Method for sterilizing cuboid-shaped cardboard/plastic combipacks in an autoclave and pack suitable for this

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9359096-B2
Application number	US-201514858395-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2015
Priority date	Sep 24, 2007
Publication date	Jun 7, 2016
Grant date	Jun 7, 2016

Abstract

A method for sterilizing cuboid-shaped cardboard/plastic combipacks in an autoclave, with the packs including product and packing are subjected to heat treatment at a certain temperature over a certain period of time, the product including a liquid and chunky portions, and mechanisms are provided inside the autoclave to drive the packs rotationally about a rotational spindle, and a cuboid-shaped cardboard/plastic combipack for use in such a device.
A plurality of packs are arranged closely adjacent to one another in parallel rows, to be arranged on support floors and for a plurality of support floors loaded with packs to be arranged one above the other and fixed in their mutual positions. The cardboard for the pack used therewith is made water-repellent by means of glue to reduce the intake of water.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for sterilizing cuboid-shaped cardboard/plastic combipacks comprising a packing containing a product, a ullage, and a gas bubble therein, in a rotating autoclave, comprising:
subjecting the combipacks comprising a product and packing to heat treatment at a certain temperature over a certain period of time, wherein the product comprises liquid and chunky portions,
driving the combipacks rotationally about a rotational spindle, wherein a plurality of combipacks, arranged closely adjacent to one another in parallel rows, are arranged on support floors, and a plurality of support floors loaded with combipacks are arranged one above the other and fixed in mutual positions,
providing a cuboid-shaped frame assembly to accommodate the combipacks, which contains a plurality of insert plates, arranged one above the other, to accommodate the combipacks arranged closely behind one another in parallel rows and lying on their narrow sides,
arranging the insert plates so that at a loading temperature a narrow air gap exists between the floor of an insert plate and the surfaces of the combipacks, located underneath, of the insert plate arranged underneath,
driving a counter pressure in the rotating autoclave at a temperature of above 100° C., and
jamming or fixing the packing between parallel faces of the insert plates via thermal expansion of the packing in conjunction with an expansion of the ullage and an expansion of the gas bubble.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the combipacks are arranged on their touching contact surfaces without lying in the area of recesses, and that the floor of each insert plate is designed as a hollow floor, so that air or steam can flow between the upper and lower plate.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the width of the air gap at the loading temperature is 0.5 to 10 mm.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the width of the air gap at the loading temperature is 3 to 5 mm.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a filling quantity of the combipacks used is chosen so that a gas bubble of 2 to 30% of a nominal volume of the combipack exists inside them in order to thoroughly mix the contents of the combipack uniformly and constantly during rotation in the rotating autoclave.

Assignees

• Sig Technology Ag

Inventors

• Wolters Michael
• Dintelmann Thomas

Classifications

• B32B2307/72

  Density · CPC title

• B32B2307/412

  Transparent · CPC title

• A61L2/04

  Heat (radiation A61L2/08) · CPC title

• D21H21/16

  Sizing or water-repelling agents · CPC title

• B32B2439/00

  Containers; Receptacles · CPC title