Milking Transport Conduit Loop Valve for Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing milking systems face challenges in efficiently transporting milk from multiple milking stations to a main milk tank while ensuring effective cleaning of long conduits, which is crucial for maintaining milk quality and hygiene.
Innovation Solution
The system incorporates a transport conduit with a valve arrangement that forms a loop for efficient milk transport and switches to a single path for thorough cleaning, utilizing a cleaning liquid arrangement and pump to circulate cleaning solutions through the conduit, maintaining higher pressure for both milking and cleaning processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the transport conduit is configured as a loop with two flow paths for efficient milk transport, then milk transport efficiency is improved, but conduit cleaning effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The valve arrangement dynamically changes the conduit configuration from a loop with two flow paths during milking to a single flow path during cleaning. This dynamic reconfiguration allows the system to optimize for milk transport efficiency during milking operations and cleaning effectiveness during cleaning operations, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The transport conduit is segmented into multiple flow paths that can be independently controlled by valve arrangements. This segmentation allows selective activation of one or two flow paths depending on operational requirements, enabling efficient milk transport when both paths are open and effective cleaning when only one path is active.
2Ease of operation
If cleaning liquid is circulated through the transport conduit for thorough cleaning, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning liquid arrangement is integrated with the existing transport conduit infrastructure, allowing the same conduit system to serve both milk transport and cleaning functions. The valve arrangement enables the cleaning liquid to circulate through the conduit without requiring separate dedicated cleaning lines, thus improving cleaning effectiveness while minimizing additional system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own transport conduit infrastructure for cleaning purposes, rather than requiring entirely separate cleaning equipment. The cleaning liquid circulates through the existing conduit system, utilizing the same physical pathways for both production and maintenance functions, thereby reducing overall system complexity.
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 solution enables efficient milk transport and thorough conduit cleaning, ensuring high milk quality and hygiene by maintaining higher pressure during milking and utilizing a dedicated cleaning liquid circulation for effective conduit sanitation.
Implementation Method 1
The arrangement is adapted to maintain higher than atmospheric pressure in the transport conduit and the connection conduit during milking in the at least one milking station and during use of the cleaning liquid arrangement the arrangement
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4
AI summary
An arrangement (2) for milking animals is disclosed. The arrangement (2) comprises at least one milking station (4), a transport conduit (6), a main milk tank (8) for storing milk from the at least one milking station (4), a connection conduit (10) extending from the transport conduit (6) to the main milk tank (8), and a cleaning liquid arrangement (16). From the milking station (4) a connection pipe (12) leads to the transport conduit (6) at a connection point (14). The arrangement (2) for milking animals comprises a valve arrangement (18). The cleaning liquid arrangement (16) is connected to the transport conduit (6) via the valve arrangement (18). The valve arrangement (18) is adapted to be positioned in at least a first position and a second position. In the first position the transport conduit (6) forms a loop such that two flow paths from the connection point (14) to the connection conduit (10) are provided by the transport conduit (6), and in the second position the loop is interrupted such that one flow path only from the connection point (14) to the connection conduit (10) is provided by the transport conduit (6).