US 5,896,828 AGranted

Method and apparatus for cleaning milking pipelines and milking equipment

AssigneeAlfa Laval Agri AB

InventorsGerald L. Kronschnabel, Mofazzal H. Chowdhury

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Abstract

In a milking parlor having a milk line to which milking clusters are connected and a wash line to which clean-in-place washer units are connected, milk from the milk line is directed through a pipeline to a single receiver tank that is maintained under a vacuum draw during the milking operation. Milk from the receiver tank is periodically pumped to a bulk tank. During wash up, the receiver tank is filled with wash water, and wash water is then pumped from the receiver tank through the milk pipelines leading to the bulk tank and then back by return lines to the receiver tank, and wash water is also pumped from the receiver tank to the wash line. The wash water from the wash line passes through the washer units, which are now connected to the teat cups of the milking cluster, thence to the milk line, and back through the milk line and the milk pipeline back to the receiver tank. Washing action may be enhanced by periodic injection of air into the wash supply line connected to the wash line to provide slugs of wash water that pass through the teat cup clusters and associated equipment.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A milk receiver and washing apparatus for use in a dairy of the type having a milking parlor with a milk line in the parlor, a wash line in the parlor, milking stations in the parlor each having a teat cup milking cluster connected by a hose to the milk line at each station and a clean-in-place washer unit connected by a hose to the wash line and connectable to the teat cups of the milking cluster for wash up, and a bulk milk tank outside the milking parlor, the apparatus comprising:

(a) a receiver tank located at a distance from the milk line and wash line, the receiver tank connectable to a vacuum pump so that the interior of the receiver tank may be placed under a vacuum draw, and wherein wash water and sanitizing chemicals may be selectively discharged into the receiver tank;
(b) a milk pipeline extending from the milk line to the receiver tank to transfer milk from the milk line to the receiver tank, and a milk pipeline extending from the receiver tank to the bulk tank to transfer milk from the receiver tank to the bulk tank;
(c) a milk pump connected in the milk pipeline between the receiver tank and the bulk tank;
(d) a main valve connected in the milk pipeline between the milk pump and the bulk tank;
(e) a bulk tank bypass valve connected in the milk pipeline between the main valve and the bulk tank;
(f) a wash supply line extending from the main valve to the wash line, the main valve switchable between positions to provide fluid from the milk pipeline pumped by the milk pump to the milk pipeline leading to the bulk tank alone in a first position and to the wash supply line in a second position;
(g) a wash return line extending from the tank bypass valve to the receiver tank, the tank bypass valve switchable between a position in which the bypass valve supplies milk from the milk pipeline to the bulk tank to a position in which fluid from the milk pipeline bypasses the bulk tank and is supplied to the wash return line;
whereby during milking operations, the receiver tank may be placed under vacuum draw to draw milk into the receiver tank from the milk line, the receiver tank may be periodically drained of milk by operating the milk pump to pump milk through the milk pipeline and through the main valve positioned to direct milk on the milk pipeline to the tank bypass valve positioned to direct the milk therethrough into the bulk tank, and, after a milking shift has been completed, the clean-in-place washer units may be connected by a milker to the teat cup clusters in the milking parlor, the receiver tank filled with wash water and sanitizing chemicals, and the milk pump then operated to provide wash water under pressure through the milk pipeline to the main valve which may be switched to alternatively provide the wash water to the wash supply line and to the milk pipeline, to provide cleansing of the milk pipelines, teat cup clusters and associated hoses.

5 more elements

A method of carrying out milking and wash up of the milking equipment and pipelines in a dairy of the type having a milking parlor with a milk line in the parlor, a wash line in the parlor, milking stations in the parlor each having a teat cup milking cluster connected to the milk line by a hose at each station and a clean-in-place washer unit connected by a hose to the wash line and connectable to the teat cups of the milking cluster for wash up, and a bulk milk tank outside the milking parlor, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a receiver tank located at a distance from the milk line and wash line and during milking connecting the interior of the receiver tank by a milk pipeline to the milk line and applying a vacuum draw to the receiver tank to draw milk from the milking clusters through the milk line and milk pipeline into the receiver tank;
(b) after a group of cows has been milked and the receiver tank contains a quantity of milk therein, pumping the milk out of the receiver tank through a milk pipeline to a bulk tank to transfer all of the milk from the receiver tank to the bulk tank;
(c) after a shift of milking has been completed, filling the receiver tank with wash water to a selected level and connecting the clean-in-place washer units at each milking station to the teat cups at the milking station;
(d) pumping wash water out of the receiver tank alternately (1) through the milk pipeline that extends to the bulk tank and diverting the wash water at the bulk tank so that none enters the bulk tank and returning the wash water to the receiver tank to circulate the wash water therethrough, and (2) through a wash supply line to the wash line, thence from the wash line to the clean-in-place washer units to the teat cup clusters connected thereto and thence to the milk line, and from the milk line directing the wash water back through the milk pipeline to the receiver tank to provide a circulation of wash water.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.