Hot Filling Valve Segmentation for Dosage Product Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In beverage bottling plants, hot filling products are often subjected to prolonged high temperatures and mechanical stress, leading to deterioration of flavors and increased temperature stress on dosage products during production interruptions, which affects their sterilization efficiency and quality.
Innovation Solution
A device and method where the main component is heated separately and kept at sterilization temperature, while the dosage product is not heated until just before filling, ensuring minimal exposure to sterilization temperature and reducing mechanical stress by circulating only the heated main component during pauses, and using a sterilization device to adjust heat output based on mixing ratios and properties to achieve the target temperature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the filling product is kept at sterilization temperature during production interruptions, then the sterilization temperature is maintained for efficient sterilization, but the dosage product deteriorates due to prolonged exposure to high temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the heating and sterilization functions: the main component is heated to sterilization temperature and circulated during interruptions, while the dosage product remains unheated until the actual filling process. This segmentation allows the heated main component to maintain sterilization temperature for reliability while protecting the dosage product from temperature stress.
Solution Approach 2:
The heated main component acts as an intermediary that provides the necessary sterilization temperature without directly heating the dosage product. The main component is circulated through the system during interruptions, maintaining temperature for sterilization efficiency, while the dosage product is only introduced into the heated environment during the actual filling operation.
2Reliability
If the filling product is pumped through the heating device during production interruptions, then the sterilization temperature is maintained, but mechanical stress damages the dosage product properties
Solution Approach 1:
The circulation system is segmented to pump only the main component through the heating device during production interruptions, excluding the dosage product from this mechanical circulation. This ensures temperature maintenance for sterilization reliability while eliminating mechanical stress damage to the dosage product.
Solution Approach 2:
The main component serves as an intermediary substance that undergoes the mechanical circulation and heating process during interruptions, maintaining system temperature without subjecting the dosage product to mechanical stress. The dosage product is only introduced later during actual filling when no prolonged pumping occurs.
3Reliability
If both main component and dosage product are heated together, then sterilization is achieved, but the dosage product loses its flavor properties due to prolonged high temperature exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The main component is preliminarily heated to sterilization temperature and kept ready in the heating device before the actual filling process. The dosage product is introduced only at the moment of filling, ensuring it is exposed to high temperature only for the brief sterilization period needed for completeness, rather than prolonged exposure that would cause flavor deterioration.
Solution Approach 2:
The main component acts as a thermal intermediary that is heated in advance and used to transfer heat during the brief filling operation. This allows the dosage product to receive necessary sterilization heat exposure without prolonged high temperature contact that would deteriorate its flavor properties.
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 approach reduces the overall exposure time of the filling product to sterilization temperature, minimizes mechanical loading on the dosage product, and ensures gentle handling, maintaining product quality and efficiency in the filling process.
Implementation Method 1
a heating device (3) is provided for heating the main component
Implementation Method 2
a circulation device is provided by means of which the heated main component is circulated through the main component reservoir (2) and/or through the filling valve (4), preferably during production interruptions
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a device (1) for filling a container (100) with a hot filling product, comprising a filling valve (4) for influencing the supply of the filling product into a container (100) to be filled, a main component vessel (2) for supplying a main component to the filling valve (4), and a dosing valve (50) for dosing a dosing product from a dosing product vessel (5) into the filling valve (4), a heating device (3) being provided for heating the main component in order to supply the heated main component to the filling valve (4), the dosing product being supplied to the dosing valve (50) without heat.