Shock elimination for filling system

Abstract

A product fill system and method uses a mode valve. The mode valve is a shuttle valve that allows the shock tube to communicate with the filler valve during a fill operation corresponding to fill mode of the mode valve. If the filler valve is shut off, any overpressure can pass through the mode valve and be absorbed by the shock tube. The mode valve can be switched into a clean mode in which the shock tube is connected more directly in the circuit between the upstream side of the mode valve and the filler valve. In other words, the shock tube is on a side circuit of the main circuit used for product feeding during the fill operation. However, during the clean operation, the shock tube is in the circuit such that cleaning material travels completely throughout the shock tube. The method of the present invention involves the use of the product fill system so as to accommodate cleaning without disassembly of parts.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.