Infrared Bottle Heating Apparatus with Meandering Conveyor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bottling plant heating apparatuses face issues with inconsistent bottle temperature, high energy costs, risk of organoleptic property deterioration, increased space requirements, and elevated production costs due to the use of high-temperature fluids for heating bottles, particularly in low-temperature bottling processes.
Innovation Solution
A bottling plant heating apparatus featuring a meandering conveyor belt with infrared heating sources, eliminating the need for high-temperature fluids and associated infrastructure, allowing for compact design and reduced operational costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If high-temperature fluid is used for heating bottles, then heating efficiency is improved, but energy costs increase and organoleptic properties may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of circulating hot water through pipes with infrared heating elements that directly radiate thermal energy to the bottles. This substitution eliminates the need for water circulation pumps, heat exchangers, and extensive piping infrastructure, thereby reducing energy consumption while maintaining effective heating.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the heating parameter from high-temperature fluid (water at 70-100°C) to infrared radiation at lower temperatures. This parameter change allows efficient heating without the energy losses associated with heating and circulating large volumes of water, thus reducing overall energy costs.
2Temperature
If high-temperature fluid is used for heating bottles, then heating effectiveness is improved, but risk of organoleptic property deterioration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces contact-based hot water heating with non-contact infrared radiation. This substitution allows the bottles to be heated from the outside without exposure to high-temperature fluids that could penetrate or contaminate the wine, thereby preserving organoleptic properties while maintaining heating effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
Infrared radiation acts as an intermediary that transfers thermal energy to the bottle surfaces without requiring direct contact with hot fluids. This intermediary mechanism enables effective heating while preventing the harmful effects of high-temperature fluid contact with the wine contents.
3Productivity
If bottles are heated in bulk in water tank, then heating capacity is improved, but temperature consistency among bottles deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces bulk water immersion heating with infrared radiation heating. This substitution allows for more uniform heat distribution across all bottles simultaneously positioned on the conveyor, improving temperature consistency while maintaining high heating capacity through continuous processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor belt system moves bottles through the infrared heating zone in a continuous periodic manner, ensuring each bottle receives consistent heating exposure time. This periodic action through controlled conveyor speed maintains both high productivity and uniform temperature distribution across all bottles.
4Manufacturing precision
If aligned conveyor system is used, then temperature uniformity is improved, but space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent arranges bottles in a multi-dimensional configuration on the conveyor belt, positioning them upright in parallel rows rather than horizontal stacking. This dimensional change allows for more compact space utilization while maintaining aligned heating exposure, reducing the footprint area required for the heating apparatus.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the spatial arrangement parameter from extended horizontal conveying to a more compact vertical orientation with bottles standing upright. This parameter change reduces the horizontal space requirements while maintaining the aligned configuration necessary for uniform infrared heating across all bottles.
5Temperature
If fluid heating system is implemented, then heating performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex fluid heating system (boilers, pumps, pipes, valves, filtration) with simple infrared heating elements mounted above the conveyor. This substitution dramatically reduces device complexity while maintaining or improving heating performance through direct radiant heat transfer to the bottles.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the fluid circulation infrastructure (water tanks, pumps, piping networks, heat exchangers) from the heating system, retaining only the essential heating function through infrared radiation. This extraction simplifies the overall system while preserving effective heating performance.
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 apparatus ensures consistent bottle temperature, minimizes space and production costs, and reduces noise pollution by using infrared heating, which is energy-efficient and does not require fluid handling systems, enabling self-operation with an electric power source.
Implementation Method 1
heating sources radiating infrared rays arranged along said conveying line inside said heating zone
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The present invention relates to an apparatus (1) for heating bottles (10), said apparatus being intended in particular for use in bottling plants. According to the invention, said apparatus (1) comprises a conveying line (5, 9, 13), which passes through a heating zone (H) along a meandering path and on which the bottles (10) advance in an aligned manner, and infrared heat sources (19a, 19b) arranged along said conveying line in said heating zone. Advantageously, the use of infrared heat sources (19a, 19b) allows to eliminate the need for high temperature fluids for heating the bottles and, consequently, to eliminate boilers, piping and other hydraulic components from the apparatus (1). This measure, together with the use of a conveying line following a meandering path covering the entire surface of the heating zone (H) allows to obtain an extremely compact heating apparatus having a very limited number of components.