Container Bottom Cooling for PET Bottle Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing hot-fill process for filling liquids into PET bottles faces challenges with thermal and pressure stresses, leading to undesirable deformation of the bottle bottom, which can cause instability and prevent the bottle from standing properly.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a transport device, a filling device, and a tempering device that actively or passively cools the bottom area of the container during and after filling, using cooling devices such as water or air nozzles and a heat exchanger to manage thermal and pressure stresses, ensuring stability and preventing deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If hot-fill process is used to fill liquids into PET bottles, then filling efficiency and productivity are improved, but thermal stress causes deformation of the bottle bottom
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom area of the container is cooled before filling to pre-stabilize the structure against upcoming thermal stress from hot-fill, preventing deformation during the filling process
Solution Approach 2:
Cooling is applied specifically to the bottom area of the container rather than the entire bottle, creating a locally strengthened zone that resists deformation while maintaining overall filling efficiency
2Reliability
If nitrogen is dripped onto the bottles to increase pressure during closing, then sealing quality is improved, but pressure stress intensifies bottom deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom area is cooled before nitrogen dripping to pre-stabilize the structure against upcoming pressure stress, preventing deformation during the closing process
Solution Approach 2:
Cooling is applied specifically to the bottom area to create a locally strengthened zone that resists pressure-induced deformation while allowing nitrogen to be dripped for proper sealing
3Manufacturing precision
If accurate adjustment of all variable parameters is performed to prevent bottom deformation, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex task of controlling bottom deformation is extracted and isolated to a specific cooling function applied only to the bottom area, separating this control function from other filling parameters and simplifying overall system management
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of adjusting all variable parameters throughout the system, cooling is applied locally to the bottom area, creating a focused solution that simplifies parameter control while maintaining manufacturing precision
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively prevents deformation by adapting cooling operations to the container's boundary conditions, enhancing stability and ensuring the bottle remains upright, even under high thermal and pressure stresses, by continuous or sectional cooling during transport and filling.
Implementation Method 1
a flowable medium, which is preferably a fluid and particularly preferably water or air, may be applied onto the container by means of the tempering device
Implementation Method 2
In the heat exchanger, the hot bottle is cooled down to room temperature
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for filling containers, in particular bottles, has at least one transport device for transporting the containers, at least one filling device for filling the containers and a tempering device for tempering a bottom area of the container. The tempering device is located at least at times at least partially in or below the bottom area of the transported containers and the filling device is arranged at least at times at least partially in or above a mouth area of the transported containers. The tempering device is mounted on the apparatus in such a way that tempering during or after filling becomes possible.