Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
  • B67C—CLEANING, FILLING WITH LIQUIDS OR SEMILIQUIDS, OR EMPTYING, OF BOTTLES, JARS, CANS, CASKS, BARRELS, OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; FUNNELS
  • B67C3/00—Bottling liquids or semiliquids; Filling jars or cans with liquids or semiliquids using bottling or like apparatus; Filling casks or barrels with liquids or semiliquids
  • B67C3/001—Cleaning of filling devices
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B9/00—Cleaning hollow articles by methods or apparatus specially adapted thereto 
  • B08B9/02—Cleaning pipes or tubes or systems of pipes or tubes
  • B08B9/027—Cleaning the internal surfaces; Removal of blockages
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B9/00—Cleaning hollow articles by methods or apparatus specially adapted thereto 
  • B08B9/08—Cleaning containers, e.g. tanks

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a filling apparatus for filling containers in aseptic conditions and a method for sterilizing such apparatus.
• Standardization-In-Place (acronym SIP) is to be intended as a sterilization method or cycle of the internal surfaces of closed systems that avoids the disassembly of the latter.
• sanitization systems are known of the“dummy bottle” type.
• the filling fluid e.g. a beverage or a pharmaceutical product
• the dummy bottles are in a resting position whereby they do not interfere with the corresponding nozzle.
• the dummy bottles are positioned below the corresponding nozzles.
• Water vapour (possibly with the addition of a sterilizing agent) is supplied through the supply line and dispensed by the nozzles to flow into the dummy bottles before being evacuated through specific ducts. The passage of the vapour allows sterilizing the various components.
• the dummy bottle sanitization systems are structurally complex and bulky in that they envisage a dummy bottle (and relative actuation means) for each nozzle of the filler.
• the components are heated due to the flow of high- temperature water vapour (up to 120°).
• these systems envisage a cooling step of the components, subsequent to the SIP cycle, which is carried out by sending a cooled fluid (e.g. sterile inert gas or air).
• a cooled fluid e.g. sterile inert gas or air.
• the use of water vapour requires maintaining an overpressure with respect to the clean chamber in which the filling is performed.
• the technical task underpinning the present invention is to provide a filling apparatus for filling containers in aseptic conditions and a method for sterilizing such apparatus, which obviate the drawbacks of the prior art cited above.
• an object of the present invention is to provide a filling apparatus for filling containers in aseptic conditions, which is sanitized and also have a simplified and more compact structure with respect to the prior art.
• Another object of the present invention is to propose a filling apparatus for filling containers in aseptic conditions and a method for sterilizing such apparatus, in which there is no need to cool the components after the execution of a SIP cycle.
• a filling apparatus for filling containers in aseptic conditions comprising:
• nozzles in fluid communication with the tank, the nozzles being located in a contamination-controlled environment that is isolated from an external environment;
• a valve is operatively active on the first VHP supplying duct in order to establish a selective communication between the vaporized hydrogen peroxide generator and the tank.
• the apparatus comprises a second VHP supplying duct which extends from the vaporized hydrogen peroxide generator to the contamination-controlled environment.
• the tank is located externally to the contamination-controlled environment. In accordance with another embodiment, the tank is placed within the contamination-controlled environment.
• the apparatus comprises a fixed base and a rotary carousel.
• the tank and the dispensing nozzles are integral to the rotary carousel.
• the apparatus is of a linear type.
• the stated technical task and specified objects are substantially achieved by a method for sterilizing a filling apparatus for filling containers in aseptic conditions, comprising the following steps:
• the step of generating the vaporized hydrogen peroxide is carried out externally to the contamination-controlled environment.
• no other compound is supplied to the tank during the step of supplying the vaporized hydrogen peroxide to the tank.
• the temperature of the generated vaporized hydrogen peroxide is comprised between 50°C and 100°C.
• the temperature of such vaporized hydrogen peroxide is comprised between 70°C and 80°C.
• the pressure of the generated vaporized hydrogen peroxide is comprised between 100 mbar and 1 bar.
• the pressure of this vaporized hydrogen peroxide is comprised between 200 mbar and 300 mbar.
• FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a first embodiment of a filling apparatus for filling containers in aseptic conditions, according to the present invention
• FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a second embodiment of the apparatus of figure 1 , according to the present invention.
• the reference number 1 is used to indicate a filling apparatus for filling containers 100 in aseptic conditions.
• the containers 100 are made of a thermoplastic material, for example PET or HDPE.
• the filling apparatus 1 comprises:
• the filling fluid is a beverage or a pharmaceutical compound.
• the filling fluid could contain solid pieces.
• these solid pieces can be pieces of fruit or vegetables, or grains, or legumes, or dried fruit.
• the dispensing nozzles 3 are located in a contamination-controlled environment 4 that is isolated from an external environment 5.
• the contamination-controlled environment 4 is isolated, i.e. physically separated, with respect to the external (contaminated) environment 5 through an isolation device 6.
• isolation device is not the subject matter of the present invention, therefore it will not be further described.
• an isolation device similar to that described and illustrated in patent EP2246176 can be used.
• the tank 2 can be located outside of the contamination-controlled environment 4 (see figure 1 ) or inside such environment (see figure 2).
• the filling apparatus 1 is preferably of the rotary carousel type.
• Such filling apparatus 1 comprises a fixed base and a rotary carousel.
• the tank 2 is integral with the rotary carousel and in fluid communication with a rotary distributor from which the supply ducts of the dispensing nozzles 3 depart.
• the filling apparatus 1 is of the linear type.
• the filling apparatus 1 comprises a vaporized hydrogen peroxide generator indicated with the number 1 1.
• Vaporized hydrogen peroxide is usually denoted by the abbreviation VHP, therefore the generator 1 1 is briefly indicated in the following description as "VHP generator”.
• VHP generator The VHP generator is located in the external environment 5.
• first VHP supplying duct 12 puts the VHP generator 1 1 in fluid communication with the tank 2.
• At least one valve 13 is operatively active on the first duct 12 in order to establish a selective communication between the VHP generator 11 and the tank 2.
• a second VHP supplying duct 14 (hereinafter briefly indicated as “second duct”) starts from the VHP generator 11 and opens into the contamination-controlled environment 4.
• This second duct 14 thus defines an additional path for the VHP without passing through the tank 2.
• the filling apparatus 1 When the filling apparatus 1 is in operation, i.e. it is performing the filling of the containers 100, the latter are located below the dispensing nozzles 3 which receive the filling fluid from the tank 2 through the rotary carousel 9. In this case, the valve 13 is closed, therefore the flow of VHP is interrupted from the VHP generator 1 1 to the tank 2.
• valve 13 opens that enables the fluid communication between the VHP generator 1 1 and the tank 2 through the first duct 12.
• the dispensing nozzles 3 are in an open configuration, thus they dispense the VHP coming from the tank 2.
• valve 13 is closed again, the tank 2 is supplied again with the filling fluid and the normal operation of the apparatus resumes.
• the SIP cycles are carried out by introducing only VHP and not water vapour into the tank of the filling apparatus. Since the temperature of the VHP is approximately 70°-80°C, there is no longer a need to cool the components crossed by VHP (as instead occurred in the solutions using water vapour).

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Filling Of Jars Or Cans And Processes For Cleaning And Sealing Jars (AREA)
• Supplying Of Containers To The Packaging Station (AREA)
• Basic Packing Technique (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=63244783

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Citations (5)

• 2018
  • 2018-05-22 IT IT102018000005582A patent/IT201800005582A1/it unknown
• 2019
  • 2019-04-18 EP EP19726496.3A patent/EP3755652B1/en active Active
  • 2019-04-18 WO PCT/IB2019/053235 patent/WO2019224625A1/en unknown

Patent Citations (5)

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