Filling device for filling a receptacle and process for the sanitisation thereof
AssigneeGea Procomac S.P.A.
InventorsPaolo Abelli, Simone Antiga, Michele Bonfanti
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Sanitisation process for sanitising a filling device (1) of a receptacle, the filling device (1) comprising a valve body (2), an inlet (4) for a fluid, a dispensing nozzle (5), and a shutter (8) that can be moved inside the valve body (2), comprising the steps of: bringing the shutter (8) into a position whereby it engages the dispensing nozzle (5) so as to close it completely; supplying the inlet (4) with the sanitisation fluid so as to fill the valve body (2) with the sanitisation fluid; moving the shutter (8) away from the dispensing nozzle (5) so as to discharge the condensation that has formed inside the valve body (2).
Claims11
A filling device (1) for filling a receptacle, comprising:
- a tank (40) containing a fluid;
- a valve body (2) which mainly extends along a longitudinal direction (AA);
- an inlet (4) communicating with said tank (40);
- a dispensing nozzle (5) for dispensing fluid to the receptacle;
- a passage (3) for the fluid, obtained inside the valve body (2) between the inlet (4) and the dispensing nozzle (5);
- a shutter (8) that can be moved inside said valve body (2) so as to assume at least a first position in which it is at a first predefined distance from said dispensing nozzle (5), a second position in which it engages said dispensing nozzle (5) so as to close it completely and a third position in which it is at a second predefined distance from said dispensing nozzle (5), less than the first predefined distance;
- a slider (7) slidably inserted in the valve body (2), said shutter (8) being integrally fixed to a first end (7a) of the slider (7) in proximity to the dispensing nozzle (5);
- an annular sleeve (13) slidably mounted outside the valve body (2) and comprising a plurality of magnetic rings (14) alternating with a plurality of ferromagnetic rings (15), said slider (7) comprising a core (17) made of ferromagnetic material to which a coating (18) is applied made of thermoplastic polymer,
- wherein the core (17) of said slider (7) has a central portion (17a) having a cylindrical extension along said longitudinal direction (AA) and a plurality of radial projections (17b) having an extension orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (AA),
- said filling device (1) being configurable at least in:
- a filling status in which the tank (40) contains a food-grade fluid and the shutter (8) is in the first position so as to allow the dispensing nozzle (5) to dispense the food-grade fluid to the receptacle;
- a sanitisation status in which the tank (40) contains a sanitisation fluid and the shutter (8) is in the second or third position,
- wherein the filling device (1) further comprises a flow rate sector (9) integrally fixed to a second end (7b) of the slider (7) and configured to assume at least one engagement configuration with a section narrowing (10) afforded in said passage (3), said section narrowing (10) being defined by a thickening (110) localised transversally to the walls of the valve body (2) and being interposed between a first chamber (11) receiving the fluid from the inlet (4) and a second chamber (12) receiving the fluid from the first chamber (11).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.