EP0672614B1 - Method and device for filling kegs with beverages - Google Patents

Abstract

In the filling of esp. kegs (1) with beverages, in which the keg (1) has a fitting (2) mounted on a filling head (3), the novelty is that (a) the filling head (3) and the facing outer surface (8) of the fitting (2) are sterilised before opening the fitting (2) and supplying the beverage, and (b) the temp. of the filling head (3) and the sterilisation duration are measured for checking the sterilising procedure.

Description

The invention relates to a method for filling drinks according to the preamble of claim 1 and a device according to the preamble of claim 6 for performing such a method.

In the beverage industry, drums with screwed-in, automatically self-closing valves are usually used. These barrels are called kegs and the self-closing valves are called fittings. The drums are reusable containers which, due to the high cleanliness requirements common in the food industry, are cleaned before filling and sterilized with steam and / or another suitable sterilizing agent. After the cleaning and / or sterilization process, which is usually carried out on a cleaning head of the filling system, the keg is placed on a filling head which is connected to a product feed line. Since the filling head was exposed to the ambient air before the keg was put on, the supply lines and the filling head are usually briefly flushed with water in order to remove the air contained in the pipes and the filling head. This prevents product-damaging oxygen from remaining in the lines and the filling head. It is also known to remove the air from the pipe system by means of a brief burst of steam, taking advantage of the high flow rate of the steam. Drinks are generally bottled at cold temperatures; for example, beer is usually filled at temperatures between -2 and + 4 ° C and alcohol-free drinks are filled at around 6 - 8 ° C. Therefore, the metal surfaces of the filling head are still cold when the keg is placed on, by filling a previously treated keg. In the methods known from the prior art, the air is removed from the system, all germs on the cold Surfaces of the filling head but not removed or killed. When opening the fitting and filling the keg, germs can therefore be flushed from the filling head into the previously sterilized keg, so that the effect of the keg sterilization is partially canceled.

DE-A 1 432 408 describes a generic method or device in which or in which the use of a temperature measuring device is described during the sterilization of the filling head. Steam is used as the sterilizing agent, the temperature of which is measured after the sterilization process in the emptying channel. The temperature of the filling head is not monitored, so that no defined sterilization effect is achieved.

From DE-A 42 08 550 it is known to rinse the filling head with hot water after fitting the keg while the fitting is still closed and then to blow it out with CO ₂ gas. Only now is the fitting opened so that the inside of the keg is accessible. By rinsing the filling head with water, however, no sterilization is achieved and, above all, there is no guarantee that the sterilization will be carried out completely.

From US-PS 2,787,875 it is known to use steam for the sterilization of filling heads. However, a defined sterilization effect cannot be achieved with such an arrangement.

GB-A 21 38 790 describes a cleaning and filling machine, at the cleaning station of which a temperature sensor is provided in order to check whether the cleaning and rinsing agents have a sufficient temperature to be effective. The keg is then transferred to a filling head, so that cleaning of the filling head is not mentioned because there is no defined sterilization effect here either.

The object of the invention is therefore to develop a method of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that extensive sterility is ensured when filling beverages.

This object is achieved with the invention by the features of claim 1. This means that the entire area of the filling station that comes into contact with the product is essentially germ-free, so that no impurities are introduced into the keg when the keg, which is also sterilized, and the beverage liquid is poured in. It is taken into account here that in order to achieve sufficient sterility of the metal surface, it is necessary to carry out the sterilization over a certain period depending on the sterilization temperature. For example, at a sterilization temperature of 63 ° C the metal surface must be exposed to this temperature for about 15 minutes and at a sterilization temperature of 72 ° C for about 30 seconds.

The ratio of sterilization temperature and time is usually measured in pasteurizer units. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is therefore provided that the measured temperature of the filling head and the measured sterilization time are converted into pasteurizer units and that the sterilization process is ended when a predetermined number of pasteurizer units is reached. Appropriate control of the filling system can thus always ensure that the filling head is adequately sterilized and that hot steam is not unnecessarily long.

According to the invention, sterilization is carried out with hot steam or a suitable disinfectant.

Since the metal surfaces become so hot during sterilization with hot steam that product residues adhering to the surface of the filling head can burn from the previous filling, in a preferred embodiment of the invention it is proposed that the filling head be rinsed with water before sterilization . This may still result adhering product residues are removed before being exposed to hot steam.

A device for carrying out the method according to the invention expediently has the features of claim 6.

In a further development of the inventive concept, the temperature sensor for measuring the sterilization temperature is arranged at the most cooled point on the filling head. If this point is exposed to the sterilization temperature for a sufficiently long time, it can be assumed that the other areas of the filling head have also been successfully sterilized.

Since the filling head is constantly cooled by the beverage liquid brought up to the filling in the area of the connection of the product feed line, the coldest point of the filling head will regularly be located in this area. According to the invention it is therefore provided that the temperature sensor is arranged in the region of the connection of the product feed line to the filling head.

Further developments, advantages and possible applications of the invention result from the following description of an exemplary embodiment and the drawing.

The only figure shows schematically a filling head with a keg attached.

A keg 1, which is only partially shown in the drawing, is fitted with a fitting 2 onto a filling head 3 of a filling system for beverages and lies on the filling head 3 in a sealed manner via a seal 4. Usually, the keg 1 with the fitting 2 is placed down on the filling head 3.

The keg 1 was cleaned and / or sterilized before being placed on the filling head 3 and is closed by the automatically self-closing fitting 2, which is screwed into a sleeve 6 fastened to a bottom surface 5 of the keg 1. The filling head 3 and an outer surface 8 of the fitting 2, however, are in contact with the ambient air before the keg 1 is placed on the filling head 3, so that germs can accumulate on the filling head 3 or the outer surface 8 of the fitting 2.

Before the keg 1 is filled with product liquid, which is supplied via a product feed line 7, which is only shown schematically in the drawing, the filling head 3 is briefly flushed with preferably warm water, which is introduced into the filling head 3 via a cleaning line 9. Any adhering product residues from the previous filling process are rinsed out of the filling head 3 with the water. After the flushing process, which lasts for example for 2 seconds, the water flows out of the filling head again via a drain line 10.

The filling head 3 and the outer surface 8 of the fitting 2 facing it are then sterilized with hot steam or a suitable disinfectant, which are likewise supplied via the cleaning line 9. In order to achieve adequate sterilization of the metal surface of the filling head 3 and the fitting 2, the sterilization must be carried out at a metal temperature of 63 ° C for at least 15 minutes and at a metal temperature of 72 ° C for about 30 seconds. To check the sterilization process a temperature sensor 11 is arranged in the area of the connection of the product feed line 7 to the filling head 3, which temperature sensor measures the temperature of the metal surface in this area. The duration of the sterilization process is also measured. The area of the connection of the product feed line 7 is due to the constant cooling by the in the product feed line 7 for the filling process The coldest section of the filling head 3 is kept ready. Therefore, if the sterilization time of this area is sufficient, it can be assumed that the entire filling head 3 and the outer surface 8 of the fitting 2 have been sufficiently sterilized.

The ratio between sterilization temperature and duration is usually given in pasteurizer units. On the basis of the temperature of the metal surface of the filling head 3 measured with the temperature sensor 11 in the area of the connection of the product feed line 7 and the measured time period, the number of pasteurizing units acting on this area of the filling head 3 is determined and the result is transmitted to the control of the filling system. The sterilization process can be ended as soon as a predetermined number of pasteurizing units is reached, which corresponds to an adequate sterilization. This ensures that after sufficient sterilization, the filling head 3 is not subjected to hot steam for an unnecessarily long time.

Reference symbol list:

1

Keg

2nd

fitting

3rd

Filling head

4th

poetry

5

Floor area

6

sleeve

7

Product supply

8th

Outside surface

9

Cleaning line

10th

Drain pipe

11

Temperature sensor

Claims (8)

1. A method for filling drinks into casks, in particular into barrels such as kegs, in which method the cask (1) with a fitting (2) is placed on a filling head (3), characterised in that the filling head (3), and an outer surface (8) - facing the filling head - of the fitting (2), are sterilised before the fitting (2) is opened and before the drink to be filled is conveyed, and in that, in order to check the sterilisation process, the temperature of the filling head (3) during sterilisation and the duration of the sterilisation are measured.
2. A method according to Claim 1, characterised in that the measured temperature of the filling head (3) and the measured duration of the sterilisation are converted into Pasteur units, and in that the sterilisation process is terminated when a fixed number of Pasteur units is reached.
3. A method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the sterilisation is done with steam.
4. A method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the sterilisation is done with a disinfectant.
5. A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the filling head (3) is rinsed with water before sterilisation.
6. An arrangement for carrying out a method according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, having a filling head (3) to which product-liquid and/or a sterilisation agent can be conveyed through at least one feed-pipe (7, 9), and having a temperature sensor (11) in the filling bead (3), characterised in that the filling-head temperature can be measured with the temperature sensor (11), and in that a device for detecting the duration of the sterilisation of the filling head (3), and a control unit whereby the sterilisation process can be terminated depending on the temperature and duration of the sterilisation, are provided.
7. An arrangement according to Claim 6, characterised in that the temperature sensor (11) is arranged at the most highly cooled point in the filling head (3).
8. An arrangement according to Claim 6 or 7, characterised in that the temperature sensor (11) is arranged in the region of the attachment of the product feed-pipe (7) to the filling head (3).

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