EP2346776A1 - Filling element and filling system comprising such a filling element - Google Patents

Abstract

A filling element for filling systems for filling bottles or similar containers (2) with a hot liquid product, comprising a liquid channel (14, 15), which is formed in the filling element (1), has a filling valve (9) and forms at least one discharge opening, via which, by controlled opening and closing of the liquid valve (9), the liquid product can be introduced into the respective container (2) that has been raised towards the filling element (1) in a lifting movement, and comprising at least one flow path (16, 17, 18), which is formed in the liquid valve (1) and, for heating the filling element (1), can be connected to a hot circulation of the liquid product, characterized in that control means (5.2) are provided and, by the lifting movement of the container (2) to be filled, open the liquid valve (9) and block the flow path (16, 17, 18) for the hot circulation or reduce the effective flow cross section of this flow path (16, 17, 18), and in that optionally, at least over part of the length of the flow path (16, 17, 18) for the hot circulation, the inner surface of this flow path is profiled, for example provided with ribs (30), to increase the surface area that comes into contact with the product and/or to create a turbulent flow of the product.

Description

 Filling element and filling system with such a filling element

The invention relates to a filling element according to the preamble of claim 1 and to a filling system according to the preamble of claim 17.

In many cases it is necessary to fill products for a hot sterile filling with an increased product temperature, for example with a product temperature in the range between 90 and 95 ° C. Problems with this hot filling or filling machines used for hot filling include u.a. in that the filling elements of a filling machine used for the controlled filling of the respective product or filling material must already have the increased product temperature before the start of the filling process, since only then can it be prevented that the fill elements, although supplied in the hot state, are there during filling cooled in an improper way. It is thus necessary to preheat the filling elements before starting the filling process. Analogous to this, both the contents, as well as the elements of a filling machine must be kept at the required target temperature, for example in the range between 90 and 95 ° C even during interruptions of a filling process, so that the filling after the termination of an interruption immediately with the can be recorded on desired temperature filling elements.

To solve these problems, filling systems or filling machines are already known in which the filling elements are included in a so-called hot circulation, i. a partial flow of the hot contents in an e.g. a closed circuit having a heating device is passed through the filling elements in order to heat them and / or to keep them at the respective desired temperature. A disadvantage of known

However, filling systems or filling machines of this type are, inter alia, that for controlling the functions filling and hot circulation extremely complex, prone and expensive

Valve arrangements are required. The object of the invention is to show a filling element which is heated in a simplified design in the hot circulation. To solve this problem, a filling element according to the patent claim 1 is formed. A filling system is the subject of claim 17.

The particular advantage of the invention is that the liquid valve of the respective filling element and also formed in the respective filling element flow channel for the hot circulation are controlled solely by the movement of each container to be filled, i. opened the liquid valve by applying and / or pressing the container to the filling element and the flow path for the hot circulation here closed or throttled and vice versa when removing the filled container from the filling element whose liquid valve closed again and the flow path for the hot circulation are fully opened.

Further developments, advantages and applications of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments and from the figures. In this case, all described and / or illustrated features alone or in any combination are fundamentally the subject of the invention, regardless of their summary in the claims or their dependency. Also, the content of the claims is made an integral part of the description.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the figures of an embodiment. Show it:

1 shows a simplified representation of a filling element having a filling position of a filling machine of rotating design, with closed filling element, together with a relative to the filling element lowered container in the form of a bottle;

FIG. 2 shows the filling position of FIG. 1, together with the bottle raised against the filling element; Fig. 3 and 4 respectively in an enlarged detail representation of the filling element with the liquid valve closed and open; 5 shows a section through the housing parts of the two-part Füllelementgehäuses according to the line I - I of Figure 1.

In the figures, 1 is one of the filling elements of a filling machine of rotating design for pressureless filling of containers in the form of bottles 2 with a hot liquid filling material, for example with a filling material, which for a hot filling (eg hot sterile filling) a temperature in the range between about 90 and 95 ⁰ C has. The filling element 1 is provided with a plurality of similar filling elements 1 on the circumference of a rotatable about a vertical axis of the machine rotor 3. This includes, inter alia, a common for all filling elements 1 boiler 4, for example ring bowl, which is partially filled, ie level controlled to the level N with the hot liquid product during filling operation, so that in the interior of the boiler 4, a lower, of the hot liquid Contents occupied liquid space 4.1 and lying over a filled example, with an inert gas chamber 4.2 are formed.

The filling elements 1 are each fastened with their Füllelementgehäuse 5 on the underside of the boiler 4. Each Füllelementgehäuse 5 is formed in two parts, consisting of a fixed to the rotor 3 and at the bottom of the boiler 4 housing part 5.1 and a movable housing part 5.2, which is movable relative to the housing part in the direction of a vertical Füllelementachse FA, between a lower stroke position shown in the figure 1 and 3 and an upper stroke position shown in Figures 2 and 4, respectively. By acting between the housing parts 5.1 and 5.2 spring means, which are formed in the illustrated embodiment of a provided on the outside of the housing, the axis FA concentrically enclosing compression spring 6, that is

Housing part 5.2 biased in the lower stroke position.

The housing part 5.2 consists essentially of a valve plate 7, which is oriented with their surface sides perpendicular to the axis FA and against the top also the compression spring 6 is supported, and from a double-ended open filling pipe or filling tube 8, which penetrates the valve plate 7 sealed and extends with its upper Füllrohrabschnitt 8.1 in the housing part 5.1. With a lower Füllrohrabschnitt 8.2, the filling tube 8 projects beyond the underside of the valve plate 7 and forms at its lower end a discharge opening with a liquid valve 9 for controlled filling of the bottles 2 with the liquid product, as will be described in more detail below.

The liquid valve 9 is executed in the illustrated embodiment as a foot valve and consists essentially of a valve body 10 which is provided at the bottom, from the Füllrohrabschnitt 8.1 protruding end of a coaxially arranged with the axis FA return gas pipe 11 and with a valve body surface formed by a seal 12 cooperates with a valve surface formed by the lower opening edge of the Füllrohrabschnittes 8.2. The return gas pipe 11, which extends through the valve housing 5 and also sealed by the liquid chamber 4.1 of the boiler 4 into the gas space 4.2 there, forms a return gas channel 13, which in the illustrated embodiment at the bottom of the filling element 1, i. is constantly open at the valve body 10 as well as at the tube end extending into the gas space 4.2.

Within the filling tube 8, an annular channel 14 is formed between the inner surface of this filling tube and the outer surface of the return gas tube 11, which opens at the upper end of the filling tube 8 in a trained in the housing part 5.1 channel 15, which via an opening 15.1 with the liquid space 4.1 of the boiler. 4 in the area of the boiler floor. The channel 15 is also continued in an axis FA FA concentrically enclosing annular channel portion 16 which between the outer surface of the Füllrohrabschnittes 8.1 and the inner surface of the housing part 5.1 and in particular the inner surface of the Füllrohrabschnitt 8.1 by far enclosing tubular housing portion 5.1.1 of the housing part 5.1 is formed. At the bottom of the valve plate 7 adjacent opening edge of the housing section 5.1.1 is the channel section 16 via an axis enclosing the FA FA ring opening 17, which between this Opening edge and the top of the valve plate 7 is formed, with the housing portion 5.1.1 annularly surrounding annular channel 18 in connection, the outside sealed sealed to the environment by a wall which allows the relative movement of the housing part 5.2 to the housing part 5.1, ie in the direction the axis FA can be shortened and extended axially and which is formed in the illustrated embodiment of a bellows 19. At the upper end of the ring opening 17 remote from the annular channel 18 is connected to an annular channel 20 which is provided in or on the rotor 3 for all filling elements 1 of the filling machine or for each of a group of such filling elements 1 together.

At the over the underside of the valve plate 7 projecting Füllrohrabschnitt 8.2 a seal 21 is provided, which is supported by a spacer 22 against the underside of the valve plate 7 and projects beyond the Füllrohrabschnitt 8.2 8.2.2 with a Füllrohrteillänge down.

Each filling element 1 of the filling machine is associated with a container carrier 23, which is formed in the illustrated embodiment for a suspended attachment of the bottles 2 at its provided below the bottle mouth 2.1 muzzle bead 2.2. The container carrier 23 is guided by means of a guide rod 24 on the rotor 3 in the axis FA between a lowered stroke position (Figure 1) and a raised stroke position (Figure 2) movable, namely controlled by a cam roller 25, with one with the rotor non-circumferential cam 26 cooperates. In the illustrated embodiment, the respective container carrier 23, which forms a filling position 27 together with the associated filling element 1, biased by spring means not shown in the raised lifting position.

For filling, the containers or bottles 2 are fed to the individual filling positions 27 when the container carrier 23 is lowered, so that the bottle mouth

2.1 of the respective bottle 2, initially at a distance below the relevant

Filling element 1 is located. The container carrier 23 is then with the bottle. 2 raised so that it comes with their bottle mouth 2.1 against the seal 21 to the plant and the housing part is moved 5.2 via the bottle 2 and against the action of the spring means 6 upwards in the upper stroke position. In this case, the liquid valve 9 opens so that the liquid product can flow from the boiler 4 via the liquid channel formed by the channel 15 and the annular channel 14 and the opened liquid valve 9 in the bottle 2, wherein the displaced from the bottle 2 of the liquid product Air is discharged via the return gas channel 13.

The filling process is then automatically terminated as soon as the level of contents rising in the bottle 2 has reached the lower end of the return gas tube 11 introduced into the bottle 2 or this end is slightly immersed in the level of contents and the return gas channel 13 is closed. The filling level in each filled bottle 2 is determined by the Füllrohrteillänge 8.2.1 and can be adjusted by using spacers 22 with different axial dimensions. When lowering the respectively filled bottle 2, the liquid valve 9 is closed again by the lowering movement of the housing part 5.2, as is known to those skilled in the art.

The lower stroke position of the housing part 5.2 is defined by the fact that the Füllrohrabschnitt 8.2 rests with its lower edge against the valve body 10 and its seal 12. The upper stroke position of the housing part 5.2 is defined by the fact that the valve plate 7 rests against the lower edge of the housing section 5.1.1.

A special feature of the filling element 1 is that for heating the filling elements 1, a hot circulation of liquid filling material from the liquid space 4.2 through the channel 15, the channel portion 16 and the annular channel 18 of each filling element 1 in the annular channel 20 and from this via a product pump 28 and a heater 29 back into the liquid space 4.1 of the boiler 4 is possible. By this hot circulation effective heating of the filling elements 1 is achieved so that they before the start of a filling process on the required, increased product temperature preheated and can be maintained at an interruption of the filling process to the required target temperature, ie at the beginning of each filling process, as well as a resumption of the filling after a break cooling of the hot filling material within the filling 1 is effectively avoided ,

Another special feature is that only by the raising and lowering of the respective bottle 2 not only the opening and closing of the liquid valve 9 is controlled in the manner described above, but also the hot circulation through the filling element. Namely, as a comparison in particular of Figures 3 and 4 shows, is located in the lower stroke position housing part 5.2 and closed liquid valve 9, the ring opening 17 for the hot circulation or for the passage of the channel section 16 and the annular channel 18 with the hot contents completely open , With the lifting of the housing part 5.2 and the opening of the liquid valve 9, the annular opening 17 is increasingly reduced, i. the effective flow cross section of the flow path formed by the channel section 16 and the annular channel 18 is reduced, until finally the valve plate 7 fully abuts against the lower edge of the housing section 5.1.1 and thereby not only ends the lifting movement of the housing part 5.2 upward, but also the annular opening 17th is completely closed (Fig. 4). During filling thus flows the entire, the respective filling element inflowing material in the interest of the shortest possible filling time and thus the highest possible performance of the filling machine (number of filled bottles 2 per unit time) on the open liquid valve 9 of the respective bottle 2, while closed Liquid valve 9, ie before and after the respective filling phase, the ring opening 17 is completely opened for the hot circulation.

In order to make the heating of the filling elements 1 with the subsidized in the hot circulation partial flow of the liquid filling material particularly effective, are at the

Inner surface of the housing part 5.1 and the tubular housing portion 5.1.1 radially projecting beyond this inner surface ribs 30 provided as shown in the Figure 5 is shown. By these ribs 30, which extend in the illustrated embodiment to the outer surface of the Füllrohrabschnittes 8.1, there is a significant increase in the inner surface, which is in contact with the hot, the channel portion 16 flowing through the product. Furthermore, a certain turbulence of the Füllgutstroms is achieved by the ribs 30, which also significantly improves the heat transfer from the contents of the housing 5.

Despite the heating of the filling element 1 by the controlled in hot circulation promoted filling of the associated advantages, the filling element has a simplified construction.

The heating of the filling element 1 by the conveyed in hot circulation product is particularly effective also in that this in the flow through the filling element 1 conveyed product in the channel section 16 initially relative to the axis FA axially towards Füllelementunterseite and then subsequently after flowing through the annular opening 17 axially flows in the direction of Füllelementoberseite, so in a compact and especially in the direction of the axis FA short construction of the filling element 1, a relatively long flow path for the filling element 1 heated filling in the housing 5 results.

The filling height of the filling material in the respective bottle 2 is thus determined by the length, with the Füllrohrabschnitt 8.1 protrudes beyond the bottom of the seal 21 and thus extends into the interior of the bottle 2 when filling through the bottle mouth 2.1.

The invention has been described above by means of an embodiment. It is understood that changes and modifications are possible without thereby departing from the inventive concept underlying the invention. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 filling element

2 containers or bottle

2.1 bottle mouth

2.2 Mouth flange

3 rotor

4 kettles

4.1 Liquid chamber of the boiler 4

4.2 Gas space of the boiler 4

5 filler housing

5.1, 5.2 Housing part

5.1.1 Housing section

6 spring

7 valve plate

8 filling tube

8.1, 8.2 Filler pipe section

8.2.1 Filling pipe part length

9 liquid valve

10 valve body

11 return gas pipe

12 seal

13 return gas channel

14 ring channel

15 channel

15.1 opening

16 channel section

17 ring opening

18 ring channel

19 movable wall or bellows

20 ring channel

21 seal 22 spacer

23 container carriers

24 guide rod

25 cam roller

26 cam

27 filling position

28 product pump

29 heating device

FA filler element axis

N level

Claims

claims 1. filling element for filling systems for filling bottles or similar containers (2) with a hot liquid product, with a filling element (1) formed in the liquid channel (14, 15) with liquid valve (9), the (liquid channel) forms at least one discharge opening, via which the liquid product can be introduced by controlled opening and closing of the liquid valve (9) into the respective container (2) raised against the filling element (1) in a lifting movement, and with at least one flow path (16) formed in the liquid valve (1). 17, 18), which is connectable to a hot circulation of the liquid filling material for heating the filling element (1), characterized by control means (5.2) which open the liquid valve (9) by the lifting movement of the container to be filled (2) and the flow path ( 16, 17, 18) for the hot circulation lock or the effective flow cross section of this flow path (16, 17, 18) Reduzi older. 2. Filling element according to claim 1, characterized in that the flow path (16, 17, 18) of the hot circulation is completely blocked or closed by the lifting movement of the container to be filled. 3. Filling element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control means of a movable between at least one first and a second stroke position, preferably in a Füllelementachse (FA) axially movable housing part or element (5.2) are formed, which a Behälteranlage- and / or sealing surface (21) for the respective container to be filled and is moved with this when lifting. 4. Filling element according to claim 3, characterized in that in and / or on the movable housing part or element (5.2) and / or in a local filling pipe (8) at least a partial length of the liquid channel (15, 14) is formed. 5. Filling element according to claim 4, characterized in that in the and / or on the liquid channel (14) and / or filling tube (8) a valve seat of the liquid valve (9) is formed, which in the first stroke position of the movable housing part or element (5.2) abuts against a valve body (10) of this valve for closing the liquid valve (9). 6. Filling element according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the movable housing part or element (5.2) in cooperation with a further housing part (5.1) or housing portion (5.1.1), for example, with a Füllelementachse (FA) enclosing annular surface of this Housing section (5.1.1) at least one controllable opening (17) in the flow path (16, 18) of the hot circulation forms, which is closed in the second stroke position of the movable housing part or element (5.2) or has the reduced flow cross-section. 7. Filling element according to claim 6, characterized in that the controllable opening (17) between the movable housing part or element (5.2) and a surface of the further housing part (5.1) or the housing portion (5.1.1) is formed, against which the movable housing part (5.2) is supported in its second stroke position. 8. Filling element according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the movable housing part or element (5.2) with a at least a partial length of the liquid channel (14) forming the first Füllrohrabschnitt (8.1) in a in the further housing part (5.1) formed channel ( 15), which is in communication with a reservoir or vessel (4) for the liquid product, and that between the outer surface of the first Füllrohrabschnitts (8.1) and an inner surface of the further housing part (5.1) or the housing section (5.1.1) this Housing parts (5.1) an annular channel portion (16) is formed, which is part of the flow channel for the hot circulation. 9. Filling element according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the flow path for the hot circulation of at least two within the filling element (1) formed and preferably via the controllable opening (17) adjoining channels or channel sections (16, 18) is formed, in such a way that the flow direction in the channel sections is opposite, preferably in each case to the filler element axis (FA). 10. Filling element according to claim 9, characterized in that at least one channel or channel section (16) of the flow path for the hot circulation with a channel (15) is in communication, which in turn is connected to the reservoir or boiler (4) for the filling material, and that at least one further channel or channel section (18) of the flow path for the hot circulation with a preferably a heating device (29) having conveying path for returning the filling material to the reservoir or to the boiler (4) is connected. 11. Filling element according to one of claims 4 - 10, characterized in that the filling tube (8) with a further Füllrohrabschnitt (8.2) from the housing (5) of the filling element (1) protrudes. 12. Filling element according to claim 11, characterized in that the further Füllrohrabschnitt (8.2) forms at its end the valve seat of the executed as a foot valve fluid valve (9). 13. Filling element according to one of claims 4 - 12, characterized by at least one return gas channel (13) forming return gas pipe (11) which is at least part of the filling tube (8) so enclosed that in the movable housing part or element (5.2 ) formed part of the liquid passage is a return gas pipe (11) enclosing annular channel (14). 14. Filling element according to claim 13, characterized in that the valve body (10) of the liquid valve (9) on the return gas pipe (11) is provided. 15. Filling element according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the flow path for the hot circulation of at least one inner channel or channel portion (16) and an outer, the inner enclosing channel or channel portion (18) is formed, and that the outer channel or Channel section (18) by outer between the movable housing part or element (5.2) and the other housing part (5.1) extending and the movement of the movable housing part or - element (5.2) enabling wall means, for example in the form of at least one bellows (19) limited is. 16. Filling element according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least over a partial length of the flow path (16, 17, 18) for the hot circulation, the inner surface of this flow path to increase the coming into contact with the filling surface and / or to swirl the Füllgutstromes profiled, for example, with ribs (30) is provided. 17. filling system for filling bottles or similar containers (2) with a hot liquid product, with at least one filling element (1), characterized in that the filling element (1) is designed according to one of the preceding claims. 18. Filling system according to claim 17, characterized by its design as a filling machine of rotating design, which has a plurality of filling elements (1) on a rotatable about a vertical axis of the machine rotor (3).