Method and device for hot-filling a liquid product

A method for hot-filling a liquid product using a flash pasteurizer comprising a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, a filling station for filling the liquid product into containers, a cooling tunnel comprising a plurality of cooling cells that cool filled containers by means of a coolant, a heat pump, and a third heat exchanger being provided between the heat pump and one coldest cooling cell of the plurality of cooling cells, the method comprising:

• heating the liquid product, before it is filled into the containers to a target temperature in the flash pasteurizer, wherein at least a part of the coolant is conducted from the cooling tunnel to and through the first heat exchanger, so that at least a part of thermal energy of the coolant is transferred initially to the liquid product by the first heat exchanger;
• conducting the liquid product from the first heat exchanger to the second heat exchanger, wherein at least a further part of the thermal energy of the coolant is transferred to the second heat exchanger by the heat pump through a heat transfer medium in order to further heat the liquid product to the target temperature;
• and
• wherein the heat transfer medium which circulates through the second heat exchanger and the heat pump is additionally heated by a heater arranged between the heat pump and the second heat exchanger in a direction of circulation of the heat transfer medium,
• wherein the coolant that already cooled down after having passed a second heat pump element is conducted to the third heat exchanger via a conduit,
• wherein the third heat exchanger cools the coolant to a coolant temperature required at the cooling tunnel by dissipating a quantity of heat, and
• wherein from the third heat exchanger, the coolant is returned again to the cooling tunnel via a conduit to one coldest cooling cell of the plurality of cooling cells.