JPS6121672B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sterilizer for sterilizing liquid or paste foods, medicines, etc. to a microbiologically safe state, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a sterilizer for sterilizing liquid or paste foods, medicines, etc. However, it is possible to sterilize the processed material under constant high temperature conditions, and the back pressure can be accurately controlled, and even when the processed material contains solids or is highly viscous, it can be sterilized within the device. No clogging occurs, and no solid matter is destroyed. Regarding sterilization equipment.

It is widely known that spoilage that occurs during storage of foods, medicines, etc. is caused by microorganisms, and for this reason, foods, medicines, etc. are processed to a microbially safe state to improve their shelf life. Techniques to increase this are also being developed. The representative ones are canned and
This is a technology that heats and sterilizes products, such as retort products, after packaging. However, in this case, long-term heating is required to reach the inside of the container in order to kill microorganisms, and the long-term heating described above, especially for foods and pharmaceuticals, can destroy flavor, medicinal efficacy, and nutritional value. Loss of value and destruction of the organization had become major problems.

Therefore, when sterilizing food and medicine,
It is necessary to process at high temperature and in a short time, and recently there are devices that sterilize the processed material at high temperature and short time before filling it into containers, and aseptic filling equipment that fills the sterilized processed material into containers under aseptic conditions. Attention has been paid.

By the way, sterilization of food, medicine, etc. usually takes 100
It is often carried out at high temperatures exceeding ℃, and therefore the treated material will boil inside the sterilizer under normal pressure.
Therefore, in order to prevent this, it is necessary to perform the process while applying a certain boiling suppression pressure (hereinafter referred to as back pressure) inside the sterilizer, and this has caused various problems as described below.

That is, in conventional equipment, a pressure pump is installed before and after the sterilizer to send the processed material to the sterilizer, and a pump to send the processed material after sterilization to the next process, and the discharge volume of these two pumps is controlled. By doing so, back pressure was applied to the sterilizer.

However, in this case, the pulsation of the pump causes fluctuations in the flow rate of the processed material passing through the sterilizer, which affects the performance of the pump, such as fluctuations in the back pressure applied to the sterilizer. There was a problem in that it was not possible to stably apply back pressure to the sterilizer, and therefore it was difficult to sterilize the processed material under constant conditions.
At the same time, in the above case, it was difficult to accurately control the back pressure to the required pressure.

Furthermore, in the above method, if the sterilization conditions are such that the processed material can be sterilized to a sterile state, considerable high temperature and high pressure will be applied to the rear pump. This became a fatal problem in aseptic filling equipment. In addition, when using a pump that is sterile and can withstand high temperatures and high pressures as described above, it must have a special structure and material, and must be stable in both high and low temperatures. There were various problems such as difficulty in obtaining a sufficient flow rate.

Furthermore, according to the above method, the treated material passed through the pump twice, and when the treated material contained solid matter, most of the solid matter was destroyed.

In addition, in the above case, if a pressure control valve or homogenizer is used instead of the rear pump,
It is possible to apply back pressure to the sterilizer stably to some extent, but if the processed material contains solids or is highly viscous, the pressure control valve and homogenizer may become clogged, causing the equipment to become clogged. Problems such as the abnormal increase in internal pressure and destruction of the equipment occurred, and the equipment could not be used at all for processing these items.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sterilization device that does not have the above-mentioned problems. That is, the first object of the present invention is to provide a sterilizer that can sterilize the processed material under a constant high temperature condition while applying a constant back pressure inside the sterilizer. The purpose is to provide a sterilizer that can accurately and easily control the back pressure applied to the sterilizer to the required pressure.The third purpose is to provide a sterilizer that can accurately and easily control the back pressure applied to the sterilizer. Another object of the present invention is to provide a sterilization device that can process materials well without clogging the device or destroying solid materials. teeth,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a sterilization device suitable for use as an aseptic filling device, which particularly requires strict sterilization conditions.

As a result of intensive research into sterilizers in order to achieve the above objectives, the present inventors have found that, in place of the conventional pressure pump and pump, or a back pressure system using a combination of a pressure pump and a pressure control valve or a homogenizer, A tank with a controllable air pressure is installed between each sterilizer, and by controlling the air pressure of the tank installed in front of the sterilizer, the processed material is fed to the sterilizer under pressure, and the sterilizer is When back pressure is applied to the sterilizer by controlling the air pressure of the tank installed at the rear, the processed material is sent to the sterilizer by air pressure, so the amount of processed material sent to the sterilizer is reduced. They discovered that because the flow rate is always constant and the back pressure is applied to the sterilizer using air as a medium, the back pressure is extremely stable and can be precisely controlled to the desired pressure. At the same time, the present inventors have discovered that in the above case, even if the processed material contains solid matter or is highly viscous, a constant back pressure can be applied to the sterilizer, and at the same time the processed material can be It has been found that the process can be carried out very smoothly without clogging the apparatus or destroying solid substances.

The present invention was made based on the above knowledge and consists of a specific invention and three combined inventions. The gist of the specific invention of the present invention is a sterilizer, a pressure-feeding tank capable of controlling air pressure for pressure-feeding processed materials to the sterilizer, and a back pressure tank provided at the rear of the sterilizer capable of controlling air pressure. A sterilizer is characterized in that back pressure is applied to the sterilizer by the pressure tank and the back pressure tank.

In addition, the gist of the first combined invention of the present invention is a sterilizer, a pressure-feeding tank capable of controlling the air pressure for pumping the processed material to the sterilizer, and an air pressure control tank provided at the rear of the sterilizer. It consists of a controllable sterile tank, an auxiliary back pressure tank, a pressure control valve for drainage, and a withdrawal pump for withdrawing the processed material from the auxiliary back pressure tank, and the sterile tank is connected to the sterilizer by a transfer pipe. The auxiliary back pressure tank and the withdrawal pump are connected to each other, and the pressure control valve is provided on an auxiliary back pressure pipe that branches from the transfer pipe, and the pressure control valve is installed on a drainage pipe that branches from the transfer pipe or the auxiliary back pressure pipe. A sterilizer, which is installed in a sterilizer and applies back pressure to the sterilizer by the pressure feed tank and the sterile tank, or the pressure feed tank and an auxiliary back pressure tank, or the pressure feed tank and the pressure control valve.

The second combined invention of the present invention also provides a sterilizer, a pressure tank capable of controlling the air pressure for pumping the processed material to the sterilizer, and a pressure tank provided at the rear of the sterilizer that can control the air pressure. It consists of a sterile tank, a back pressure pump, and a pressure control valve for drainage, the sterile tank is connected to the sterilizer by a transfer pipe, and the back pressure pump is installed in an auxiliary back pressure pipe branching from the transfer pipe. and the pressure control valve is provided in a drainage pipe branching from the transfer pipe or the auxiliary back pressure pipe,
The sterilizer is characterized in that back pressure is applied to the sterilizer by the pressure feed tank and the sterile tank, or the pressure feed tank and the back pressure pump, or the pressure feed tank and the pressure control valve.

Further, the gist of the third combined invention of the present invention is a sterilizer, a pressure-feeding tank capable of controlling air pressure for pumping the processed material to the sterilizer, and a pressure-feeding tank provided at the rear of the sterilizer capable of controlling air pressure. a sterile tank, a pump for back pressure, and a cooler through which solids can pass; the sterile tank is connected to the sterilizer by a transfer pipe, and the back pressure pump and the cooler are connected to the sterilizer by a transfer pipe. A sterilizer is provided in a back-pressure drainage pipe that branches further, and applies back pressure to the sterilizer by the pressure-feeding tank and the sterile tank, or the pressure-feeding tank and the back-pressure pump.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram showing one of the preferred embodiments of the sterilizer of the present invention.
The processed material is supplied into the apparatus by air pressure from the pressure-feeding tank 1, and then sent to the sterilizer 3. The pressure tank 1 includes a pressure sensor 17 and a pressure controller 16. The pressure sensor 17 senses the pressure inside the tank, and the pressure controller 16 operates a pressure control valve 23 to constantly control the pressure inside the tank using air. It has a constant control function. Furthermore, as the sterilizer 3, various types of heat exchangers such as plate type, tube type, and scraper type (surface scraping type) capable of high-temperature and short-time processing, steam injection type heating machines, etc. can be used. , these can be used in conjunction if necessary. Further, when the material to be treated is highly viscous, it is particularly effective to use a scraper type heat exchanger with a stirring function.

In the sterilizer of the present invention, a back pressure tank 5 is provided behind the sterilizer 3 in order to apply a constant back pressure to the sterilizer 3 as described above and treat the processed material at a sufficiently high temperature. The back pressure tank 5 is equipped with a pressure sensor 17 and a pressure controller 16, like the above-described pressure tank 1, and has a function of controlling the pressure inside the tank to a constant level without using air. Therefore, when the above-mentioned back pressure tank 5 is used in an apparatus, the following effects are achieved. That is, the processed material is sequentially fed into the sterilizer 3 at a constant flow rate by the air pressure in the pressure tank 1, and at the same time, the processed material is fed into the sterilizer 3 at a constant flow rate by the air pressure in the back pressure tank 5. As a result, a constant back pressure is constantly applied to the sterilizer 3, and the processed materials are sequentially processed under constant high temperature conditions. Moreover, since the processed material is pumped to the sterilizer 3 by air pressure, even if the processed material contains solid matter, the solid matter is not destroyed. However, if a completely sterile product is desired, the air injected into the back pressure tank 5 needs to be sterile air passed through an air filter (not shown), for example.

In the above case, the on-off valve 11 is open and the on-off valve 12 is closed.

In the sterilizer of the present invention, as described above, the liquid feeding of the material to be treated and the control of the back pressure are performed using air as a medium, so that the back pressure is controlled extremely accurately and quickly. In addition, since there is no pump or the like in the above-mentioned apparatus, and there are no extremely narrow pores, clogging will not occur even when the processed material contains solid matter or is highly viscous. Moreover, it is possible to treat the solid matter well without destroying it.

The processed material after sterilization is gradually stored in the back pressure tank 5, and when the back pressure tank 5 is filled with the processed material, the on-off valve 11 is closed, the on-off valve 12 is opened, and the processed material is transferred to the filling and packaging process. etc. are sent to the next process. The materials of the pressure tank 1 and the back pressure tank 5 may be pressure-resistant, and their shapes are not particularly limited. Furthermore, the air pressure in the pressure feeding tank 1 and the back pressure tank 5 can be controlled by an air regulator or the like, and the above tanks can also have a stirring function if necessary.

In the sterilizer of the present invention, the processed material after sterilization can be cooled down to a constant temperature using the cooler 4. In this case, the cooler 4 may be one of various heat exchangers such as a plate type, tube type, and scraper type.

In addition, in the above sterilizer, another example of the back pressure tank 5 is a sterile tank whose air pressure can be controlled similarly to the back pressure tank 5 (the air pressure is controlled by sterile air, not shown). An auxiliary back pressure tank (not shown), which can similarly control air pressure, is provided at the rear of the sterilizer 3 in the transfer pipe 18, and an auxiliary back pressure pipe that branches from the rear of the sterilizer 3 in the transfer pipe 18. (not shown).

In the above case, while applying stable back pressure to the sterilizer 3 using air pressure controlled by the sterile tank or auxiliary back pressure tank, only the actual product is collected into the sterile tank, and other than the product is collected. The processed material can be collected and discharged into an auxiliary back pressure tank.
Note that a detailed example will be described later.

Next, the first combined invention in the present invention will be explained. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the sterilization device related to the first combined invention,
Among sterilizers, the present invention relates to a sterilizer particularly suitable for continuously sterilizing processed materials that contain solids or have high viscosity.

Generally, when actually operating a sterilizer, in order to ensure the sterility of the entire device before starting work, the inside of the device is heated with hot water at, for example, 130 to 150°C for 30 minutes under pressure. The above is maintained and sterilized (equipment sterilization), the second step is to operate the cooler in the above sterilized state (water operation), and the third step is to switch from the above water operation to the actual processing material ( (switching operation), and in the fourth stage, completely switching to the actual processing material (actual liquid operation).

In the sterilizer of the present invention shown in FIG. 2, the pressure tank 1, sterilizer 3, and cooler 4 connected by a transfer pipe 18 are the same as those described above.

The water tank 2 is similar to the pressure tank 1 described above, and also includes a sterile tank 6 and an auxiliary back pressure tank 7.
corresponds to the above-mentioned back pressure tank 5,
Each pressure sensor 17 and pressure controller 1
6, and has the function of constantly controlling the pressure inside the tank at a constant level. Here, perhaps only in the sterile tank 6, the pressure inside the tank is controlled by sterile air. Further, as the drawing pump 8, a monoscrew type pump, a tubing type pump, or the like is preferably used, which can minimize air leakage within the apparatus. In addition, in the sterilizer of the present invention, it is also possible to use a valve such as a diaphragm valve or a ball valve in place of the above-mentioned drawing pump 8.

In the sterilizer of the present invention, the auxiliary back pressure pipe 20 is the transfer pipe 18 that connects the pressure tank 1 to the sterile tank 6.
The drainage pipe 19 branches from the same part of the transfer pipe 18 as above or the part of the auxiliary back pressure pipe 20 which branches from the part of the auxiliary back pressure tank 7. It is.

When actually operating the above sterilizer,
First, in the first stage of device sterilization, the on-off valve 21 is opened, and the water supplied into the device from the water tank 2 by air pressure is sent to the sterilizer 3, and the water is normally 130~
Heated to 150℃. At this stage, the on-off valve 15 is open, the on-off valves 13, 14, and 22 are closed, and the cooler 4 is not operating. Therefore, the hot water after heating passes through the transfer pipe 18, the auxiliary back pressure pipe 20, and the drainage pipe 19, and is then transferred to the sterilizer 3, the transfer pipe 18, and the auxiliary back pressure pipe 2 by the pressure control valve 9.
Since a certain back pressure is applied to the portions of the sterilizer 3 and the drainage pipe 19 through which the hot water passes, the water is sufficiently sterilized by the sterilizer 3, and the hot water after sterilization is used to sterilize the processed material that will become the product. The transfer pipe 18 and the auxiliary back pressure pipe 20 in front of the on-off valve 14 are sterilized.

In addition, when water is fed under pressure to the sterilizer 3, it is also possible to use a Mono type pump, a rotary type pump, etc., which have relatively high quantitative performance, instead of the water tank 2 whose air pressure can be controlled.

In addition, at the stage of sterilizing the above-mentioned equipment, the drain pipe 19
Or the hot water discharged from the auxiliary back pressure pipe 20,
The temperature is often over 100°C, and if it is discharged from the equipment as it is, it will boil violently as soon as it is discharged. Therefore, it is preferable to provide the cooler 28 at an appropriate position of the drain pipe 19 or the auxiliary back pressure pipe 20. In this case, the cooler 28
Various types of heat exchangers such as plate type, tube type, and scraper type can be used.

Next, the water operation is performed in exactly the same way as in the case of device sterilization described above, except that the cooler 4 is initially operated, and when the water temperature after cooling has fallen to around 50℃, the opening and closing are performed. The valve 14 is opened, the on-off valve 15 is closed, and the water supplied into the device from the water tank 2 is heated and cooled, and then passed through the auxiliary back pressure pipe 20 and sent to the auxiliary back pressure tank 7. , it is pulled out from the auxiliary back pressure tank 7 by a drawing pump 8 and discharged. In this case as well, a constant back pressure is applied to the sterilizer 3 by the air pressure of the auxiliary back pressure tank 7, so that the water is sufficiently sterilized and the sterile state of the transfer pipe 18 is maintained.

When the above-mentioned water operation is completed, the on-off valve 21 is closed, the on-off valve 22 is opened, and the processed material is supplied from the pressure tank 1 into the apparatus, and the processed material mixed with water is removed in the same way as in the water operation. Auxiliary back pressure pipe 20
is discharged from. Therefore, in the sterilizer of the present invention, by providing the above-mentioned auxiliary back pressure tank 7, even when the processed material contains solids or is highly viscous, water can be mixed in the processed material. Instead of collecting the product as a product in the sterile tank 6, it is now possible to discharge it outside the sterilizer 3 while applying a constant back pressure to the sterilizer 3 as described above, and to process the product without clogging the device. It becomes possible to do so. That is, in this case, due to the action of the extraction pump 8,
The water or the treated material mixed with water, which has been fed into the auxiliary back pressure tank 7, is continuously pulled out from the auxiliary back pressure tank 7 and discharged. This makes it possible to continuously discharge the treated material mixed with water while applying a constant back pressure to the sterilizer 3. In addition, when a valve is used in place of the drawing pump 8, the valve can be opened and closed under certain conditions, and the processed material can be discharged using the air pressure of the auxiliary back pressure tank 7.

Furthermore, according to the sterilizer of the present invention, the high-temperature hot water heated by the sterilizer 3 does not pass through the withdrawal pump 8, so it is necessary to use a special pump that can function even under high temperature and high pressure as the withdrawal pump 8. However, in the present invention, if the above-mentioned drainage pipe 19 is not provided, as a drawing pump,
By using the above-mentioned special pump, hot water during device sterilization can also be discharged from the auxiliary back pressure pipe 20.

The sterilizer of the present invention can pass processed materials containing solids or highly viscous processed materials. A cooling device such as a scraper heat exchanger is connected to the auxiliary back pressure pipe 2.
It can also be provided between the on-off valve 14 and the auxiliary back pressure tank 7. In this case, the hot water used to sterilize the device is cooled by a cooler, and the extraction pump 8
is not exposed to high temperature and pressure. Therefore, even if the drainage pipe 19 is not provided, the auxiliary back pressure pipe 20 enables the discharge of processed materials during device sterilization, water operation, and switching operation.

Next, as described above, when the inside of the apparatus is sufficiently sterilized and the processed material to be manufactured is flowing through the injury apparatus, the on-off valve 14 is closed, the on-off valve 13 is opened, The processed material after heating and cooling is collected into a sterile tank 6. However, in this case, it is difficult to close and open the on-off valve at the same time, but if the internal pressure of the sterile tank 6 is controlled to be higher than that of the auxiliary back pressure tank 7,
It is possible to prevent the processed material from flowing back from the auxiliary back pressure tank 7 to the sterile tank 6, and to prevent the sterile state from being lost. Therefore, the portion of the auxiliary backpressure pipe 20 behind the on-off valve 14 does not substantially need to be sterilized, and in this respect, the process does not become complicated.
Also, at this time, a constant back pressure is applied to the sterilizer by the air pressure controlled by the sterile tank 6, and the processed material is sufficiently sterilized at high temperature. Finally, the processed material collected in the sterile tank 6 is transferred to the on-off valve 12.
It is opened, sent to the next process such as filling and packaging, and made into a product.

Next, the second combined invention of the present invention will be explained. FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the sterilization device related to the second combined invention.

In FIG. 3, the equipment connected by transfer tubes 18 is the same as described above. Further, as the back pressure pump 10, it is preferable to use a Mono type pump, a piston type pump, a rotary type pump, etc., which have relatively high quantitative performance. Cooler 28,
The pressure control valve 9 is the same as that shown in FIG. 2 above.

Further, in this sterilizer, the auxiliary back pressure pipe 20 and the drainage pipe 19 are branched from the transfer pipe 18 or the auxiliary back pressure pipe 20, as in the case of FIG.

When actually operating this sterilizer, first, at the stage of sterilizing the device, water is supplied into the device by air pressure from the water tank 2 in the same way as in the case described above, and is sent to the sterilizer 3. heated. The hot water after heating passes through the cooler 4 (not in operation), the transfer pipe 18, the auxiliary back pressure pipe 20, and the drainage pipe 19.
After being cooled down to, for example, 100° C. or lower in the cooler 28, it is discharged to the outside of the apparatus through the pressure control valve 9. At this time, a constant back pressure is applied to the sterilizer 3 by the pressure control valve 9, the water is constantly sterilized by heating under one constant condition, and the hot water after sterilization substantially The parts forward of the on-off valve 14 of the transfer pipe 18 and the auxiliary back pressure pipe 20 through which the product passes are sterilized. At this time, the on-off valves 13, 14, and 22 are closed, and the on-off valve 15 is open.

When entering the second stage of water operation, the cooler 4 begins to operate, and when the temperature of the water after passing through the cooler 4 has been cooled down to, for example, 50°C or less, the cooler 28 operation is stopped, the on-off valve 15 is closed, and the on-off valve 14 is opened. Therefore, in this case, the back pressure pump 10 provided in the auxiliary back pressure pipe 20 is not placed under extremely high temperatures, and a constant back pressure is applied to the sterilizer 3 by the back pressure pump 10. is possible. In addition, the actual product does not pass through this part, and by making the internal pressure of the sterile tank 6 higher than the back pressure applied by the back pressure pump 10, the bacteria from the back pressure pump 10 to the part where the product actually passes. Since intrusion can be prevented, there is no need to use, as the back pressure pump 10, a pump that can withstand high temperature and high pressure and is sterile.

Next, after the water operation becomes stable, the on-off valve 21 is closed and the on-off valve 22 is opened, whereby the processed material to be a product is supplied from the pressure feeding tank 1 and the operation is switched to actual liquid operation. At this time, as in the above case, a constant back pressure is applied to the sterilizer 3 by the back pressure pump 10, and the water-mixed product is transferred to the auxiliary back pressure without destroying the sterile condition inside the device. It can be discharged from the pressure pipe 20.

Next, when the process is completely changed to a product, the on-off valve 14 is closed, the on-off valve 13 is opened, and the product begins to be collected into the sterile tank 6.
The above-mentioned sterile tank 6 is equipped with a pressure sensor 17 and a pressure controller 16, has a function of constantly controlling the pressure inside the tank, and is pressure resistant. Therefore, even during actual liquid operation, a constant back pressure is constantly applied to the sterilizer 3 by the air pressure controlled by the sterile tank 6 described above.

Finally, the product collected in the sterile tank 6 is sent to the next process such as the filling and packaging process by closing the on-off valve 13 and opening the on-off valve 12.

Next, the third combined invention of the present invention will be explained. FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the sterilization device related to the third combined invention.

In FIG. 4, the equipment connected by transfer tube 18 is the same as described above. Further, as the cooler 26, various types of heat exchangers such as a tube type and a scraper type that can pass solid materials are used. The back pressure pump 10 is the same as that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 above.

In addition, in this sterilizer, the back pressure drainage pipe 27 is connected to the transfer pipe 18 that connects the pressure tank 1 to the sterile tank 6.
It branches from the rear part of the sterilizer 3.

When actually operating this sterilizer, first, at the stage of sterilizing the device, hot water is supplied into the device from the water tank 2 in the same way as in the case described above, and the hot water heated by the sterilizer 3 is transferred to the cooler 4. (not in operation), is cooled down to, for example, 100°C or less in a cooler 26 through which solids can pass through the transfer pipe 18 and the back pressure drainage pipe 27, and then discharged to the outside of the apparatus via the back pressure pump 10. Ru. Here, the above-mentioned cooler 26 is provided in the back pressure drainage pipe 27 in front of the back pressure pump 10 and behind the on-off valve 25. Therefore, during the device sterilization described above, the back pressure pump 10 is not placed under high temperature due to the action of the cooler 26. As a result, a constant back pressure is applied to the sterilizer 3 by the above-mentioned back pressure pump 10, and the water is constantly sterilized under constant conditions. The portion of the utility pipe 27 in front of the on-off valve 25 is sufficiently sterilized. In addition, at this time, the on-off valve 22,
13 is closed, and the on-off valve 25 is open.
In addition, in this sterilizer, the cooler 26
Due to the action of By making the back pressure higher than the back pressure applied by the pump 10, it is possible to prevent bacteria from entering the part where the product actually passes from the back pressure pump 10.
There is no need to use a pump that can withstand high temperature and high pressure and is sterile.

When entering the second stage of water operation, the cooler 4 begins to operate, and when the temperature of the water after passing through the cooler 4 has been cooled down to, for example, 50°C or less, the cooler 26 stop operating. Therefore, in this case as well, the back pressure pump 10 is not placed under extremely high temperatures, and a constant back pressure can be applied to the sterilizer 3 by the back pressure pump 10.
At this time, the state of the on-off valve is the same as in the case of device sterilization described above.

Next, after the above-mentioned water operation is stabilized, the on-off valve 21 of the water tank 2 is closed and the on-off valve 22 is opened, so that the processed material to be the product is supplied from the pressure feeding tank 1 and the actual liquid operation starts. Can be switched. On this occasion,
Since the processed material is sent by air pressure, the solids contained therein are not destroyed, and a constant back pressure is applied to the sterilizer 3 by the back pressure pump 10 as in the above case. , without destroying the sterile conditions inside the device, remove water-containing products from the back pressure drainage pipe 27.
It can be discharged from

Next, when the process is completely changed to a product, the on-off valve 25 is closed, the on-off valve 13 is opened, and the product begins to be collected into the sterile tank 6.
The above-mentioned sterile tank 6 has a function of constantly controlling the pressure inside the tank at a constant level using air pressure (sterile air), and is pressure resistant. Therefore, even during actual liquid operation, a constant back pressure is constantly applied to the sterilizer 3 by the air pressure controlled by the sterile tank 6 described above.

Finally, the product collected in the sterile tank 6 is sent to the next process such as the filling and packaging process by closing the on-off valve 13 and opening the on-off valve 12.

According to the sterilizer related to the second and third combined inventions described above, the back pressure pump is substantially removed from the pipe through which the product passes, and the back pressure pump is placed under extremely high temperature and pressure by the action of the cooler. It is now possible to apply a constant back pressure to the sterilizer without any sterilization, and with the relatively simple structure described above, it is possible to continuously sterilize processed materials containing solids and maintain the sterile state. This makes it possible to collect only the waste into a sterile tank.

As described above, according to the sterilizer of the present invention, the processed material can be sterilized under constant high temperature conditions while stably applying back pressure to the sterilizer using the air pressure of the pressure tank and the back pressure tank. In addition, back pressure can be controlled accurately and easily, and it can be used as a widely used sterilizer or as an aseptic filling device that requires strict sterilization conditions. Furthermore, according to the sterilization device of the present invention, even when the processed material contains solid matter or is highly viscous, the device does not become clogged or the solid matter is destroyed. It is extremely effective when sterilizing liquid foods containing solids, highly viscous foods, pharmaceuticals, etc., or when processing them using aseptic filling methods.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the sterilization device of the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows a sterilization device that applies back pressure using a pressure feed tank and a back pressure tank, and FIG. 2 shows a pressure feed tank and a sterile tank or a pressure feed tank and A sterilizer that applies back pressure with an auxiliary back pressure tank or a pressure feed tank and a pressure control valve, Fig. 3 shows a sterilizer that applies back pressure with a pressure feed tank and a sterile tank or a pressure feed tank and a back pressure pump or a pressure feed tank and a pressure control valve. FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing a sterilizer that applies back pressure using a pressure tank and a sterile tank or a pressure tank and a back pressure pump. 1... Pressure feed tank, 2... Water tank, 3... Sterilizer, 4, 28... Cooler, 5... Back pressure tank, 6... Sterile tank, 7... Auxiliary back pressure tank, 8... Pump for extraction, 9... Pressure control valve, 10... Back pressure pump, 11 to 15, 21,
22, 25...Opening/closing valve, 16...Pressure controller, 17...Pressure sensor, 18...Transfer pipe, 19...Drainage pipe, 20...Auxiliary back pressure pipe,
23...pressure operation valve, 24...air filter, 26...cooler through which solids can pass,
27... Back pressure drainage pipe.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Consists of a sterilizer, a pressure-feeding tank whose air pressure can be controlled to force-feed the processed material to the sterilizer, and a back-pressure tank which is installed behind the sterilizer and whose air pressure can be controlled. Sterilizer. 2. The sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the sterilizer is a sterilizer for aseptic filling. 3. The back pressure tank consists of a sterile tank and an auxiliary back pressure tank, the sterile tank is connected to the sterilizer by a transfer pipe, and the auxiliary back pressure tank is installed in an auxiliary back pressure pipe that branches from the transfer pipe. The sterilizer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: 4. A sterilizer, a pressure-feeding tank that can control the air pressure for pumping the processed material to the sterilizer, a sterile tank that can control the air pressure installed at the rear of the sterilizer, an auxiliary back pressure tank, and a tank for drainage. It consists of a pressure control valve and a withdrawal pump for withdrawing the processed material from the auxiliary back pressure tank, the sterile tank is connected to the sterilizer by a transfer pipe, and the auxiliary back pressure tank and the withdrawal pump are A sterilizer provided in an auxiliary back pressure pipe branching from a transfer pipe, and the pressure control valve being provided in a drainage pipe branching from the transfer pipe or the auxiliary back pressure pipe. 5. A sterilizer, a pressure-feeding tank that can control the air pressure for pumping the processed material to the sterilizer, a sterile tank that can control the air pressure installed at the rear of the sterilizer, a back pressure pump, and a drainage tank. The sterile tank is connected to the sterilizer via a transfer pipe, the back pressure pump is provided on an auxiliary back pressure pipe branching from the transfer pipe, and the pressure control valve is connected to the transfer pipe or the sterilizer. A sterilizer installed in a drainage pipe branching from the auxiliary back pressure pipe. 6. A sterilizer, a pressure-feeding tank that can control the air pressure for pumping the processed material to the sterilizer, a sterile tank that can control the air pressure installed at the rear of the sterilizer, a back pressure pump, and a The sterile tank is connected to the sterilizer by a transfer pipe, and the back pressure pump and the cooler are provided in a back pressure drainage pipe that branches from the transfer pipe. A sterilizer characterized by: