Control method of carbonated beverage production line

Abstract

To propose a novel technology for, in a filling step of a carbonated beverage production line, preventing reduction of gas volume or trouble concerning quality defects due to foaming in a case of employing an Air counter method.SOLUTION: A control method of carbonated beverage production line equipped with a filler that fills a container with carbonated beverage includes a step of, in a case of performing filling by an Air counter method, rendering a pressure in a headspace part of a chamber of the filler a high pressure for recovery made higher than a setting pressure at a normal operation time by a predetermined ratio when a halt time of the production line exceeds a first predetermined time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for controlling a carbonated beverage production line. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, there is known a technique for adjusting a counter pressure value (back pressure of carbon dioxide gas during filling) in a filler (filling machine) that fills containers with carbonated drinks.

[0003] In this type of filler, carbon dioxide gas (CO2) is continuously supplied to the empty space of the filler tank in which the carbonated beverage is stored, thereby maintaining the gas volume of the carbonated beverage (the volume of carbon dioxide gas dissolved in the carbonated beverage divided by the volume of the beverage) through gas-liquid equilibrium, and after the beverage is filled into containers such as cans or plastic bottles, the gas volume is controlled to be above a specified value (a value that guarantees product quality).

[0004] When a carbonated beverage is filled into a container, a passage is opened between the inside of the container and the empty space in the filler tank, and the carbon dioxide (CO2) in the empty space is used as counterpressure.

[0005] In particular, for strongly carbonated beverages such as strongly carbonated water with a strong carbonation kick, it is required that the gas volume (product gas volume) measured when filled into a container such as a can or plastic bottle be ensured to be at a specified high value. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-30780 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] As described above, the conventional method is to fill the empty space in the filler tank with carbon dioxide gas, and use the carbon dioxide gas as a counter pressure during filling.

[0008] If some kind of trouble were to cause the beverage production line to stop and the filler operation (filling process) to stop, there is a concern that the carbon dioxide dissolved in the carbonated beverage in the filler tank would migrate to the empty space, causing a decrease in the carbon dioxide gas volume.

[0009] Conventionally, carbon dioxide gas was supplied to the empty space of the filler tank to fill the empty space with carbon dioxide gas, which made it possible to prevent carbon dioxide gas dissolved in the carbonated beverage from migrating into the empty space.

[0010] As a result, when the production line was restarted, even if the carbonated beverage in the filler tank was filled as is, there was enough gas volume in the carbonated beverage, so immediately after the line was restarted, the containers filled with carbonated beverage could be sent downstream as good products. In other words, it was possible to prevent the selection and rejection of defective products and the disposal of products, thereby keeping product loss low. However, if the production line is stopped for an extremely long time, for example for several hours, there is a concern that product loss will occur.

[0011] On the other hand, unlike the conventional methods mentioned above, a method of filling the empty space in the filler tank with air, i.e. the "Air Counter Method," is being considered. This Air Counter Method will contribute to cost reduction by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide gas used in the production line, and to environmental conservation by reducing CO2 emissions.

[0012] However, the percentage of carbon dioxide (CO2) in air is generally low at about 0.04%, and its partial pressure is also low. Therefore, when the production line is stopped, there is a concern that the carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolved in the carbonated beverage in the filler tank will gradually migrate into the empty space of the filler tank.

[0013] For this reason, particularly when the production line is restarted after a long shutdown, if the carbonated beverage in the filler tank is filled as is, there will not be a sufficient gas volume in the carbonated beverage, and it will be necessary to select and reject the containers filled with carbonated beverage as defective immediately after the line is restarted. This will lead to the disposal of a large amount of carbonated beverage, increasing product loss.

[0014] Furthermore, if the above-mentioned product losses are not taken into consideration and the production line is simply restarted, especially after being shut down for an extended period of time, there is a concern that carbonated beverages with gas volumes below a specified value after being filled into containers will be released onto the market. If the product in the filler tank is discarded as a workaround, this will result in a large amount of product loss.

[0015] Furthermore, if the air counter method is used, foaming may occur more easily when the production line is restarted, which may lead to variations in filling accuracy. In this case, too, product loss will increase, just as in the case above.

[0016] In view of the above problems, the present invention proposes a new technology for suppressing problems related to a decrease in gas volume and quality defects caused by foaming when adopting the air counter method in the filling process of a carbonated beverage production line. [Means for solving the problem]

[0017] The problem to be solved by the present invention has been described above, and the means for solving this problem will now be described.

[0018] According to one aspect of the present invention, A method for controlling a carbonated beverage production line having a filler for filling a container with a carbonated beverage, comprising the steps of: When filling using the Air Counter Method, The method for controlling a carbonated beverage production line includes setting the pressure in the empty space of the filler chamber to a recovery high pressure that is a predetermined percentage higher than the set pressure during normal operation when the production line is stopped for a period exceeding a first predetermined time.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a carbonated beverage production line including a filler for filling a carbonated beverage into a container, the method comprising the steps of: When filling using the Air Counter Method, When the downtime of the production line exceeds a first predetermined time, the pressure in the empty space of the chamber of the filler is set to a recovery high pressure that is a predetermined percentage higher than the set pressure during normal operation, After resuming operation, the pressure is returned to the set pressure during normal operation. The method for controlling a carbonated beverage production line includes carrying out a first control.

[0020] According to another aspect of the present invention, A method for controlling a carbonated beverage production line having a filler for filling a container with a carbonated beverage, comprising the steps of: When filling using the Air Counter Method, When the downtime of the production line exceeds a first predetermined time, the pressure in the empty space of the chamber of the filler is set to a recovery high pressure that is a predetermined percentage higher than the set pressure during normal operation, After resuming operation, the pressure is returned to the set pressure during normal operation after a predetermined number of containers have been filled. The control method for a carbonated beverage production line performs a first control.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present invention, When the stop time of the production line exceeds a second predetermined time that is longer than the first predetermined time, the production line is not allowed to be restarted. The second control will be implemented.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present invention, supplying carbon dioxide gas to the empty space of the chamber when the stop time of the production line exceeds the second predetermined time and further exceeds a third predetermined time; It has been decided to implement the third control.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present invention, After implementing the second control, a predetermined number of containers are filled, the gas volume of the carbonated beverage filled in the containers is measured, and if it is confirmed that the gas volume is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the second control is released. Effect of the Invention

[0024] The present invention provides the following advantages. That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, by setting the void portion to a high recovery pressure, sufficient counter pressure is ensured, and the occurrence of foaming and the decrease in gas volume can be effectively suppressed, thereby reducing variation in filling accuracy and reducing product loss. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a configuration of a manufacturing line. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between the production line downtime and the product gas volume. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 shows one embodiment of the configuration of a production line when carrying out the present invention. The operation of various devices constituting the production line is controlled by a controller 70. The controller 70 performs automatic control and controls various devices based on input operations by an operator, and controls the stopping and restarting of the operation of the production line, as will be described in detail later.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, carbon dioxide gas is added to the product liquid in a carbonator 10 to produce a carbonated beverage, and the carbonated beverage is supplied to a head tank 11. The product liquid is a carbonated beverage, such as carbonated water, cider, cola, and beer-flavored beverages (non-alcoholic beer). The carbonated beverage that is the subject of the present invention refers to a beverage containing carbon dioxide in a broad sense, and may be, for example, a non-colored beverage such as a cider beverage, a ramune beverage, a carbonated beverage containing fruit juice, a colored carbonated beverage (for example, a cola beverage or a melon soda), a non-alcoholic beer beverage, or an alcohol-containing carbonated beverage such as beer, a sparkling wine, a chuhai, or a cocktail. In this specification, "carbon dioxide gas" is also referred to as CO2 or CO2 gas.

[0028] The carbonated beverage in the head tank 11 is supplied to a filler tank 15 (e.g., about 200 liters) of a filler 14 (filling machine) through a strainer 12, a magnetic trap 13, and a beverage supply line L0. The filler 14 is provided with a plurality of (e.g., 120) valves 24, and the openings of the empty containers 2 that are continuously supplied are set in the valves 24, respectively, and the carbonated beverage is filled into the containers through the valves 24. The containers 2 filled with carbonated beverage have their caps attached by a capping machine 16 downstream of the filler 14. Note that, when the containers 2 are can containers, a capping machine called a seamer is used as the capping machine 16, and when the containers are PET bottle containers, a capping machine called a capper that attaches a plastic cap is used.

[0029] The container 2 which has been capped and has become a product is transported to a transport line 19.

[0030] A portion of the product (container 2) transported to the transport line 19 is taken out, for example, at a predetermined sampling timing, and the gas volume (product gas volume (also called "gas volume") is measured using an offline gas volume measuring device 30. In other words, the gas volume of the carbonated beverage filled in the container 2 is measured offline.

[0031] The gas volume (also called "gas volume") of the product (carbonated beverage) can be measured by known methods. For example, it can be measured using a commercially available measuring device (Kyoto Electronics Manufacturing Co., Ltd. gas volume measuring device GVA-700). Specifically, the carbonated beverage to be measured is cooled to 20°C, and then attached to the measuring device (gas volume measuring device), which opens the stopcock once to release the gas (sniff), and then immediately closes the stopcock and shakes vigorously. The device then calculates the gas volume from the value when the pressure becomes constant, and the gas volume can be obtained.

[0032] When the measured value of the product gas volume measured by the gas volume measuring device 30 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the quality is determined to be good, and when it is less than the predetermined value, the quality is determined to be poor. When the controller 70 or the operator determines that the quality is poor based on the measurement result of the gas volume measuring device 30, the operation of the line is stopped by the controller 70 or by the operator.

[0033] The gas volume (gas volume) of carbonated beverages targeted by the present invention is 0.7 or more, and more preferably 0.8 or more, 1.5 or more, 1.8 or more, 2 or more, 2.1 or more, 2.5 or more, or 3 or more. The gas volume (gas volume) of carbonated beverages targeted by the present invention is preferably 11 or less, and more preferably 10 or less, 9 or less, 6 or less, 5.5 or less, 5 or less, 4.5 or less, 4 or less, or 3.5 or less. For example, when carbonated beverage 5 is strongly carbonated water, it is set in the range of 3.0 or more to 3.5 or less.

[0034] A chamber 15a is formed in the filler tank 15 of the filler 14, which is a space for storing the carbonated beverage 5. The space in the chamber 15a where the carbonated beverage 5 does not exist becomes a void space 6. A gas supply line 41 is connected to the chamber 15a, and air or carbon dioxide gas is supplied into the chamber 15a through the gas supply line 41.

[0035] The gas supply line 41 is connected to an air supply source 45 and a carbon dioxide gas supply source 46 via a switching valve 42. The switching valve 42 is configured to be switched by a controller 70 by including an actuator, for example, or to be manually switched by an operator.

[0036] A pressure reducing valve 44 (regulator) is provided in the gas supply line 41. The pressure reducing valve 44 is configured to be equipped with an actuator, for example, so that the operation thereof is controlled by a controller 70, and the supply pressure of air or carbon dioxide gas supplied to the hollow space 6 can be adjusted.

[0037] Each valve 24 of the filler 14 is connected to a chamber 15a of the filler tank 15 via a beverage supply line L1. When the beverage supply line L1 is opened, the carbonated beverage 5 in the chamber 15a is supplied into the container 2.

[0038] Each valve 24 is connected to the empty space 6 of the chamber 15a of the filler tank 15 via a counter line L2. By opening the counter line L2, gassing can be performed by blowing gas from the empty space 6 into the container 2. The gas used in this gassing is air or carbon dioxide gas, which fills the empty space 6.

[0039] In addition, when filling the container 2 with a carbonated beverage 5, the counter line L2 is opened to apply a counter pressure inside the container 2 that is the same pressure as the empty space 6, and the beverage supply line L1 is opened to supply the carbonated beverage 5 into the container 2.

[0040] In the chamber 15a of the filler tank 15, the gas filling the empty space 6 pressurizes the carbonated beverage 5, so that the gas volume of carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolved in the carbonated beverage 5 is set to be constant.

[0041] Specifically, the amount of air or carbon dioxide gas supplied to chamber 15a from gas supply line 41 is adjusted. By such adjustment, the gas volume of the carbonated beverage (product gas volume) measured by gas volume measuring device 30 is adjusted to a predetermined value (a value that guarantees the quality of the product).

[0042] In the above configuration, a method of supplying air from the gas supply line 41 to the chamber 15a, pressurizing the hollow space 6 with air, and applying a counter pressure of air is called an air counter method.

[0043] On the other hand, in the above configuration, a method of supplying carbon dioxide gas (CO2) from the gas supply line 41 to the chamber 15a, pressurizing the empty space 6 with the carbon dioxide gas, and applying a counter pressure of the carbon dioxide gas is called a CO2 counter method.

[0044] As described above, the air counter method and the CO2 counter method are defined in this specification.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows the gas volume of a carbonated drink measured by gas volume measuring device 30 when the Air counter method is used, that is, the measurement result of the product gas volume.

[0046] The horizontal axis is the downtime of the production line (minutes), and the vertical axis is the gas volume (GV). Note that carbonated drinks are carbonated water, and the gas volume is also called the gas volume.

[0047] The broken line G1 shows the relationship between the time required for the production line to be stopped and restarted and the measured product gas volume of the container sampled after restarting, when the air counter method is used.

[0048] In Figure 2, for example, point A on broken line G1 is a plot of the product gas volume measured by sampling with the gas volume measuring device 30 (Figure 1) when the production line was stopped and then restarted approximately 15 minutes later, and the product gas volume is approximately 3.31 GV.

[0049] Similarly, for example, point B on broken line G1 is a plot of the product gas volume measured by sampling with the gas volume measuring device 30 (Figure 1) when the production line was stopped and then restarted approximately 20 minutes later, and the product gas volume is approximately 3.28 GV.

[0050] In FIG. 2, the predetermined value S on the vertical axis is the minimum value of the gas volume for which quality is guaranteed, and if the gas volume is lower than this predetermined value S, it is determined that the quality is poor. Note that the predetermined value S is set to a value 0.2 Vol. lower than the standard value K, for example, assuming that the ideal gas volume is the standard value K. For example, the gas volume is set so that the quality is good when it is within a range of ±0.2 Vol. of the standard value K. In the example of FIG. 2, the standard value K is 3.4 GV, and the predetermined value S is 3.2 GV. The predetermined value S (3.2 GV) can be said to be the lower limit for whether or not the quality is determined to be good.

[0051] In Figure 2, point C on broken line G1 is a plot of the product gas volume measured by sampling with the gas volume measuring device 30 (Figure 1) when the production line was stopped and restarted approximately 37 minutes later.The product gas volume is approximately 3.2 GV, which is almost the same as the specified value S.

[0052] In Fig. 2, point D on broken line G1 is a plot of the product gas volume measured by sampling with the gas volume measuring device 30 (Fig. 1) when the production line was restarted about 42 minutes after it was stopped, and the product gas volume is about 3.18 GV. In this case, the product gas volume is below the predetermined value S, which means that a quality defect has occurred.

[0053] As described above, it was confirmed that the longer the production line is stopped, that is, the longer the time until restart, the more carbonated drinks with low product gas volume are filled. According to this, the longer the production line is stopped, the higher the risk of quality defects such as insufficient product gas volume will occur, and the more product losses will increase due to disposal.

[0054] Furthermore, if the production line is stopped for a long time, there is a concern that when the production line is restarted, the product liquid temperature will rise and air will dissolve into the product liquid, which may cause foaming during filling. If foaming occurs, it will cause variation in filling accuracy, resulting in a lot of product loss.

[0055] <First Control> In consideration of the above, when filling is performed using the Air counter method, if the stoppage time of the production line exceeds a first predetermined time T1, the pressure P in the empty space 6 of the chamber 15a is set to a high recovery pressure P2 (recovery counter pressure) which is a predetermined percentage higher than the set pressure P1 during normal operation, and after restarting operation, the pressure is returned to the set pressure P1 during normal operation after a predetermined number of containers have been filled.

[0056] 2, the first predetermined time T1 is set to, for example, 14 minutes, which is 1 minute before the 15th minute corresponding to point A. In this manner, the first predetermined time T1 is set to a few minutes before or immediately before (for example, 30 seconds) the second predetermined time T2 corresponding to point A, as will be described in detail later.

[0057] In the configuration of FIG. 1, for example, the pressure reducing valve 44 is adjusted by the controller 70 to set the pressure P in the empty space 6 of the chamber 15a from the set pressure P1 during normal operation to a high pressure P2 for recovery.

[0058] Specifically, for example, when the set pressure P1 during normal operation is 0.27 MPa, the high restoration pressure P2 is set to 0.34 MPa. In this example, the high restoration pressure P2 is set to about 126% of the set pressure P1, but is not particularly limited to this numerical value. For example, the high restoration pressure P2 can be 103% or more, 105% or more, 107% or more, or 110% of the set pressure P1. The high restoration pressure P2 can also be 150% or less, 140% or less, or 130% or less of the set pressure P1. The most suitable high restoration pressure P2 is in the range of 110% to 130% of the set pressure P1. After the production line is restarted, the pressure is returned to the set pressure P1, for example, when a preset number of containers have been filled. The preset number is the number of containers that can be stably filled without foaming, and is set appropriately according to the production line.

[0059] As described above, by setting the empty space 6 to the high recovery pressure P2, sufficient counter pressure is ensured, and the occurrence of foaming and the decrease in gas volume can be effectively suppressed, thereby reducing the variation in filling accuracy and the product loss.

[0060] <Second control> In addition, when the stop time of the production line exceeds a second predetermined time T2 that is longer than the first predetermined time T1, control is performed to prohibit the restart of the production line. In other words, automatic return stop control is performed to prevent the production line from automatically returning to operation and restarting.

[0061] The second predetermined time T2 is, for example, 15 minutes corresponding to point A in Fig. 2. As a result, if the production line is to be restarted more than 15 minutes after it has been stopped, the controller 70 controls so that the restart is not executed.

[0062] Specifically, for example, even if other restart conditions are satisfied, the controller 70 does not restart the reactor 70. Or, for example, even if an operator inputs a restart command to the controller 70 through an input device (not shown), the controller 70 does not restart the reactor 70.

[0063] In addition, if the stoppage time of the production line exceeds the second predetermined time T2, a predetermined number of containers, for example one or more, are filled, the filled containers are moved offline, and the product gas volume of the carbonated beverage filled in the containers is measured.If it is confirmed that the product gas volume is equal to or greater than a predetermined value S set in advance and does not exceed a predetermined upper limit, the operator will use the input device 71 to release the above-mentioned automatic return stop control (second control), resume filling, and restart the production line.

[0064] 1, for example, the filler is started to fill a predetermined number of containers, and the containers are capped by the capping device 16 to prepare products for sampling. Then, the product gas volume is measured by the gas volume measuring device 30, and if the measured value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value S, filling by the filler is resumed and normal operation is resumed.

[0065] On the other hand, when the measured value of the product gas volume measured by the gas volume measuring device 30 falls below the predetermined value S, filling with filler is not resumed and the production line is not restarted, and necessary maintenance work and various adjustment work are performed so that the product gas volume of the product sampled later becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined value S. Also, when the product gas volume exceeds the predetermined value S and further increases beyond a predetermined upper limit value, filling with filler is not resumed and the production line is not restarted, and necessary maintenance work and various adjustment work are performed.

[0066] As a result, it is possible to prevent the production of products whose product gas volume falls below the predetermined value S, and to prevent the outflow of defective products.

[0067] <Third Control> When the stop time of the production line exceeds the second predetermined time T2 and further exceeds the third predetermined time T3, carbon dioxide gas is supplied to the empty space 6 of the chamber 15a.

[0068] Specifically, for example, when the stop time exceeds the third predetermined time T3 in Fig. 2, the switching valve 42 is switched to connect the gas supply line 41 to the carbon dioxide gas supply source 46 in Fig. 1, and carbon dioxide gas is supplied into the empty space 6 of the chamber 15a. In other words, the method is switched from the air counter method to the CO2 counter method.

[0069] In this manner, by filling the empty space 6 of the chamber 15a with carbon dioxide gas, it is possible to suppress the migration of carbon dioxide gas dissolved in the carbonated beverage 5 to the empty space 6, and prevent the product gas volume from falling below a predetermined value S.

[0070] As shown in Fig. 2, the third predetermined time T3 is, for example, 20 minutes corresponding to point B. In Fig. 2, the broken line G2 (dotted line) shows the relationship between the time required from when the production line is stopped to when it is restarted, and the measured value of the product gas volume of the container sampled after the restart, when the method is switched to the CO2 counter method at the third predetermined time T3.

[0071] According to the CO2 counter method, by pressurizing the empty space 6 of the chamber 15a with carbon dioxide gas, the gas volume of the carbon dioxide gas dissolved in the carbonated beverage 5 is maintained, and the product gas volume also shows a high value, as shown by the broken line G2 in Figure 2.

[0072] As a result, even if the production line is stopped for a long period of time, it is possible to prevent the production of products whose product gas volume falls below the predetermined value S, thereby reducing product loss. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 2 containers 5. Carbonated drinks 6 Vacant part 10 Carbonator 11 Head Tank 12 Strainer 13. Magnetic Trap 14 Filler 15 Filler tank 15a Chamber 16 Seamer 17 Sorting Machine 18 Waste Line 19 Quality Line 24 Valve 30 Gas volume measuring device 41 Gas supply line 42 Switching valve 44 Pressure reducing valve 45 Air supply source 46 Carbon dioxide supply source 70 Controller 71 Input Devices G1 Line G2 Line K standard value L1 Beverage supply line L2 Counter Line P Pressure P1 Set pressure P2 High Pressure S predetermined value T1 First predetermined time T2 Second predetermined time T3 Third predetermined time

Claims

1. A method for controlling a carbonated beverage production line having a filler for filling a container with a carbonated beverage, comprising the steps of: When filling using the Air Counter method, A method for controlling a carbonated beverage production line, comprising, when the downtime of the production line exceeds a first predetermined time, setting the pressure in the empty space of the filler chamber to a recovery high pressure that is a predetermined percentage higher than the set pressure during normal operation.

2. A method for controlling a carbonated beverage production line having a filler for filling a container with a carbonated beverage, comprising the steps of: When filling using the Air Counter method, When the stop time of the production line exceeds a first predetermined time, the pressure in the empty space of the chamber of the filler is set to a recovery high pressure that is a predetermined percentage higher than the set pressure during normal operation, After resuming operation, the pressure is returned to the set pressure during normal operation. A method for controlling a carbonated beverage production line, comprising: performing a first control.

3. A method for controlling a carbonated beverage production line having a filler for filling a container with a carbonated beverage, comprising the steps of: When filling using the Air Counter method, When the stop time of the production line exceeds a first predetermined time, the pressure in the empty space of the chamber of the filler is set to a recovery high pressure that is a predetermined percentage higher than the set pressure during normal operation, After resuming operation, the pressure is returned to the set pressure during normal operation after a predetermined number of containers have been filled. A method for controlling a carbonated beverage production line, the method comprising:

4. When the stop time of the production line exceeds a second predetermined time that is longer than the first predetermined time, the production line is not allowed to be restarted. Implementing a second control; 4. The method for controlling a carbonated beverage production line according to claim 3.

5. supplying carbon dioxide gas to the empty space of the chamber when the stop time of the production line exceeds the second predetermined time and further exceeds a third predetermined time; Implementing a third control; 5. The method for controlling a carbonated beverage production line according to claim 4.

6. After implementing the second control, a predetermined number of containers are filled, the gas volume of the carbonated beverage filled in the containers is measured, and when it is confirmed that the gas volume is equal to or greater than a predetermined value set in advance, the second control is released.

6. The method for controlling a carbonated beverage production line according to claim 4 or 5.

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