Apparatus and method for sterilizing container closures
AssigneeSidel
InventorsEmanuela Boschi, Angelo Silvestri
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus (1) for sterilizing container closures comprises a conduit (2) defining a passage for the closure and having a wall (3) surrounding the passage, spraying means (4) for injecting inside the conduit (2) a sterilization fluid heated and vaporized, drying means for introducing hot air in the conduit (2) and means for capturing the exhaust fluids exiting from the con-duit (2), said means comprising at least a suction hood (15) arranged over a corresponding exhaust opening (14) defined in the conduit (2) at a predetermined distance thereto, to capture the exhaust fluids from said exhaust opening (14) bay way of a draught effect.
Claims15
An apparatus for sterilizing container closures, comprising:
- a conduit defining a passage for the container closures and having a wall surrounding the passage;
- spraying means for injecting inside the conduit a sterilization fluid heated and vaporized;
- drying means for introducing hot air in the conduit;
- means for capturing exhaust fluids exiting from the conduit, said means for capturing exhaust fluids comprising at least a suction hood arranged over a corresponding exhaust opening defined in the conduit at a predetermined distance thereto, to capture the exhaust fluids from said exhaust opening by way of a draught effect, whereby no suction force is directly applied to a fluid contained inside the conduit;
- a section of said suction hood being larger than a section of the corresponding exhaust opening.
An apparatus for sterilizing container closures, comprising:
- a conduit defining a passage for the container closures and having a wall surrounding the passage;
- spraying means for injecting inside the conduit a sterilization fluid heated and vaporized;
- drying means for introducing hot air in the conduit;
- means for capturing exhaust fluids exiting from the conduit, characterized in that said means for capturing exhaust fluids comprises at least a suction hood arranged over a corresponding exhaust opening defined in the conduit at a predetermined distance thereto, to capture the exhaust fluids from said exhaust opening by way of a draught effect, whereby no suction force is directly applied to a fluid contained inside the conduit;
- means for heating the wall of the conduit operatively coupled thereto;
- at least one sensor coupled to the wall of the conduit to detect the temperature thereof;
- control means connected to the means for heating the wall and to the at least one sensor, to regulate retroactively the heat transferred to the wall, in such a way that the temperature of the wall has a desired value.
A method for sterilizing container closures being transported inside a conduit having a wall defining internally a passage for the container closures, comprising the following steps:
- injecting inside the conduit a sterilization fluid heated and vaporized;
- introducing hot air in the conduit for drying the container closures;
- capturing exhaust fluids exiting from the conduit;
- providing at least a suction hood arranged over a corresponding exhaust opening defined in the conduit at a predetermined distance thereto, to provide a step of capturing the exhaust fluids from said exhaust opening by way of a draught effect;
- wherein a section of the suction hood is larger than a section of the corresponding exhaust opening, to provide a step of capturing the exhaust fluids exiting from the exhaust opening of the conduit and shifting laterally while moving upwards.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.