Sterilizer for caps with plasma and hydrogen peroxide

Abstract

Sterilizer (1) for caps designed to sterilize a flow (F) of caps comprising: a contact device (2) used to bring at least one sterilizing mixture into contact with the caps in the flow, in which the contact device (2) is designed so that said sterilizing mixture is a mixture comprising at least one sterilizing agent and plasma.

Description

Sterilizer for caps with plasma and hydrogen peroxide

[0001] The present invention relates to a sterilizer for caps that provides enhanced efficiency with a significantly lower impact on production rate.

[0002] The need to fill containers in an aseptic environment, sterilizing the container, the product and the cap separately from one another, is known in the field of packaging pourable products.

[0003] To sterilize the caps, it is known to use a cap sterilizer that uses a contact device designed to bring the caps into contact with a sterilizing agent, and a drying device for drying the caps to at least reduce the sterilizing agent residue.

[0004] A method for sterilizing caps according to the present description and / or according to one or more of the attached method claims makes it possible to improve the efficiency of the sterilizer.

[0005] A cap sterilizer according to the present description and / or according to one or more of the attached sterilizer claims is designed to carry out a method according to the present description and / or according to one or more of the attached method claims.

[0006] An apparatus according to the present description and / or according to one or more of the attached apparatus claims comprises a cap sterilizer according to the present description and / or according to one or more of the attached sterilizer claims.

[0007] The features of a method according to the present description and of a sterilizer according to the present description are explained in the detailed description below relating to respective example embodiments of said method and said sterilizer.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The detailed description below relates to the attached drawings, in which:

[0009] -is a schematic view of a first embodiment of the sterilizer,

[0010] -is a schematic view of a second embodiment of the sterilizer,

[0011] -is a schematic view of a mixture distributor that could be in the sterilizer.

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The sterilizer 1 is configured to sterilize a flow F of caps.

[0014] The sterilizer 1 comprises a contact device 2 used to bring at least one sterilizing mixture into contact with the caps in the flow. The contact device 2 is configured so that said sterilizing mixture is a mixture comprising at least one sterilizing agent and plasma.

[0015] The plasma may be air plasma.

[0016] The sterilizing agent is hydrogen peroxide in vapour state, or air, or water vapour. Where the sterilizing agent is air, the use of chemical substances is reduced, thereby improving sustainability. Where the sterilizing agent is hydrogen peroxide in vapour state, the plasma contributes to increasing and aiding the decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide into radicals, thereby enhancing the sterilizing effect by reducing the required contact time and / or the quantity of peroxide to be used. This improves the efficiency of the sterilizer. The sustainability of the sterilizer is also improved since a lesser quantity of hydrogen peroxide can be used. Greater efficiency is also achieved where the sterilizing agent is water vapour, since the plasma contributes to aiding the decomposition of the water vapour into radicals.

[0017] The contact device 2 comprises a first generator 21 for generating a flow of said agent 211 and a second generator 22 for generating a flow of said plasma 221.

[0018] In the first embodiment, the contact device 2 is configured so that said flow of plasma 221 is injected transversely into the flow of said agent 211.

[0019] In the second embodiment, the contact device 2 is designed so that said flow of plasma 221 and said flow of agent 211 are injected through a mixing element 23. The flow of agent 211 and the flow of plasma 221 are preferably injected from mutually opposing directions in the mixing element 23. The mixing element 23 comprises a mixing chamber to improve mixing, thereby boosting the beneficial effect of the plasma on the decomposition of the agent into radicals.

[0020] The sterilizer 1 comprises a drying device 3 operating downstream of the contact device 2 for drying the caps in the flow F, to at least reduce a sterilizing agent residue on each cap. Where the agent is hydrogen peroxide, the action of the drying device 3 can be less intensive while achieving the same final level of agent residue, since the plasma enables less hydrogen peroxide to be used.

[0021] The sterilizer 1 comprises a UV device 4 operating downstream of the drying device 3 for irradiating the caps in the flow with UV rays.

[0022] The sterilizer 1 is configured so that each cap, following contact with said agent via the contact device 2, undergoes drying by the drying device 3 and UV irradiation by the UV device 4.

[0023] The contact device 2 is configured so that said sterilizing mixture comes into contact with the caps at least by condensation, in particular where the agent is hydrogen peroxide in vapour state or water vapour.

[0024] The sterilizer comprises a sterile tunnel 5 for guiding the flow of caps. The contact device 2 is designed to inject said sterilizing mixture into the tunnel 5 in gas or vapour state. The tunnel 5 is configured to guide the flow for example using a track positioned in the tunnel 5.

[0025] The sterilizer 1 may comprise a distributor 24 for distributing the sterilizing mixture along a longitudinal sector of the tunnel 5, so as to make more efficient use of said flow leaving the contact device 2 for a plurality of caps flowing. This further increases the efficiency of the sterilizer 1. The distributor 24 is shown schematically in.

[0026] The sterilizer 1 comprises an injection line 25 for channelling the mixture into the tunnel 5.

[0027] The sterilizer 1 may comprise a plurality of contact devices, which may be distributed along the length of the tunnel 5. At least two contact devices 2 may be positioned on mutually opposing sides of the external lateral surface of the tunnel 5.

[0028] Each contact device may have one or more of the features described above with reference to the contact device 2. Each contact device may have all of the features described above with reference to the contact device 2.

[0029] The drying device 3 is designed to dry the caps using a flow of hot gas. This gas is air.

[0030] Using plasma enables the action of the drying device to be less intensive while achieving the same level of hydrogen peroxide residue. Consequently, the sterilizer 1 provides an energy saving.

[0031] The apparatus comprises the sterilizer 1.

[0032] The apparatus comprises a filling machine for filling the containers with the pourable product. The apparatus comprises a capping machine for capping the containers filled using the caps that have been sterilized using the sterilizer.

[0033] The filling machine and the capping machine are aseptic machines.

[0034] The method comprises generating the flow F of caps.

[0035] For each cap in the flow F, the method comprises a contact phase during which the cap comes into contact with the sterilizing mixture.

[0036] For each cap in the flow F, the method comprises a drying phase during which the cap is dried to at least reduce the sterilizing agent residue on the cap.

[0037] For each cap in the flow F, the method comprises a UV irradiation phase during which the dried cap is irradiated using UV rays.

[0038] Carrying out the drying phase and the irradiation phase successively helps to improve the efficiency of sterilization since the drying phase reduces the thickness of the material to be penetrated by the UV rays, thereby enhancing the contribution of the UV rays to the sterilization effect. Furthermore, the UV device can also contribute to further reducing the agent residue.

[0039] In particular, the UV irradiation phase makes a significant contribution to sterilization in a limited period of time, thereby reducing and / or eliminating the impact on production rate.

[0040] The sterilizer 1 may comprise one or more conveying lines for conveying one or more such flows of agent and / or plasma, and / or for injecting the mixture into the tunnel 5.

Claims

Sterilizer (1) for caps configured for sterilizing a flow (F) of caps comprising:a contact device (2) used to bring at least one sterilizing mixture into contact with the caps in the flow,in which the contact device (2) is configured so that said sterilizing mixture is a mixture comprising at least one sterilizing agent and plasma;wherein said contact device (2) comprises a first generator (21) for generating a flow of said agent (211) and a second generator (22) for generating a flow of said plasma (221);wherein said contact device (2) is configured so that said flow of plasma and said flow of agent are injected through a mixing element (23).Sterilizer (1) according to Claim 1, in which said plasma is air plasma.Sterilizer (1) according to either of Claims 1 and 2, in which said sterilizing agent is hydrogen peroxide in vapour state, or air, or water vapour.Sterilizer (1) according to any of the previous Claims, comprising a tunnel (5), the device being configured so that the flow of caps is guided through said tunnel (5), in which the sterilizer (1) comprises a distributor (24) for distributing said mixture along a longitudinal sector of said tunnel (5).Sterilizer (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which said contact device (2) is configured so that said flow of plasma is injected transversely into the flow of said agent.Sterilizer (1) according to one or more of the previous Claims, in which said contact device (2) is configured so that said flow of plasma and said flow of agent are injected through a mixing element (23), in mutually opposite directions.Sterilizer (1) according to any of the previous Claims, in which said mixing element comprises a mixing chamber.Sterilizer (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said agent comprises hydrogen peroxide in vapour state or water vapour, and said contact device (2) is configured so that said sterilizing mixture comes into contact with the caps by condensation.Sterilizer (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, comprising a drying device (3) operating downstream of the contact device (2) for drying the caps in the flow (F), at least to reduce a sterilizing agent residue on each cap, using a flow of hot gas, preferably hot air.Sterilizer (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, comprising a UV device (4) operating downstream of the drying device (3) for irradiating the caps in the flow with UV rays.Apparatus for packaging a pourable product using containers, comprising:a sterilizer (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims,a filling machine for filling the containers with the pourable product,a capping machine for capping the filled containers using the caps sterilized using the sterilizer.Apparatus according to Claim 12, in which the filling machine and the capping machine are aseptic machines.Method for sterilizing caps, comprising:generating a flow (F) of caps,for each cap in the flow (F):a contact phase during which the cap comes into contact with at least one sterilizing mixture,in which the contact phase is carried out so that said sterilizing mixture is a mixture comprising at least one sterilizing agent and plasma;wherein said method comprises generating a flow of said agent (211) and generating a flow of said plasma (221);wherein said flow of plasma and said flow of agent are injected through a mixing element (23).

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