WO2019043243A1

WO2019043243A1 - Device and method for filling a container with a filling product

Info

Publication number: WO2019043243A1
Application number: PCT/EP2018/073696
Authority: WO
Inventors: Valentin BECHER; Torsten Runge
Original assignee: Krones Ag
Priority date: 2017-09-04
Filing date: 2018-09-04
Publication date: 2019-03-07
Also published as: EP3678982B1; EP3678982A1; SI3678982T1; CN111108060A; DE102017120322A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (1) for filling a container (100) with a hot filling product, comprising a filling valve (4) for influencing the supply of the filling product into a container (100) to be filled, a main component vessel (2) for supplying a main component to the filling valve (4), and a dosing valve (50) for dosing a dosing product from a dosing product vessel (5) into the filling valve (4), a heating device (3) being provided for heating the main component in order to supply the heated main component to the filling valve (4), the dosing product being supplied to the dosing valve (50) without heat.

Description

Apparatus and method for filling a container with a filling product

Technical area

The present invention relates to a device and a method for filling a container with a filling product, for example for filling a container with a hot filling product in a hot filling in a beverage filling plant.

PRIOR ART In beverage filling plants, it is known to produce the respective filling product to be filled before the actual filling in upstream process steps. For this example, a

Pretreatment of a main component, such as water, carried out, the

Main component, for example, filtered and degassed. Subsequent steps may include the assembly of this main component with a dosage product, for example a syrup, and further steps of sterilizing the filling product prior to actual filling into the containers to be filled.

The sterilization of the filling product is usually carried out by heating the filling product beyond a predetermined sterilization temperature and maintaining it at or above this sterilization temperature for a predetermined period of time. By this temperature treatment, the filling product is sterilized accordingly.

Subsequently, the heated filling product is then introduced by means of a corresponding filling valve in the required volume, the required mass or the required level in the respective container.

In this context, it is also known, the container and the

Container closures by means of a temperature above a predetermined

Sterilize sterilization temperature over a given period of time. In this case, in a particularly efficient process, the filling product, which has already been heated anyway for its sterilization, is also used to sterilize the container and the container closure. For this purpose, the hot filling product, which is located above the sterilization temperature necessary for container and closure sterilization, is filled into the container by means of the filling valve and the container is then closed. For example, by moving

or reversing the container is taken to ensure that all contact with the product surfaces of the container and the container closure for a predetermined period of time in contact with the hot filling product, in addition to the sterilization of the

Fill product itself also to achieve sterilization of the product wetted surfaces of the container and the closure by the temperature.

After the sterilization of both the filling product and the product-contacting surfaces of the container and the container closure are completed, the temperature of the then filled, sealed and sterilized container is reduced in a cooling line.

During production breaks or during production interruptions, the hot filling product stored in a filling product reservoir is used to maintain the product

Sterilization temperature, which below for the sterilization of the container and the

Container closure is used, pumped in a cycle by a heater to maintain the temperature accordingly. Furthermore, the hot filling product is also pumped through the filling valve in order to avoid cooling of the filling product located in the feed lines to the filling valve and cooling of the filling valve itself. Both by pumping and by keeping the filling product at the high temperature for a long time, the filling product may be deteriorated in its properties. In particular, the aromas present in the filling product can be damaged by being held at a high temperature for a long time and the shearing operations during pumping.

Corresponding filling devices are known, for example, from US 2010/0132834 A1 or US 2010/0071803 A1.

Presentation of the invention

Starting from the known prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a product-sparing device and a product-sparing method for filling containers with a hot filling product. The object is achieved by a device for filling a container with a hot

Filling product with the features of claim 1 solved. Advantageous developments emerge from the subclaims. Accordingly, an apparatus for filling a container with a hot filling product is proposed, comprising a filling valve for influencing the supply of the filling product into a container to be filled, a main component reservoir for providing a main component at the filling valve and a metering valve for metering a Dosageproduktes from a

Dosageproduktreservoir in the filling valve. According to the invention, a heating device for heating the main component is provided in order to provide the heated main component at the filling valve, wherein the dosing product is supplied to the dosing valve without heating.

Because a heating device is provided for heating the main component, but the dosage product is supplied to the filling valve metering valve without heating, it can be ensured that heating of the dosage product takes place only when sterilization of the filling product and the container to be filled and their closures actually takes place ,

In other words, although the main component can be kept at the predetermined sterilization temperature by means of the heating device during production pauses or production stoppages, the dosage product is not yet exposed to the temperature load.

Accordingly, it can be achieved that the dosage product even when occurring

Production interruptions or breaks in production essentially only during the specified sterilization time with the sterilization temperature is applied, but not beyond. Furthermore, the dosage product or the dosage product present in the filling product is not subjected to extended pumping operations during production pauses, so that, correspondingly, the mechanical loading of the dosage product in production breaks and production stoppages is correspondingly omitted here as well.

Due to the proposed device, it is also possible, both the sterilization of the mixed filling product, which is mixed at least from the heated main component and the Dosageprodukt directly when flowing from the filling valve in the container, as well as the product contact surfaces of the container and the container closure simultaneously to perform, namely during and after mixing in the filled container. Therefore, the time in which the filling product and in particular the then mixed dosage product in the filling product is exposed to the sterilization temperature is reduced overall in comparison to the known hot filling methods.

On this basis, a gentler behavior of the device with respect to the filling product and in particular with regard to the temperature loading of the dosage product can be achieved.

The filling process carried out by means of the device accordingly provides that the

Main component, such as water, is present in heated form at the filling valve. The

Dosage product, however, is metered via the metering valve in the filling valve shortly before opening the filling valve. Then opens the filling valve flushes the hot main component present in the filling valve dosage product together with the main component flow in the container to be filled. Mixing of the filling product accordingly takes place directly in the container.

To ensure that the temperature of the filling product in the container of the specified

Temperature for sterilizing both the filling product and the product-contacting surfaces in the container and the container closure, a sterilization device is preferably provided by means of which the heating power of the heater is adjusted so that the mixed in the container from the main component and the Dosageprodukt filling product reaches a predetermined target temperature , The target temperature is preferably the predetermined sterilization temperature needed to sterilize the blended fill product and the product contacted surfaces of the container and container closure. The heating power of the heating device is preferably applied by means of the sterilizing device

Basis of the specification of the target temperature for the filling product in the container in combination with information about which temperature the dosage product is supplied and on the basis of information such as the mixing ratio between the dosage product and

Main component is provided in the filling product determined.

The sterilization device can also adjust the heating power of the heating device in that the volume of the dosage product in the filling valve is known, the volume of the filling product in the container to be filled is known, and the feed temperature of the dosage product into the filling valve is known. Accordingly, by means of the sterilization device, the heating power of the heater, which controls the temperature of the main component, be controlled so that the temperature of the main component is so pronounced that after mixing the filling product in the container from the hot main component and the colder Dosageprodukt according to the desired Temperature in the container is reached.

Accordingly, the sterilization device preferably communicates with a temperature sensor in a dosage product supply for supplying the dosage product to the metering valve and is adapted to control the heating power of the heating device based on the temperature of the dosage product.

It is immediately obvious that with an arrangement of the dosage product reservoir in a Füllproduktabfüllanlage the temperature of the Dosageproduktes can vary. This variation may vary, for example, due to the ambient temperature, which may be significantly lower in winter than in summer. Accordingly, the heating power of the heater for

Tempering the main component at different ambient temperatures, which are reflected accordingly in different Dosageprodukttemperaturen in Dosageproduktreservoir heated to different degrees. The sterilization temperature and the duration of action can also vary depending on the particular filling product and, in particular, also on the properties of the dosage product. These variations can also be taken into account in the sterilization device in order to determine the desired target temperature of the filling product in the container. The sterilization device is preferably set up to regulate the heating power of the heating device on the basis of the volume ratios of the dosage product and the main component. If the mixing ratio of hot main component and cold dosage product changes, then the heating power and thus the temperature of the main component must be adapted accordingly in order to achieve the desired target temperature of the mixed filling product in the container. The target temperature must be reached in order to achieve the required

Sterilization effect to achieve, but the target temperature should not be significantly exceeded, so as not to unnecessarily burden the dosage product. In the sterilization device, furthermore, the properties of the filling product and in particular the properties of the dosage product can be taken into account in determining the heat output. In this case, it may be of particular importance how long it takes for a mixture of the dosage product with the main component to take place. Only then can it safely be assumed that the dissolved in the main component or mixed with this dosage product on the given

Sterilization temperature is located. Accordingly, the sterilization device can also the beginning of the period over which the filling product in the container must be kept above the predetermined sterilization temperature, according to the properties of

Adjust dosage product.

Of course, the above explanations also refer to devices in which more than one dosage product is added to the main component, and more particularly to devices in which two or more dosage valves are provided which each meter a dosage product into the filling valve before the filling valve is opened and then the dosage products present in the filling valve are flushed into the container together with the main component.

In such a case, the sterilization device may be due to the knowledge of

Dosageproduktvolumina and the respective temperatures of the supplied Dosageprodukte in combination with the planned Füllproduktvolumen or in combination with the Dosageverhältnis also the heating power of the heater for tempering the

Determine the main component. Preferably, a circulation device is provided, by means of which the heated main component is circulated through the main component reservoir and / or through the filling valve, preferably in production stoppages. In this way it can be ensured that the

Main component is always provided at the filling valve in the desired temperature. Furthermore, a cooling of the filling valve is counteracted in production breaks to ensure here too that when the production resumes after a production break from the first container already the target temperature of the filling product in the container is reached.

However, only the heated main component is circulated by the circulation device, so that a mechanical loading of the dosage product is avoided. A particularly gentle treatment of the dosage product is achieved if a cooling device for cooling the dosage product is preferably provided in order to provide cooled dosage product at the metering valve. This can be carried out in accordance with a cooling of the dosage product, so that a temperature load of the dosage product until the

Metering takes place in the hot filling valve and / or when flowing into the container. In this way, the temperature load of the dosage product can be reduced to the minimum necessary for sterilization.

The above-described object is further achieved by a method having the features of claim 7. Advantageous developments emerge from the subclaims, the present description and the figures, with the methodical design of the device features in particular furthering the method.

Accordingly, a method for filling a container with a hot filling product is proposed, comprising the steps of providing a main component to a

Filling valve, the dosing of a Dosageproduktes in the closed filling valve by means of a metering valve and the opening of the filling valve for filling the container with the Dosageprodukt and the main component for producing the filling product in the container. According to the invention, the main component is provided heated at the filling valve and the dosing is metered without heating in the filling valve.

In this way, the advantages described above for the device, the preservation of the dosage product with simultaneous reliable sterilization of the filling product and the

reached product contact surfaces of the container and the container closure.

Preferably, the main component is heated to a temperature such that the filling product mixed from the unheated dosage product and the heated main component reaches a predetermined target temperature, preferably a sterilization temperature. In a further preferred development of the method, the heated main component is circulated through a main component reservoir and / or through the filling valve, preferably in production stoppages. Preferably, the dosage product is cooled to provide cooled dosage product at the metering valve.

Brief description of the figures

Preferred further embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail by the following description of the figures. Showing:

Figure 1 shows schematically a diagram from which the device and the method results, Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the device, and

Figure 3 is a schematic representation of temperature curves.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments

In the following, preferred embodiments will be described with reference to the figures. In this case, identical, similar or equivalent elements in the different figures are provided with identical reference numerals, and a repeated description of these elements is partially omitted in order to avoid redundancies. FIG. 1 schematically shows a device 1 for filling a container with a hot filling product. Accordingly, a main component which is in a

Main component reservoir 2 is received, tempered by means of a heater 3. For this purpose, the main component reservoir 2 supplied main component via a

Main Component Feeder 20 supplied, which upstream, for example

Treatment steps, such as a degassing and cleaning of the main component are upstream. The main component is preferably water.

The main component reservoir 2 may be in the form of a tank, for example a tank

adjacent tanks, which does not rotate with a filler carousel be provided. Such a tank provided is shown schematically in FIG. 1 as a main component reservoir 2.

However, the main component reservoir 2 can also be in the form of a corresponding supply line for the main component, which merely supplies a main component provided inline allowed to be trained. In other words, it is not necessary that the main component reservoir 2 for hot filling provide a buffering effect.

The main component is supplied, for example, by means of the main component feed 20 via the heating device 3 and brought to a predetermined temperature in the heating device 3. The predetermined temperature can by means of a temperature sensor 22 in

Main component reservoir 2 are checked. The temperature sensor 22 can thus be used to control the heater 3, to ensure that the in

Main component reservoir 2 recorded main component at a given

Temperature is present.

If a reduction of the main component takes place, for example because the production is interrupted due to a disturbance, the residence time of the main component in the

Main component reservoir 2 to be too long, so that the main component cools. To counteract this can by means of a circulation device, which in the figure 1 a

Heating circuit line 24 and a circulation pump 26, the main component recorded in the main component 2 main component are again passed through the heater 3, to maintain the temperature of the main component in the main component reservoir 2 at the predetermined temperature accordingly.

The main component from the main component reservoir is provided to a filling valve 4, so that the main hot component from the main component reservoir 2 is present at the filling valve 4 accordingly. Opens the filling valve 4, for example by lifting a valve plug 40 from a valve seat 42, then flows the hot main component of the

Main component reservoir 2 in the schematically indicated container 100th

The circulation device can furthermore be set up to circulate the heated main component through the filling valve 4, in order to counteract a cooling of the main component in the feed lines to the filling valve 4 and the filling valve 4 itself. This can ensure that even after production interruptions, the filling product flowing into the container 100 to be filled complies with the predetermined temperature required to achieve sterilization of the product-contacting surfaces of the container 100 and its closure. Dosage product is stored in a dosage product reservoir 5 and metered into the filling valve 4 via a metering valve 50. The Eindosage the Dosageproduktes from the Dosageproduktreservoir 5 in the filling valve 4 takes place as long as the filling valve 4 is still closed. The Eindosage the Dosageproduktkts in the filling valve 4 thus takes place, for example, when the valve plug 40 of the filling valve 4 is still lowered into the valve seat 42.

The dosage product reservoir 5 is preferably at the same or a higher level than the main component reservoir 2 in order to ensure a corresponding outflow of the dosage product.

The volume which is introduced into the filling valve 4 by means of the metering valve 50 can be determined, for example, via a flow meter 28, which correspondingly detects a return flow of the main component when the filling valve 4 is closed, which precisely corresponds to the dosage product volume introduced into the filling valve 4 via the metering valve 50 ,

The dosage product from the Dosageproduktreservoir 5 is guided to the filling valve 4 without heating. Accordingly, in the entire Dosageproduktzuführung and in particular in the

Dosageprodukter reservoir 5 as well as in the Dosageproduktzuleitung 52 provided no heating device.

The temperature of the dosage product in the dosage product reservoir 5 therefore essentially corresponds to the ambient temperature around the dosage product reservoir 5. These

Temperature of the dosage product can be determined, for example, by means of a temperature sensor 54, which is arranged in the dosage product line 52.

In a preferred embodiment, a cooling device is provided for cooling the dosage product, so that the dosage product is cooled and applied to the metering valve 50. In this way, the dosage product can be treated as gently as possible. Accordingly, for filling a container 100 first cold Dosageprodukt

or below periertes dosage product from the Dosageproduktreservoir 5 are introduced by means of the metering valve 50 in the filling valve 4 and then hot main component from the main component reservoir 2 when opening the filling valve 4 both in the filling valve. 4 rinse the present dosage product as well as a larger volume of major component into the container 100.

In the container 100, a blending of the dosage product and the main component takes place in a predetermined ratio, in order to produce in this way the actual desired filling product. In this blending also takes place an adjustment of the temperatures of the main component and the Dosageproduktes in the container.

Accordingly, the blending product, which is a mixture of the main component and the dosage product, after blending accordingly also has a mixing temperature which is composed of the temperature and the volume of the dosage product and the temperature and the volume of the main component.

A sterilization device 6, which determines both the temperature of the Dosageproduktes on the temperature sensor 54, and the volumes of the Dosageproduktes and the

Main component in the container 100 knows, according to the temperature of the

Set the main component in the main component reservoir 2 so that the temperature reached in the container 100 of the filling product corresponds to the desired temperature. The sterilization device 6 correspondingly regulates the temperature of the main component in the main component reservoir 2 to the temperature determined in this way for the

Main component, which is necessary in the container finally the desired

To achieve mixing temperature. FIG. 2 schematically shows a diagram from which a predetermined value is obtained

Target mixing temperature of 85 ° C of the filling product in the container at different temperatures of the Dosageproduktes, namely at temperatures of the Dosageproduktes of 15 ° C, 20 ° C, 30 ° C and 40 ° C, the minimum temperature of the main component in the main component reservoir 2 results when the volume Dosagen component of the dosage product to the main component is known.

For example, results in a Dosageanteil of 10% of the dosage product on the entire filling product at a temperature of 30 ° C of the metered dose product according to a minimum temperature of the main component of about 92 ° C. Correspondingly, in the presence of these specifications, namely 10% Dosageanteil a 30 ° C-cold Dosageproduktes at a Target mixing temperature of 85 ° C is a temperature of the main component in the

Main component reservoir 2 or pending filling valve 4 of 92 ° C necessary. The sterilization device 6 accordingly regulates the heating device 3 such that this temperature of 92 ° C. for the main component at the filling valve 4 is reached.

Furthermore, it can be seen that, depending on the mixing ratio and the temperature of the

Dosageproduktes different temperatures of the main component are required. It is immediately obvious that there is a maximum temperature for the main component, which depends among other things on the pressure in the system. However, since there are usually no high pressures in hot filling processes, here is a natural upper limit for the

Temperature of the main component given when filling in the container.

Where applicable, all individual features illustrated in the embodiments may be combined and / or interchanged without departing from the scope of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCES

1 device

2 main component reservoir

20 main component feed

22 temperature sensor

24 heating ring line

26 circulation pump

28 flow meters

3 heating device

4 filling valve

40 filling cone

42 filling valve seat

5 Dosage product reservoir

50 metering valve

52 Dosage product line

54 temperature sensor

6 sterilization device

Claims

claims

1. Device (1) for filling a container (100) with a hot filling product,

comprising a filling valve (4) for influencing the supply of the filling product into a container (100) to be filled, a main component reservoir (2) for providing a main component at the filling valve (4), and a metering valve (50) for metering a dosage product from a dosage product reservoir ( 5) in the filling valve (4), characterized in that a heating device (3) for heating the main component is provided to provide the heated main component at the filling valve (4), wherein the dosing product is supplied to the metering valve (50) without heating.

2. Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that a

Sterilization device (6) is provided, by means of which the heating power of the heating device (3) is adjusted so that in the container (100) from the

Main component and the Dosageprodukt blended product reaches a predetermined target temperature.

3. Device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the

Sterilization device (6) with a temperature sensor (54) in one

Dosageproduktzuführung (52) for supplying the Dosageproduktes to the metering valve (50) communicates and is adapted to control the heating power of the heating device (3) based on the temperature of the Dosageproduktes.

4. Device (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the

Sterilization device (6) is adapted to regulate the heating power of the heating device (3) based on the volume ratios of dosage product and main component.

5. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a circulation device is provided, by means of which the heated Main component through the main component reservoir (2) and / or through the filling valve (4) is circulated, preferably in production stoppages.

Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a cooling device is provided for cooling the dosage product to provide cooled dosage product at the metering valve (50).

A method of filling a container (100) with a hot filling product, comprising the steps of providing a main component to a filling valve (4), the

Dosing a Dosageproduktes in the closed filling valve (4) by means of a metering valve (50) and the opening of the filling valve (4) for filling the container (100) with the Dosageprodukt and the main component for producing the filling product in the container (100), characterized that the main component is heated at the filling valve (4) is provided and the dosing product is metered into the filling valve (4) without heating.

A method according to claim 7, characterized in that the main component is heated to a temperature such that the blended from the unheated Dosageprodukt and the heated main component filling product reaches a predetermined target temperature, preferably a sterilization temperature.

Method according to one of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that the heated main component is circulated through a main component reservoir (2) and / or through the filling valve (4), preferably in production stoppages.

A method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the dosage product is cooled to provide cooled dosage product at the metering valve (50).