JP2018177245A - Aseptic filling system and sip processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an aseptic filling system capable of cooling a tank in a short time without preparing dedicated compressed air production equipment for cooling the tank during SIP processing.SOLUTION: An aseptic filling system 10 includes a high pressure air source 81 for supplying high pressure air, a blow molding apparatus 50 for molding a container 30 by supplying the high pressure air from the high pressure air source 81 to a preform 31, a beverage sterilization apparatus 41 for sterilizing a content, a filling apparatus 15 for filling the content to the container 30, and a storage tank 42 for storing the content. A connection line 95 for supplying the high pressure air from the high pressure air source 81 to the storage tank 42 is provided. The connection line 95 is provided with a pressure reducing mechanism 84 for reducing a pressure of the high pressure air from the high pressure air source 81, and the high pressure air from the high pressure air source 81 is supplied to the storage tank 42 with the pressure reduced by the pressure reducing mechanism 84.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to aseptic filling systems and SIP processing methods using such aseptic filling systems.

  Conventionally, in the aseptic filling apparatus such as a beverage, when the type of beverage to be filled in a container such as a bottle is switched to, for example, milk coffee, what was previously a tea beverage, the inside of the beverage supply system piping of this aseptic filling apparatus First, CIP (Cleaning in Place) is processed, and then SIP (Sterilizing in Place) is processed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the CIP process, for example, a cleaning solution in which an alkaline agent such as caustic soda is added to water flows in a flow path from inside the pipe of the beverage filling path to the filling nozzle of the filling machine, and then an acid agent is added to water It is done by flowing As a result, the residue and the like of the previous beverage adhering to the inside of the beverage filling passage are removed.

  The SIP process is performed, for example, by flowing steam, hot water or the like into the flow path cleaned by the CIP process. Thereby, the inside of the beverage filling channel is sterilized and made sterile.

JP 2012-25489 A

  Conventionally, a tank provided on the way to a sterile filling machine etc. is sent to the SIP by steam and then compressed air is used to cool the tank heated by the steam. There is. In the case of an aseptic filling facility having a large capacity aseptic surge tank, for example, it is desirable to use compressed air having a flow rate of about 10,000 NL / min or more at a pressure of about 0.6 MPa in order to cool the tank in a short time . However, as such, it is not efficient to prepare a compressed air production facility (compressor) that is only used to cool the tank during SIP processing. For this reason, when cooling the tank during SIP processing, it is common to use a compressed air production facility with a capacity equivalent to, for example, about 5,000 to 7,000 NL / min, which is used throughout the production line. . However, in this case, it takes a long time (for example, about 30 minutes to 45 minutes) to cool the tank.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and it is possible to cool the tank in a short time without preparing a dedicated compressed air production facility for cooling the tank during SIP processing. It is an object of the present invention to provide an aseptic filling system and an SIP processing method.

  The present invention is an aseptic filling system, comprising: a high pressure air source for supplying high pressure air; and a blow molding apparatus for molding a container by supplying the high pressure air from the high pressure air source to a preform; A content sterilizing apparatus for sterilizing a substance, a filling apparatus for filling the contents from the content sterilizing apparatus into the container molded by the blow molding apparatus, and the content sterilizing apparatus and the filling apparatus And a storage tank for storing the contents, and a connection line for supplying the high-pressure air from the high-pressure air source toward the storage tank is provided, and the connection line is provided with the high-pressure air source. A decompression mechanism for decompressing the high pressure air from the high pressure air source, and the high pressure air from the high pressure air source is decompressed by the decompression mechanism and supplied to the storage tank. Sterile filling system to.

  The present invention is the aseptic filling system characterized in that the pressure of the high pressure air is 1.0 MPa or more and 5.0 MPa or less.

  The present invention is the aseptic filling system characterized in that the high pressure air is decompressed to 0.5 MPa or more and 0.9 MPa or less by the decompression mechanism.

  The present invention is the aseptic filling system characterized in that the connecting line is provided with a cooler for cooling the high pressure air.

  The present invention is the SIP processing method using the aseptic filling system, wherein the step of supplying heated steam to the storage tank, the high pressure air from the high pressure air source is decompressed by the decompression mechanism, and the storage tank is And a step of lowering the temperature inside the storage tank by supplying the SIP processing method.

  According to the present invention, the tank can be cooled in a short time without preparing a dedicated compressed air production facility for cooling the tank during SIP processing.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an aseptic filling system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a storage tank at the time of SIP processing.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention. In the following drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts, and a part of the detailed description may be omitted.

(Aseptic filling system)
First, the aseptic filling system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The aseptic filling system 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a filling system for forming a bottle 30 by biaxial stretch blow molding a preform 31, filling the bottle (container) 30 with a beverage, and closing the bottle. Such a bottle 30 can be manufactured by biaxial stretch blow molding a preform manufactured by injection molding a synthetic resin material. As a material of the bottle 30, it is preferable to use a thermoplastic resin, in particular, PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), or PEN (polyethylene naphthalate).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the aseptic filling system 10 includes a high pressure air source 81, a blow molding device 50, a beverage sterilizer 41, a filling device 15, and a storage tank 42.

  Among them, the blow molding device 50 shapes the bottle 30 by supplying high pressure air from the high pressure air source 81 to the preform 31. The blow molding apparatus 50 has a heating unit 51 for heating the preform 31 and a blow molding unit 52 for blow molding the bottle 30 from the preform 31.

  The heating unit 51 is a zone for heating the preform 31. In the heating unit 51, the preform 31 is uniformly heated in the circumferential direction while rotating in a state in which the mouth of the preform 31 is directed downward. The heating temperature of the preform 31 in the heating unit 51 is, for example, 90 ° C. to 125 ° C.

  The blow molding unit 52 is for producing the bottle 30 by biaxial stretch blow molding of the heated preform 31. That is, the heated preform 31 sent from the heating unit 51 is inserted into a blow molding die (not shown) of the blow molding unit 52. Thereafter, high pressure air from a high pressure air source 81 is supplied from the stretch rod inserted into the preform 31 into the preform 31, and biaxial stretch blow molding is performed. The bottle 30 is produced from the preform 31 by such blow molding.

  The filling device 15 is for filling the bottle 30 molded by the blow molding device 50 with the beverage (content) from the beverage sterilization device 41 and then closing the bottle. The filling device 15 may be integrated with the blow molding device 50 or may be disposed apart from the blow molding device 50.

  The filling device 15 includes a bottle sterilizing unit 11, a content filling unit (filler) 20, and a cap attachment unit (capper, winding and tapping machine) 16. The bottle sterilizing unit 11, the content filling unit 20 and the cap mounting unit 16 are disposed in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side along the transport direction of the bottle 30.

  The bottle sterilization unit 11 sterilizes the bottle 30 sent from the blow molding device 50. In the bottle sterilization unit 11, a sterilizing agent such as a hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution is sprayed to the bottle 30, and the inside of the bottle 30 is sterilized. Sterile heated air or normal temperature air is jetted to the sterilized bottle 30, thereby removing foreign matters, hydrogen peroxide and the like from the inside of the bottle 30 while activating hydrogen peroxide. Thereafter, the sterilized bottle 30 is washed with aseptic 15 ° C. or more and 85 ° C. or less water to wash away the hydrogen peroxide adhering to the bottle 30, and the foreign matter is removed.

  The content filling unit 20 is to fill the bottle 30 with the beverage (content) which has been subjected to the sterilization treatment in advance by the beverage sterilizing apparatus 41 from the mouth of the bottle 30. In the content filling unit 20, the empty bottle 30 is filled with a beverage. In the content filling unit 20, the inside of the bottle 30 is filled with the beverage while the plurality of bottles 30 are rotated (revolution).

  The beverage to be supplied to the content filling unit 20 is prepared by the beverage preparation unit 40 in advance. The content filling unit 20 fills the inside of the bottle 30 with the beverage sent from the beverage preparation unit 40. The configuration of the beverage preparation unit 40 will be described later.

  The cap attachment portion 16 is for closing the bottle 30 by attaching the cap 33 to the mouth of the bottle 30. In the cap mounting portion 16, the mouth of the bottle 30 is closed by a cap 33 that has been sterilized in advance, and the bottle 30 is sealed so as to prevent entry of external air and microorganisms. In the cap mounting portion 16, the cap 33 is mounted on the mouth of the plurality of bottles 30 filled with the beverage while rotating (revolving). Thus, by attaching the cap 33 to the mouth of the bottle 30, the product bottle 35 is obtained.

  Thus, in the aseptic filling system 10 according to the present embodiment, the steps from the supply of the preform 31 to the formation of the bottle 30 and the filling and closing of the beverage into the bottle 30 are continuously performed. In this case, the sterile filling system 10 can be transported from the outside in the form of a small-volume preform instead of the large-volume bottle 30, so that the equipment constituting the aseptic filling system 10 can be made compact. .

  The aseptic filling system 10 may have an aseptic chamber in which the inside is maintained aseptically. In this case, the blow molding device 50 and the filling device 15 described above may be accommodated inside the sterile chamber.

  The beverage preparation unit 40 includes a raw material liquid preparation device 46, a beverage sterilization device 41, and a storage tank 42. Moreover, the raw material liquid preparation apparatus 46, the drink sterilizer 41, the storage tank 42, and the content filling part 20 are connected by the drink supply system piping 60a-60c.

  The raw material liquid preparation device 46 prepares the raw material liquid from the beverage raw material. Here, examples of the beverage ingredients include sweeteners, fruit juices, plant extracts, dairy products, flavors, sourness modifiers, vitamins and the like. Also, the beverage may be prepared, for example, by mixing one or more of the above-mentioned beverage ingredients with a beverage water at a predetermined ratio.

  The raw material liquid preparation device 46 is connected to the beverage sterilization device 41 via the beverage supply system piping 60a. The raw material liquid prepared in the raw material liquid preparation device 46 is supplied to the beverage sterilization device 41. And the drink sterilizer 41 produces a sterilized drink by sterilizing the supplied raw material liquid. The beverage sterilizer 41 may be made of, for example, an ultra high temperature (UHT) sterilizer (UHT). In this case, the raw material liquid is supplied from the raw material liquid preparation device 46 to the beverage sterilizing apparatus 41 made of UHT, and the raw material liquid is instantaneously heated and sterilized to prepare a sterilized beverage.

  The beverage sterilizer (content sterilizer) 41 is connected to a storage tank (aseptic cushion tank, sterile storage tank) 42 via a beverage supply system piping 60b. The storage tank 42 is supplied with the sterilized beverage sterilized in the beverage sterilizer 41. The storage tank 42 temporarily stores the sterilized beverage sterilized by the beverage sterilizer 41. As described later, low pressure sterile air (decompression air) obtained by decompressing high pressure air from the high pressure air source 81 is supplied to the storage tank 42 during SIP processing, and the sterile air is filled in the storage tank 42. Ru. The capacity of the storage tank 42 may be, for example, 2,000 L or more and 40,000 L or less.

  The storage tank 42 is connected to a filling head tank (buffer tank) 75 via a beverage supply system piping 60c. The filling head tank 75 is disposed in the upper part of the content filling unit 20. A beverage is temporarily filled in the filling head tank 75. Further, a gas supply line 74 is connected to the filling head tank 75. The gas supply line 74 is provided with an aseptic filter 73 for the filling head tank, and sterile aseptic air is supplied to the filling head tank 75 through the aseptic filter 73 for the filling head tank. The capacity of the filling head tank 75 may be, for example, 100 L or more and 1,000 L or less.

  In the content filling unit 20, the beverage filled in the filling head tank 75 is filled into the bottle 30 in an empty state. The content filling unit 20 has a plurality of filling nozzles (not shown). In the content filling unit 20, while the plurality of bottles 30 are rotated (revolution), the filling nozzle fills the interior of the bottle 30 with the beverage.

  As described above, the raw material liquid preparation device 46, the beverage sterilizer 41, the storage tank 42, and the content filling unit 20 are connected by the beverage supply piping 60a to 60c. Beverages pass sequentially into the beverage supply piping 60a to 60c.

  Next, the flow of high pressure air in the aseptic filling system 10 will be described.

The high pressure air source 81 is a device for generating high pressure air, and may be, for example, a known high pressure compressor. The high pressure air from the high pressure air source 81 is mainly used when the preform 31 is blow molded in the blow molding section 52 of the blow molding apparatus 50. The pressure of the high pressure air is a pressure necessary for the above-mentioned blow molding, for example, 1.0 MPa or more and 5.0 MPa or less, preferably 2.5 MPa or more and 4.0 MPa or less, more preferably 3.0 MPa or more and 4.0 MPa or less It is. Further, the amount of air of high pressure air from the high pressure air source 81 may be 400 Nm ³ / min or more and 4,000 Nm ³ / min or less. In the present embodiment, as described later, high-pressure air from high-pressure air source 81 is also used when processing the inside of storage tank 42 by SIP (Sterilizing in Place) by reducing the pressure by pressure reducing valve 84. Be

  The high pressure air source 81 is connected to the high pressure air tank 82 via the high pressure air supply pipe 90a. The high pressure air tank 82 temporarily stores the high pressure air sent from the high pressure air source 81. In the high pressure air tank 82, the pressure of the high pressure air is maintained at 3.0 MPa or more and 4.0 MPa. Further, the capacity of the high pressure air tank 82 may be, for example, 1,000 L or more and 10,000 L or less.

  The high pressure air tank 82 is connected to the blow molding portion 52 of the blow molding apparatus 50 via the high pressure air supply pipe 90b. In the blow molding section 52, blow molding is performed using high pressure air from a high pressure air source 81. Specifically, in the blow molding unit 52, high pressure air is supplied from the stretch rod inserted into the mold (not shown) into the preform 31, and biaxial stretch blow molding is performed.

  In the present embodiment, the high pressure air supply pipe 90b is branched at a branch portion 91 in the middle thereof. A connecting line 95 extends from the branch portion 91. The connection line 95 connects the high pressure air supply pipe 90b and the storage tank 42, and the high pressure air sent from the high pressure air source 81 sequentially through the high pressure air supply pipe 90a, the high pressure air tank 82, and the high pressure air supply pipe 90b , Plays a role in supplying the storage tank 42. The connection line 95 is used when the inside of the storage tank 42 is subjected to SIP processing, and is closed at the normal time, that is, when the product bottle 35 is produced. On the other hand, when the inside of the storage tank 42 is subjected to SIP processing, the connection line 95 is opened, while the portion on the blow molding apparatus 50 side of the high pressure air supply piping 90 b is closed. Supply stops.

  The connecting line 95 is sequentially provided with a cooler 83 for cooling high pressure air, a pressure reducing valve (pressure reducing mechanism) 84 for reducing pressure high pressure air to be pressure reducing air, and a sterile filter 85 for storage tank for sterilizing the pressure reducing air. It is done.

  Among them, the cooler 83 is for cooling the high pressure air which has been branched and sent at the branch portion 91, and may be, for example, a heat exchanger. By cooling the high pressure air by the cooler 83, when the inside of the storage tank 42 is subjected to SIP processing, the temperature in the storage tank 42 heated by steam can be lowered using the cooled air. In addition, since the cooler 83 cools the high pressure air before being decompressed by the pressure reducing valve 84, the air is further cooled by the adiabatic expansion by the pressure reducing valve 84 in the latter stage as compared with the case where the decompressed air is cooled. Air with high cooling effect can be supplied.

  The pressure reducing valve (pressure reducing mechanism) 84 generates pressure reduced air by reducing the pressure of the high pressure air sent from the high pressure air source 81 to the connection line 95. The high pressure air from the high pressure air source 81 is depressurized by the pressure reducing valve 84 and supplied toward the storage tank 42. In the pressure reducing valve 84, for example, high pressure air of 1.0 MPa or more and 5.0 MPa or less turns into pressure reduced air of 0.5 MPa or more and 0.9 MPa or less. As described above, by providing the pressure reducing valve 84, the pressure in the storage tank 42 is prevented from rising excessively when the inside of the storage tank 42 is subjected to the SIP processing.

  The storage tank aseptic filter 85 sterilizes the depressurized air generated by the pressure reducing valve 84 to prevent the bacteria from the high-pressure air source 81 side from invading the storage tank 42.

A low pressure air source 97 is connected to the connecting line 95 via a low pressure air tank 98. The low pressure air source 97 is a device that generates low pressure air, and may be, for example, a known low pressure compressor. The pressure of the low pressure air is, for example, 0.1 MPa or more and 0.9 MPa or less. In addition, the amount of air of low pressure air from the low pressure air source 97 is, for example, 1,000 Nm ³ / min or more and 10,000 Nm ³ / min or less. Low pressure air from low pressure air source 97 is primarily used to cool storage tank 42 during production of normal product bottle 35 and is not used during SIP processing described below. It is not necessary to use a large scale air source such as high pressure air source 81, as this is different from during SIP processing and the amount of air used to cool storage tank 42 during production of product bottle 35 is small It is for.

  The low pressure air source 97 is connected to the low pressure air tank 98 via a low pressure air supply pipe 99a. The low pressure air tank 98 temporarily stores the low pressure air sent from the low pressure air source 97. The volume of the low pressure air tank 98 may be, for example, 1,000 L or more and 10,000 L or less. The low pressure air tank 98 is connected to the middle of the connection line 95 (between the branch portion 91 and the cooler 83) via the low pressure air supply pipe 99b.

(Beverage filling method)
Next, the operation of this embodiment having such a configuration will be described. First, a normal filling method using the aseptic filling system 10 (FIG. 1), that is, a beverage filling method for filling the beverage into the bottle 30 to produce the product bottle 35 will be described.

  First, the preform 31 is sent from the outside of the aseptic filling system 10 to the aseptic filling system 10 and introduced into the blow molding apparatus 50. In the blow molding apparatus 50, the preform 31 is heated by the heating unit 51. During this time, the preform 31 is uniformly heated in the circumferential direction by the heater of the heating unit 51 while rotating with the mouth directed downward.

  Subsequently, the heated preform 31 is sent to the blow molding unit 52. The preform 31 sent to the blow molding unit 52 is inserted into a blow molding die (not shown) of the blow molding unit 52. Thereafter, high pressure air is supplied into the preform 31 from the stretch rod inserted into the preform 31, and biaxial stretch blow molding is performed. The bottle 30 is obtained from the preform 31 by such blow molding.

  Meanwhile, the high pressure air from the high pressure air source 81 is supplied to the blow molding unit 52 sequentially through the high pressure air supply pipe 90a, the high pressure air tank 82, and the high pressure air supply pipe 90b. The pressure of this high pressure air is preferably a high pressure of 2.5 MPa or more and 4.0 MPa as described above. Then, in the above-described blow molding process, high pressure air from the high pressure air source 81 is supplied from the drawing rod into the preform 31, and blow molding is performed.

  Next, the bottle 30 is conveyed from the blow molding unit 52 into the filling device 15.

  Subsequently, in the bottle sterilizing unit 11 of the filling device 15, the bottle 30 is subjected to a sterilizing process using a hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution which is a sterilizing agent. The hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution is a gas or mist which is condensed after the hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution having a concentration of 1 wt% or more, preferably 35 wt%, is vaporized, and the gas or mist is supplied to the bottle 30. Ru. Then, sterile heated air or normal temperature air is supplied to the bottle 30 to remove foreign substances, hydrogen peroxide and the like from the bottle 30 while activating hydrogen peroxide. Thereafter, the bottle 30 is subjected to washing with sterile water at 15 ° C. or more and 85 ° C. or less. By this sterile water, the hydrogen peroxide adhering to the bottle 30 is washed away and foreign matter is removed.

  Subsequently, the bottle 30 is transported to the content filling unit 20. In the content filling unit 20, the bottle 30 is filled with a beverage (content) from its mouth into the bottle 30 while being rotated (revoluted).

  The beverage filled by the content filling unit 20 is prepared in advance by the beverage preparation unit 40. That is, first, in the raw material liquid preparation device 46, the raw material liquid is prepared from the beverage raw material. Next, the raw material liquid is sent to the beverage sterilizer 41 composed of, for example, an ultra-high-temperature instant sterilization device (UHT) via the beverage supply system piping 60a. In the beverage sterilizing apparatus 41, a sterilizing beverage is produced by sterilizing the raw material liquid sent from the raw material liquid preparation apparatus 46. During this time, the raw material liquid is supplied to the beverage sterilizing apparatus 41 from the raw material liquid preparation apparatus 46, and the raw material liquid is instantaneously heated and sterilized to obtain a sterilized beverage.

  The beverage sterilized by the beverage sterilizing apparatus 41 is sent to the storage tank 42 via the beverage supply system piping 60 b and temporarily stored in the storage tank 42. Subsequently, the beverage from the storage tank 42 is fed to the filling head tank 75 of the content filling unit 20 via the beverage supply system piping 60 c. The beverage sent to the filling head tank 75 is temporarily stored in the filling head tank 75. The storage tank 42 is cooled by low pressure air from the low pressure air source 97.

  Thereafter, in the content filling unit 20, the beverage stored in the filling head tank 75 is filled into the empty bottle 30.

  Thus, the bottle 30 filled with the beverage by the content filling unit 20 is transported to the cap mounting unit 16. In the cap mounting unit 16, the cap 33 sterilized in advance is mounted on the mouth of the bottle 30 transported from the content filling unit 20. Thus, a product bottle 35 having the bottle 30 and the cap 33 is obtained.

  Thereafter, the product bottle 35 is carried out of the cap mounting portion 16 to, for example, a packaging line provided outside the aseptic filling system 10, and a label is appropriately applied to the surface thereof.

  The above steps may be performed in a sterile atmosphere surrounded by a sterile chamber, that is, in a sterile environment. In this case, positive pressure aseptic air is supplied in the aseptic chamber so that aseptic air always blows out of the aseptic chamber.

  The production (transfer) speed of the bottle 30 in the aseptic filling system 10 is preferably 100 bpm or more and 1500 bpm or less. Here, bpm (bottle per minute) refers to the transport speed of the bottle 30 per minute.

  Next, in the aseptic filling system 10, an operation in the case where the CIP (Cleaning in Place) process and the SIP (Sterilizing in Place) process are performed, for example, periodically or when switching the type of beverage will be described.

(CIP processing method)
First, the inside of the beverage supply system piping of the aseptic filling system 10 is subjected to CIP processing. Specifically, for example, a cleaning solution obtained by adding an alkaline agent such as caustic soda to water in the flow path from the inside of the conduit of the path for supplying the beverage raw material to the raw material liquid preparation device 46 to the nozzle of the content filling unit 20 Then, the washing solution in which the acid agent is added to the water is flushed. That is, the alkaline cleaning liquid is allowed to flow in from the piping path on the upstream side of the raw material liquid preparation device 46, and the beverage supply system piping 60a, the beverage sterilization apparatus 41, the beverage supply system piping 60b, the storage tank 42, the beverage supply system piping 60c, the filling It is made to flow out of the nozzle of the content filling unit 20 sequentially through the head tank 75. Thereafter, in the same manner, an acidic cleaning solution is allowed to flow in from the piping path on the upstream side of the raw material liquid preparation device 46, and the beverage supply system piping 60a, the beverage sterilizing apparatus 41, the beverage supply system piping 60b, the storage tank 42, the beverage supply system It flows out of the nozzle of the content filling unit 20 through the pipe 60 c and the filling head tank 75 sequentially. Thereby, the residue etc. of the previous drink adhering in the flow path through which a drink passes are removed.

(SIP processing method)
Next, SIP processing is performed. The SIP treatment is a treatment for sterilizing the inside of the flow path through which the beverage passes before entering the filling operation of the beverage, for example, by flowing heated steam or hot water into the flow path cleaned with the CIP. To be done. Thereby, the inside of the flow path through which the beverage passes is sterilized and made sterile.

  That is, for example, after CIP processing, the inside of the beverage sterilizing apparatus 41 is passed through hot water through the path inside the sterilizing apparatus 41, and then the SIP processing is performed by partially cooling the hot water.

  On the other hand, the storage tank 42, the beverage supply system piping 60b, the beverage supply system piping 60c, the filling head tank 75, and the contents filling unit 20 pass the steam through and sterilize the inside, and then cooling air and sterile water are sequentially passed and cooled SIP processing is performed by doing.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (c), the function of the SIP processing of the storage tank 42 with steam will be further described. 2 (a)-(c) show the storage tank 42 during SIP processing. In FIG. 2 (a)-(c), the code | symbol 43 shows the drain provided in the bottom part of the storage tank 42, and the code | symbol 44 has shown the thermometer which measures the temperature inside the storage tank 42. As shown in FIG.

  That is, first, as shown in FIG. 2A, the heated water vapor from the water vapor supply source 45 is supplied to the storage tank 42. The inside of the storage tank 42 is pressurized and heated by the heated steam, and the inside of the storage tank 42 is sterilized. Specifically, when the temperature of the thermometer 44 is raised to, for example, 120 ° C. or more and 135 ° C. or less, and the internal pressure becomes 0.2 MPa or more and 0.35 MPa or less, a time of about 5 minutes or more and 30 minutes or less Hold. The heated steam is also sent from the storage tank 42 to the beverage supply system piping 60c, the filling head tank 75, and the contents filling unit 20, and the inside of these is also sterilized. It should be noted that it is preferable to drain water from the drain 43 so that the pressure in the storage tank 42 does not decrease since the temperature drops if water is accumulated inside the storage tank 42 while being pressurized and heated by steam. .

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, the high-pressure air from the high-pressure air source 81 is decompressed to be decompressed air, and is supplied to the storage tank 42. Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 1, high pressure air from the high pressure air source 81 sequentially passes through the high pressure air supply pipe 90a, the high pressure air tank 82, and the high pressure air supply pipe 90b, branches at the branch portion 91, and the connection line 95 Sent to Next, the high pressure air is cooled by the cooler 83 provided in the connection line 95, and the temperature thereof is reduced to, for example, 20 ° C. or more and 40 ° C. or less. Subsequently, the high pressure air, which was at a pressure of 1.0 MPa or more and 5.0 MPa or less, is depressurized to a pressure of, for example, 0.5 MPa or more and 0.9 MPa or less by the pressure reducing valve 84 provided in the connection line 95. Become. Thereafter, the decompressed air is sent to the storage tank 42 after being sterilized in the storage tank aseptic filter 85.

  Thus, the reduced pressure air is used to replace the vapor inside the storage tank 42 with sterile air and to lower the temperature inside the storage tank 42. Specifically, the inside of the storage tank 42 is cooled until the temperature of the thermometer 44 is, for example, about 75 ° C. or more and 90 ° C. or less. At this time, the pressure inside the storage tank 42 is 0.003 MPa or more and 0.3 MPa or less. Thus, the time for cooling the inside of the storage tank 42 can be set, for example, to 20 minutes or more and 50 minutes or less using the decompressed air obtained by decompressing the high pressure air from the high pressure air source 81. The reduced pressure air is also sent from the storage tank 42 to the beverage supply piping 60b, 60c, the filling head tank 75, and the content filling unit 20, and the inside thereof is also replaced with air and cooled.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2C, the high pressure air from the high pressure air source 81 is continuously depressurized and supplied to the storage tank 42, and the cooling water from the cooling water nozzle 48 provided outside the storage tank 42. And cool the outer surface of the storage tank 42. Thereby, the temperature inside the storage tank 42 is further lowered. Specifically, the inside of the storage tank 42 is cooled until the temperature of the thermometer 44 is, for example, about 40 ° C. or more and about 50 ° C. or less. At this time, the pressure inside the storage tank 42 is 0.003 MPa or more and 0.3 MPa or less. Thus, the time for cooling the storage tank 42 is, for example, not less than 1 minute and not more than 10 minutes, by using the decompression air obtained by decompressing the high pressure air from the high pressure air source 81 and the cooling water from the cooling water nozzle 48. be able to. During this time, the decompressed air is also sent from the storage tank 42 to the beverage supply system piping 60c, the filling head tank 75, and the content filling unit 20, and the inside of these is also cooled.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the storage tank 42 is subjected to the SIP processing, the high pressure air from the high pressure air source 81 is decompressed by the pressure reducing valve 84 and supplied to the storage tank 42. Therefore, a large volume of air (for example, 3,000 to 15,000 NL / min) can be supplied to the storage tank 42, and the cooling time of the storage tank 42 can be shortened. For example, the cooling time of the storage tank 42 can be shortened to about 5 minutes to 15 minutes.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the storage tank 42 is cooled at the time of SIP processing using high pressure air for blow molding sent from the high pressure air source 81 to the blow molding unit 52. Accordingly, since it is not necessary to prepare a dedicated compressed air manufacturing facility (compressor) or the like for cooling the storage tank 42 at the time of SIP processing, it is possible to suppress an increase in the cost of the facility. Furthermore, when the storage tank 42 is cooled at the time of SIP processing, a large volume of air is stored in the storage tank 42 by using the high pressure air source 81 as compared to the case where compressed air used in the entire line of the aseptic filling system 10 is used. It becomes possible to supply, and the cooling time of the storage tank 42 can be shortened.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the connection line 95 is provided with the pressure reducing valve 84 for reducing the pressure of the high pressure air from the high pressure air source 81 to prevent the high pressure air from being supplied to the storage tank 42 as it is. The high pressure air prevents the pressure in the storage tank 42 from rising too much.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the connecting line 95 is provided with a cooler 83 for cooling high pressure air. As a result, when the high pressure air having passed through the cooler 83 is decompressed by the pressure reducing valve 84, the temperature is further lowered by the adiabatic expansion, and the storage tank 42 can be cooled more efficiently at the time of IP processing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Aseptic filling system 11 Bottle sterilization part 15 Filling apparatus 16 Cap mounting part 20 Content filling part 30 Bottle 33 Cap 35 Product bottle 40 Beverage preparation part 41 Beverage sterilizer 42 Storage tank 46 Raw material liquid preparation device 50 Blow molding device 51 Heating part 52 blow molding unit 75 filling head tank 81 high pressure air source 82 high pressure air tank 83 cooler 84 pressure reducing valve 95 connection line

Claims (5)

An aseptic filling system,
A high pressure air source for supplying high pressure air;
A blow molding apparatus for forming a container by supplying the high pressure air from the high pressure air source to a preform;
A contents sterilizer for sterilizing contents,
A filling device for filling the container formed by the blow molding device with the content from the content sterilizer;
A storage tank provided between the content sterilizer and the filling device for storing the content;
A connection line is provided to supply the high pressure air from the high pressure air source toward the storage tank,
The connection line is provided with a pressure reducing mechanism for reducing the pressure of the high pressure air from the high pressure air source,
The aseptic filling system characterized in that the high pressure air from the high pressure air source is decompressed by the decompression mechanism and supplied to the storage tank.   2. The aseptic filling system according to claim 1, wherein the pressure of the high pressure air is 1.0 MPa or more and 5.0 MPa or less.   The aseptic filling system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the high pressure air is decompressed to 0.5 MPa or more and 0.9 MPa or less by the decompression mechanism.   The aseptic filling system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connecting line is provided with a cooler for cooling the high pressure air. A SIP processing method using the aseptic filling system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising:
Supplying heated steam to the storage tank;
And D. reducing the internal pressure of the storage tank by reducing the pressure of the high pressure air from the high pressure air source by the pressure reducing mechanism and supplying the reduced pressure air to the storage tank.

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