Method and system for flushing containers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9862584-B2
Application number	US-201414911128-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2014
Priority date	Aug 9, 2013
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

A method for processing containers includes introducing flushing gas into a container's interior while the interior remains connected to a vacuum source, and adjusting flow of the flushing gas and an underpressure of the vacuum source such that, while flushing gas flows through the interior, a flushing pressure in the interior lies between 0.46 and 0.9 bar.

First claim

Having described the invention, and a preferred embodiment thereof, what is claimed as new, and secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A method for processing containers using a container processing machine having a plurality of treatment heads, said method comprising, at a treatment head, flushing an interior of a container, wherein flushing an interior of said container at said treatment head comprises sealing said container against said treatment head, connecting said interior to a vacuum source, evacuating said interior, while said container is still connected to said vacuum source, introducing flushing gas into said interior, displacing gas out of said interior, and adjusting flow of said flushing gas and an underpressure of said vacuum source such that, while flushing gas flows through said interior, a flushing pressure in said interior lies between 0.46 and 0.9 bar.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein evacuating said interior comprises evacuating to a pressure between 0.05 bar and 0.4 bar, wherein introducing flushing gas begins only after completion of evacuation of said interior, wherein introducing flushing gas comprises causing pressure in said interior to rise as a result of introduction of said flushing gas up to a range between 0.46 and 0.9 bar.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein connecting said interior to a vacuum source comprises connecting said interior to a first gas channel that is formed in said treatment head, and wherein introducing flushing gas into said interior comprises introducing said flushing gas through a second gas channel formed in the treatment head.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein introducing flushing gas into said interior comprises causing said flushing gas to emerge at a point along a central axis of said container.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein introducing flushing gas into said interior comprises extending a tube into said interior and causing said flushing gas to flow into said interior through said tube.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising causing said flushing gas to flow from a gas chamber that contains said flushing gas under pressure, and, using a choke, choking flow of said flushing gas.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, using a pressure sensor, providing information indicative of said flushing pressure, and controlling said flushing pressure based at least in part on said information.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said pressure sensor monitors pressure only for said treatment head.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein said pressure sensor monitors pressures at each treatment position in said plurality of treatment positions.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, after flushing said interior, filling said interior with liquid filling-product.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein filling said interior with liquid filling-product comprises obtaining said liquid filling-product from a filling-product container having a gas space at a first pressure, said method further comprising providing said flushing gas from a flushing-gas source having flushing gas at a second pressure, wherein said second pressure is independent of said first pressure.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising causing pretensioning-gas to flow into said interior at a pretensioning-gas flow rate, wherein introducing flushing gas into said interior comprises causing said flushing gas to flow at a flushing-gas flow-rate, and wherein said flushing-gas flow-rate is less than said pretensioning-gas flow-rate.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising operating a first gas valve to permit pretensioning-gas to flow into said interior, wherein introducing flushing gas into said interior comprises operating a second gas valve to permit said flushing gas to flow into said interior, and wherein said first and second gas valves are different gas valves.

14. An apparatus for processing containers, said apparatus comprising a treatment head, said treatment head comprising means for flushing an interior of a container, said means for flushing comprising means for sealing said container against a treatment head, means for connecting said interior to a vacuum source, means for evacuating said interior, means for introducing flushing gas into said interior while said container is still connected to said vacuum source, and means for adjusting flow of said flushing gas and an underpressure of said vacuum source such that, while flushing gas flows through said interior, a flushing pressure in said interior lies between 0.46 and 0.9 bar.

Assignees

• Khs Gmbh

Inventors

• CLüSSERATH LUDWIG

Classifications

• B08B9/20

  by using apparatus into or on to which containers, e.g. bottles, jars, cans are brought {(washing or rinsing crockery or tableware A47L15/00)} · CPC title

• B08B9/283

  by gas jets · CPC title

• B67C3/10 Primary

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