US1660531A - Carbonator - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 28. 1928.

P. w. SHIELDS ET AL CARBONATOR Filed Sept. 29, 1922 TEMPERATURE t utbmwmk INVENTOBS M Patented Feb. 28, 1928.

UNITE 5ST TE 5 Tear spice.

PATRICK VJ. SHIELDS, 0F PITTSBURGH, AND LCUIS DE BZAEKUS, OF MONTROSE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS T0 MCKENNA BRASS 65 MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INC., OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A GOREOBATION OE PENNSYLVANIA.

GARBONATOR.

Application filed September 29, 1922. Serial No. 591,285

The present invention relates broadly to bottling sott drinks which require a 0. 111- ps at y l w a b na on, an t a m th of effecting the desired carbonation.

In the soft drink industr, it is common practice to carbonate or charge ordinary water with from 2 to 8 times its own volume of carbon dioxide, the degree of carbonation dependin on the product desired. In ordi nary carj onators there is usually provided an excess of carbon dioxide to insure carbonation up to the saturation point of the waterat carbonator temperature and pressure, As with certain drinks, such for examp as imitati n grape r ks, it is d sirable to provide only sufiicient carbon dioxide to impart the desired palatable charac isti s to h d ink, t will be appa en that a .carbonator which effects carbonation up to substantially the saturation point would not be suitable tor directly supplying its water to a bottling machine bottling drinks of this character.

By the present invention there is provided improved means for supplying carbonated water of the proper characteristics o bottl g ma h n t ng derstood that the term bottling as used 1. 6. 9 in is definitive both of bottle filling and bottle filling and capping machines.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown for purposes of illustration only a certain embodiment of the present invention, these drawings being largely diagrammatic and representing apparatus which may be of any desired construction and in which changes may, be made in the construction and operation without departing from the spirit or scope of our broader claims.

In the drawings:

igure 1 is a chart in rectangular coordinates showing the relation between temper ature, pressure, and saturation pointof carbon dioxide in water, and

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating one embodiment of this illyention.

Experience in the use .of bottling machines has demonstrated the advisability of supplying thereto, where carbonated water isrequired, carbonated water at comparatiyeiy definite pressures; These pressures vary with di'iferent machines in accordance with the design thereof, but each particular machine operates efficiently only over a comparatively definite pressure range. By the resen n n ion it s poss no on y to effect the desired carbonation, but to ply the carbonated water at the pressure required by the bottling machine.

Referring first to the chart of Figure 1, the horizontally extending dotted line repre sents the pressure at which the bottling machine, not shown in the drawings, is best adapted to operate. The lowest and highest temperatures at which tap water is found during the year, are represented respectively by the reference characters 5 and t During the cold months the water temperature will be close to 13, while it will approach t during the hotter months. An average conditiou is arbitrarily represented by t. The intersection of a line drawn from t with the dotted line representing bottling machine pressure will show that under these conditions the saturation point of the water is at about ai volumes. As has been before referred to, a carbonator which is commercially eflicient will produce a substantially saturated solution at temperature and pressure, the pressure and temperature being determined respectively by pressure of the bottling machine and the temperature of the tap water.

This degree of carbonation, viz: substantial saturation, is not suitable, tor the reasons pointed out, for use in bottling certain soft drinks requiring lo carbonation. It is extremely diflicult, if n t impossible, with known apparatus to efiect uniform carbonation at under-saturation in ordinary carb onators. This has been .due to the difii- ,culty encountered in maintaining the desired pr port of W t and carbon (dioxid y this n i n th c bcnat r is ope ated in its normal way to produce substantial saturation and then this substantially saturated water is treated to render it capable of absorbing additional carbon dioxide. This result rnay be accomplished in different ways, either by increas ng the pressure after carbonation as disclosed our eo-p'endiug application serial No.- 591;

289, filed September 2 922, or by diluting the substantially saturated water with any desired amount of sweet or uncarbonated water as specifically isclosed hereinafter.

cult to Figure 2 of th" airing on. is illustrated diagrammatically a carbonator 2 which is adapted to carbonate substantially to saturation, as is customarily done. This carbonator may be provided with any desired connection 3 for supplying the car-son diox de thereto. The water to be carbonated. may be supplied under a definite pressure, preferably corresponding to the bottling machine pressure, by a suitable pump 4 having an inlet 5 and an outlet 3 operati connected to the carbonator. The carbonated water may leave the carbenator through a suitable connection 7 leading to mixing chamber 8 of any desired construction. In this chamber the water is treated, by the addition of sweet water thereto, whereby an under-saturated solution, containing a definite percentage 0t carbon dioxde with respect to the total volume of water, is produced.

Vve have found that this result may advantageously be produced by providing a bypass 9 leading from the outlet 6 of the pump to the mixing chamber. This bypass is preferably constructed to have the flow therethrough automatically proportioned to the flow of Water from the carbonator in order to efiect the desire definite carbonation. This may be accomp ished by providing in the bypass 9 a suitable valve 10 which is operatively connected to a diaphragm 11. This diaphragm may be mounted in a casing 12 of any usual construction, and is subjected on one side thereof to the pressure of the carbonated Wate in the pipe 7 by a. suitable passage 13, and on its opposite side, by a pas sage 14, is subjected to the pressure of the sweet water just prior to its entrance into the mixing chamber. In order to insure the proper proportioning between the carbonated and the sweet water, the carbonated water preferably enters the mixing Chamber through a calibrated orifice 15. The sweet water likewise may be supplied to the mixing chamber 8 through a similar orifice 16. The orifice 16, however, is provided. with a regulating valve 17 by means of which the extent of opening of this orifice may be regulated. It will be apparent that this construction produces a dilterential pressure on opposite sides of the diaphragm 11, which pressure is in turn effective for automatically controlling the position of the valve 10 and thereby maintaining the desired proportions.

To insure proper intermingling of the sweet and carbonated waters, the mixing chamber may be provided with agitating means such as battles 18. From the mixing chamber the Water, which is now under-saturated, may pass to the bottling machine (not shown) through a suitable connection 19.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the pump 4 may be operated at a speed which will insure the supp of a total a ant of water tirough the m ing chamcr which is just suihcient to meet the demands of the bottling machine. In this anner, it is possible to obviate the use of b e c. ctionable storage tanks, and the like. TllS construction provides a continuously r nning carbonating apparatus of simple construction.

If desired, there may be provided a supplemental valve 20 adapted to completely close the calibrated orifice 15. With such a construction, by closing the valve 20 the apparatus may be used for the bottling of still goods requiring no carbonation. When operating in this manner, the water will be supplied through the line 5 at a pressure lower than the bottling machine pressure, the pressure will be raised by the pump 4 to the desired bottling machine pressure and this water will then be fed to the bottling machine. At such times, it will be obvious that the carbonator 2 functions merely as a loading chamber automatically maintaining the desired bottling pressure for the sweet water.

The advantages of the present invention arise from the provision of a carbonating apparatus and method of carbonating for use in connection with bottling machines by means of which uniformly carbonated water at under-saturation may be. expeditiously produced.

Further advantages of this in vcntion arise from the provision of a continuously running carbonator which does not require storage tanks and the usual appurtenances thereof.

We claim:

1. In. a carbonating apparatus, a Water pump having a divided discharge, a carbonator communicating with one division of said discharge, a. mixing chamber communh eating with the other division of said dis charge, a connection between said carbonator and said mixing chamber, and a dis charge connection from said mixing chamber, substantially as described.

In a carbonating apparatus. a water pump having a divided discharge, a carbonator communicating with one of the divisions of said discharge, a regulator communicating with another division of said discharge, a mixing; chamber operatively connected to both the carbonator and said regulator, and a discharge connection from said mixing chamber, substantially as described.

3. In a carbonating apparatus, a mixing chamber, a pump, a plurality of: Water sup ply lines between said pump and said mixing chamber, and means in one of said supply ill) lines for carbonating the Water flowing therewater flowing therethrough to substantially through substantially as described. the saturation point, substantially as de- 4. In a carbonating apparatus, a mixing scribed. 10 chamber, a continuously operating pump In testimony whereof We have hereunto 5 having a divided discharge supplying Water set our hands.

to the mixing chamber, and means in one PATRICK WV. SHIELDS. portion of the discharge for carbonating the LOUIS DE MARKUS.

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