the sterilizing agent may gasify and adversely affect the environment in which the filling machine is installed. In the method of injecting steam into a container, there are cases where high-temperature, high-pressure steam is used, and cases where superheated steam is used, but in the former case, the high-temperature, high-pressure steam injected into the container expands adiabatically. There is a problem in that it is difficult for the inside of the container to reach the temperature required for sterilization, and the latter requires large-scale equipment and increases production costs.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the tip of the hot air injection nozzle 7 and the tip of the steam injection nozzle 8 are connected to
There is a method in which the hot air 9 and the steam 10 at normal pressure are mixed in the air and the mixture 11 is injected into the container.
0 is difficult to reach a sufficiently high temperature, and there is a fear that the steam 10 may not be sufficiently diffused into the hot air 9, making it impossible to maintain the inside of the container 12 at a high temperature under sufficient moist heat conditions for effective sterilization.

The object of the present invention is to provide a nozzle for sterilizing containers that solves the above problems.

[Means for solving problems]

This invention consists of a hot air injection nozzle that has a tapered injection port at the tip of the container sterilization nozzle and that sprays hot air, and an injection port that sprays steam near the injection port of the hot air injection nozzle. and a steam injection nozzle, the steam injected from the steam injection nozzle is mixed with hot air in the hot air injection nozzle, and the mixture is injected from the injection port at the tip of the hot air injection nozzle. did.

[Effect]

The container sterilization nozzle has a hot air injection nozzle and a steam injection nozzle having a tapered injection port at the tip and sprays hot air, and the injection port of the steam injection nozzle is located near the hot air injection port in the hot air injection nozzle. arranged,
Steam is injected from the steam injection nozzle into the hot air injection nozzle, the hot air and steam are mixed, and this mixture is injected from the injection port at the tip of the hot air injection nozzle.

〔Example〕

The container sterilization nozzle of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

1 and 2, the container sterilization nozzle 1 of the present invention has a cylindrical hot air injection nozzle 2 and a steam injection nozzle 3 projecting horizontally into the hot air injection nozzle 2. The hot air injection nozzle 2 has an injection port 2a at its tip and a hole 2b on the side surface of the nozzle. The opening area of the injection port 2a may be the same area as the cross section of the steam injection nozzle 3,
Alternatively, it may be tapered to reduce the opening area as shown in the illustrated example. The hole 2b is for fitting the tip of the steam injection nozzle 3, and the hole shape is the same as the cross-sectional shape of the steam injection nozzle 3.

The steam injection nozzle 3 has a cylindrical shape, has an injection port 3a at its tip, and is fitted into the hole 2b. The injection port 3a is disposed approximately at the center of the inside of the cylinder of the hot air injection nozzle 2, and faces toward the injection port 2a of the hot air injection nozzle 2.

The steam (arrow 5) sent to the steam injection nozzle 3 is injected into the cylinder of the hot air injection nozzle 2 from the injection port 3a, and is sufficiently mixed with the hot air (arrow 4) sent into the cylinder of the hot air injection nozzle 2. A mixture 6 of hot air and steam is injected from the injection port 2a of the hot air injection nozzle 2. Note that the hot air sent to the hot air injection nozzle 2 is produced by a gas burner or electric heating means.

With the above configuration, the mixture 6 injected from the container sterilization nozzle 1 of the present invention is
It contains high-temperature water vapor at normal pressure, making it possible to effectively sterilize by keeping the inside of the container at a high temperature under moist heat conditions.

[Effect of idea]

According to the container sterilization nozzle of the present invention, hot air and steam can be completely mixed, and the inside of the container can be kept at a high temperature under moist heat conditions to effectively sterilize the container.

Therefore, when the container sterilization nozzle of the present invention is used, for example, to sterilize aseptic packaging containers, it can be used to sterilize containers for aseptic packaging without deteriorating the quality of the contents or generating heating odors, and in a short period of time regardless of the container shape or capacity. Containers can be sterilized extremely efficiently.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of the nozzle for sterilizing containers of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the - line of the nozzle for sterilizing containers shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a conventional container sterilizing nozzle. It is a perspective view showing a nozzle for. 1... Container sterilization nozzle, 2... Hot air injection nozzle, 2a... Injection port, 3... Steam injection nozzle, 3
a...Injection port, 4...Hot air, 5...Steam, 6...
mixture.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A hot air injection nozzle having a tapered injection port at the tip and ejecting hot air, and a steam injection nozzle having an injection port disposed within the hot air injection nozzle that injects steam near the injection port of the hot air injection nozzle. A nozzle for sterilizing containers, characterized in that the steam injected from the steam injection nozzle is mixed with hot air in the hot air injection nozzle, and the mixture is injected from the injection port at the tip of the hot air injection nozzle.