Electron accelerator for sterilizing packaging material in an aspetic packaging machine
AssigneeTetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A.
InventorAnders Kristiansson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to an electron accelerator which is employed for sterilizing packaging material and which is included as part of an aseptic packaging machine which is intitially sterilized by means of an oxidizing chemical sterilizing agent such as H.sub.2 O.sub.2 and steam. A "window" of an electron accelerator, which is covered by metallic window foil, includes a thin coating of glass disposed on the window foil. The glass coating protects the window foil against chemical action such as oxidation resulting from the chemical sterilizing agent H.sub.2 O.sub.2.
Claims16
An electron accelerator comprising:
- a vacuum chamber including a cathode, the vacuum chamber having a window through which electrons accelerated from the cathode depart from the electron accelerator, the window including a metal foil and a coating of a chemically resistant material on an outer side of the metal foil,
- wherein the chemically resistant material includes a material of the general chemical formula SiO.sub.x, where X is less than 2.
A window for a vacuum chamber of an electron accelerator, the window comprising:
- a metal foil;
- and
- a coating of a chemically resistant material on the outside of the window foil,
- wherein the chemically resistant material includes glass.
A packaging machine for aseptic packaging of sterile contents, comprising;
- a sterile chamber having an inlet opening;
- means for advancing a packaging material web through an interior of the sterile chamber in a predetermined path;
- means, disposed inside the sterile chamber, for forming the web into a tube;
- means, disposed inside the sterile chamber, for filling the tube with sterile contents;
- means, disposed inside the sterile chamber, for sterilizing the web, the sterilizing means including an electron accelerator position adjacent the path of the web, the electron accelerator including a vacuum chamber and a cathode disposed inside of the vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber having a window through which electrons accelerated from the cathode depart from the electron accelerator, the window including a metal foil and a coating of a chemically resistant material on an outer side of the metal foil,
- wherein the chemically resistant material includes glass.
An apparatus for treating a packaging material web, comprising:
- means for advancing a packaging material web;
- and
- means for treating the web, the treating means including an electron accelerator, the electron accelerator including a vacuum chamber and a cathode disposed inside of the vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber having a window through which electrons accelerated from the cathode depart from the electron accelerator, the window including a metal foil and a coating of a chemically resistant material on an outer side of the metal foil,
- wherein the chemically resistant material includes glass.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.