WO1990002302A1

WO1990002302A1 - Chilling apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO1990002302A1
Application number: PCT/AU1989/000360
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mark Lloyd Phillips; Ian Alexander Cran
Original assignee: Multichil Pty. Ltd.
Priority date: 1988-08-23
Filing date: 1989-08-23
Publication date: 1990-03-08

Abstract

Chilling apparatus (2) for rapidly chilling bottles or cans of beverage, the apparatus including a vessel (12) into which the bottles or cans can be placed, a refrigeration system (16) is coupled to a heat exchanger (26) for chilling a liquid which is circulated in the vessel at a temperature of about -20°C. A high flow rate and turbulence in the chilled liquid enables rapid chilling of the cans or bottles of beverage.

Description

CHILLING APPARATUS

This invention relates to chilling apparatus

More particularly, the invention relates to chilling apparatus for rapidly chilling articles such as bottles or cans of beverage.

The object of the invention is to provide a chilling apparatus which can rapidly chill articles from room temperature to between say 2° and 7°C in a short period of time, for instance under 4 minutes. The device can be used in hotels, bars or restaurants and the like for rapidly chilling bottles and cans of beer or wine. This will of course greatly reduce the requirement for bulk storage of chilled bottles or cans of beverages.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for rapidly chilling articles. said apparatus including a vessel into which articles can be placed and means for establishing a flow of liquid at a temperature less than 0°C through said vessel to thereby rapidly cool the articles.

Preferably the apparatus includes a refrigeration system, a circulating system for said liquid and a heat exchanger, the arrangement being such that the circulating and refrigeration systems are both coupled to the heat exchanger whereby the refrigerant in the refrigeration system cools said liquid to a temperature below 0°C.

Preferably, the liquid is chilled to such a temperature that it is delivered to the vessel at less than -20°C.

Preferably further, the liquid comprises an aqueous solution having an anti-freeze additive therein.

Preferably the additive comprises calcium chloride or a glycol based solution.

Preferably further, the circulation system is such that it circulates approximately 4 litres per minute of said liquid for each 750ml bottle in the vessel.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of chilling apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention. Figure 2 is a schematic view of the apparatus.

Figure 3 is a cross section through the chilling vessel.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a basket for supporting the bottles and cans in the vessel.

Figure 5 is a cross section through the basket.

Figure 6 is a cross-section through a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 7 is a more detailed view of part of the apparatus of Figure 6, and

Figure 8 is a plan view of part of the apparatus of Figure 6.

The chilling apparatus 2 shown in Figure 1 comprises a sheet metal housing 4 having sidewalls 6, front wall 8 and top wall 10. A chilling vessel 12 is located in the upper part of the housing and has a flange 14 which engages the top wall 10. Articles such as bottles to be chilled are placed in the vessel 12 which is supplied with super chilled liquid such as water (having an anti-freeze agent therein) so as to rapidly chill the articles, as will be described hereinafter.

Figure 2 diagramatically shows the working components of the apparatus of the invention. The apparatus includes a refrigeration system 16 which includes a compressor 18, condenser 20, receiver dryer 22 and accumulator 24. The dryer 22 removes any traces of moisture from the refrigerant which would tend otherwise to adversely affect the operation of the refrigeration system 16. The accumulator 24 prevents liquid refrigerant being delivered to the compressor 18. The refrigerant is circulated through a heat exchanger 26. The heat exchanger 26 is preferably a plate type heat exchanger having an effective heat transfer area of say 30 square feet.

The apparatus includes a circulating system 28 for supplying super chilled liquid to the vessel 12. The system 28 includes a reservoir 30 located at the base of the vessel 12, the reservoir receiving liquid overflowing from the vessel 12. The reservoir 30 is connected by a return line 32 to a pump 34 which pumps the liquid through the heat exchanger 26 where it is cooled by the refrigerant supplied thereto by the refrigeration system 16. The circulation system 28 includes a supply line 36 which delivers super chilled liquid to the bottom of the vessel 12.

The major components for the refrigeration system 16 and circulating system 28 are located in the base of the housing 4 and the chill vessel 12 is located in the upper part of the housing. The lower part of the front wall 8 of the housing includes a grille 38 for ventilation of the condenser 20.

Figure 3 shows a cross section through one form of vessel 12 and reservoir 30. In this arrangement the vessel 12 and reservoir 30 are rotationally moulded from plastics material such as polyethylene which is resistant to the super chilled liquid. The vessel is formed with a central chamber 40 which is connected to a distribution manifold 42 which in turn is connected to the supply line 36 from the heat exchanger 26, The distribution manifold 42 is connected via lines to three inlet ports 44 which are shaped to produce inlet streams which have both upward and circumferential components of velocity. This produces significant turbulence within the liquid in the vessel 12. The turbulence enhances transfer of heat from the bottles (not shown) to the liquid and so quickens the rate of chilling of the bottles.

The vessel 12 is formed with a plurality of openings 46 located near the top thereof, the openings 46 serving as overflows for the liquid within the vessel. Liquid passes through the openings 46 and is directed towards the reservoir 30 by means of sidewalls 48 which extend upwardly from the reservoir 30. The top wall of the chamber 40 includes an inspection opening which is covered by a cover 50, which can be removed for inspection of the manifold 42. In addition, the inspection opening cover 50 can serve as a platform or support upon which short bottles or cans can be located. The sidewalls 48 and bottom wall 51 of the vessel are covered with a layer 53 of insulating material.

It is preferred that the apparatus includes a basket 52 for supporting the bottles 66 and/or cans 58 in vessel 12. Figures 4 and 5 show one form of the basket. The basket can be formed from plastics material or plastic coated wire. It is formed with a base portion 54 which supports the bottoms of the bottles. It has uprights 56, the inner ends of which can seat on the cover 50 to support the basket. The diameter of the ring formed by the uprights 56 is about 200mm so that four standard cans 58 can be located within the ring of uprights 56 and having their bases on the cover 50. The upper ends of the uprights 56 are connected together by an inner ring 60. Radial arms extend outwardly from the ring 60 and are connected to an outer ring 64. Spaces between pairs of the arms 62 are dimensioned so as to receive wine or beer bottles 66 of normal dimensions. In the illustrated arrangement, the basket is arranged to hold six bottles in the annular region between the rings 62 and 64 and hold four cans in the region within the inner ring 60.

It is preferred that the systems 16 and 28 have sufficient capacity to chill six beverage containers of say 750ml capacity from 20°C to say 2°C in about 3 to 3.5 minutes or to chill the container from 20°C to 7°C in say 2 minutes. This can be accomplished by using an aqueous solution in the circulating system 28 which is delivered to the vessel 12 at about -20^βC. For an apparatus capable of handling six bottles and four cans simultaneously, the capacity of the water solution is preferably about 26 litres and the pump 34 and ports 44 are arranged so that the solution is circulated once every minute.

It has been found that a calcium chloride solution is suitable as the anti-freeze agent for the solution. It is preferred that at -20°C the solution is about 29.4% calcium chloride. Such a solution can be made by testing the density at 20°C so as to have a reading of about 31±2 baume. The outlet diameters of the ports 44 are preferably about 4.7mm in diameter. In operation, the pump 34 would operate to continuously circulate the super chilled liquid through the vessel 12. The refrigeration system 16 would be controlled by a thermostatic controller (not shown) which would be set to turn the refrigeration off when the temperature of solution in the vessel 12 falls to -22±l^βC and to turn the refrigeration system on when it senses a temperature 2°C higher than that level.

The control circuitry may also include timers associated with each of the bottle spaces within the basket 52 so that an operator can be given an indication as to how long a particular bottle has been left in the vessel 12. A front panel 68 of the housing can be provided with indicator lamps 70 which are illuminated when a bottle has been placed in its associated space for a predetermined period say 2 to 3 minutes depending on the temperature to which the bottle is to be chilled.

Figures 6, 7 and 8 illustrate a preferred arrangement for the chilling vessel 12 and in this embodiment similar reference numerals have been used to denote corresponding parts. Generally speaking, the modified arrangement is designed for use with six 750ml bottles. The vessel 12 omits the central chamber 40 of the previous embodiment. It will be seen that the manifold 42 is located beneath the bottom wall 100 of the vessel 12 and within the reservoir 30. The three inlet ports 44 are arranged to discharge horizontally above the bottom 100 of the vessel 12 and produce a swirling motion of the chilled liquid. This improves the rate of heat transfer with the bottles in the vessel. Figure 7 illustrates in more detail the upper parts of the vessel 12 and the sidewall 48 of the reservoir 30. Both the vessel 12 and reservoir 30 are preferably rotationally moulded from polyethylene. The sidewalls 48 include an inwardly directed support flange 80 which forms a seat for an outwardly directed flange 82 integrally formed with the top edge of the vessel 12. The basket 52 includes radially directed legs 84 which overlie the flange 82 and terminate in downwardly directed legs 86. The legs 86 pass through aligned openings 88 and 90 in the flanges 82 and 80 respectively so as to firmly hold the basket in position.

The embodiment of Figures 6 to 8 includes a cover assembly 92 which comprises upper and lower plates 94 and 96 and a resilient gasket member 98 clamped therebetween. The plates 94 and 96 are preferably formed of heat resistent material such as polyethylene and are connected together by screws 100. The plates 94 and 96 include aligned openings 102 and 104. The openings 102 and 104 are generally circular but, as seen in Figure 8, include flat portions to prevent the material of the plates becoming too thin where the openings are closest together. The diameter of the openings 102 and 104 is about 100mm so as to permit most 750ml bottles to pass therethrough. The gasket 98 also includes openings but the inner edges of the gasket project inwardly so as to define lips 106 which will serve as a wiper for removing the super chilled liquid from the bottles as they are withdrawn through the openings 102 and 104. The gasket 98 is preferably formed from silicone rubber or the like. In an alternative arrangement, the resilient lips 106 could be replaced by circular brushes (not shown) which would also serve to remove the chilled liquid from the bottles as they are withdrawn.

The sidewall 48 includes a number of integrally formed inwardly directed projections 108 the diametrical spacing of which is slightly larger than the diameter of the plate 96, as seen in Figure 7. The projections 108 serve to retain the cover assembly 92 snugly above the vessel 12 and above the level of the overflow openings 46 for the super chilled liquid.

The embodiment of Figures 6, 7 and 8 has the advantage of being more compact, robust and less complicated than the previous embodiment. It also has fewer openings in the vessel 12 and therefore less likelihood of leakage.

The apparatus is suitable for use in bars or restaurants or the like for rapidly chilling bottles of wine or beer or other beverage. The apparatus could also be used in other fields where rapid chilling of liquids is required, for instance, in the medical field for chilling containers of blood.

Many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. Apparatus (2) for rapidly chilling articles, said apparatus including a vessel (12) into which articles can be placed and means (16,28) for establishing a flow of liquid at a temperature less than 0°C through said vessel to thereby rapidly cool the articles.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the apparatus includes a refrigeration system (16), a circulating system for said liquid (28) and a heat exchanger (26), the arrangement being such that the circulating and refrigeration systems are both coupled to the heat exchanger whereby the refrigerant in the refrigeration system cools said liquid to a temperature below 0°C.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the liquid is chilled to such a temperature that it is delivered to the vessel at less than -20°C.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the liquid comprises an aqueous solution having an anti-freeze additive therein.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the liquid comprises calcium chloride solution the density of which at 20°C is 31±2 baume or a glycol solution.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the circulating system (16) circulates at least 4 litres per minute of said liquid through the vessel (12) for each 750ml article placed therein.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the ciculating system includes at least 26 litres of said liquid.

8. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim including a basket (52) which is located within the vessel (12) said basket being shaped to support six bottles to be chilled.

9. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the vessel (12) includes inlet ports (44) for delivery of said liquid near the bottom (100) of said vessel and outlet ports (46) for return of the liquid to said circulating system.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein the inlet 'ports (44) are disposed to produce a swirling movement of said liquid in the vessel (12).

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 or 10 including a reservoir (30) surrounding the vessel for collecting the liquid passing through the outlet ports (46).

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the insulating system includes a distribution manifold (42) which is located in the reservoir (30).

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 or 12 wherein the reservoir (30) includes a sidewall (48) which includes an inwardly directed flange (80) which supports an outwardly directed flange (82) formed on the vessel (12) .

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13 including a cover assembly (92) which spans the top of the vessel (12) and has openings (102,104) therein for allowing articles to be chilled to be placed in or removed from the vessel.

15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein each opening includes means (106) for wiping said liquid from the articles as they are removed from the vessel.

16. Apparatus as claimed in claim 15 wherein said means for wiping comprises a resilient lip (106) .

17. Apparatus as claimed in claim 14, 15 or 16 wherein the cover assembly (92) is retained in position by projections (108) which project inwardly from the sidewall (48) .

18. Apparatus as claimed in claim 17 including a basket (52) having upper radial arms (84) which overlie the flange (82) formed on the vessel (12).

19. Apparatus as claimed in claim 18 wherein the radial arms terminate in downwardly directed legs (86) which extend through aligned openings (86,90) in the flanges (82 and 90) of the vessel (12) and sidewall (48) respectively.

20. Apparatus as claimed in claim 18 or 19 wherein the cover assembly (92) is supported by said radial arms (84) .