Apparatus and method for processing container

Abstract

To provide an apparatus 1 and a method for processing a container, preferably a can.SOLUTION: The apparatus 1 comprises: a rinser 10 set to purify the container using a cleaning agent made of CO2 or containing CO2; a filling device 20 set to fill the container purified in the rinser 10 with a filling product, preferably a beverage; and a closing device 30 set to close the container which is filled with the filling product in the filling device 20, using one respective container closing member. The apparatus is characterized by a housing 40 provided with the rinser 10, the filling device 20, and the closing device 30, and a protective gas system 50 set to supply a protective gas preferably made of CO2 or containing CO2 to the housing 40. The rinser 10, the filling device 20, and the closing device 30 are provided in a protective gas atmosphere.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The invention relates to an installation and a method for processing containers, in particular cans, in a beverage filling installation, the installation comprising a rinser, a filling device and a closing device. [Background technology]

[0002] In the field of beverage filling installations, it is known to clean containers, for example bottles or cans, before filling them with the filling product. The containers are washed in a rinser which is arranged upstream of the actual filling device in order to remove foreign particles such as dust, dirt, residues, etc. A rinser for cleaning containers can be found, for example, in US Pat. No. 5,399,633.

[0003] The containers that have been cleaned in the rinser and optionally disinfected are transported by a transport device to a filling device, which fills the containers with the product to be filled. The filled containers are then closed in a closing device with a container closure element in each case.

[0004] The above-mentioned components for the treatment of containers (rinsers, conveying devices, filling devices and closing devices) are mostly designed and optimized individually. However, in the case of open conveying, there is a possibility that the cleaned containers can be recontaminated before entering the filling device. Therefore, containers are often treated with, for example, CO 2 In addition, in the case of oxygen-sensitive filled products in particular, it is common to flush filled containers with CO before closing in order to limit the uptake of oxygen. 2 As a result, the filling and closing devices are often inflated with CO. 2 Consumption will increase. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] European Patent Application Publication No. 2676743 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved installation and an improved method for processing containers, including cleaning, filling and closing of the containers, in particular reducing resource consumption and / or improving the level of hygiene. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The above problem is solved by an arrangement having the features of claim 1 and a method having the features of the associated independent method claim. Advantageous developments emerge from the dependent claims, the following description of the invention and the description of preferred embodiments.

[0008] The installation according to the invention is used for the treatment of containers, in particular including the filling of containers with a filling product. Particularly preferably, the installation is used in beverage filling installations, for example for filling water (still or carbonated), beer, juices, soft drinks, smoothies, dairy products, etc.

[0009] The container to be treated has, as usual, a container opening or a container mouth through which the container is filled. Particularly preferably, the container to be treated here is a can, in particular having a metal component. The can to be treated can be made entirely of metal.

[0010] The facility is preferably CO 2 or CO 2 a rinser configured to clean the container with a cleaning agent comprising: a filling device configured to fill the container cleaned in the rinser with a filling product, preferably a beverage; and a closing device configured to close the container filled with the filling product in the filling device with each one of the container closure members.

[0011] The installation according to the invention comprises a housing in which the rinser, the filling device and the closing device are arranged, and a protective gas system, preferably CO 2 or CO 2 and a protective gas system configured to supply a protective gas including the protective gas to the housing, whereby the rinser, the filling device, and the closing device are disposed in a common protective gas atmosphere.

[0012] Due to the fact that the different stations, the rinser, the filling device and the closing device, are located in a housing with a common protective gas atmosphere, the containers being treated remain protected throughout the entire process. In particular, possible contamination risks between the individual treatment stations are eliminated. Due to the properties of the protective gas in contact with virtually all relevant surfaces in the housing, bacterial growth is prevented or at least significantly suppressed, thereby achieving a very high level of hygiene throughout the plant.

[0013] Furthermore, the common housing concept allows for a synergistic utilization of the protective gas at several locations and thus considerable savings in resources, particularly in the filling and closing devices, since separate cleaning of the containers and / or container closures is omitted or can at least be significantly reduced in these devices.

[0014] The protective gas is preferably an acidic protective atmosphere, which further increases the hygienic stability.

[0015] During processing, the containers are preferably transported from station to station along a path in a transport direction by a transport device, so that besides the rinser, the filling device and the closing device, the transport device is also at least partially located in a common housing.

[0016] Preferably, the rinser is configured to carry out cleaning of the container at least partially using protective gas from the protective gas system, i.e. to subject the container to protective gas from the protective gas system inside and / or outside, thereby achieving a synergistic utilization of the protective gas and thus a further reduction in resource consumption.

[0017] Preferably, the protective gas system is arranged to provide the protective gas in the housing with a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure of the external surroundings, so that in the event of a leak in the housing or when using airlocks, a flow from inside to outside occurs, thus ensuring that the protective atmosphere in the housing is protected against possible contamination from the outside.

[0018] Preferably, the protective gas system has a protective gas inlet that is arranged for introducing protective gas into the housing, in particular in the lower region and / or at the bottom of the housing, whereby the protective gas, if it is denser than air, displaces the air from the housing in a direction opposite to the direction of gravity, thus ensuring a particularly high purity of the protective gas throughout the housing.

[0019] Preferably, the protective gas system has a suction and / or an overflow and a piping system connecting the suction or the overflow with the protective gas inlet, the protective gas system being set up to circulate the protective gas at least partially (via the piping system and the housing), whereby an exchange of the protective gas in the housing can be realized. The protective gas in the housing can thus be circulated and, if necessary, foreign bodies or particles can be removed by means of a filter or a protective gas reprocessing section.

[0020] Preferably, the protective gas system comprises a protective gas reprocessing unit for reprocessing and at least partially reusing the protective gas, whereby a further reduction in resource consumption is achieved. Alternatively or additionally, the protective gas system can have a buffer tank for intermediate storage of the protective gas.

[0021] Preferably, the filling device has an offloading system which is configured to deliver the protective gas displaced from the container during filling and / or from the head space of the container to the protective gas system. The container is filled with protective gas before filling, so that the processing of the container is carried out consistently in a common protective gas atmosphere. In this case, the protective gas displaced from the container during filling reaches the housing directly or the displaced protective gas is conveyed precisely via the offloading system to the protective gas system, whereby a synergistic reuse of the displaced protective gas and thus a further reduction in resource consumption is achieved. This can also be achieved for the protective gas present in the head space of the container after filling, which is usually under filling pressure.

[0022] It is possible to treat the containers internally and / or externally with a sterilizing medium in the rinser and subsequently remove any residues that may be present. Such removal of residues of the sterilizing medium can be carried out in a cleaning process in the filling device. It is therefore preferred that the rinser is set up to sterilize the containers with a sterilizing medium in addition to cleaning with a detergent. In this case, it is preferred that the filling device is set up to remove any residues of the sterilizing medium that may be present by a cleaning process, preferably using a protective gas.

[0023] In an alternative embodiment, the removal of sterilization medium residues can take place between the rinser and the filler, already in the rinser or in a downstream suitable unit, which would eliminate the cleaning process in the filler.

[0024] The above object is further achieved by a method for treating a container, preferably a can, which comprises the steps of: 2 or CO 2 The method includes: cleaning the container with a cleaning agent comprising: filling the cleaned container in the rinser with a filling product, preferably a beverage, by the filling device; and closing the container filled with the filling product in the filling device with a container closure by the closing device. According to the invention, the rinser, the filling device and the closing device are arranged in a housing and are provided with a protective gas system, preferably CO 2 or CO 2 A protective gas containing is supplied to the housing, whereby the rinser, the filling device, and the closing device are disposed and operated in a common protective gas atmosphere.

[0025] The features, technical effects, advantages and embodiments discussed with respect to the apparatus apply to the method as well.

[0026] For the reasons stated above, cleaning of the container in the rinser is therefore preferably carried out at least partly with protective gas from a protective gas system.

[0027] Preferably, for the reasons stated above, the protective gas system provides the protective gas within the housing at a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure of the external surrounding environment.

[0028] Preferably, for the reasons stated above, the protective gas is at least partially circulated by means of a piping system of the protective gas system.

[0029] Preferably, for the reasons stated above, the protective gas is reprocessed in a protective gas reprocessing section of the protective gas system and at least partially reused and / or temporarily stored in a buffer tank of the protective gas system.

[0030] Preferably, for the reasons stated above, the protective gas displaced from the container during filling in the filling device and / or from the head space of the container is conducted to the protective gas system via an offloading system of the filling device.

[0031] Preferably, the containers are sterilized with a sterilizing medium in addition to cleaning with a detergent in the rinser, and any residues of the sterilizing medium are removed by a cleaning process in the filling device, preferably using a protective gas.

[0032] Alternatively, a cleaning process for removing residues of the sterilization medium can be carried out between the rinser and the filler, already in the rinser or in a suitable downstream unit, whereby a cleaning process in the filler is omitted.

[0033] Spatial terms such as "upper", "lower" etc. relate to the direction of gravity in the intended use and installation of the equipment. Terms such as "front", "rear", "upstream", "downstream", "between" etc. relate to the direction of transport of the containers by the conveying device.

[0034] Other advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments. Any feature described herein may be implemented alone or in combination with one or more of the above features, unless the features are inconsistent. In that case, the following description of the preferred embodiments will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0035] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of an installation for processing containers, comprising a rinser, a filling device and a closing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0036] Other preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings.

[0037] In the following, a preferred embodiment is explained using FIG. 1, which shows a schematic top view of an installation 1 for treating vessels (not shown).

[0038] The installation 1 is used in particular in food processing, which installation is preferably part of or forms part of a beverage filling installation, for example for filling water (still or carbonated), soft drinks, juices, beer, mixed drinks etc. The installation 1 comprises for this purpose a filling device 20 for filling containers with a filling product, preferably a beverage.

[0039] Particularly preferably, the containers referred to here are cans, especially those containing metal components.

[0040] The installation 1 comprises a rinser 10 arranged to clean empty, open containers to be filled with a cleaning agent, in particular a gas, in order to remove foreign particles such as dust, dirt, residues, etc. The cleaned containers are fed via a filler inlet 25 to a filling device 20 arranged to fill the cleaned containers with a filling product. The filled containers are conveyed from the filling device 20 via a filler outlet 26 and fed to a closing device 30 arranged to close the filled containers with a respective one of the container closures.

[0041] During processing, the containers are transported from station to station along a path in a transport direction F by the transport device 60. The path along which the containers are transported may include straight and curved sections, in particular circular sections defined by a processing carousel and / or a transfer starwheel. The transport device 60 may include a transport belt, a transfer starwheel, a processing carousel and / or other means suitable for transporting the containers along the transport direction F.

[0042] The filling device 20 is designed in this embodiment as a rotary type, in which the containers to be filled are fed to a filler carousel 21 having a number of fillers 22, which fill the filling product during the transport along a partial circle. The fillers 22 are arranged at equal intervals on the periphery of the filler carousel 21 (only some of the fillers are shown in FIG. 1). For filling, the containers are arranged and held under the fillers 22 in such a way that the fillers can introduce the filling product into each corresponding container.

[0043] According to this embodiment, the closing device 30 is also designed rotary, in which the filled containers to be closed are fed to a closing device carousel 31 having a number of closures (not shown) and are closed with one container closing element, preferably a can lid, during the transport along a partial circle.

[0044] The rinser 10, the filling device 20, and the closing device 30 (as well as at least partially the delivery device 60) preferably comprise CO 2 or CO 2 The protective atmosphere is preferably an acidic protective atmosphere, which improves hygienic stability. The protective atmosphere is provided via a protective gas system 50.

[0045] The protective gas system 50 comprises a protective gas inlet 51 which is set up to introduce a protective gas into the housing 40. The protective gas inlet 51, which for this purpose comprises one or more openings or nozzles, is preferably arranged at the bottom of the housing 40, whereby the protective gas, if it is denser than air, displaces the air from the housing 40 in a direction opposite to the direction of gravity (perpendicular to the drawing plane of FIG. 1 ).

[0046] The protective gas system 50 further comprises a suction 52 or an overflow in the upper region of the housing 40. Via a piping system 53 connecting the suction 52 and the protective gas inlet 51, the protective gas can be circulated and exchanged accordingly within the housing.

[0047] The protective gas system 50 can have a protective gas reprocessing section 54 for reprocessing the protective gas, e.g. cleaning, partially renewing, etc. Furthermore, a buffer tank 55 for intermediate storage of the protective gas is preferably provided in the piping system 53.

[0048] The protective gas pressure inside the housing 40 is preferably higher than the external atmospheric pressure, so that in the event of a leak, a flow from inside to outside occurs and the protective gas atmosphere inside the housing 40 is protected against possible contamination from the outside.

[0049] The rinser 10 is configured to apply a gaseous and / or liquid cleaning agent to the container on the outside and / or inside to clean and possibly disinfect the container. The treatment of the container by the rinser 10 can be performed at least in part with a protective gas from a protective gas system 50. Preferably, the container is irradiated with a protective gas, preferably CO, by the rinser 10. 2 and / or N 2 and then disinfected or sterilized with a sterilizing medium.

[0050] When sterilization of containers is carried out, any sterilization medium residues possibly present in the containers thus treated are removed by air, N 2 or CO 2 This can be done in the rinser 10, between the rinser 10 and the loading device 20, or by the loading device 20 using the loader 22.

[0051] The container is treated with protective gas in the rinser 10 so that a protective gas atmosphere is completely or at least partially formed in the housing 40. In this case, a separate protective gas inlet 51 can possibly be omitted.

[0052] Due to the constant protective gas atmosphere in the housing 40, it may be possible to completely omit in some cases the rinsing of the containers by the filler 22 in the filling device 20 before filling, particularly in the case of filled products with low oxygen sensitivity. 2 or CO 2 Such rinsing with protective gas can at least be significantly reduced, since the containers enter the filling device 20 with a significantly reduced proportion of oxygen due to the previous rinsing process with protective gas in the rinser 10.

[0053] The protective gas displaced from the container during filling can reach the housing 40 directly or the displaced protective gas can be conveyed away appropriately via the load-relieving system 23 .

[0054] The offloading system 23 comprises in this embodiment an offloading line 23a which is assigned to the filling device 22 or which is part of the filling device, and a gas outlet line 23b which is connected to the offloading line 23a and which is arranged to take away the protective gas displaced from the housing 40, preferably to introduce it into the protective gas system 50. The gas outlet line 23b can be connected, for example, to a cleaning unit and / or a filter and / or a protective gas reprocessing unit 54 and / or a separator, in order to appropriately reprocess the displaced protective gas, for example for possible reuse. The protective gas thus reprocessed can be mixed with the same gas or with other gases, depending on requirements.

[0055] After the container is filled with the fill product, the head space of the container is filled with protective gas, which is usually under filling pressure. Like the protective gas displaced during filling, the protective gas in the head space of the container can be discharged directly into the housing 40 or can be appropriately guided away via the load relief system 23. It is preferable not to separate the gas into the surroundings via valve clusters. This discharged gas is guided into the housing 40 by an additional valve before the possible drain valve and is subsequently guided via the outflow transport path using a suitable distribution system.

[0056] In the above variant, a protective gas from headspace deloading is preferably used within the housing 40. Additionally or alternatively, this gas can be utilized to insufflate the container.

[0057] After the container has been filled with the filling product, the not yet closed container is transferred via the filler outlet 26 and the conveying device to the closing device 30. In this case, the container continues to remain in the housing 40 filled with protective gas, so that it is possible that the product is not recontaminated with oxygen.

[0058] For the same reason, before the container is closed, cleaning of the closure, in particular under-lid gassing and CO 2 injection into the headspace are recommended. 2 This allows the elimination of gas injection using CO 2 and / or allow significant savings in other operating media.

[0059] The container leaves the housing through a suitable airlock (not shown in FIG. 1). If the airlock, or possibly a suction, extracts more protective gas from the housing 40 than is supplied by the filling device 20 or in any other way, N 2 Alternatively, the difference can be filled with other gases that are compatible with the atmosphere.

[0060] The common housing 40 allows the rinser 10, the filling device 20 and the closing device 30 to be cleaned with the same cleaning medium, for example in the scope of CIP cleaning. The cleaning medium can be received below the installation 1, which allows the use of more concentrated alkalis and / or acids. The cleaning medium can optionally be reprocessed and at least partially reused.

[0061] The concept of a common housing 40 allows for a synergistic use of protective gases at several stations or locations of the installation 1 and therefore for a reduction in resources, especially CO 2 This allows for significant savings in terms of the amount of waste gas required. Such savings arise in particular in the filling device 20 and in the closing device 30, since separate cleaning of the containers and / or container closures is omitted or can at least be significantly reduced in said devices. Furthermore, the risk of contamination in the entire process is eliminated. Reuse of the offloading gas from the containers to be filled and from the containers already filled is feasible.

[0062] In the rinser 10, it is possible to treat the containers internally and externally with a sterilizing medium and subsequently remove any possible residues of the sterilizing medium, which are carried out in a cleaning process in the filling device 20.

[0063] A blower for a positive pressure gradient between the inside of the housing 40 and the outside ambient environment is not necessarily required. A vessel or airlock can be realized via a gravity atmospheric airlock at the outlet.

[0064] Due to the properties of the protective gas in contact with substantially all relevant surfaces within the housing 40, bacterial growth is prevented or at least significantly suppressed, thereby achieving a very high level of hygiene throughout the installation 1.

[0065] The protective gas within the housing 40 may be circulated and a filter or protective gas reprocessing section 54 may be used to remove foreign objects or particles.

[0066] The installation 1 allows a uniform / comprehensive cleaning concept for the entire isolator, for example using acid and / or alkaline liquid and / or hot water, instead of the possible alkaline cold foam cleaning, from the inlet to the rinser 10 to the outlet of the closing device 30. This results in an alternative line concept at the installation level, for example with less thermal treatment of the product.

[0067] Where applicable, all individual features described in the examples can be combined with one another and / or substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1. Equipment for processing containers 10. Rinser 20 Filling equipment 21 Filler Carousel 22 Filler 23 Load reduction system 23a Load reduction piping 23b Gas outlet piping 25 Filler inlet 26 Filler Outlet 30 Closing device 31 Closing device carousel 40 Housing 50 Protective Gas System 51 Protective gas inlet 52 Suction part 53 Piping System 54 Protective gas reprocessing section 55 Buffer Tank 60 Transport Equipment F Transfer direction

Claims

1. An installation (1) for treating containers, preferably cans, said installation (1) comprising: Preferably CO ２ or CO ２ a rinser (10) configured to clean the container with a cleaning agent comprising: a filling device (20) configured to fill the containers cleaned in the rinser (10) with a filling product, preferably a beverage; a closure device (30) configured to close the containers filled with the filled product in the filling device (20) with a container closure member, In a facility equipped with a housing (40) in which the rinser (10), the filling device (20) and the closing device (30) are arranged; and a protective gas system (50), preferably comprising CO ２ or CO ２ and a protective gas system configured to supply a protective gas comprising:

2. 2. The installation (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the rinser (10) is configured to perform the cleaning of the vessel at least partly with protective gas from the protective gas system (50).

3. 3. The installation (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the protective gas system (50) is configured to provide the protective gas within the housing (40) with a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure of the external surrounding environment.

4. 10. The installation (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the protective gas system (50) has a protective gas inlet (51) arranged to introduce the protective gas into the housing (40), the protective gas inlet (51) being preferably arranged in a lower region and / or at the bottom of the housing (40).

5. 5. The installation (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the protective gas system (50) has an intake (52) and / or an overflow and a piping system (53) connecting the intake (52) or the overflow with the protective gas inlet (51), the protective gas system (50) being configured to at least partially circulate the protective gas.

6. 6. The installation (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the protective gas system (50) comprises a protective gas reprocessing section (54) for reprocessing the protective gas and for at least partial reuse and / or a buffer tank (55) for intermediate storage of the protective gas.

7. 13. The installation (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the filling device (20) has a load-relief system (23) configured to direct the protective gas displaced from the container during filling and / or the protective gas from the head space of the container to the protective gas system (50).

8. 10. The installation (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rinser (10) is configured to sterilize the container with a sterilization medium in addition to cleaning with the detergent, and the filling device (20) is preferably configured to remove any possible residues of the sterilization medium by a cleaning process, preferably using a protective gas.

9. A method for treating a container, preferably a can, said method comprising the steps of: The rinser (10) preferably ２ or CO ２ cleaning the container with a cleaning agent comprising: filling the container cleaned in the rinser (10) with a filling product, preferably a beverage, by a filling device (20); closing said containers filled with said filled product in said filling device (20) with a respective one of said container closure members by means of a closing device (30), The rinser (10), the filling device (20) and the closing device (30) are arranged in a housing (40) and are supplied with a protective gas system (50), preferably CO ２ or CO ２ and supplying a protective gas containing the protective gas to the housing (40), whereby the rinser (10), the filling device (20) and the closing device (30) are arranged in a common protective gas atmosphere.

10. 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the cleaning of the container in the rinser (10) is at least partially performed with protective gas from the protective gas system (50).

11. 11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the protective gas system (50) provides the protective gas within the housing (40) with a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure of the external surrounding environment.

12. 12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the protective gas is at least partially circulated by a piping system (53) of the protective gas system (50).

13. 13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the protective gas is reprocessed in a protective gas reprocessing section (54) of the protective gas system (50) and at least partially reused and / or temporarily stored in a buffer tank (55) of the protective gas system (50).

14. 14. The method according to claim 9, wherein protective gas forced out of the container during filling in the filling device (20) and / or protective gas from the head space of the container is led to the protective gas system (50) via an offloading system (23) of the filling device (20).

15. 15. The method according to claim 9, wherein in addition to cleaning with the cleaning agent in the rinser (10), the container is sterilized with a sterilization medium, and any residues of the sterilization medium are removed in the filling device (20) by a cleaning process, preferably using a protective gas.

Images