Carbonated beverage aseptic filling system, beverage filling system, and cip processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021261397-A1
Application number	US-201917251268-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 21, 2019
Priority date	Jun 21, 2018
Publication date	Aug 26, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A carbonated beverage aseptic filling system (10) comprises: a filling nozzle (72) for filling a carbonated beverage; a carbonated beverage filling tank (75) connected to the filling nozzle (72) via a carbonated beverage supplying pipe (73) and a counter pressure pipe (74); a snift pipe (78) connected to the filling nozzle; and an aseptic chamber (13) enclosing the filling nozzle (72), at least part of the carbonated beverage supplying pipe (73), and at least part of the counter pressure pipe (74). The carbonated beverage supplying pipe (73) and the counter pressure pipe (74) are attached to the aseptic chamber (13) by a rotary joint (77). A discharging valve (79) is provided in the snift pipe (78) inside the aseptic chamber (13), and gas from the snift pipe (78) is discharged into the aseptic chamber.

First claim

1 . A carbonated beverage aseptic filling system comprising:
a filling nozzle for filling a carbonated beverage; a carbonated beverage filling tank connected to the filling nozzle via a carbonated beverage supplying pipe and a counter pressure pipe; a snift pipe connected to the filling nozzle; and an aseptic chamber enclosing the filling nozzle, at least part of the carbonated beverage supplying pipe, and at least part of the counter pressure pipe, wherein the carbonated beverage supplying pipe and the counter pressure pipe are attached to the aseptic chamber by a rotary joint, a discharging valve is provided in the snift pipe inside the aseptic chamber and gas from the snift pipe is discharged into the aseptic chamber.

2 . The carbonated beverage aseptic filling system according to claim 1 , wherein the snift pipe has a rotation-type interior snift pipe being located inside the aseptic chamber and rotating together with the filling nozzle, and a non-rotation type exterior snift pipe extending outward from the aseptic chamber, and wherein the discharging valve is located between the interior snift pipe and the exterior snift pipe.

3 . The carbonated beverage aseptic filling system according to claim 2 , wherein the exterior snift pipe is stretchable.

4 . The carbonated beverage aseptic filling system according to claim 1 , wherein a carbon dioxide gas supplying pipe and a carbon dioxide gas discharging pipe are connected to the carbonated beverage filling tank, valves are respectively provided in the carbonate gas supply pipe and the carbon dioxide gas discharging pipe, and the valves are each controlled by a control part, thereby controlling a pressure inside the carbonated beverage filling tank.

5 . The carbonated beverage aseptic filling system according to claim 4 , wherein the relation P 1 >P 2 is established between the pressure P 1 inside the carbonated beverage filling tank and the pressure P 2 inside the carbon dioxide gas discharging pipe.

6 . The carbonated beverage aseptic filling system according to claim 4 , wherein the valves provided in the carbon dioxide gas supplying pipe and the carbon dioxide gas discharging pipe are respectively controlled, lest the pressure P 1 inside the carbonated beverage filling tank should be 0.01 MPa or lower.

7 . A beverage filling system serving both carbonated beverages and non-carbonated beverages, said system comprising:
a carbonated beverage exclusive flow path used only for filling a carbonated beverage; a carbonated/non-carbonated beverage flow path used for filling both carbonated beverage and non-carbonated beverage; and a control part for controlling the beverage filling system, wherein the control part performs CIP cleaning on both the carbonated beverage exclusive flow path and the carbonated/non-carbonated beverage flow path, if a beverage filled in bottles immediately before the CIP cleaning is a carbonated beverage, and performs CIP cleaning on only the carbonated/non-carbonated beverage flow path, if a beverage filled in the bottles immediately before the CIP cleaning is a non-carbonated beverage.

8 . The beverage filling system according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a filling nozzle for filling the carbonated beverage or the non-carbonated beverage; a beverage filling tank connected to the filling nozzle via a beverage supplying pipe and a counter pressure pipe; and a snift pipe connected to the filling nozzle, wherein the carbonated beverage exclusive flow path includes the counter pressure pipe and the snift pipe and the carbonated/non-carbonated beverage flow path includes the filling nozzle and the beverage filling tank.

9 . The beverage filling system according to claim 7 , wherein the control part lets steam flow through the carbonated beverage exclusive flow path after the CIP cleaning, thereby simultaneously sterilizing and cleaning fluid-contacting portions of the carbonated/non-carbonated beverage flow path.

10 . A CIP processing method for performing CIP processing on a beverage filling system serving both carbonated beverage and non-carbonated beverage, wherein
said beverage filling system comprises: a carbonated beverage exclusive flow path used only for filling the carbonated beverage; and a carbonated/non-carbonated beverage flow path used for filling both the carbonated beverage and the non-carbonated beverage, said CIP processing method comprises the steps of: determining whether a beverage filled in bottles immediately before the CIP processing is the carbonated beverage or the non-carbonated beverage; selecting a flow path to be CIP-cleaned depending on the beverage filled in the bottles immediately before the CIP processing; and CIP-cleaning the selected flow path, wherein the CIP cleaning is performed on both the carbonated beverage exclusive flow path and the carbonated/non-carbonated beverage flow path, if a beverage filled in bottles immediately before the CIP cleaning is a carbonated beverage, and the CIP cleaning is performed on only the carbonated/non-carbonated beverage flow path, if a beverage filled in the bottles immediately before the CIP cleaning is a non-carbonated beverage.

Assignees

• Dainippon Printing Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hayakawa Atsushi

Classifications

• B67C2003/2694

  by enclosing a set of containers in a chamber · CPC title

• B67C2003/2602

  Details of vent-tubes · CPC title

• B67C3/2614

  specially adapted for counter-pressure filling · CPC title

• B67C3/10

  preliminary filling with inert gases, e.g. carbon dioxide · CPC title

• B67C3/22

  Details · CPC title