Rapid cooling systems for beverages

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10317134-B2
Application number	US-201615198926-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2016
Priority date	Apr 12, 2016
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

A cooling system for rapidly cooling a beverage comprises a cooling channel configured to convey a beverage from upstream to downstream and a nozzle. The cooling channel includes an inner peripheral surface and the nozzle sprays the beverage on the inner peripheral surface such that the beverage is conveyed by gravity along the inner peripheral surface. The beverage cools as the beverage is conveyed by gravity along the inner peripheral surface such that the beverage is cooled by condensation and convection. The nozzle is further configured to reduce the pressure of the beverage such that the beverage cools due to expansion and reduction of pressure. The cooling system can also include a cooling media circulation system, a cooling media refrigeration system, and a post-chill coil.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooling system for rapidly cooling a beverage, the cooling system comprising:
a tank containing a cooling media;
a plurality of cooling channels submerged in the cooling media in the tank, each cooling channel having an upstream inlet configured to receive the beverage, a downstream outlet configured to dispense the beverage, and an inner peripheral surface along which the beverage is conveyed by gravity between the upstream inlet and the downstream outlet; and
a plurality of nozzles, each nozzle configured to spray the beverage onto the inner peripheral surface of one of the plurality of cooling channels, wherein the plurality of cooling channels are each directly submerged in the cooling media such that the cooling media directly contacts the plurality of cooling channels so that heat is exchanged between the cooling media and the beverage, and wherein the beverage is cooled as the beverage condenses on the inner peripheral surface of each of the plurality of cooling channels and is conveyed by gravity along the inner peripheral surface of each of the plurality of cooling channels.

2. The cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nozzles are configured to reduce the pressure of the beverage such that the beverage expands and cools.

3. The cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cooling channels are cylinders.

4. The cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising an inlet manifold coupled to the plurality of cooling channels configured to convey the beverage to the upstream inlets.

5. The cooling system according to claim 4 , further comprising an outlet manifold coupled to the plurality of cooling channels and configured to collect the beverage dispensed from the downstream outlets.

6. The cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising a cooling media circulation system that circulates the cooling media in the tank.

7. The cooling system according to claim 6 , wherein the cooling media circulation system has a perforated tube that distributes the cooling media in the tank.

8. The cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising an agitator that agitates the cooling media in the tank.

9. The cooling system according to claim 8 , further comprising a cooling media refrigeration system configured to convey a refrigerant that exchanges heat with the cooling media, wherein the cooling media refrigeration system has a refrigerant coil through which the refrigerant is conveyed, and wherein the refrigerant coil is located in the tank such that cooling media exchanges heat with the refrigerant via the refrigerant coil.

10. The cooling system according to claim 6 , further comprising a post-chill coil located in the tank and configured to receive the beverage from the downstream outlets, wherein the beverage is further cooled as heat is transferred from the beverage to the cooling media via the post-chill coil.

11. The cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising an operator input device and a controller that controls the cooling system according to an input from the operator input device.

12. The cooling system according to claim 11 , further comprising an outlet valve that dispenses the beverage conveyed by the cooling channel, wherein the controller controls the outlet valve to dispense the beverage according to an input from the operator input device.

13. The cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising a beverage recirculation system that circulates the beverage from the downstream outlets to the upstream inlets such that the beverage is further cooled by the cooling channel.

14. A method of rapidly cooling a beverage, the method comprising:
locating a plurality of cooling channels within cooling media contained in a tank, wherein each cooling channel has an upstream inlet that receives the beverage, a downstream outlet that dispenses the beverage, and an inner peripheral surface;
supplying the beverage to the plurality of cooling channels;
spraying, with a plurality of nozzles, the beverage into each of the plurality of cooling channels, wherein each nozzle in the plurality of nozzles sprays the beverage onto the inner peripheral surface of one of the plurality of cooling channels, wherein the plurality of cooling channels are each directly submerged in the cooling media such that the cooling media directly contacts the plurality of cooling channels so heat is exchanged between the cooling media and the beverage, and wherein the beverage is cooled by condensation and as the beverage is conveyed by gravity along the inner peripheral surface of each of the plurality of cooling channels.

15. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising conveying the beverage through a post-chill coil located in the tank, wherein the post-chill coil receives the beverage from the downstream outlets such that the beverage is further cooled as heat is transferred from the beverage to the cooling media via the post-chill coil.

16. A cooling system for rapidly cooling a beverage, the cooling system comprising:
a tank having a tank sidewall and an interior space containing a cooling media;
a cooling channel positioned in the tank such that the cooling channel is submerged in the cooling media, the cooling channel having an upstream inlet configured to receive the beverage, a downstream outlet configured to dispense the beverage, and a channel sidewall having an inner peripheral surface along which the beverage is conveyed by gravity between the upstream inlet of the cooling channel and the downstream outlet of the cooling channel and an opposing, exterior surface is in direct contact with the cooling media, wherein the channel sidewall and the tank sidewall are spaced apart from each other and define a gap in which the cooling media resides; and
a nozzle configured to spray the beverage onto the inner peripheral surface such that the beverage is cooled as heat is transferred from the beverage to the cooling media through the channel sidewall as the beverage is conveyed by gravity along the inner peripheral surface.

17. The cooling system according to claim 16 , wherein the cooling channel is one of a plurality of cooling channels, wherein the plurality of cooling channels are positioned in the tank in a parallel arrangement relative to each other, wherein the nozzle is one of a plurality of nozzles, and wherein the plurality of nozzles are configured to spray the beverage into the plurality of cooling channels and onto the inner peripheral surface of each of the plurality of cooling channels.

18. The cooling system according to claim 17 , further comprising an inlet manifold configured to distribute a single beverage flow to the plurality of cooling channels such that the single beverage flow is rapidly cooled by the plurality of cooling channels.

19. The cooling system according to claim 16 , wherein each cooling channel in the plurality of cooling channels has a lower surface positioned vertically directly below the inner peripheral surface along which the beverage is further conveyed by gravity from the inner peripheral surface to the downstream outlet.

Assignees

• Cornelius Inc

Inventors

• Pandeya Mridul Kumar
• Chougale Sandip
• Sankhgond Basavraj
• Garascia Jeffrey L

Classifications

• B67D1/0857

  Cooling arrangements (cooling systems per se F25B) · CPC title

• F25D3/005

  combined with heat exchangers · CPC title

• B67D1/0861

  the evaporator acting through an intermediate heat transfer means · CPC title

• F25D31/002 Primary

  Liquid coolers, e.g. beverage cooler (receptacle coolers F25D31/006) · CPC title

• F25D16/00

  Devices using a combination of a cooling mode associated with refrigerating machinery with a cooling mode not associated with refrigerating machinery · CPC title