JP7516737B2 - Gasification disinfectant spraying device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a gasified sterilant spraying device that generates a sterilant gas and sprays the generated sterilant gas onto packaging materials, which are used to sterilize packaging materials in aseptic filling and packaging machines.

Foods and beverages are filled and distributed in a variety of containers using aseptic filling and packaging machines, including portioned milk, beverages in brick-shaped liquid cartons, soup in pouches, beverages in cups, and beverages in PET bottles. An aseptic filling and packaging machine is a device that fills and seals sterilized contents into containers that have been sterilized in a sterile atmosphere. Products produced using aseptic filling and packaging machines can be distributed and stored at room temperature, so they consume less energy than refrigerated or frozen products and taste better, so their use is on the rise.

As mentioned above, there are various packaging materials that become containers in aseptic filling and packaging machines, and the sterilization method varies depending on the packaging material. Although ultraviolet light or electron beam irradiation is one method, the mainstream method is to sterilize the surface of the packaging material with a disinfectant. Furthermore, when using a disinfectant to sterilize the packaging material, portioned milk and brick-shaped paper containers are sterilized by immersing them in the disinfectant, but there is also a method of spraying the disinfectant. Packaging materials that are flat and can withstand the relatively high drying temperature after immersion are sterilized by immersion. Formed containers such as cups and bottles, and packaging materials such as films that stretch when dried at high temperatures are sterilized by spraying a disinfectant.

If the droplets of disinfectant sprayed are large, they will drip down the sides of cups or bottles. The smaller the droplets of disinfectant sprayed, the more evenly they will be applied to the surface of the packaging material, and the greater the disinfecting effect. Therefore, a method has been proposed to break down the droplets of disinfectant into fine particles (Patent Document 1).

The smaller the droplets of disinfectant that adhere to the surface of the packaging material are and the more densely the surface of the packaging material is covered with disinfectant droplets, the higher the disinfecting effect. For this reason, instead of spraying disinfectant droplets, a method has been proposed in which the disinfectant is gasified and the gasified disinfectant is sprayed onto the surface of the packaging material to condense the disinfectant on the surface of the packaging material (Patent Document 2). Here, the disinfectant is gasified by dripping the disinfectant onto a heated heating element.

Furthermore, a method has been proposed in which a large amount of disinfectant is gasified efficiently by spraying the disinfectant into a heated tube (Patent Document 3).

The sterilant vaporizer shown in Figures 5 and 6 of Patent Document 3 sprays the sterilant into a heated cylinder. A sterilant gasifier has also been proposed in which a sterilant is sprayed into a heated cylinder, hot air is blown in from upstream, and a plate heater is provided at the bottom of the cylinder (Patent Document 5). A device has also been proposed in which hydrogen peroxide is injected while a gas medium is supplied into the cylinder, and the hydrogen peroxide is vaporized and discharged by hitting the surface of a heating device (Patent Document 6).

The above-mentioned sterilant gasifiers gasify the sterilant by contacting it with the surface of a relatively large heated cylindrical tube or a heated housing. Some also blow hot air at this time. The sterilant gasified by the sterilant gasifier is sprayed onto the packaging material, but there are also gasifiers in which a conduit is connected to the end of the gasifier, the conduit extends around the container, and a nozzle attached to the conduit sprays the sterilant gas onto the outer surface of the container (Patent Document 7).

On the other hand, when heating a sterilant gasification device, a heater is usually used, but it has been proposed to heat it by induction heating (Patent Document 8, Patent Document 9).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 60-220067 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11163/1983 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 3-224469 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-218134 JP 2001-276189 A Special Publication No. 2010-534167 WO 2015/137480 Special Publication No. 2007-534132 JP 2013-188402 A

Gasified hydrogen peroxide is often used to sterilize packaging materials in aseptic filling machines. The hydrogen peroxide is gasified by contacting it with the surface of a heated heating element. One method involves blowing hot air onto the sprayed hydrogen peroxide, but because hot air has a small heat capacity, it is difficult to completely gasify the hydrogen peroxide. The heated heating element is the inner surface or bottom surface of a cylindrical tube, and the hydrogen peroxide sprayed inside the cylindrical tube is gasified by coming into contact with the inner surface of the cylindrical tube.

The sterilization effect is enhanced by completely gasifying the sprayed hydrogen peroxide, which comes into contact with bacteria present on the surface of the packaging material, and by condensing on the surface of the packaging material into fine droplets, which are then re-gasified by heating. In other words, the sterilization effect is enhanced by completely gasifying the hydrogen peroxide, thereby increasing the concentration of hydrogen peroxide contained in the gas. Furthermore, the gasified sterilant must come into contact with the packaging material while still in a gaseous state.

As described in Patent Document 7, the sterilant gasified by the sterilant gasifier is sprayed onto the packaging material, but a conduit is connected to the end of the gasifier, the conduit extends around the container, and the sterilant gas is sprayed onto the outer surface of the container by a nozzle attached to the conduit. The gasifier is heated, and the sterilant is gasified by contacting the surface of the heated gasifier. However, the sterilant gas flowing from the gasifier to the conduit is cooled in the conduit and liquefied. For example, if the gasifier is set to 300°C, the heat of the gasifier is conducted to the conduit, and the temperature becomes about 100°C. Since the dew point of hydrogen peroxide solution containing 35% by mass of hydrogen peroxide is estimated to be about 127°C, some of the hydrogen peroxide solution gas condenses and liquefies in the conduit. Since the hydrogen peroxide solution gas condenses from hydrogen peroxide first, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide solution in the hydrogen peroxide solution that does not condense and reaches the container is lower than the initial hydrogen peroxide concentration, which reduces the sterilizing effect of the hydrogen peroxide solution gas. For this reason, it has been proposed to heat the conduit by wrapping a ribbon heater around it, but this is dangerous and has not been implemented.

As mentioned above, hydrogen peroxide gas is sprayed onto the packaging material in the aseptic filling machine to sterilize the packaging material, but the gasified hydrogen peroxide must be maintained in a gaseous state until it is sprayed onto the packaging material. To prevent the hydrogen peroxide gas generated by the gasifier from condensing before it reaches the tip of the nozzle, the conduit connecting the gasifier to the nozzle must be heated so that the hydrogen peroxide maintains its gaseous state.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a gasification disinfectant spraying device that heats the conduit connecting the gasification device and the nozzle to keep the hydrogen peroxide gasified in the gasification device in a gaseous state so that the hydrogen peroxide gas does not condense until it reaches the tip of the nozzle that sprays the hydrogen peroxide gas onto the packaging material.

The gasified sterilant spraying device of the present invention is a gasification sterilant spraying device having a gasification device that gasifies a sterilant containing hydrogen peroxide by spraying the sterilant on a heating surface heated to 140°C to 450°C, and a nozzle that sprays the gasified sterilant on the outer surface of a container to sterilize the outer surface of the container , characterized in that a sterilant gas exhaust pipe of the gasification device is connected to the nozzle, and an induction heating device is provided that heats from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe to a tip of the nozzle , where a plurality of sterilant gas outlets are provided, by induction heating, to a temperature of 120°C to 300°C, which is higher than the dew point temperature of the sterilant.

In addition, in the gasified disinfectant spraying device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the induction heating device includes an induction coil wound around at least a portion of the outer circumference from the disinfectant gas exhaust pipe to the tip of the nozzle.

In addition, in the gasification disinfectant spraying device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the induction heating device has a non-conductive layer between the disinfectant gas exhaust pipe to the tip of the nozzle and the induction coil.

In addition, in the gasification disinfectant spraying device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the gasification device is equipped with a disinfectant spraying device that sprays disinfectant onto a heated surface, and a heated surface that gasifies the disinfectant upon contact with it.

In addition, in the gasified sterilant spraying device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the sterilant gas outlet of the nozzle is provided facing the outer surface of the container.

The gasified sterilant spraying device according to the present application is a gasified sterilant spraying device having a sterilant gasifier that gasifies the sterilant and a nozzle that sprays the gasified sterilant, and is equipped with an induction heating device that heats at least a portion from the non-heated portion of the gasifier to the tip of the nozzle by induction heating, so that the sterilant gasified by the gasifier can be maintained in a gaseous state until it is sprayed onto the packaging material. As a result, a high sterilization effect can be obtained by spraying the gasified sterilant in a gaseous state from the nozzle onto the packaging material.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a sterilant gasification apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a side view showing a first embodiment of a gasification sterilant spraying device according to the present invention. 10 is a side view showing a side spray nozzle of a gasification sterilant spraying device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a side view showing a side and bottom spray nozzle of a gasification disinfectant spraying device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

The following describes the embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
Fig. 1 shows a sterilant gasification apparatus 1 according to the present invention. A sterilant is supplied to the gasification apparatus 1, which gasifies the supplied sterilant. The gasified sterilant is sprayed onto a container, and the container is sterilized. The sterilant is gasified, and it is possible that part of the gasified sterilant has become a mist.

The gasification apparatus 1 comprises a disinfectant spraying device 2, which is a two-fluid spray nozzle that supplies disinfectant in droplet form, and a heated surface 3 that heats and gasifies the disinfectant upon contact with the disinfectant supplied from the disinfectant spraying device 2. The disinfectant spraying device 2 introduces disinfectant and compressed air from a disinfectant supply path 2a and a compressed air supply path 2b, respectively, and sprays the disinfectant onto the heated surface 3. The heated surface 3 is a pipe equipped with a heater 4 on its outer surface, and the disinfectant sprayed into the pipe is heated and gasified. The disinfectant gas is ejected from the disinfectant gas exhaust pipe 5 to the outside of the gasification apparatus 1. Instead of the heater 4, the heated surface 3 may be heated by induction heating.

As operating conditions for the disinfectant spraying device 2, for example, the compressed air pressure is adjusted in the range of 0.05 MPa to 0.6 MPa. The disinfectant may fall by gravity or under pressure, and the supply amount can be freely set; for example, the disinfectant is supplied to the disinfectant supply path 2a in the range of 1 g/min to 100 g/min. The heating surface 3 is heated to 140°C to 450°C, which gasifies the sprayed disinfectant.

As shown in FIG. 2, sterilant gas is sprayed from nozzle 6 onto the outer surface of container 7, sterilizing the outer surface of the container. The amount of sterilant gas sprayed is arbitrary, but is determined by the amount of sterilant supplied to gasifier 1 and the spraying time. Multiple gasifiers 1 may be provided. The amount of spraying also varies depending on the size of container 7.

A sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 is connected to the nozzle 6, and the sterilant gas gasified in the gasification device 1 is introduced into the nozzle 6. The sterilant gas introduced into the nozzle 6 is sprayed onto the outer surface of the container 7 from the sterilant gas outlets 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, and 6e provided on the nozzle 6.

Sterilant gas outlets 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, and 6e are used to spray sterilant gas toward the outer surface of container 7, and are positioned near the mouth 8, body, and bottom of container 7. Specifically, a nozzle 6 is positioned so as to extend around the contour of container 7 on a plane including the vertical axis of container 7, and sterilant gas outlets 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, and 6e are provided on this nozzle 6, and sterilant gas introduced into nozzle 6 is discharged from sterilant gas outlets 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, and 6e toward the outer surface of container 7. Here, the vertical axis of the container refers to the axis that extends from the mouth 8 of container 7 to the bottom through the center of container 7.

The container 7 is transported by being gripped by the support ring 9 with the gripper 10. A shielding wall 11 is provided on the outer surface of the nozzle 6 so as not to impede the movement of the gripper 10 during transportation. The shielding wall 11 keeps the nozzle 6 warm and prevents the dispersion of the sterilant gas being sprayed, thereby ensuring the amount of sterilant gas sprayed onto the outer surface of the container 7.

Of the multiple sterilant gas outlets 6a and 6b arranged near the mouth 8 of the container 7, one sterilant gas outlet 6a is arranged so that its axis extends parallel to the generatrix of the cylindrical wall along the outer surface of the cylindrical wall of the mouth 8, and the other sterilant gas outlet 6b is arranged so that its sterilant gas outlet intersects the cylindrical wall of the mouth 8 at a right angle. The sterilant gas sprayed from the sterilant gas outlet 6a, which is arranged so that its axis extends parallel to the generatrix of the cylindrical wall along the outer surface of the cylindrical wall of the mouth 8, easily reaches the support ring 9 provided near the base of the mouth 8 and the shoulder between the mouth 8 and the body, so that the outer surfaces of the support ring 9, etc. are also properly sterilized. The sterilant gas sprayed from the sterilant gas outlet 6b, which is positioned so that the axis of the sterilant gas outlet intersects at a right angle to the cylindrical wall of the mouth portion 8, easily penetrates into the male screw groove of the mouth portion 8, so that the outer surface of the mouth portion 8 is properly sterilized.

A pair of sterilant gas outlets 6c, 6e are arranged near the body of the container 7, sandwiching the body from both sides. Desirably, these sterilant gas outlets 6c, 6e are arranged so that the axis of each sterilant gas outlet momentarily intersects at a right angle with the vertical axis of the container 7 being transported. Multiple sterilant gas outlets 6c, 6e that spray sterilant into the body of the container 7 may be arranged in the vertical direction of the body.

A single sterilant gas outlet 6d is disposed near the bottom of the container 7. Desirably, this sterilant gas outlet 6d is disposed so that the axis of the sterilant gas outlet momentarily intersects at a right angle with the center of the bottom of the container 7 being transported. Multiple sterilant gas outlets 6d facing the bottom may be provided so that they face the bottom of the container 7 being transported.

The nozzle 6 extends in an approximately C-shape from just above the mouth 8 of the container 7, around the container 7 in the vertical direction, to just below the support ring 9, and its tip is closed. As shown in FIG. 2, the part where the C-shape of the nozzle 6 ends corresponds roughly to the support ring 9, and the gripper 10 holding the container 7 can pass through this interrupted part at the support ring 9 without interfering with the nozzle 6.

The portion of the sterilant gasification device 1 having the heating surface 3 is heated, but if the portion from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 to the nozzle 6 is not heated, the sterilant gas flowing from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 to the nozzle 6 will be cooled and will condense before being blown out from the sterilant gas outlet, and will not be blown out.

Therefore, an induction heating device is provided that uses induction heating to heat at least a portion of the gasification sterilant spraying device, which has a gasification device 1 that gasifies the sterilant and a nozzle 6 that sprays the gasified sterilant, from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 to the nozzle 6. The non-heated portion, which is the portion from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 to the nozzle 6, is heated by the induction heating device. By heating the non-heated portion of the gasification device 1 to the tip of the nozzle 6, the sterilant gasified by the gasification device 1 is prevented from condensing before being blown out from the sterilant gas outlet.

As shown in FIG. 2, an induction coil 13 is provided on at least a portion of the outer periphery of the gasification device 1 from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 to the tip of the nozzle 6. A non-conductive layer 12 is provided between the induction coil 13 and the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 and the nozzle 6. The induction heating device is a device that applies an alternating current to the induction coil 13, the non-conductive layer 12, and the induction coil 13.

The induction coil 13 is wound in a spiral shape around at least a portion of the outer circumferential surface from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 to the tip of the nozzle 6. In FIG. 2, it is wound in a single layer, but it may be wound in multiple layers. The wound induction coil 13 is a conductive metal wire such as copper.

When an alternating current is passed through the induction coil 13, a magnetic field is generated around the induction coil 13. The alternating current periodically changes between positive and negative, and the direction of the magnetic field changes accordingly. Inside the changing magnetic field, at least a portion of the area from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 around which the induction coil is wound to the tip of the nozzle 6 generates an eddy current in the opposite direction to the current passed through the induction coil 13, and at least a portion of the area from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5, which has resistance, to the tip of the nozzle 6 is heated by generating heat according to the magnitude of the eddy current and the resistance.

The area from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 to the tip of the nozzle 6 is preferably heated to a temperature above the dew point temperature of the sterilant, and 120°C to 300°C is appropriate. Temperatures above 300°C are not recommended because they will heat up the induction coil 13.

The sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 and the nozzle 6 are made of a resistant conductor such as stainless steel, brass, copper, or aluminum, with stainless steel being preferred as it is resistant to sterilants and has good heat generation efficiency.

The AC current flowing through the induction coil 13 may be a household AC power source, but is preferably a high-frequency current obtained by transforming and frequency-converting an AC power source. The device that flows AC current through the induction coil 13 provided in the induction heating device is an AC power source, a transformer, and a high-frequency converter, or it may be just an AC power source.

As shown in FIG. 2, it is difficult to wind the induction coil 13 around the location of the sterilant gas outlet of the nozzle 6, so to avoid this, the induction coil 13 is wound around the outer surface of the nozzle 6.

A non-conductive layer 12 is provided between the induction coil 13 and the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 and nozzle 6. The non-conductive layer 12 is intended to prevent the current of the induction coil 13 from flowing to the induction coil 13, the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5, and the nozzle 6, and to prevent the heat generated in the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 and the nozzle 6 from being conducted to the induction coil 13.

The non-conductive layer 12 is made of a non-conductive inorganic or organic material, and may be a composite of an inorganic and an organic material. The inorganic material is an inorganic fiber such as glass fiber, alumina fiber, alumina silica fiber, magnesium silicate fiber, calcium silicate fiber, potassium titanate fiber, or a solid material made of these inorganic substances. The organic material is a heat-resistant plastic solid or fiber such as polyarylate, polysulfone, polyphenylene sulfide, aromatic polyether ketone resin, polyimide, fluororesin, liquid crystal polymer, cellulose, or the like. Fibers with high thermal insulation properties are preferable.

It is preferable to provide a non-conductive exterior on the outside of the induction coil 13. The exterior may be metallic, as long as it is not conductive.

The disinfectant preferably contains at least hydrogen peroxide. The appropriate content is in the range of 0.5% to 65% by mass. If it is less than 0.5% by mass, the disinfecting power may be insufficient, and if it exceeds 65% by mass, handling becomes difficult for safety reasons. Furthermore, 0.5% to 40% by mass is even more preferable, and if it is 40% by mass or less, it is easier to handle, and the low concentration reduces the amount of disinfectant remaining in the container 7 after sterilization.

When hydrogen peroxide solution containing 35% by mass of hydrogen peroxide is used as a sterilant, the dew point of the gasified hydrogen peroxide solution is around 127°C, and it is preferable to heat the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 and the nozzle 6 to 127°C or higher.

When the sterilant is hydrogen peroxide, the amount of hydrogen peroxide gas sprayed onto the outer surface of container 7 from nozzle 6 is as follows: The amount of hydrogen peroxide adhering to the outer surface of container 7 is preferably 5 μL/container to 150 μL/container, and more preferably 10 μL/container to 100 μL/container, assuming the amount of hydrogen peroxide containing 35% by mass of hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide concentration of the hydrogen peroxide gas sprayed onto container 7 is preferably 2 mg/L to 20 mg/L, and more preferably 5 mg/L to 10 mg/L.

The disinfectant contains water, but may also contain one or more of alcohols such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, normal propyl alcohol, and butyl alcohol, ketones such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and acetylacetone, and glycol ethers.

Furthermore, the disinfectant may contain additives such as organic acids such as peracetic acid and acetic acid, chlorine compounds such as sodium hypochlorite, compounds with disinfecting effects such as ozone, cationic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, and phosphate compounds.

As shown in FIG. 2, a sterilant is sprayed onto the outer surface of the container 7 by a nozzle 6. A sterilant gasified by a sterilant gasification device other than the sterilant gasification device 1 used in the gasification sterilant spraying device of the present invention is sprayed onto the inner surface of the container 7. The sterilant gas sprayed onto the inner surface of the container 7 is sprayed directly from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe of the sterilant gasification device, so that the sterilant gasified by the sterilant gasification device is sprayed onto the inner surface of the container 7 from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe without condensing. The sterilant gas exhaust pipe does not have to be inductively heated by an induction coil, as in the gasification sterilant spraying device of the present invention. However, when the sterilant gas exhaust pipe is long, it is preferable that the sterilant gas exhaust pipe be inductively heated by an induction coil, as in the gasification sterilant spraying device of the present invention.

(Embodiment 2)
A second embodiment of the gasified sterilant spraying device according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. The first embodiment has one nozzle 6, and the sterilant gas is sprayed onto the outer surface of the container 7 by the single nozzle 6. In the second embodiment, the sterilant gas is sprayed onto the outer surface of the container 7 by two nozzles, a side spray nozzle 14 shown in Figure 3 and a side/bottom spray nozzle 15 shown in Figure 4.

The gasification disinfectant spraying device is provided with an induction heating device. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, an induction coil 13 is provided on at least a portion of the outer periphery from the disinfectant gas exhaust pipe 5 of the gasification device 1 to the side spray nozzle 14 or the side and bottom spray nozzle 15. A non-conductive layer 12 is provided between the induction coil 13 and the disinfectant gas exhaust pipe 5 and the side spray nozzle 14 or the side and bottom spray nozzle 15. The induction heating device is a device that passes AC electricity through the induction coil 13, the non-conductive layer 12, and the induction coil 13. The device that passes AC electricity is an AC power source, a transformer, and a high-frequency converter, or it may be just an AC power source.

The side spray nozzle 14 shown in FIG. 3 is connected to the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 of the sterilant gasification device 1, and the sterilant gas gasified in the gasification device 1 is introduced into the side spray nozzle 14. The sterilant gas introduced into the side spray nozzle 14 is sprayed onto the outer surface of the container 7 from the sterilant gas outlets 6b, 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 6j, and 6k provided on the side spray nozzle 14. The sterilant gasification device 1 is the same as in the first embodiment.

Sterilant gas outlets 6b, 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 6j, and 6k are arranged near the mouth 8 and body of container 7, respectively, to spray sterilant gas toward the outer surface of container 7 and to spray sterilant onto the outer surface of container 7. Specifically, a side spray nozzle 14 is arranged extending parallel to the outer surface of container 7 on a plane including the longitudinal axis of container 7, and sterilant gas outlets 6b, 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 6j, and 6k are provided on this side spray nozzle 14, and sterilant gas introduced into side spray nozzle 14 is discharged from sterilant gas outlets 6b, 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 6j, and 6k toward the outer surface of container 7.

The container 7 is transported by being gripped by the support ring 9 with the gripper 10. A shielding wall 11 is provided on the outer surface of the side spray nozzle 14 so as not to impede the movement of the gripper 10 during transportation. The shielding wall 11 keeps the side spray nozzle 14 warm and prevents the dispersion of the sprayed sterilant gas, thereby ensuring the amount of sterilant gas sprayed onto the outer surface of the container 7.

The sterilant gas outlet 6b, which is located near the mouth 8 of the container 7, is oriented so that the sterilant gas outlet intersects the cylindrical wall of the mouth 8 at a right angle. The sterilant gas sprayed from the sterilant gas outlet 6b, which is oriented so that the axis of the sterilant gas outlet intersects the cylindrical wall of the mouth 8 at a right angle, easily enters the male thread groove in the mouth 8, so that the outer surface of the mouth 8 is properly sterilized. The sterilant gas outlet 6b is extended to the vicinity of the mouth 8 in order to allow the sterilant gas to enter the male thread groove in the mouth 8.

Sterilant gas outlets 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 6j, and 6k are arranged in the body of the container 7. Desirably, these sterilant gas outlets 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 6j, and 6k are arranged so that the axis of each sterilant gas outlet momentarily intersects at a right angle with the vertical axis of the container 7 being transported. Sterilant gas outlets 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 6j, and 6k that spray sterilant onto the side of the body of the container 7 may be arranged in a greater or lesser number in the vertical direction of the body. Sterilant gas outlet 6f may extend from the mouth 8 of the container 7 to the vicinity of the shoulder to spray sterilant onto the shoulder of the container 7.

As shown in FIG. 3, an induction coil 13 is provided on at least a portion of the outer periphery of the gasification device 1 from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 to the tip of the side spray nozzle 14. A non-conductive layer 12 is provided between the induction coil 13 and the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 and between the induction coil 13 and the side spray nozzle 14. The non-conductive layer 12 is the same as in the first embodiment.

The induction coil 13 is wound in a spiral shape around at least a portion of the outer circumferential surface from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 to the tip of the side spray nozzle 14. This is the same as in embodiment 1. Furthermore, when an alternating current is applied to the induction coil 13, a magnetic field is generated around the induction coil 13. The alternating current periodically changes between positive and negative, and the direction of the magnetic field changes accordingly. Inside the changing magnetic field, at least a portion of the area from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 around which the induction coil is wound to the tip of the side spray nozzle 14 generates an eddy current in the opposite direction to the current passed through the induction coil 13, and at least a portion of the area from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5, which has resistance, to the tip of the side spray nozzle 14 is heated by generating heat according to the magnitude of the eddy current and the resistance. The heating temperature is the same as in embodiment 1.

The side/bottom spray nozzle 15 shown in FIG. 4 is connected to the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 of the sterilant gasification device 1, and the sterilant gas gasified in the gasification device 1 is introduced into the side/bottom spray nozzle 15. The sterilant gas introduced into the side/bottom spray nozzle 15 is sprayed onto the outer surface of the container 7 from the sterilant gas outlets 6l, 6m, 6n, 6o, 6p, 6q, 6r, and 6s provided on the side/bottom spray nozzle 15. The sterilant gasification device 1 is the same as in the first embodiment.

Sterilant gas outlets 6l, 6m, 6n, 6o, 6p, 6q, 6r, and 6s are used to spray sterilant gas toward the outer surface of container 7, and are located near the mouth 8, body, and bottom of container 7. Specifically, a side/bottom spray nozzle 15 is located on a plane including the bottom surface and vertical axis of container 7, extending parallel to the outer surface of container 7, and sterilant gas outlets 6l, 6m, 6n, 6o, 6p, 6q, 6r, and 6s are provided on this side/bottom spray nozzle 15, and sterilant gas introduced into side/bottom spray nozzle 15 is discharged from sterilant gas outlets 6l, 6m, 6n, 6o, 6p, 6q, 6r, and 6s toward the sides and bottom of the body of container 7.

The container 7 is transported by being gripped by the support ring 9 with the gripper 10. A shielding wall 11 is provided on the outer surface of the side/bottom spray nozzle 15 so as not to impede the movement of the gripper 10 during transportation. The shielding wall 11 keeps the side/bottom spray nozzle 15 warm and prevents the dispersion of the sprayed sterilant gas, thereby ensuring the amount of sterilant gas sprayed onto the sides and bottom of the container 7.

Sterilant gas outlets 6l, 6m, 6n, 6o, and 6p are arranged in the body of container 7. Desirably, these sterilant gas outlets 6l, 6m, 6n, 6o, and 6p are arranged so that the axis of each sterilant gas outlet momentarily intersects at a right angle with the vertical axis of container 7 being transported. Sterilant gas outlets 6l, 6m, 6n, 6o, and 6p that spray sterilant onto the side of the body of container 7 may be arranged in more or less numbers in the vertical direction of the body. Sterilant gas outlet 6l may extend from the mouth 8 of container 7 to the vicinity of the shoulder to spray sterilant onto the shoulder of container 7.

Sterilant gas outlets 6q, 6r, and 6s are arranged near the bottom of container 7. Desirably, these sterilant gas outlets 6q, 6r, and 6s are arranged so that their axes face the bottom surface of container 7 being transported. There may be more or less sterilant gas outlets 6q, 6r, and 6s facing the bottom, so long as they face the bottom surface of container 7 being transported.

As shown in FIG. 4, an induction coil 13 is provided on at least a portion of the outer periphery of the gasification device 1 from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 to the tip of the side and bottom spray nozzle 15. A non-conductive layer 12 is provided between the induction coil 13 and the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 and between the induction coil 13 and the side and bottom spray nozzle 15. The non-conductive layer 12 is the same as in the first embodiment.

The induction coil 13 is wound in a spiral shape around at least a portion of the outer circumferential surface from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe 5 to the tip of the side/bottom spray nozzle 15. This is the same as in embodiment 1. Furthermore, when an alternating current is passed through the induction coil 13, the side/bottom spray nozzle 15 is heated in the same manner as in embodiment 1.

The present invention is configured as described above, but is not limited to the above embodiment, and three or more nozzles for spraying sterilant gas onto the outer surface of the container 7 may be provided. Various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention.

Reference Signs List 1: Gasifier 5: Sterilant gas exhaust pipe 6: Nozzle 12: Non-conductive layer 13: Induction coil 14: Side spray nozzle 15: Side and bottom spray nozzle

Claims (5)

A gasification sterilant spraying device having a gasification device for gasifying a sterilant containing hydrogen peroxide by spraying the sterilant on a heating surface heated to 140°C to 450°C, and a nozzle for spraying the gasified sterilant on an outer surface of a container to sterilize the outer surface of the container ,
a sterilant gas exhaust pipe of the gasification apparatus is connected to the nozzle, and an induction heating device is provided which heats the sterilant gas exhaust pipe to a temperature of 120°C to 300°C, which is higher than the dew point temperature of the sterilant, by induction heating from the sterilant gas exhaust pipe to the tip of the nozzle, where a plurality of sterilant gas outlets are provided. The gasification disinfectant spraying device according to claim 1,
1. A gasification sterilant spraying device, comprising: an induction heating device having an induction coil wound around at least a portion of the circumference of the sterilant gas discharge pipe to the tip of the nozzle. The gasification disinfectant spraying device according to claim 2,
11. A gasification sterilant spraying device, comprising: an induction heating device including a non-conductive layer between the sterilant gas discharge pipe to the tip of the nozzle and the induction coil. The gasification disinfectant spraying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The gasification apparatus is characterized in that it comprises a disinfectant spraying device which sprays a disinfectant onto a heated surface, and a heated surface with which the disinfectant gasifies upon contact. The gasification sterilant spraying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A gasified sterilant spraying device, characterized in that the sterilant gas outlet of the nozzle is provided facing the outer surface of the container.

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