Method and apparatus for sterilizing drink supply pipeline

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10384240-B2
Application number	US-201414895622-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2014
Priority date	Jun 25, 2013
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

Hot water or heated steam is fed to a drink supply pipe line for simultaneously supplying drink to a plurality of filling nozzles, while exhausting the hot water or heated steam from all the filling nozzles, F-values are calculated by detecting temperatures at a plurality of predetermined portions of the drink supply pipe line and all the filling nozzles at every predetermined time interval, and a sterilizing process is ended at a time when a minimum F-value reaches an aimed value. According to such method, the sterilization to the drink supply pipe line can be smoothly performed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of sterilizing a drink supply pipe line, the drink supply pipe line is provided a balance tank, a heat sterilizing section, a manifold valve, a surge tank and a head tank in that order from a preparation apparatus toward a filler, the heat sterilizing section comprising at first and second heating stage sections, at least first and second cooling stage sections and a holding tube interposed between the at least first and second heating stage sections and the at least first and second cooling stage sections, with a pipe fluidly connecting the at least second cooling stage section to the balance tank via the manifold valve, each of which being upstream of the surge tank, which is fluidly connected to the drink supply pipe line, such that the pipe and the manifold valve constitute a return circulation path between the at least second cooling stage section and the balance tank that is fluidly connected to the at least first heating stage section, wherein hot water or heated steam is heated by the at least first and second heating stage sections and the holding tube to an aimed temperature as the hot water or heated steam is circulated in the return circulation path upstream of the surge tank, wherein the hot water or heated steam is fed to the drink supply pipe line for simultaneously supplying drink to a plurality of filling nozzles within an aseptic chamber, while exhausting the hot water or heated steam from all the filling nozzles, F-values are calculated by detecting temperatures at a plurality of predetermined portions of the drink supply pipe line and all the filling nozzles at every predetermined time interval, and a sterilizing process is ended at a time when a minimum F-value, of all calculated F-values at the plurality of predetermined portions of the drink supply pipe line and all the filling nozzles, reaches an aimed value.

2. The method of sterilizing a drink supply pipe line according to claim 1 , wherein the F-values are detected at the predetermined portions of the heat sterilizing section.

3. The method of sterilizing a drink supply pipe line according to claim 2 , wherein the F-value is calculated by using a following equation 1,

F
=

∫

t
0

t
1

⁢

10

(

T
-
Tr

)

/
Z

⁢

⁢
dt

[

Equation
⁢

⁢
1

]

(wherein T is an optional sterilizing temperature (° C.),
10 (T−Tr)/Z

is a fatality rate at the optional temperature T, Tr is a reference temperature (° C.), and Z is a Z value (° C.)).

4. The method of sterilizing a drink supply pipe line according to claim 2 , wherein a portion of the return circulation path is provided as an upstream side pipe line section that feeds the hot water or heated steam from the heat sterilizing section to the drink supply pipe line to thereby form an upstream side path, the F-values are calculated while flowing the hot water or heated steam from the upstream side pipe line section and the F-values are also calculated while flowing the hot water or heated steam to a downstream side pipe line section extending from the upstream side pipe line section to the filling nozzles within the aseptic chamber, and the sterilizing process is ended at the time when each of the minimum F-values reaches the aimed value.

5. The method of sterilizing a drink supply pipe line according to claim 4 , wherein the F-value is calculated by using a following equation 1,

F
=

∫

t
0

t
1

⁢

10

(

T
-
Tr

)

/
Z

⁢

⁢
dt

[

Equation
⁢

⁢
1

]

(wherein T is an optional sterilizing temperature (° C.),
10 (T−Tr)/Z

is a fatality rate at the optional temperature T, Tr is a reference temperature (° C.), and Z is a Z value (° C.)).

6. The method of sterilizing a drink supply pipe line according to claim 1 , wherein the F-value is calculated by using a following equation 1,

F
=

∫

t
0

t
1

⁢

10

(

T
-
Tr

Assignees

• Dainippon Printing Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hayakawa Atsushi
• Ito Shuta

Classifications

• A61L2/07

  Steam · CPC title

• A61L2202/14

  Means for controlling sterilisation processes, data processing, presentation and storage means, e.g. sensors, controllers, programs · CPC title

• B65B2210/08

  Cleaning nozzles, funnels or guides through which articles are introduced into containers or wrappers · CPC title

• B08B9/027

  Cleaning the internal surfaces; Removal of blockages · CPC title

• B67C7/0073

  Sterilising, aseptic filling and closing (B67C3/2642 takes precedence) · CPC title