Aseptic Pressure Relief Using Elastic Through-Line Expansion
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Solution Overview
Problem
In container-treatment machines, pressurized media lines pose a risk of injury during maintenance, and existing pressure relief methods often result in media contamination when venting pressure, compromising hygiene standards, especially in beverage filling systems.
Innovation Solution
A pressure-relief device with a housing and through-line made from elastically deformable material, forming a pressure chamber that adjusts pressure to create an aseptic expansion volume within the media line, preventing external exposure and contamination, while maintaining operational pressure integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If pressure is vented into the surrounding environment, then pressure relief is achieved, but the medium is exposed to contamination risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pressure relief device as an intermediary component installed in the media line. This device provides a controlled pressure relief pathway that prevents direct venting to the environment, thereby eliminating contamination risk while achieving pressure relief. The device acts as a mediator between the pressurized medium and the external environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful function of uncontrolled environmental venting is extracted and replaced. Instead of allowing pressure to vent directly to the surrounding environment (which causes contamination), the patent extracts this harmful pathway and replaces it with a controlled internal expansion chamber that relieves pressure without environmental exposure.
2Ease of repair
If the media line is stopped for maintenance, then repair work can be performed, but pressurized medium poses injury risk to personnel
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure relief device performs preliminary pressure reduction before maintenance activities begin. By automatically or manually activating the pressure relief function prior to opening the media line, the system ensures that pressure is reduced to safe levels before personnel expose themselves to the media line for repair work.
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion chamber acts as a cushioning element that absorbs and dissipates pressure energy before maintenance work commences. The chamber provides a buffer zone that gradually reduces pressure, cushioning against sudden pressure releases that could injure personnel during maintenance operations.
3Stress or pressure
If the through-line volume is increased, then pressure relief capacity is improved, but the device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an elastically deformable through-wall that forms a flexible boundary for the expansion chamber. This flexible membrane allows the chamber to expand and contract elastically in response to pressure changes, providing variable volume pressure relief capacity without requiring a large fixed-volume chamber. The flexible shell adapts its volume to the pressure relief需求.
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion chamber's volume is made dynamic rather than static. The elastically deformable through-wall enables the chamber volume to change dynamically based on pressure differential, allowing the device to provide appropriate pressure relief capacity for different operating conditions without being oversized for normal operations.
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 device safely reduces pressure in media lines without exposing the medium to the environment, minimizing the risk of injury to personnel and maintaining hygiene standards by using an internal expansion volume for pressure relief, ensuring reliable and complete cleaning of the flow path.
Implementation Method 1
the through-line's through-wall is formed at least in part from an elastically deformable material, thus forming a flexible membrane. Reducing the pressure chamber's inner pressure below that prevailing in the media line or in the through-line distends the elastically deformable material of the through-wall.
Data Source
AI summary
A pressure-relief device includes a housing, a through-line, a feed-line connection, and a discharge-line connection. The housing comprises a housing wall that defines a chamber in an interior of the housing. The through-line, which extends, at least in sections, through the chamber and is configured for connection to the media line via the feed-line connection and the discharge-line connection, includes a through-wall that is formed, at least in part, from an elastically deformable material. A controller causes an inner pressure within the chamber to transition between a production pressure and a relief pressure that is less than the production pressure.