Back to results
US 12,698,195 B2Granted
Methods and systems for maintaining carbonation levels in beverages using dynamic carbonation preconditioning
AssigneeCoors Brewing Company
InventorsPeter Banhidai, Jon Standen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved carbonation method, apparatus, and system includes a carbonation chamber, a temperature sensor, a pressure regulator, and a controller that determines a temperature of water entering the carbonation chamber and, when the temperature is above and outside of a predetermined temperature range, send a temperature adjustment to signal to a cooler to cool the water and, when the temperature is in the predetermined temperature range, determine whether a pressure of carbon dioxide gas entering the chamber should be adjusted corresponding to the specific temperature in the predetermined temperature range.
Claims20
A temperature and pressure controlled carbonation system, comprising:
- a carbonation chamber;
- a first infeed line that conveys water from a water source to the carbonation chamber;
- a second infeed line that conveys carbon dioxide gas from a carbon dioxide pressure vessel to the carbonation chamber;
- a temperature sensor disposed between the water source and the carbonation chamber;
- a conditioning cooler comprising at least one cooling coil, the at least one cooling coil in cooling communication with the first infeed line;
- a pressure regulator disposed between the carbon dioxide pressure vessel and the carbonation chamber that regulates a pressure of the carbon dioxide gas entering the carbonation chamber;
- and
- a controller that receives a sensed temperature value from the temperature sensor, sends a digital temperature adjustment signal to the conditioning cooler when the sensed temperature value is higher than a temperature value in a predetermined temperature range instructing the conditioning cooler to cool the first infeed line to the temperature value in the predetermined temperature range, determines, when the sensed temperature value is the temperature value in the predetermined temperature range, a related pressure value associated with the sensed temperature value that carbonates the water in the carbonation chamber at a predetermined carbonation level, receives a pressure value setting of the pressure regulator, sends, when the pressure value setting is outside of a predetermined range from the related pressure value, a digital pressure adjustment signal to the pressure regulator instructing the pressure regulator to alter the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas entering the carbonation chamber to the related pressure value and produce carbonated water at the predetermined carbonation level in the carbonation chamber.
5 more elements
A method of producing a carbonated beverage, comprising:
- receiving, from a temperature sensor, a water temperature value of water supplied from a water source to a carbonation chamber;
- sending, when the water temperature value received is higher than a temperature value in a predetermined temperature range, a digital temperature adjustment signal across a communication network to a conditioning cooler that causes the conditioning cooler to cool the water to the temperature value in the predetermined temperature range;
- determining, when the water temperature value is the temperature value in the predetermined temperature range, a related pressure value associated with the water temperature value that carbonates the water in the carbonation chamber at a predetermined carbonation level,
- receiving, from a pressure regulator that regulates a pressure of carbon dioxide gas entering the carbonation chamber, a pressure value setting that defines the pressure of carbon dioxide gas entering the carbonation chamber;
- and
- sending, when the pressure value setting is outside of a predetermined range from the related pressure value, a digital pressure adjustment signal to the pressure regulator that causes the pressure regulator to alter the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas entering the carbonation chamber to the related pressure value and produces carbonated water at the predetermined carbonation level in the carbonation chamber.
3 more elements
A temperature and pressure controlled carbonation apparatus, comprising:
- a carbonation chamber comprising a water inlet, a carbon dioxide gas inlet, and a carbonated water outlet;
- a temperature sensor that measures a temperature of water entering the carbonation chamber through the water inlet;
- a pressure regulator that regulates a pressure of carbon dioxide gas entering the carbonation chamber through the carbon dioxide gas inlet;
- and
- a controller that receives a sensed temperature value from the temperature sensor, sends a digital temperature adjustment signal to a conditioning cooler to cool the water entering the carbonation chamber to a temperature value in a predetermined temperature range when the sensed temperature value is higher than the temperature value in the predetermined temperature range, determines, when the sensed temperature value is the temperature value in the predetermined temperature range, a related pressure value associated with the sensed temperature value that carbonates the water in the carbonation chamber at a predetermined carbonation level, receives a pressure value setting of the pressure regulator, sends, when the pressure value setting is outside of a predetermined range from the related pressure value, a digital pressure adjustment signal to the pressure regulator causing the pressure regulator to alter the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas entering the carbonation chamber to the related pressure value and produce carbonated water at the predetermined carbonation level in the carbonation chamber.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.