WO2012120254A1

WO2012120254A1 - Automated cleaning of beverage lines with data logging and wireless transmission

Info

Publication number: WO2012120254A1
Application number: PCT/GB2012/000210
Authority: WO
Inventors: Anthony Molloy; Geoff HACKETT
Original assignee: Anthony Molloy
Priority date: 2011-03-07
Filing date: 2012-03-02
Publication date: 2012-09-13
Also published as: GB2488777A; GB2488777B; GB201103803D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automated beverage line cleaning system with data logging (102) and wireless transmission (101) to (105) of logged data. The cleaning system (102) can either prevent or allow for the flow of fluid through the beverage supply apparatus (107), (203). The volume of fluid flowing through the supply apparatus (107), (203) and out through the exhaust conduit (201), (202) is based upon the systems (102) knowledge of the volume of fluid in the lines being cleaned. This quantity of fluid allowed to pass through the supply apparatus (107), (203) is measured by a flow meter (307) and is evaluated though an embedded algorithm on a microcontroller on control board (303). The measured value of the flow meter (307) sets the control sequence of either the flow of water or chemicals through valves (302) and (306). On board memory on control board (303), logs the volume, the date and time of the fluid flowing through the lines in relation to the lines being cleaned. When data logging receiving device (105) is plugged into a PC in range of the cleaning system, the device and relating software receives all of the data wirelessly stored on the memory on control board (303). The data received by the software is then uploaded on to a remote server for remote online access. Subsequently, email reminders can be sent in conjunction to the required cleaning schedule, with additional financial information relating to the volume of product saved and wasted prior to cleaning.

Description

Automated cleaning of beverage lines with data logging and wireless transmission

The breweries recommend that beverage lines (107) should be cleaned on a weekly basis, so that the product being served (108) does not suffer the effects of

haziness/bitterness and is of a high served quality.

Yeast and bacterial growth in the supply lines (107) are the main factors of why lines need to be cleaned. This is mainly for hygiene purposes before the yeast becomes visible in the product being served.

Conventionally, beverage supply lines (406) and apparatus (405) are cleaned through manual effort, through the process of both flushing or soaking water and chemicals through the lines. This process requires:

1) The manual filling and flushing of the correct quantity of water from a water tank (401) via an electric or gas pump (402) through the supply lines (406),

2) The dosing and mixing of chemicals in the water tank (401) are so that the correct strength of chemical can be flushed and soaked in the lines,

3) The chemical is soaked in the lines (406) for the correct period of time on a set number of chemical cycles,

4) The correct volume of water is then flushed through the lines (406) to fully remove the chemicals in the supply lines and

5) The couplings (403) are then placed from the cleaning ring back on to the product barrels (404). Product is then pulled back through the supply lines (406) to displace the water.

There are various problems associated with cleaning lines manually. These are:

1) The product in the supply lines prior to cleaning is wasted,

2) The quantity of the product wasted in the supply lines is unknown,

3) A large amount of time and effort is required to clean lines to brewery specification,

4) Lines need to be cleaned in unsociable hours when the bar is closed,

5) The quality of how lines have been cleaned is unknown,

6) When and which lines have been cleaned needs to be manually recorded.

There is a number of automated line cleaning systems available on the market that can be employed to save the beer in the lines (1) and auto clean the lines (3) by auto- filling the lines with water and correctly dosing the chemical into the lines.

l However these conventional automated methods allow for the flow of fluid through the supply apparatus on a time basis, or a One size fits all' solution. The method does not take into account varying numbers of lines being cleaned with lines of varying volume. As a result the quality of the line cleaning process is unreliable.

The quantity of beverage saved or wasted in the supply apparatus prior to cleaning is unknown, without a manual data recording process.

The breweries recommend that water should not be left in the supply apparatus for prolonged periods of time, as this can taint the flavour of the product. This implies that the product needs to be pulled back through the supply apparatus post the cleaning process. This can generally be in unsociable hours when the bar is closed, implying that an operator needs to be available when the cleaning process is complete.

Conventional methods have no way of informing the operator about the line cleaning statistics; hence the quality of the line cleaning process is unknown. Similarly no record is made of when and which supply lines have been cleaned and would need to be manually recorded by the operator.

It is an object of the present invention to solve all of the disadvantages of the prior art beverage line cleaning systems and/or conventional methods.

According to the present invention there is provided a cleaning and logging system comprising:-

A water controlling solenoid valve (302),

A mains water operating chemical dosing and mixing system (301),

A chemical resistant controlling solenoid valve (306),

A small cask ale water tank (304),

A chemical resilient vortex flow meter valve (307),

An optical sensor method to determine the presence or absence of dosed chemical (305),

An electronic control system (303),

Control and logging software embedded on a microcontroller device (303),

A memory device to log user operations (303),

A digital display screen (106),

A user remote control device,

A USB Radio Frequency transmit/receive data logger (105),

Associating Windows based software to interrogate the logger and upload the user operations online,

A designed push fit drainage manifold (201),

Designed push fit nozzles to attach to the bar fonts (202),

A metered override switching unit, and

Pint counters that display the number of pints remaining in the lines (103).

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is a method for dispensing the beverage from the supply lines and apparatus prior to the cleaning operation, the method including steps of: i) Determining the volume of product stored in the lines that are to be dispensed; ii) Illustrating the number of pints remaining in the lines on a digital display in the bar area;

iii) Delivering mains water pressure through the supply lines via the inlet control valves for free flow or metered supply apparatus; iv) Allowing for the delivery of un-pressurised water via a water storage tank for hand pull supply apparatus; v) Monitoring the volume of fluid flowing through the supply apparatus to determine the number of pints saved during the dispense function; vi) Ceasing the delivery of mains water pressure through the supply lines when the measured volume of water flowed through the supply lines and apparatus reaches the volume of product stored in the supply lines and apparatus; vii) Calculating the volume of product saved and wasted during the dispense function; viii) Logging the dispense statistics onto an onboard memory device.

According to the second aspect of the present invention there is a method for cleaning and/or flushing the supply lines and apparatus based upon the volume of flow required to clean and/or flush the lines, the method including steps of: a) Delivering mains pressure water and/or cleaning fluid into the supply lines via the inlet control valves so that the fluid flows out through the outlet conduit; b) Monitoring the volume of water and/or cleaning fluid flowing through the supply lines and apparatus;

c) Ceasing the delivery of the water and/or cleaning fluid via the inlet control valves when the volume of flow reaches a predetermined level;

d) Ceasing the delivery of the cleaning fluid if the absence of cleaning fluid is detected via the optical sensor method;

e) During the delivery step, the flow of cleaning fluid is ceased via the inlet control valves, so that the cleaning fluid can be allowed to steep and be agitated to optimise the use of the cleaning fluid; f) The steps (a) to (e) may be repeated dependant on the number of cleaning cycles selected by the operator g) Delivering mains water pressure into the supply lines and apparatus to flush the chemical fluid from the lines via control of the inlet water valve;

h) Monitoring the volume of water flowing through the supply lines and apparatus during the final flushing stage; i) Ceasing the delivery of water via the inlet control water valve when the volume of fluid monitored equates to a predetermined level (calculated from the known volume of fluid in the supply lines and apparatus being cleaned); j) Logging the cleaning statistics (such as, product, date, time, volume of water and chemical flushed through the lines) on an onboard memory device.

According to the third aspect of the present invention there is a method for

communicating with the onboard memory device and displaying the data through visual media sources.

1) A method of storing the operational statistics about the dispensing, flushing and cleaning processes, through the use on an onboard memory device;

2) A method of communicating the operational statistics from the onboard memory device to a further processing system. This can be either: wirelessly or through the hard wiring of cables;

3) A method of receiving the operational statistics onto the further processing system. In the said invention a USB (Universal Serial Bus) device fitted with a RF (Radio Frequency chip plugged into a PC enables a wireless communication between the onboard memory device and PC;

4) Software to interpret the data received by the further processing system and to display the data in a meaningful format;

5) The implementation of the upload of data to a remote memory device, such as a remote server, to enable online access through any additional connecting processor systems.

Fig 1. Illustrates the present invention during dispense mode prior to cleaning supply lines. Mains water is required as an inlet to the system (102) where flow of mains water pressure is either allowed or suppressed into cleaning ring (109) via solenoid valve (302). Product is allowed to be sold (108) through bar fonts through the displacement of water flowing through system (102) and into supply lines (107). Pint counters (103) are used to inform the user on the number of pints remaining in the supply lines (107) during the dispense routine. System (102) logs the dispense process on the products and volume of product being dispensed. This is from the measured displacement of water from the flow meter (307). Data is then transmitted via the remote wireless transmitter (101) to USB data receiver (105).

Fig 2. Illustrates the present invention during the cleaning and/or flushing of supply lines. Mains water is required as an inlet to the system (102) which is either flown through or chemically dosed into the cleaning ring, into the supply lines and out through the outlet drainage conduit (201).

Fig 3. Illustrates the fluid components of the present invention. The dispensation of mains water pressure in to the supply lines and apparatus occurs, as mains water enters in at the inlet point (308) and can flow through to outlet point (307) through non return valve/water control valve (302) and flow meter (307). Mains water also can flow into water tank (304) and is ceased when full by stop cock mechanism (309). The water held in the tank can be pulled from the hand pull mechanisms through outlet (310) and out through flow meter (307). The dispensation of chemicals occurs through the opening of valve (306). This allows mains water to flow through the non return valve and chemical dosing unit (301). Chemicals are sucked through inlet (311) at a proportional rate of flow through (301) and are mixed with the inlet water supply inside (301). Mixed chemicals are then allowed to flow through optical sensor (305), through control valve to the outlet through the flow meter (307).

Fig 4. Illustrates a conventional manual cleaning system. Water and/or chemical mixing occur at the water tank (401). This water/chemical mix is pressurised and pumped through the supply lines (406) and apparatus (405) through either a gas or electric pump (402). Flow of fluid through the supply lines occur through the opening of bar taps (408).

Fig 5. Illustrates a conventional automated line cleaning system. A water tank and pump similar to the manual method is held inside unit (501). Water is pumped via an electric or gas pump inside the unit from the contained water tank through the supply lines (503) and apparatus (502). Water is allowed to pass through supply lines through the open bar taps (504) to a drainage system in the bar area. Water is flushed through the lines for a fixed time period, regardless of the number of supply lines connected to the cleaning ring (502). Chemicals are dosed into the supply lines (503) and apparatus (502) through the use of a Venturi method, of chemical suction via the pump contained inside the unit (501). The chemical mix proportion is a relation between the diameters of the chemical tube to inlet water tube. The flow of chemicals into the pump is controlled via a chemical valve that can either suppress or allow chemicals in the chemical supply tube (505). Chemical/water mix is then sucked from the chemical bottle and water tank which is then pumped through the supply lines (504) and apparatus (502). Chemicals are allowed to flow through the supply lines (504) using predetermined fixed time periods. This is controlled by the use of pump and chemical valve. Once chemicals have flown through the lines from the predetermined time period, water is then flushed through the lines to displace the chemicals for a predetermined fixed time period.

It will be appreciated that the components of the present invention can be added to existing beverage/foodstuff or other types of supply installation, or they may be an integral part of the system. It will also be appreciated that the present invention can be used for cleaning lines and logging/transmitting monitoring statistics in other applications other than foodstuff beverage supply and modifications to the program control, logging algorithms etc can be made to suit the requirement of the particular application.

Claims

1. A method of cleaning selected supply lines configurable to either allow or prevent fluid flowing to the shared conduit/drainage point via fluid the inlet control device, the method including step of.

setting the inlet control device to allow fluid to flow through all connected supply lines through a shared conduit to a drainage point; delivering cleaning fluid to all of the connected supply lines such that fluid passes into the shared outlet conduit via the inlet control device;

monitoring the volume of fluid passing through the inlet control device;

ceasing the delivery of fluid when the volume of flow through the inlet control device reaches a predetermined level, equal to the known volume of the fluid stored in the supply lines, and

logging the volume of fluid passing through the inlet control device on a

suitable memory or storage device,

transmission of the onboard memory data to a PC connected to the internet.

2. A counting device to illustrate the volume of product remaining in the line, prior to cleaning.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein during the cleaning fluid delivery step, the delivery of cleaning fluid is ceased when the required volume of flow through the supply lines is reached, such that fluid does not pass through the shared outlet conduit and is allowed to steep and be agitated within the supply lines via a pulsing of fluid flow through the inlet control device.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the steps of setting the inlet control

devices, delivering pressurised mains water or zero pressure water or cleaning fluid, monitoring the volume of flow and logging the date, time and volume of flow include:

a) setting the inlet control device as to allow mains water to flow through the connected supply lines through the shared outlet conduit device connected to the drainage point, whereby the volume of flow of mains water through the supply lines and inlet control device is determined through the known volume of fluid held in the supply lines;

b) ceasing the delivery of pressurised mains water through the inlet control device, when the recorded volume of flow reaches the known predetermined level of flow required through the supply lines;

c) logging the volume, date and time of flow of mains water flowing through the supply lines on a suitable onboard memory device;

d) delivering cleaning fluid proportionally to the rate of flow through the inlet control device to the supply lines, whereby the volume of cleaning fluid flow through the supply lines is determined by the known volume of fluid held in the supply lines;

e) ceasing the delivery of cleaning fluid when the volume of cleaning fluid flowing through the supply lines and inlet control device reaches a predetermined level of flow required through the supply lines;

Γ) allowing the cleaning fluid to soak in the supply lines for a predetermined length of time;

g) agitating the cleaning fluid in the supply lines for a predetermined length of time, through the opening and closing of the inlet control device at a predetermined frequency; h) logging the volume, date and time of flow of cleaning fluid flow through the supply lines on a suitable onboard memory device;

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein steps d) to h) are repeated for all

connected supply lines, dependant upon the number of cleaning cycles selected by the user.

6. A method according to claim 1, further including a step of flushing the cleaning fluid from the supply lines with pressurised mains water. Whereby the volume of mains water flowing through the inlet control device into the supply lines, is at least equivalent to the known volume of fluid in the supply lines in steps of: a) setting the inlet control device as to allow mains water to flow through the connected supply lines through the shared outlet conduit device connected to the drainage point, whereby the volume of flow of mains water through the supply lines and inlet control device is determined through the known volume of fluid held in the supply lines;

b) ceasing the delivery of pressurised mains water through the inlet control device, when the recorded volume of flow reaches the known

predetermined level of flow required through the supply lines; c) logging the volume, date and time of flow of mains water flowing through the supply lines on a suitable onboard memory device;

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein logged data on the onboard memory

device is transmitted to a PC in range of the device. This can be either wirelessly or through a hard wired system.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein a receiving device is used to request the onboard data, via the software on the PC to transmit and capture the data from the onboard memory.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein software installed on the PC can interpret the captured data from the onboard memory device and relay this data to a remote database accessible via an internet system.

10. Fluid supply apparatus including:

a set of supply lines, each having a connecting nozzle attachment feeding into a shared drainage manifold;

a chemical dosing device which can proportionally flow cleaning solution into the supply lines via the inlet control device such that the ratio of chemical dosing during the chemical feed stage is constant;

a sensing method, to determine the presence or absence of cleaning solution delivered into the supply lines;

a controller which in use, sets the inlet control devices to either allow of prevent the flow of fluid through the supply lines;

a device for monitoring the volume of fluid flowing into the supply lines;

wherein the controller uses the output of the monitoring device to control the fluid delivered into the supply lines through the inlet control devices;

a device for logging the date, time and recordings of the flow monitoring device, a device for transmitting the logged data;

a device for receiving the logged data;

software for capturing the data, converting in into a meaningful format and

uploading the encrypted data onto a remote server or database.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the cleaning fluid and water delivery device includes a chemical dosing device (301) and devices for controlling fluid flow from the cleaning source to the connected supply lines.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the water flow through the inlet control devices and/or the cleaning fluid source flow control comprise controllable valves such as solenoid valves.

13. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the cleaning source includes a water source and a cleaning agent source and the apparatus includes a device for mixing the cleaning agent and water.

14. Apparatus according to claim 10, further including a device to monitor the

presence or absence of cleaning fluid delivered into the supply lines, such as an optical method that can remotely detect the aggressive cleaning fluid solution.

15. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the outlet device comprises of a shared conduit manifold and associating connection nozzles to the bar taps/fonts.

16. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller communicates with the software on the PC in range of the device by means of one or more of the following: Radio Frequency, a ground cable in an alternating current ring mains, conventional wiring for example via USB or serial RS232; Bluetooth™, ZigBee™ or any other suitable form of communication to a web connecting PC.