Filling element, filling system, and method for filling containers

An apparatus for filling containers with a filling material, said apparatus comprising a filling element, said filling element comprising a fluid channel through which liquid filling-material provided by a filling-material tank flows, a liquid valve in said fluid channel, a discharge opening downstream of said liquid valve for discharging said filling material into a container with said liquid valve opened, a gas channel having a gas opening through which gas flows into said container, and a gas valve that controls flow of gas through said gas channel, wherein said gas opening either extends into or faces said container during filling thereof and wherein said gas valve is configured to transition between a plurality of discrete states, said states comprising a fully-open state, a closed state, and at least one partially-open state, said fully-open state and said partially-open state having different flow resistances,

• wherein said gas valve includes a gas-valve tube with a seal seat and a gas-valve needle that moves relative to said gas-valve tube, said gas-valve needle comprising a sealing surface and a choke separated by a shaft, wherein, as said gas-valve needle moves distally towards said container along a closing direction, said seal seat eventually engages said sealing surface and closes said gas valve wherein proximal movement of said valve needle in a direction opposite said closing direction, causes said gas valve to assume a partially-open position in which said choke is within a constriction of said gas-valve tube, thereby causing only a narrow annular gap to remain between said choke and a wall of said gas-valve tube at said constriction, wherein further proximal movement of said choke raises said choke out of said constriction and completely opens said gas valve.