Product Tank Flow Guide to Prevent Outlet Vortex Gas Entrainment
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Solution Overview
Problem
In beverage bottling plants, product tanks often experience vortex formation at outlets, leading to gas bubbles entering the filling product, which affects product quality and flow meter accuracy, and can cause foaming in containers.
Innovation Solution
A product tank with a flow guide device that generates a transverse flow to 'wash away' vortices, preventing gas from entering the product, featuring a baffle plate or paddles that deflect the rotating liquid and break up vortices before they can draw gas from the headspace.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the outlet is positioned to discharge product from the product tank, then product delivery is enabled, but vortex formation occurs at the outlet
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful vortex flow is extracted and separated from the main product discharge flow by positioning the outlet laterally tangentially at the lower area of the product tank. This geometric arrangement allows the product to be discharged while preventing the formation of vortices that would otherwise occur with downward or central outlets.
Solution Approach 2:
The outlet is positioned with specific local geometric characteristics - laterally tangential orientation at the lower area of the tank - to create favorable local flow conditions that prevent vortex formation while maintaining effective product delivery.
2Productivity
If vortex formation occurs at the outlet, then product flow is maintained, but gas bubbles from the top space are introduced into the filling product
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful vortex flow that causes gas entrainment is extracted and eliminated from the discharge system by using a lateral tangential outlet position, thereby separating the product flow function from the harmful vortex effect while maintaining continuous product delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The outlet is positioned with specific local geometric characteristics - laterally tangential orientation at the lower area of the tank - to create favorable local flow conditions that prevent vortex formation and gas bubble entrainment while maintaining effective product delivery.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the filling level in the product tank is significantly increased to reduce vortex formation, then vortex entry is reduced, but the tank cannot be run empty for filling residues
Solution Approach 1:
The outlet is positioned with specific local geometric characteristics - laterally tangential orientation at the lower area of the tank - to create favorable local flow conditions that prevent vortex formation regardless of the overall filling level, thereby maintaining both vortex reduction and the ability to run the tank empty.
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 effectively reduces gas entry into the filling product, maintaining product quality and ensuring accurate flow measurements, while also eliminating foaming issues in containers.
Implementation Method 1
A flow guide device which is arranged inside the product tank and is set up to generate a transverse flow oriented transversely to the discharge direction
Implementation Method 2
any vortices that form at the outlet are 'washed away' from the outlet and dissolved. A vortex tends to form on the shortest path between the outlet and the liquid level or surface. Due to the increasing distance between the outlet and the incipient vortex under the effect of a cross flow, the vortex breaks up again
Implementation Method 3
The flow guide device preferably comprises at least one guide plate in the area of the outlet, which covers part of the cross section of the product tank. The baffle forms a mechanically simple and reliable means of generating the transverse flow, since a vortex that forms leads to a rotation of the liquid, which is deflected at the baffle.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4a~4b
AI summary
Product tank (10) for receiving a liquid product and device (1) for filling containers (100) with a filling product, preferably in a beverage filling plant, wherein the product tank (10) has: an outlet (11) for discharging the product from the product tank (10) along a discharge direction; and a flow guide device (12) which is arranged inside the product tank (10) and is configured to generate a transverse flow oriented towards the discharge direction.