Filling Plant Isolation Channels for Sterile Bottle Conveying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing filling plants for pourable products face challenges in minimizing contamination risks during the advancement of bottles within the filling and capping processes, as they often rely on uncontrolled gas flows and environments that can introduce contaminants into the bottles.
Innovation Solution
The filling plant incorporates an isolation chamber with controlled sterile gas atmospheres and isolation channels, along with a conveying system using star wheels with gripping assemblies that ensure bottles are advanced within these channels, maintaining a laminar gas flow and reducing turbulence, thereby minimizing contamination risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bottles are advanced through open conveying paths, then the conveying process is simple, but contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by placing bottles inside isolation channels during conveying. The isolation channels are integrated into the conveying system structure, creating a nested configuration where bottles are protected within the channel structure while being transported through the filling plant.
Solution Approach 2:
The isolation channel acts as an intermediary protective barrier between the bottles and the external environment. This intermediate structure filters and controls the gas flow around bottles, preventing contaminants from reaching the bottles while allowing the conveying process to continue.
2Reliability
If gas flow is uncontrolled, then the system is simpler, but turbulence introduces contaminants into bottles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by controlling gas flow parameters (velocity, direction, pressure) within the isolation channels. The gas flow is optimized to maintain laminar flow patterns rather than turbulence, changing the flow parameters to prevent contaminant introduction while protecting bottle sterility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces uncontrolled mechanical gas flow with a controlled气流 system. By using the isolation channel structure to guide and regulate gas flow, the patent substitutes raw mechanical flow with a controlled atmospheric system that maintains sterility without requiring complex additional mechanical components.
3Reliability
If bottles are exposed to ambient atmosphere during conveying, then the conveying process is simpler, but sterility of bottles is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Bottles are nested within isolation channels during the conveying process. This nested configuration allows bottles to be transported through the filling plant while remaining protected within the isolated atmospheric environment of the channel, preventing exposure to ambient contaminants.
Solution Approach 2:
The isolation channels create an inert or controlled atmosphere around bottles during conveying. By maintaining a controlled gas composition and filtering ambient air in the isolation channels, the system creates a protective environment that prevents contamination while allowing bottle transport.
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
This configuration significantly reduces the risk of contamination by maintaining a sterile environment and ensuring a controlled gas flow around the bottles, enhancing the overall sterility and cleanliness of the filling process.
Implementation Method 1
ensuring a controlled gas flow around the bottles, maintaining a laminar gas flow and reducing turbulence
Data Source
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AI summary
There is described a filling plant (1) for the filling of receptacles (2) comprising at least an isolation chamber (14) having an inner space (15), a conditioning device for controlling the gas atmosphere within the inner space (15), a filling apparatus (18) for filling the receptacles (2) and a conveying device (19) for advancing the receptacles (2) along an advancement path (P) to and/or away from the filling apparatus (18). The isolation chamber (14) comprises at least one isolation channel (35; 36) arranged downstream or upstream from the filling apparatus (18) along the advancement path (P) and the conditioning unit controls a flow of a gas within the isolation channel (35; 36). The conveying device (19) comprises at least one conveyor (50) for advancing the receptacles (2) along at least a portion of the advancement path (P) and through at least a portion of the isolation channel (35; 36) and having a plurality of gripping assemblies (51), each gripping assembly (51) configured to arrange one respective receptacle (2) such that at least a portion (6) of the respective receptacle (2) is arranged within the isolation channel (35; 36).