Gas-Enriched Beverage Dispensing Using Low-Pressure Pump Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for dispensing nitro cold-brew coffee, which involves mixing nitrogen from a high-pressure gas canister with coffee, require costly and space-consuming specialized equipment and are not compatible with existing fully automatic coffee machines.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that reduce the pressure of gas from a pressure vessel to ambient levels, allowing it to be mixed with the beverage upstream of a pump, enabling the dispensing of gas-enriched beverages, such as nitro cold-brew coffee, using a pump integrated into conventional coffee machines, with optional heating or cooling and addition of ice or water.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If nitrogen from a high-pressure gas canister is injected into the coffee beverage using specialized tap equipment, then the beverage can be enriched with gas to create a creamy mouth feel, but the equipment is costly and takes up a lot of space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the gas enrichment function with the existing pump system of fully automatic coffee machines. The pump that normally delivers coffee is used to mix with nitrogen gas, eliminating the need for separate specialized tap equipment. This merging of functions reduces both equipment cost and space requirements while maintaining the ability to produce nitro cold-brew coffee with creamy texture
Solution Approach 2:
The pump in the coffee machine is given a dual function: it serves both as the coffee delivery pump and as the mixing pump for nitrogen enrichment. By making the pump universal, the system can dispense both regular coffee and gas-enriched nitro coffee using the same hardware, avoiding the need for additional specialized equipment
2Reliability
If specialized tap equipment is used for dispensing nitro cold-brew coffee, then gas enrichment is achieved, but integration into existing fully automatic coffee machines is not possible
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the coffee machine's pump universal by enabling it to handle both coffee delivery and gas mixing functions. The pump can operate in different modes depending on whether regular coffee or nitro coffee is being dispensed, allowing existing fully automatic coffee machines to be adapted for gas enrichment without requiring separate specialized equipment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the existing pump as an intermediary device that mediates between the nitrogen gas source and the coffee beverage. Instead of directly injecting high-pressure nitrogen into the beverage (which would require specialized equipment), the pump acts as an intermediary that mixes the gas and liquid under controlled conditions, enabling integration into standard coffee machines
3Quantity of substance
If high-pressure gas is directly mixed with the beverage, then gas enrichment is achieved, but the pressure must be reduced to ambient levels for proper mixing
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary pressure reduction of the nitrogen gas before mixing it with the coffee beverage. By reducing the gas pressure to near ambient levels before the mixing point, the gas can be properly incorporated into the beverage without requiring high-pressure handling equipment. This preliminary pressure adjustment enables efficient gas-liquid mixing using only a standard pump
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
Enables the space-efficient integration of nitro cold-brew coffee dispensing into existing coffee machines, providing a creamy and frothy consistency without the need for additional equipment, while allowing for temperature control and customizable gas addition.
Implementation Method 1
The beverage is delivered from a storage vessel by a pump
Implementation Method 2
the pressure of the gas is reduced to close to the ambient pressure and is fed, at the suction side of the pump, to the sucked-in beverage
Data Source
AI summary
In a method for dispensing a beverage in which a gas from a gas pressure vessel in which the gas is stored under pressure is mixed with the beverage, it is provided that the beverage is transported out of the storage container (2) by a pump (3) and that the pressure of the gas is lowered to less than 0.5 bar, more preferably less than 100 mbar, above ambient pressure and is fed to the aspirated beverage on the suction side of the pump (3).