Filling element, method and filling system for filling containers

An apparatus comprising a filling element for free jet filling of containers with a liquid charge, said filling element comprising a filling element housing comprising a liquid channel formed therein, a liquid valve provided upstream of a dispensing opening, and an actuator device for actuating said liquid valve for controlled discharge of said liquid charge via said dispensing opening into a container arranged with a container opening thereof spaced below said dispensing opening, wherein, in an open state thereof, said liquid valve forms an opening gap through which said liquid charge flows, said opening gap having a gap width of at least four millimeters, and wherein said actuating device for said liquid valve is configured to cause said liquid valve to be in said open state for at least one hundred milliseconds.

A method for free-jet filling of a container with liquid charge, said method comprising providing a filling element housing comprising a liquid channel formed therein, providing a liquid valve upstream of a dispensing opening, arranging a container so that a container opening thereof is spaced below said dispensing opening, providing an actuator device for actuating said liquid valve for controlled discharge of said liquid charge via said dispensing opening into said container, causing said liquid valve to transition into an open state during which said liquid valve forms an opening gap through which said liquid charge flows, said opening gap being at least four millimeters wide, and causing said liquid valve to be in said open state for longer than one hundred milliseconds.