Condensate-free bottles without bottle warmers

Abstract

A system for filling a liquid product, in particular beer, into containers, comprising: a filler; a flash pasteurizer; a heat exchange module; wherein the product is fed to the heat exchange module before its filling, and a heat transport medium is fed to the heat exchange module, wherein the heat exchange module is designed to extract cold from the product and to cool the heat transport medium to a predefined temperature using the cold extracted from the product; wherein the heat exchange module can provide the cooled heat transport medium to other process units for cooling; wherein the heat exchange module is designed to forward the product, from which cold has been extracted, to the flash pasteurizer, wherein the flash pasteurizer is designed to heat the product to a predefined product temperature and forward it to the filler;wherein the filler is designed to fill the product treated by the flash pasteurizer into containers, in particular bottles;

Description

Field of the invention

[0001] The invention relates to a system for filling a liquid product, in particular beer, into containers, and to a corresponding method. Background of the invention

[0002] Systems / plants for filling a liquid product, especially beer, usually comprise filling equipment, or fillers for short. The filler is designed according to the temperature dictated by the product, usually beer. In a storage cellar, for example, this temperature can be between 2 and 12°C. The temperature, as well as the CO2 content and foam behavior, etc. of the product influence the size of the filler. Higher product temperatures generally require a larger filler. One problem that occurs during filling is the condensation of moisture on the outside of the bottles being filled or even on the filled bottles. This condensation of moisture on the outside of the bottles is also referred to as "condensate." It is desirable to minimize this condensation or even avoid it altogether, since during subsequent labeling, the labels do not adhere well to the damp outside of the bottle due to condensation and can slip.Other reasons are, for example, that damp or even wet bottles in a carton can reduce the strength of the carton or even destroy it. Furthermore, the use of packaging film or shrink film can lead to mold growth if the outside of the bottles has condensation. This in turn can limit the choice of glue for the labels. If the user wants to avoid condensation on the outside of the bottles, they can either preheat the product, for example preheating the beer, or use a device to heat the containers / bottles, i.e. a bottle warmer. However, preheating the product has the disadvantage that a larger filler is often required for filling and the possible temperature of the product is limited.A bottle warmer is an additional device that requires space and also a control system so that the bottles can be warmed before filling.

[0003] Another consideration is that a relatively low product temperature can not only lead to condensation on the outside of the bottle, but also poses the risk of the container / bottle breaking. Due to the low temperature of the product in combination with bottles, especially glass bottles from the washing machine, the temperature difference between the product and the container must be as small as possible.

[0004] In general, filling equipment, i.e. fillers, are designed to fill the product as cold as possible in order to keep the space requirement to a minimum.

[0005] In view of the problems outlined above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system and a corresponding method which takes the aforementioned aspects into account and can achieve the desired container temperatures in the simplest possible manner, so that in particular condensate can be avoided. Description of the invention

[0006] This object is achieved by a system according to claim 1 and by a method according to claim 6.

[0007] The invention provides: A system for filling a liquid product, in particular beer, into containers, comprising: a filler; a flash pasteurizer; a heat exchange module; wherein the product is fed to the heat exchange module before it is filled, and a heat transport medium is fed to the heat exchange module, wherein the heat exchange module is designed to extract cold from the product and to cool the heat transport medium to a predefined temperature using the cold extracted from the product; wherein the heat exchange module can make the cooled heat transport medium available to other process units for cooling; wherein the heat exchange module is designed to optionally forward the product, from which cold has been extracted, to the flash pasteurizer, wherein the flash pasteurizer is designed to heat the product to a predefined product temperature or to regulate the outlet temperature, and to forward it to the filler; wherein the filler is designed to fill the product treated by the flash pasteurizer into containers, in particular bottles.

[0008] Flash heating is a well-understood process used, among other things, for preserving products such as milk, fruit juices, beer, etc. The product, such as beer or malt beer, is briefly heated to a temperature of 70°C to 80°C and then cooled again. In particular, a minimum temperature of 60°C can be selected, typically 70°C for shorter periods or for shorter periods of heat retention. For beverages other than beer or malt beer, the temperature can be even higher, for example, 140°C to 150°C. The precise maximum and target temperatures for this step are adjustable and controllable.

[0009] The invention also provides: A system for filling a liquid product, in particular beer, into containers, comprising: a filler; a heat exchange module; wherein the product is supplied to the heat exchange module before its filling and a heat transport medium is supplied to the heat exchange module; wherein the heat exchange module is designed to heat the product to a predefined temperature; wherein the heat exchange module can provide the heat transport medium to other process units for cooling; wherein the heat exchange module is designed to forward the product to the filler; wherein the filler is designed to fill the treated product into containers, in particular bottles.

[0010] In this case, the system may further comprise a short-time heater, wherein the short-time heater is designed to heat the product to a further predefined product temperature at the outlet of the short-time heater before forwarding it to the filler and then forwarding it to the filler.

[0011] In this system, the product can be specifically heated to a predetermined product temperature, or the heat transfer medium can be cooled to a predefined temperature using the cold extracted from the product. This means that the product can be heated using the heat exchanger module or cooled using the flash pasteurizer (FSP). The heat can also be specifically released from the flash pasteurizer. Preheating or reheating of the bottles, also known as bottle preheating, for example with the help of a warmer / bottle warmer, or a device for preheating the product, e.g. beer preheating, can be avoided. The cold abundant in the product can be specifically made available to other process units. In other words, the excess cooling energy of the product can be used for other process units.By combining the units upstream of the filling process, the bottle temperature can be reached without the need for bottle preheating, i.e., a warmer or a bottle warmer. The filling equipment, in turn, will not require significantly more space; in fact, the space required for the overall system will actually be reduced.

[0012] The described system may further comprise a bottle washing machine, wherein the heat exchange module may direct at least a portion of the cooled heat transfer medium to the bottle washing machine.

[0013] In the described system, the heat exchange module may comprise a heat exchanger and / or a heat pump.

[0014] In the described system, the heat transport medium can be a liquid, in particular water.

[0015] In the described system, the filler can be designed to fill the product at a product temperature of 20°C to 36°C or even higher.

[0016] The invention further discloses a method for filling a liquid product, in particular beer, into containers in a system comprising a filler, a flash pasteurizer, and a heat exchange module, the method comprising the steps of: supplying the product to the heat exchange module; supplying a heat transport medium to the heat exchange module; cooling the heat transport medium to a predefined temperature by extracting cold from the product; wherein the heat exchange module can provide the cooled heat transport medium to process units for cooling; passing the product from which cold has been extracted to the flash pasteurizer and heating the product by the flash pasteurizer to a predefined product temperature; passing the heated, i.e. warmed, product from the flash pasteurizer and forwarding it to the filler; filling the product obtained from the flash pasteurizer into containers, in particular bottles, by the filler.

[0017] The invention also discloses a method for filling a liquid product, in particular beer, into containers in a system comprising a filler and a heat exchange module, the method comprising: supplying the product to the heat exchange module; supplying a heat transport medium to the heat exchange module; heating the product to a predefined temperature by means of the heat transport medium; wherein the heat exchange module can provide the heat transport medium to process units; forwarding the heated product to the filler; filling the product by the filler into containers, in particular bottles.

[0018] In this case, the method may further be designed with respect to a system which may include a flash pasteurizer, wherein the method may further comprise: passing the product to the flash pasteurizer and heating the product by the flash pasteurizer to a predefined outlet temperature; passing the heated product (P) from the flash pasteurizer to the filler.

[0019] In the described method, the system may further comprise a bottle washing machine, wherein the method may further comprise the step of: passing at least a portion of the cooled heat transfer medium to the bottle washing machine through the heat exchange module.

[0020] In the described method, the heat exchange module may comprise a heat exchanger and / or a heat pump.

[0021] In the described process, the heat transport medium can be a liquid, in particular water.

[0022] In the described method, the filling of the product obtained from the flash pasteurizer by the filler may comprise filling the product at a product temperature of 20°C to 36°C. Short description of the characters Fig. Figure 1 schematically illustrates a state-of-the-art system. Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed description

[0023] Fig. Figure 1 schematically illustrates a state-of-the-art system. Fig. 1 shows a system 300 comprising a filling system, filler, 300 for filling a product 320 into containers 350. The containers / bottles 350 can be provided by a corresponding processing unit 302, such as a container cleaning machine. Waste heat from the processing unit 302 can be provided to the downstream preheating unit 304, as indicated by arrow 303. The product can, in particular, be beer. Fig. 1 shows that the product 320 is fed according to arrow 307 to a single-stage or, as shown here, two-stage preheating unit, here unit 304, e.g. for beer preheating, and 306, e.g. for a short-time heater (KZE). The order of unit 304 and the KZE 306 can be selected as required. The product can be heated in the preheating units. Piping, valves or pumps are not shown here. The two stages of the preheating unit, i.e. for treatment and tempering, are connected according to arrow 305. The thus heated product is fed according to arrow 308 to the filler 330. The filler 330 fills the product into containers 350 according to arrow 309. A preheating unit, i.e. a bottle warmer, can be used for containers 340, and a bottle preheater, i.e. a bottle warmer, can be used to heat the containers 350 before the product is filled.

[0024] Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Fig. 2. illustrates a product P being supplied to a heat exchange module 106, as indicated by arrow 108. Furthermore, a heat transfer medium is supplied to the heat exchange module 106, as indicated by arrows 104 and 104'. The product P is provided, for example, via supply lines, often from a tank (both not shown). The product, particularly beer, often has a temperature of only 2 to 12°C in the storage facility / tank. This means that the product has a cold excess compared to the rest of the system. The product can now be introduced into the heat exchange module 106, and the cold excess of the product can be used to cool the heat transfer medium to at least a predefined temperature. The thus cooled heat transfer medium can be provided to other process units for cooling. An example is shown in Fig. 2 shows a bottle washing machine 102, although individual elements of the bottle washing machine are not shown. The bottle washing machine provides cleaned bottles that can be directly returned to the system for filling. However, these cleaned bottles are often still too warm, so cooling the bottles with the help of the cooled heat transfer medium may be useful.

[0026] Fig.2 further illustrates that the product P, which has been at least slightly heated by the heat exchange in the heat exchange module 106, is fed to a flash heater 110, as indicated by arrow 108'. The flash heater 110 treats the supplied product such that the product is brought to a predefined product temperature at the outlet within a short time. The product thus heated to the predefined temperature is then fed to the filler F, as indicated by arrow 108', which fills the product P into containers 112, as indicated by arrow 111. The product can be filled, for example, at temperatures of 20°C to 36°C. It should be noted in particular that there is no need to preheat the bottles 112. Thus, by combining the units shown, the system 100 provides the bottle temperatures without the need for a bottle preheating unit, i.e., a bottle warmer.This prevents moisture from the air from condensing on the outside of the bottles.

Claims

[1] System (100, 150) for filling a liquid product (P), in particular beer, into containers (112), comprising: a fountain pen (F); a short-term heater (110); a heat exchange module (106); wherein the product (P) is fed to the heat exchange module (106) before its filling, and a heat transport medium is fed to the heat exchange module (106), wherein the heat exchange module (106) is designed to extract cold from the product (P) and to cool the heat transport medium to a predefined temperature using the cold extracted from the product (P); wherein the heat exchange module (106) can make the cooled heat transport medium available to other process units for cooling; wherein the heat exchange module (106) is designed to convey the product (P), from which cold has been removed, to the flash pasteurizer (110), wherein the flash pasteurizer (110) is designed to heat the product to a predefined product temperature at the outlet of the flash pasteurizer and to convey it to the filler (F); wherein the filler (F) is designed to fill the product (P) treated by the flash pasteurizer (110) into containers (112), in particular bottles. [2] System (100, 150) for filling a liquid product (P), in particular beer, into containers (112), comprising: a fountain pen (F); a heat exchange module (106); wherein the product (P) is fed to the heat exchange module (106) before its filling and a heat transport medium is fed to the heat exchange module (106); wherein the heat exchange module (106) is configured to heat the product to a predefined temperature; wherein the heat exchange module (106) can provide the heat transport medium to other process units for cooling; wherein the heat exchange module (106) is designed to forward the product (P) to the filler (F); wherein the filler (F) is designed to fill the treated product (P) into containers (112), in particular bottles. [3] System (100, 150) according to claim 2, further comprising a short-time heater (110), wherein the short-time heater is designed to heat the product to a further predefined product temperature at the end of the short-time heater before forwarding it to the filler (F) and then forwarding it to the filler (F). [4] System (100, 150) according to at least one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a bottle washing machine (102), wherein the heat exchange module (106) directs at least a portion of the heat transfer medium to the bottle washing machine (102). [5] System (150) according to at least one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heat exchange module (106) comprises a heat exchanger and / or a heat pump. [6] System (150) according to at least one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the heat transport medium is a liquid, in particular water. [7] System (100, 150) according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the filler (F) is designed to fill the product (P) with a product temperature of 20°C to 36°C. [8] Method for filling a liquid product (P), in particular beer, into containers (112), in a system (100) comprising a filler (F), a short-time heater (110), a heat exchange module (106), the method comprising: Feeding the product (P) to the heat exchange module (106); Supplying a heat transport medium to the heat exchange module (106); Cooling the heat transfer medium to a predefined temperature by extracting cold from the product (P); wherein the heat exchange module (106) can provide the cooled heat transport medium to process units for cooling; Passing the product (P) from which cold has been removed to the short-time heater (110) and heating the product (P) by the short-time heater (110) to a predefined product temperature; Passing the heated product (P) from the flash heater (110) and forwarding it to the filler (F); Filling the product (P) obtained from the short-circuit heater by the filler (F) into containers (112), in particular bottles. [9] Method for filling a liquid product (P), in particular beer, into containers (112), in a system (100) comprising a filler (F), a heat exchange module (106), the method comprising: Feeding the product (P) to the heat exchange module (106); Supplying a heat transport medium to the heat exchange module (106); Heating the product (P) to a predefined temperature by means of the heat transfer medium; wherein the heat exchange module (106) can provide the heat transport medium to process units; Passing the heated product (P) to the filler (F); Filling the product (P) by the filler (F) into containers (112), in particular bottles. [10] The method of claim 9, wherein the system further comprises a flash pasteurizer, the method comprising: Passing the product (P) to the short-time heater (110) and heating the product (P) by the short-time heater (110) to a predefined outlet temperature; Passing the heated product (P) from the short-time heater (110) to the filler (F). [11] The method according to at least one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the system further comprises a bottle washing machine (102), further comprising the step of: Passing at least a portion of the heat transfer medium to the bottle washing machine (102) through the heat exchange module (106). [12] Method according to at least one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the heat exchange module (106) comprises a heat exchanger and / or a heat pump. [13] Method according to at least one of claims 8 to 12, wherein the heat transport medium is a liquid, in particular water. [14] Method according to at least one of claims 8 to 13, wherein filling the product (P) obtained from the flash pasteurizer (110) by the filler (F) comprises filling the product (P) with a product temperature of 20°C to 36°C.

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