Compounding and Circulating Dissolution System

Abstract

This invention provides a mixing and circulating dissolution system for equipment that mixes raw material liquids to produce a mixed liquid, which can reduce the amount of raw material liquids that are wasted and reduce the amount of water added to flush out the raw material liquids. [Solution] The system comprises multiple dissolution tanks 11, a mixing tank 20, a loop pipe 2, and a connecting pipe 12. Different raw material liquids are stored in the multiple dissolution tanks 11, and the raw material liquids are sent from the multiple dissolution tanks 11 to the loop pipe 2 via the connecting pipe 12. The raw material liquids are mixed in the loop pipe 2 to form a mixed liquid, and the mixed liquid is circulated in the loop pipe 2 and the mixing tank 20.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a circulating mixing and dissolving system for producing a mixed liquid such as a beverage by mixing a plurality of raw material liquids. Background Art

[0002] As exemplified in Patent Document 1, equipment for producing liquid products such as beverages includes a plurality of dissolving tanks and a mixing tank. Each dissolving tank is connected with a connecting pipe, and the connecting pipes extending from each dissolving tank are unified by a manifold and connected to the mixing tank. In the dissolving tank, a raw material liquid is prepared by dissolving beverage raw materials in water. The raw material liquid is sent to the mixing tank via the connecting pipes and the manifold, and various raw material liquids are mixed in the mixing tank to prepare a beverage.

[0003] Such equipment requires as many connecting pipes as the number of dissolving tanks, so the connecting pipes are concentrated on the frame (hereinafter referred to as a rack), making it difficult to secure sufficient space. In addition, since a plurality of connecting pipes are connected to the manifold, the configuration of the manifold becomes large in size, requiring a large installation space. Furthermore, since the dissolving tank and the mixing tank are generally installed at different locations, the distance of the connecting pipe becomes long. As a result, a large amount of raw material liquid remains in the connecting pipe, and if the residual amount is discarded, the amount of waste increases. Although the amount of waste can be reduced by adding water to the connecting pipe to flush out the residual with water, the amount of water (water addition amount) for flushing out the residual increases. This increase in the amount of waste and added water becomes more pronounced as the number of dissolving tanks increases, that is, as the number of connecting pipes increases. Prior Art Documents Patent Documents

[0004] Patent Document 1 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-166468 Summary of the Invention Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a blending circulation dissolution system that can reduce the amount of raw material liquids wasted and the amount of water added to flush out the raw material liquids in equipment that blends raw material liquids to produce a blended liquid. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An embodiment for achieving the above objective is a compounding, circulating, and dissolving system characterized by comprising a plurality of first tanks, a second tank, loop piping connecting the inlet and outlet of the second tank, and connecting piping connecting each of the plurality of first tanks to the loop piping. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, a mixing and circulating dissolution system is provided that can reduce the amount of raw material liquids to be discarded and the amount of water added to flush out the raw material liquids in equipment that mixes raw material liquids to produce a mixed liquid. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the compounding, circulating, and dissolving system. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the state of the compounding circulation dissolution system during the compounding process. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the state of the blending circulation dissolution system during the first water-pressing process. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the state of the blending circulation dissolution system during the second water-pressing process. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the state of the compounding circulation dissolution system during the liquid transfer process. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the compounding, circulating, and dissolving system 1. The compounding, circulating, and dissolving system 1 of this embodiment is part of equipment for manufacturing beverages as compounded liquids, and comprises a plurality of dissolving tanks 11, one compounding tank 20, a short connecting pipe 12, and a loop pipe 2.

[0010] The dissolution tank 11 is a tank used to dissolve beverage ingredients in a solvent such as water. Although not specifically shown in the figures, the dissolution tank 11 has inlets for ingredients and water, and the ingredients supplied from the inlets are dissolved in water using a stirring device or the like to prepare the ingredient liquid. The dissolution tank 11 is an example of the first tank described in the claim. Note that the first tank is not limited to the dissolution tank, but also includes tanks that store the ingredient liquid contained in the beverage.

[0011] A connecting pipe 12 is connected to the dissolution tank 11. The connecting pipe 12 connects the dissolution tank 11 to the loop pipe 2. One end of the connecting pipe 12 is connected to the bottom of the dissolution tank 11, and a first pump 13 is installed in the middle. The first pump 13 pumps the raw material liquid from the dissolution tank 11 to the loop pipe 2.

[0012] Furthermore, the other end of the connecting pipe 12 is connected to the loop pipe 2 via the inlet manifold 14. The inlet manifold 14 has a main flow path and a sub-flow path. The main flow path is connected to the loop pipe 2, and the sub-flow path is connected to the connecting pipe 12. It is possible to introduce liquid from the sub-flow path to the main flow path. In addition, the introduction and stopping of liquid from the sub-flow path to the main flow path can be switched by opening and closing valves. With this inlet manifold 14, it is possible to introduce raw material liquid from the connecting pipe 12 to the loop pipe 2.

[0013] A first water supply device 15 is connected to the dissolution tank 11, which supplies the same liquid as the solvent in the compounding solution, in this case water. The first water supply device 15 is a device capable of supplying a predetermined amount of water to the dissolution tank 11. The water supplied by the first water supply device 15 is used to dissolve the raw materials in the dissolution tank 11, and also to flush out any remaining raw material liquid in the connecting pipe 12.

[0014] The dissolution tank 11, connecting pipes 12, first pump 13, inlet manifold 14, and first water supply device 15 described above are referred to as the dissolution equipment 10. Multiple dissolution equipment 10 are connected to the loop piping 2. In this embodiment, the raw material liquids prepared by each dissolution equipment 10 are different, but different dissolution equipment 10 may prepare the same raw material liquid. Although a configuration in which one dissolution equipment 10 has one dissolution tank 11 has been illustrated, the configuration is not limited to this, and one dissolution equipment 10 may have multiple dissolution tanks 11. For example, the inlet manifold 14 is configured to connect multiple connecting pipes 12 to the loop piping 2. In other words, the inlet manifold 14 may be common to multiple connecting pipes 12.

[0015] The mixing tank 20 is a tank connected to each dissolution tank 11 via connecting pipe 12 and loop pipe 2. One end of loop pipe 2 is connected to the inlet 21 of the mixing tank 20, and the other end of loop pipe 2 is connected to the outlet 22 of the mixing tank 20. The inlet 21 and outlet 22 can be opened and closed by lids, valves, etc. (not shown). The mixing tank 20 is also capable of circulating the mixing liquid with the loop pipe 2. The circulation of the mixing liquid will be described later. The mixing tank 20 is an example of the second tank described in the claim.

[0016] Loop piping 2 is a pipe that connects the inlet 21 and outlet 22 of the mixing tank 20. Loop piping 2 has connecting pipe 12 connected to it via an inlet manifold 14, and is connected to the dissolution tank 11 via the connecting pipe 12. Loop piping 2 may be a single pipe or may be constructed by connecting multiple pipes. Furthermore, the inlet manifold 14 and inlet / outlet manifold 4 described above may be provided in the middle of loop piping 2. In addition, there are no particular limitations on the configuration in which loop piping 2 is attached to the mixing tank 20, but it is preferable to connect it as follows. That is, it is preferable that loop piping 2 is connected to the mixing tank 20 so that the mixing liquid flows in along the inner circumferential surface of the mixing tank 20.

[0017] A second pump 3 is provided in the middle of the loop pipe 2. The second pump 3 is located downstream of the outlet 22 of the blending tank 20 and upstream of the dissolving equipment 10. Of course, the second pump 3 may be disposed at any position of the loop pipe 2. In addition, the number of the second pump 3 is not limited to one, and a plurality of second pumps 3 may be installed on the loop pipe 2. The second pump 3 sucks the prepared liquid from the outlet 22 of the blending tank 20, and pressure-feeds the prepared liquid to the dissolving equipment 10 side downstream of the outlet 22.

[0018] In addition, an inlet / outlet manifold 4 is provided in the middle of the loop pipe 2. The inlet / outlet manifold 4 is a device capable of switching liquid feeding between the loop pipe 2, the second water supply device 5 and the processing device 6. The inlet / outlet manifold 4 is located downstream of the outlet 22 of the blending tank 20 and upstream of the second pump 3. The inlet / outlet manifold 4 may also be disposed downstream of the second pump 3.

[0019] The inlet / outlet manifold 4 comprises a main flow path, a first sub flow path and a second sub flow path. The main flow path is connected from the blending tank 20, the first sub flow path is connected to the loop pipe 2, the second sub flow path is connected to the processing device 6, and both the first sub flow path and the second sub flow path are connected to the second water supply device 5. Water from the second water supply device 5 can be fed to the first sub flow path and the second sub flow path; it is possible to feed the prepared liquid from the main flow path to the loop pipe 2 via the first sub flow path, and to feed the finished prepared liquid from the main flow path to the processing device 6 via the second sub flow path. Further, for the main flow path, the first sub flow path and the second sub flow path, the introduction and stop of liquid from the main flow path to the first sub flow path and from the main flow path to the second sub flow path can be switched by opening and closing valves.

[0020] The second water supply device 5 is a device capable of supplying the same liquid as the solvent of the prepared liquid, here water, to the loop pipe 2. Water from the second water supply device 5 is used to flush away the prepared liquid remaining in the loop pipe 2. The processing device 6 is any device that processes the prepared liquid, and is, for example, a filling machine for containerizing the prepared liquid, a tank for storing the prepared liquid, or the like.

[0021] There are no particular restrictions on the length or diameter of the connection pipe 12 and loop pipe 2 described above. It is preferable that the length of the connection pipe 12 is as short as possible. For example, it is preferable that the length of the connection pipe 12 is shorter than the distance from the position where the connection pipe 12 is connected to the loop pipe 2 (the inlet manifold 14 in the present embodiment) to the inlet 21 of the blending tank 20. By setting the connection pipe 12 to such a length, the amount of raw material liquid remaining in the connection pipe 12 can be reduced.

[0022] Further, the blending circulation dissolution system 1 includes a control device (not shown). The control device is also called a programmable controller or a sequencer. By reading and executing a control program, the control device controls the driving of the first pump 13 and the second pump 3, and the switching of liquid feeding between the inlet manifold 14 and the inlet-outlet manifold 4, thereby realizing the dissolution step, the blending step, the first water pushing step, the second water pushing step, and the liquid feeding step.

[0023] The dissolution step is a step of preparing a raw material liquid in the dissolution equipment 10. Specifically, the control device causes a raw material feeding device (not shown) to feed a raw material into the dissolution tank 11, and causes the first water supply device 15 to supply water into the dissolution tank 11. Note that the feeding of the raw material and the supply of water by the first water supply device 15 may be performed manually. In the dissolution tank 11, the raw material is dissolved in water to prepare the raw material liquid.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 2, the blending step is a step in which the raw material liquid is fed from the dissolution equipment 10 to the loop pipe 2, and the raw material liquid is blended in the loop pipe 2. Specifically, the control device drives the first pump 13 of the dissolution equipment 10, and causes the connection pipe 12 and the loop pipe 2 to communicate with each other at the inlet manifold 14. Thereby, the raw material liquid is fed from the dissolution tank 11 to the loop pipe 2 via the connection pipe 12 and the inlet manifold 14.

[0025] There are multiple dissolution facilities 10, but there are no particular restrictions on the order in which the raw material liquid is sent to the loop piping 2. Each dissolution facility 10 may send the raw material liquid to the loop piping 2 individually, or several dissolution facilities 10 may send the raw material liquid to the loop piping 2 simultaneously. The entire amount of raw material liquid stored in the dissolution tank 11 of one dissolution facility 10 may be sent to the loop piping 2, or the raw material liquid may be sent to the loop piping 2 in several batches.

[0026] Furthermore, during the mixing process, the mixing liquid is circulated in the loop piping 2 and the mixing tank 20 so that it flows into the inlet 21 of the mixing tank 20 and flows out from the outlet 22 of the mixing tank. Specifically, the control device drives the second pump 3. The control device also disconnects the loop piping 2, the second water supply device 5, and the treatment device 6 from the inlet / outlet manifold 4.

[0027] Through this mixing process, raw material liquids are sent from each dissolving equipment 10 to the loop piping 2, where they are mixed to form a blended liquid. The blended liquid mixed in the loop piping 2 is then sent to the inlet 21 of the mixing tank 20. A certain amount of the blended liquid introduced into the mixing tank 20 is stored there, and then it is discharged back into the loop piping 2 from the outlet 22. In this way, the already blended liquid circulates in the loop piping 2 while raw material liquids are supplied from each dissolving equipment 10.

[0028] The blending process is completed when the raw material liquid is discharged from the dissolution tank 11 of each dissolution equipment 10. When the control device detects that the raw material liquid has been discharged from the dissolution tank 11, it stops the first pump 13 and the second pump 3. The discharge of the raw material liquid from the dissolution tank can be detected, for example, based on a liquid level sensor, a weighing scale, or the cumulative value of a flow meter installed in the connecting pipe 12. After the blending process is completed, some raw material liquid or blended liquid may remain in the connecting pipe 12 or loop pipe 2. Such residual liquid is sent to the blending tank 20 by the first water pumping process and the second water pumping process.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, the first water-pushing step is a process in which water is supplied from the first water supply device 15 to the dissolution tank 11, thereby sending the raw material liquid remaining in the connecting pipe 12 to the loop pipe 2. Specifically, the control device causes the first water supply device 15 to supply water to the dissolution tank 11 and drives the first pump 13. As a result, the raw material liquid remaining in the connecting pipe 12 is pushed out into the loop pipe 2 along with the water.

[0030] The control device stops the water supply from the first water supply device 15 and the first pump 13 when there is no remaining material in the connecting pipe 12. Detection of the absence of residual raw material liquid in the connecting pipe 12 is performed, for example, as follows: The amount of raw material liquid remaining in the connecting pipe 12 is estimated in advance, and it is confirmed by visual inspection, etc., that the remaining material has been discharged from the connecting pipe 12 with water, and the amount of water used (required amount) is obtained by conducting a test. Then, in the first water-pushing process, the first water-pushing process is completed when the required amount of water has been delivered to the loop pipe 2. The delivery of the required amount of water to the loop pipe 2 can be obtained, for example, by the cumulative value of a flow meter installed in the connecting pipe 12 or by the amount of water delivered by the first water supply device 15.

[0031] As shown in Figure 4, the second water-pushing step is a step in which water is supplied from the second water supply device 5 to the loop piping 2, thereby sending the remaining mixture liquid in the loop piping 2 to the mixing tank 20. Specifically, the control device closes the outlet 22 of the mixing tank 20. Closing the outlet 22 may also be done manually. The control device then causes the second water supply device 5 to supply water, switches the inlet and outlet manifold 4 so that water is supplied from the second water supply device 5 to the loop piping 2, and drives the second pump 3. As a result, the mixture liquid remaining in the loop piping 2 is pushed out into the mixing tank 20 along with the water.

[0032] The control device stops the water supply from the second water supply device 5 and the second pump 3 when there is no remaining liquid in the loop piping 2. Detection of the absence of residual liquid in the loop piping 2 is performed, for example, as follows: The amount of liquid to remain in the loop piping 2 is estimated in advance, and it is confirmed by visual inspection, etc., that the remaining liquid has been discharged from the loop piping 2 with water, and the amount of water used (required amount) is obtained by conducting a test. Then, in the second water-pushing process, the second water-pushing process is completed when the required amount of water has been delivered to the mixing tank 20. The delivery of the required amount of water to the mixing tank 20 can be determined, for example, by the cumulative value of the flow meter installed in the loop piping 2 or by the amount of water delivered by the second water supply device 5. After the completion of the second water-pushing process, water will remain in the loop piping 2, but this water should be discharged before the next manufacturing process begins.

[0033] The total amount of water used in the dissolution process, the first water-pressing process, and the second water-pressing process shall be the amount of water required for the final product. In other words, the amount of water required for the product is not used solely in the dissolution process, but a portion is used in the first and second water-pressing processes. This makes it possible to obtain a mixture of the target concentration without leaving any raw material liquid or mixture liquid in the connecting pipe 12 and loop pipe 2. Furthermore, it is not necessary to completely recover the raw material liquid or mixture liquid into the mixing tank 20 from the connecting pipe 12 and loop pipe 2; some residue may be permitted. In this case, the amount of water required for water-pressing should be reduced from the amount described above.

[0034] As shown in Figure 5, the liquid transfer process is the process of transferring the liquid stored in the mixing tank 20 to the processing device 6. Specifically, the control device opens the outlet 22 of the mixing tank 20. The outlet 22 may be opened manually. The control device then switches the inlet / outlet manifold 4 so that water is supplied from the mixing tank 20 to the processing device 6. The liquid is transferred from the mixing tank 20 to the processing device 6 by gravity or by driving a pump (not shown). In this way, the liquid stored in the mixing tank 20 is transferred to the processing device 6.

[0035] As described above, the compounding circulation dissolution system 1 of this embodiment is characterized by comprising a plurality of dissolution tanks 11, a compounding tank 20, a loop piping 2, and a connecting pipe 12 that connects the plurality of dissolution tanks 11 and the loop piping 2. The connecting pipe 12 only needs to be the length from the dissolution tank 11 to the loop piping 2, and can be made shorter than the connecting pipe 12 when connecting the dissolution tank 11 to the compounding tank 20. As a result, raw material liquid remains in the connecting pipe 12, and the amount of waste can be reduced. In addition, because the connecting pipe 12 is short, the amount of water required to flush out the remaining raw material liquid (amount of added water) can be reduced.

[0036] Furthermore, only loop piping 2 is arranged between each dissolution equipment 10 and the mixing tank 20. In this embodiment, multiple dissolution equipment 10 are connected to the mixing tank 20 by a single loop piping 2. In this way, the number of pipes connecting the dissolution equipment 10 to the mixing tank 20 can be reduced, and the concentration of connecting pipes in the rack can be avoided, resulting in a more spacious piping configuration.

[0037] Generally, facilities for manufacturing beverages and the like require the ability to handle a wide variety of products, and various raw material liquids are used. Therefore, the number of dissolving facilities 10 for preparing the raw material liquids may increase depending on the product type. In the blending and circulating dissolving system 1 of this embodiment, when adding dissolving facilities 10, it is only necessary to connect the connecting pipes 12 to the nearest loop pipe 2, and it is not necessary to connect the connecting pipes 12 to the blending tank 20. In other words, the blending and circulating dissolving system 1 has the effect of making it easy to add dissolving facilities 10 even when there is a change in product type.

[0038] In this embodiment, the compounding and circulating dissolution system 1 stores different raw material liquids in multiple dissolution tanks 11. The raw material liquids are sent from the multiple dissolution tanks 11 to the loop pipe 2 via connecting pipes 12. In the loop pipe 2, the raw material liquids are compounded to form a compound liquid, which is then circulated in the loop pipe 2 and the compounding tank 20. With such a compounding and circulating dissolution system, the raw material liquids are compounded in the loop pipe 2 as well, which improves the stirring efficiency in the compounding tank 20.

[0039] In this embodiment of the blending circulation dissolution system 1, the length of the connecting pipe 12 is shorter than the length from the point where the connecting pipe 12 is connected to the loop pipe 2 (inlet manifold 14) to the inlet 21 of the blending tank 20. By using this length, it is possible to more reliably reduce the amount of raw material liquid and blended liquid remaining in the connecting pipe 12 and the loop pipe 2, and to reduce the amount of water added to flush out the remaining raw material liquid and blended liquid.

[0040] The compounding circulation dissolution system 1 has a loop piping 2 that is not present in conventional technology, so compounding liquid may remain in the loop piping 2, and water will need to be added to flush out the residue. However, the connecting pipes 12 required for each dissolution unit 10 can be short. Therefore, even if the number of dissolution units 10 increases, the increase in the amount of raw material liquid wasted and the amount of water added can be kept to a minimum. Conventionally, a long connecting pipe was required for each dissolution unit 10, so if the number of dissolution units 10 increased, the amount of raw material liquid wasted and the amount of water added would increase significantly. Thus, in this invention, the amount of raw material liquid wasted and the amount of water added differ significantly from conventional methods as the number of dissolution units 10 increases.

[0041] In this embodiment, the compounding circulation dissolution system 1 has a second water supply device 5 connected to the loop piping 2, which supplies the same liquid as the solvent in the compounding solution. By supplying water from the second water supply device 5 to the loop piping 2, the compounding solution remaining in the loop piping 2 is sent to the compounding tank 20. This allows the compounding solution remaining in the loop piping 2 to be recovered in the compounding tank 20.

[0042] In this embodiment, the compounding circulation dissolution system 1 has a first water supply device 15 connected to the dissolution tank 11, which supplies the same liquid as the solvent of the compounding solution. By supplying water from the first water supply device 15 to the dissolution tank 11, the raw material liquid remaining in the dissolution tank 11 and the connecting pipe 12 can be sent to the loop pipe 2.

[0043] In this embodiment, the compounding circulation dissolution system 1 has loop piping 2 connected to the compounding tank 20 so that the compounding liquid flows in along the inner surface of the compounding tank 20. As a result, the compounding liquid swirls along the inner surface inside the compounding tank 20, improving the stirring efficiency within the compounding tank 20.

[0044] In the embodiments described above, a blending, circulating, and dissolving system 1 in a beverage manufacturing facility was explained, but the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to facilities that manufacture liquid foods or pharmaceuticals.

[0045] Although the example shows a configuration with one mixing tank 20, there may be multiple tanks. When using multiple mixing tanks 20, the loop piping 2 is branched by a manifold and connected to the inlet of each mixing tank 20, and the outlets of each mixing tank 20 are connected to the manifold and then to the loop piping 2. In addition, a stirring device may be provided in the mixing tank 20 to stir the mixing liquid.

[0046] The first water supply device 15 and the second water supply device 5 are examples of water sources in the claims. The first water supply device 15 was provided for each of the multiple dissolution tanks 11, but one first water supply device 15 may be used in common for multiple dissolution tanks 11. Also, the first water supply device 15 and the second water supply device 5 may be separate or common. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1… Mixing, circulating, and dissolving system 2… Loop piping 3…Second pump 4… Entrance / Exit Manifold 5…Second water supply device 6… Processing Unit 10…Melting equipment 11… Dissolution tank 12…Connecting pipes 13…Pump No. 1 14…Entrance Manifold 15...First water supply device 20... Mixing Tank 21…Entrance 22…exports

Claims

1. Multiple first tanks, The second tank and A loop pipe connecting the inlet and outlet of the second tank, The system includes connecting pipes that connect each of the multiple first tanks to the loop piping, Multiple of the first tanks store different raw material liquids. The raw material liquid is supplied from multiple first tanks to the loop piping via the connecting pipes, In the loop piping, the raw material liquids supplied from multiple first tanks are combined to form a blended liquid. The prepared liquid is circulated in the loop piping and the second tank such that it flows into the inlet of the second tank and flows out from the outlet of the second tank. The first tank is connected to a supply source of the same liquid as the solvent in the prepared solution. By supplying the liquid from the supply source to the first tank, the raw material liquid remaining in the first tank and the connecting pipe is sent to the loop pipe. The amount of the liquid supplied from the supply source to the first tank is a portion of the amount required as a compounding solution. A compounding, circulating, and dissolving system characterized by the following features.

2. In the compounding, circulating, and dissolving system described in claim 1, The length of the connecting pipe is shorter than the length from the point where the connecting pipe is connected to the loop pipe to the inlet. A compounding, circulating, and dissolving system characterized by the following features.

3. In the compounding, circulating, and dissolving system described in claim 1, The aforementioned loop piping is connected to a supply source of the same liquid as the solvent in the prepared solution. By supplying the liquid from the supply source to the loop piping, the mixture remaining in the loop piping is sent to the second tank. A compounding, circulating, and dissolving system characterized by the following features.

4. In the compounding, circulating, and dissolving system described in claim 1, The loop piping is connected to the second tank so that the mixture flows along the inner surface of the second tank. A compounding, circulating, and dissolving system characterized by the following features.

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