US2462642A

US2462642A - Apparatus for filling containers of pressure fluids

Info

Publication number: US2462642A
Application number: US653666A
Authority: US
Inventors: Eugene W Jacobson; Harry O Creazzi; County Allegheny; John R Aikins
Original assignee: Gulf Research and Development Co
Current assignee: Gulf Research and Development Co
Priority date: 1946-03-11
Filing date: 1946-03-11
Publication date: 1949-02-22
Anticipated expiration: 1966-02-22

Description

F -22, 4 'EJWJACOBSON Em 2,462,6

APPARATUS FOR FILLING CONTAINERS 0F PRESSURE mums Filed March 11, 1945 2 Shets-Sheet 1 glwuc nfovs E. W. \JFSCDBSON H. O. CRERZ'ZI J. AIKINs $0M; f47- M I allozmn 1949- E. w. JACOBSON ET AL 2,

APPARATUS FOR FILLING CONTAINERS OF PRESSURE FLUIDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 11, 1946 lllllllllllll In l lll 1 llllllllll M s1 Vxw GRFJS'Z'ZI a. Alxms Patented Feb. 22, 1949 APPARATUS FOR FILLING CONTAINERS OF PRESSURE FLUIDS Eugene W. Jacobson, Oakmont, Harry 0. Creazzi, Penn Township, Allegheny County, and John R.- Ail-tins, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignors to Gulf Researchv & Development Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application March 11, 1946, Serial No. 653,666

5 Claims.

1 This invention relates to apparatus for filling containers with accurately measured volumes of high vapor pressure liquid or highly compressedv gas. More particularly, it comprises an apparatus for charging dispensers such as aerosol bombs with a highly volatile liquid which upon release carries particles of insecticide or other composition into the air in such fine suspension that its effect persists for a longer time than a wet spray.

In order to function properly, each such dispenser must contain an accurately measured and uniform charge of the liquid propelling and dispersing agent. Any evaporation loss resulting from its leakage in being transferred to the dispensing receptacles will deprive them of .a full charge and, as a consequence of this, they may prove faulty in operation. Moreover, high vapor pressure liquids such as Freon are generally expensive and their loss by evaporation in contact with air is both rapid and costly.

It is also important that air be excluded from the filling apparatus. When it becomes necessary to replenish the bulk supply of high vapor pressure liquid and the pipe connections are broken to connect a new supply, some air may become trapped in the system and will be discharged as a .portion of the measured volumes of fluid introduced into the containers. Since the volume 01 propellant for each container in such case will be insufficient, the same undesirable operation as aforesaid will be encountered.

Among the objects achievedby our invention are to provide a filling apparatus for rapidly charging containers with high vapor pressure liquids; for accurately measuringthe volume of liquid placed in each successive container; for reducing to a minimum the amount of liquid lost by evaporation when the filled containers are replaced by empty ones; and for removing entrapped air preparatory to the filling operation, without loss of high vapor pressure liquid.

The foregoing and other objects are accomplished by the apparatus which comprises a measuring cylinder and piston delivering measured volumes of high vapor pressure liquid to a filling head which is normally closed and sealed at or slightly above the vapor pressure of the liquid by a spring biased valve but which opens under higher, applied pressure to discharge successive, measured charges oi'lthe fluid and immediately recloses when the source pressure is cut off and the pressure of each charge subsides to the vapor pressure of the liquid in the system. Provision is also made for locking the spring leakage.

discharge pipe 20 to the filling head.

biased valve on its seat whereupon the piston may be operated for a few strokes to discharge a quantity of the high vapor pressure liquid with entrapped air through a separately controlled outlet into a closed receptacle from which the high vapor pressure liquid may be recovered for reuse. In this way the apparatus may be purged of air before filling operations are commenced.

A preferred embodimentof the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a partly diagrammatic view of the apparatus.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the filling head.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of a modified form of piston abutment which includes means for signaling the limits of the piston stroke or for initiating actuation of the valves which control piston movement.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, a hydraulic cylinder ill receives a fluid driven piston ii whose displacement corresponds to the volume of liquid to be discharged into the dispensing receptacle ii. The cylinder heads i3 and 94 are equipped with adjusting screws l5 which pass through conventional stufilng boxes i5 and are thereby adequately sealed against These adjusting screws regulate the motion of piston ii and thereby determine the volume of high vapor pressure liquid to be displaced on each stroke.

Each cylinder head has an inlet port I! and an outlet port-l8 connected, respectively, to a supply pipe i9 and a discharge pipe 20, the latter leading to a filling head 2|. The pipes connecting the inlet ports H with supply pipe i9 are provided with

valves

22 and 23, and in similar manner the pipes connecting the outlet ports ill with pipe 20 are provided with

valves

24 and 25. Thus, with the piston in the position shown in Figure 1 (with all valves closed) when inlet valve 23 and outlet valve 24 are opened the high vapor pressure liquid from a source of supply (not shown) under higher pressure than the vapor pressure of the liquid. in order to impart movement to the piston, will enter the right end of the cylinder, driving the piston ahead of it and discharging a measured volume of the liquid ahead of the piston, through. outlet valve 24 and If. then.

valves

23 and 24 are closed and

valves

22 and 25 opened, the high vapor pressure liquid from supply will enter the left end of the cylinder and drive the piston in reverse direction, expelling a measured charge of the liquid through valve 25 of liquid under high pressure of the source is cut oil and the pressure of that portion of the liquid which is trapped in pipe 20 and the filling head reduces to about the normal vapor pressure.

The filling head 2| comprises a chambered block which is provided with a skirt 26 for guiding a container to be filled into position to receive a measured charge of the dispensed liquid.

Ports

21 and 28 leading to the central chamber in the filling head communicate, respectively, with discharge pipe 20 and with another outlet pipe 30, the purpose of which will be presently described. A plunger type valve 3| mounted in the chamber 29 is urged into contact with a valve seat formed in the ferrule 32, by a spring 33 whose load can be adjusted by a screw 34 so that the valve will close against pressure at and somewhat above the vapor pressure of the dispensed liquid but will open under higher pressure of the measured charges discharged by the piston A control screw 35 which is held in adjusted position by a locking nut 36 limits the opening movement of the valve and thereby guards against damage to the sealing bellows 31 due to excessive movement, thebellows being attached at one end to the filling head block and at the other to the movable valve. Screw 35 may, however, be turned down to lock the valve on its seat so that discharge of the fluid to the atmosphere will not occur when the apparatus is operated to rid it of entrapped air.

The ferrule 32 in which the valve seat is formed encircles the neck of the dispensing receptacle i2 with minimum clearance and it carries a gasket 38 which seals the joint between the filling head and a dispenser in filling position. Ferrules of different size may be employed as required for use with various containers.

The neck of the dispenser is fitted with a spring pressed valve 39 which opens under pressure and which automatically closes upon release. Thus, when the dispenser is removed from the filling head it is immediately sealed by the closing of this valve 39.

Successive dispensers are presented for filling by positioning them on a stand 40 conforming to the contour of the bottom end of the container, as shown in Figure 1. This stand is advanced and retracted by a rod 4| attached to piston 42. The piston is mounted in a pneumatic cylinder 43 which is connected by pipe 44 with a source of air under pressure, the admission and exhaust being controlled by a three-way valve 45 which connects the cylinder alternately with the aid supply pipe 44 and an exhaust pipe 46. A sleeve 41 surrounds the piston rod within the coils of a spring 48 and serves as a safety stop to prevent cverstressing the spring 48 if no dispenser is in place on the supporting stand when the piston is advanced.

The pipe 30 which extends from the filling head leads to a cylinder or other pressure receptacle as shown'schematically in Figure 1a and is normally closed by a valve 49. If any air is trapped in the system the valve 3| is locked in seated position by turning down the screw 35 so that it cannot open under the pressure of fluid expelled from the measuring cylinder. The apparatus is then put in operation with the valve 49 open, expelling the charges of high vapor pressure liquid and any entrained air into the collection receptacle from which the high vapor' pressure liquid may be recovered for further use. After 4 a few strokes of the measuring piston the valve 49 is closed and the abutment screw 35 is retracted, whereupon the valve 3| may again open under the pressure of succeeding charges to fill the containers.

The inlet and outlet valves of the measuring cylinder I0 may be manually controlled or they may be of the solenoid type, actuated by electrical impulses. In either case our invention contemplates the provision of a mechanism such as is shown in Figure 3 for signaling the end of piston stroke so that the operator may be advised when to open and close the valves, or for automatically initiating their operation. Here a rod 50 carrying acollar 5| which abuts against a shoulder of the casing 52 to limit its movement under the influence of spring 53, contacts the end of piston H at the limit of its movement and is urged back against the loading of the spring to close a contact at the switch 54. The closing of the switch contacts may energize electrical circuits for actuating solenoid control valves in proper sequence through the medium of a program motor or in other conventional manner.

In order to prevent leakage of the high vapor pressure liquid'to atmosphere along the rod 50 a flexible bellows 55 connects the collar 5| with the housing structure 52.

In this form of invention air may conveniently be bled from the apparatus through a restricted passage 56 and port 51 which is controlled by needle valve 58.

While the foregoing description has reference to filling dispensing receptacles with high vapor pressure liquid, it is tobe understood that the apparatus is not confined to such use but that it may equally well be employed for dispensing highly compressed gas, andthat its use is not limited to the field of charging dispensers but that it also has utility for filling storage receptacles with measured volumes of highly volatile liquids or compressed gases.

What we claim is:

' 1. An apparatus for filling containers with measured volumes of high vapor pressure liquid, comprising a filling head, acylinder communicating with said filling head and with a source of supply of such liquid under substantially higher pressure than its vapor pressure, through admission and discharge ports at each end of the cylinder, valvesfor controlling the admission of fluid to alternate ends of the cylinder and for controlling the discharge thereof from the opposite alternate ends of the cylinder, a double acting piston in said cylinder operating upon reciprocation to discharge measured volumes of the liquid to the filling head under pressure higher than that normally existing in the filling head, an

outlet valve in the filling head normally held closed by spring means but responding to the higher pressure of each charge of the liquid discharged by said piston and thereby operating to permit dispensing of each such charge, a projecting discharge conduit of such diameter as closely to surround the projecting tubular filling conduit of a container in position. to receive a charge of the liquid and of a length sufiicient for its end to abut the shoulder of such container surrounding the filling conduit, a sealing gasket between the outlet conduit of said fillingheadand the shoulder of the container adapted to prevent leakage therebetween, and means for presenting a container to the filling head and for pressing the same into sealing contact with the outlet conduit thereof.

2. An apparatus for filling containers with measured volumes of high vapor pressure liquid, comprising a cylinder and a fluid operated piston discharging the liquid in measured quantities to a filling head, a plunger valve for the outletpi the filling head, a spring bearing thereagainst for normally holding the valve on its seat, adjustable means for loading said spring, an abutment for limiting opening movement of the valve, means for adjusting said abutment to lock the valve on its seat, and a valve controlled port in said filling head communicating with a closed receptacle to which successive charges of the liquid with entrapped air may be conveyed when the said plunger valve is locked on its seat, in order to purge the apparatus of air preparatory to dispensing measured volumes of the liquid yet to permit recovery of the liquid so discharged with the air.

3. In a filling apparatus for introducing measured volumes of high vapor pressure liquid into valved containers, a filling head to which successive charges of the liquid are delivered, a plunger valve in said filling head for closing the outlet thereof, a flexible bellows so connected between the interior of the filling head and valve that pressure of the charges of liquid delivered to the filling head is exerted in a direction to unseat the valve, a loading spring for the valve tending to seat the same, selectively operated means for locking the valve on its seat, a conduit communicating with the filling head and a closed receptacle and a valve in said conduit for controlling fiow of liquid to said closed receptacle when said plunger valve is locked on its seat, thereby to purge the apparatus of entrapped air preparatory to a dispensing operation yet permit recovery of liquid removed to said closed receptacle with the air.

4. In a filling apparatus for introducing measured charges of high vapor pressure liquid into valved containers, 9. valved filling head which delivers the liquid under pressure of each charge. a platform upon which a receptacle to be filled is positioned, a cylinder and piston so arranged that by movement of one relative to the other the platform may be advanced to press the filling opening. of the receptacle into contact with the outlet of said filling head and retracted after the receptacle fluence of said spring, and an abutment carried by said piston for limiting its advance in the absence of a receptacle on said platform.

5. In a filling apparatus for introducing measured charges of high vapor pressure liquid into valved containers, a cylinder provided with an inlet and outlet valve at each end, a fluid actuated piston in said cylinder, a reciprocable rod urged inwardly of the cylinder by a spring to the limit of movement of an abutment thereon, said rod extending through a head of said cylinder to a position where it will be engaged by the piston at the end of a stroke, and electric control means actuated by movement of said rod under impact of the piston at the end of its stroke.

EUGENE W. JACOBSQN. HARRY 0. CREAZZI. JOHN R. AIKINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS