Beverage dispenser cooling system

A beverage dispensing system further cools the beverage where it is dispensed at a considerable distance from the beverage storage container. The beverage conduit between the storage and dispensing sites is carried in a bundle located within an insulated jacket conduit. The bundle also contains parallel chilled liquid lines through which chilled liquid is circulated. A concentric coil is located at the dispensing site. A manifold connects the parallel beverage and chilled liquid lines to the concentric coil and to the dispensing valve.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention: 
This invention relates in general to dispensing cold beverages from a tap, 
and in particular to an additional cooling unit used to reduce the 
temperature of the beverage at the tap. 
2. Description of the Prior Art: 
In restaurants, bars, stadiums and other public facilities, soft drinks and 
beer are commonly dispensed on tap. In many cases, the supply containers, 
such as the beer kegs, will be located in a large walk-in cooler or 
refrigerator. The drinks may be dispensed at several locations 
considerable distances away from the supply containers, as much as up to 
five hundred feet. 
In the case of beer, this is handled by connecting the beer keg to a carbon 
dioxide container, which applies pressure to a beer line leading to the 
valve or tap. To keep the temperature of the beer in the beer line from 
warming too much, a chilled liquid line containing glycol runs in parallel 
alongside the beer line. The glycol line and the various beer lines are 
all located in a parallel bundle surrounded by an insulated jacket 
conduit. The glycol is kept at a cool temperature by a glycol 
refrigeration unit which cools the glycol in a glycol tank located near 
the beer kegs. 
In the case of soft drinks, where no beer is being served, carbonated water 
will be circulated through a chilled liquid line in the parallel bundle 
instead of glycol. The carbonated water is mixed at the dispensing site 
with the soft drink syrup. 
While these systems are successful, warming of the beverage is still a 
problem. The parallel chilled liquid lines do not adequately maintain the 
temperature of the beverage in some cases where the lines are very long. 
This can be partiuclarly a problem with beer. If the temperature goes 
above approximately 40-45 degrees Fahrenheit, the beer will foam 
excessively at the tap. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In this invention, the conventional parallel lines are still used, with 
glycol or carbonated water being circulated in parallel lines through the 
bundle containing the beverage lines. An insulated concentric coil is 
located at the dispensing site. The insulated concentric coil has an inner 
conduit concentrically located inside an outer conduit. A manifold fitting 
connects the transmit and return chilled lines to opposite ends of one of 
the concentric conduits. A manifold fitting also connects the beverage 
conduit and the valve line to opposite ends of the other concentric 
conduit. 
In this manner, the flow through parallel lines is converted into flow 
through a concentric coil, with the beverage contained in one of the 
concentric conduits and the chilled liquid in the other concentric 
conduit. The heat exchange in the concentric coil is better than in a 
parallel arrangement, further cooling the beverage at the dispensing site.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 shows a beverage dispenser cooling system particularly for use in 
dispensing beer on tap. The system includes a storage container such as a 
beer keg 11 containing beer. The keg 11 will typically be located within a 
refrigerated unit 13, such as a large walk-in refrigerator. A carbon 
dioxide tank 15 is connected to the interior of the keg 11 for applying 
pressure to the beer contained therein. The contents of the beer keg 11 
are connected to a beverage or beer line 19. Beer line 19 extends into an 
insulated jacket conduit 23, which leads eventually to the site of a valve 
or tap 25. The distance from the refrigerator 13 to the tap 25 can be 
quite far, with conduit 23 extending up to five hundred feet. 
To prevent the beer in the beer line 19 from warming excessively, a glycol 
unit 27 is used. Glycol unit 27 is a conventional assembly, having a 
glycol tank 29. Tank 29 holds a chilled liquid such as glycol 31. The 
glycol is pumped from the tank 29 by a pump 33. Pump 33 is connected to a 
glycol transmit line 35 which extends through the insulated jacket conduit 
23 in parallel with the beer line 19. The glycol 31 is returned in a 
glycol return line 37, which also extends in parallel through the 
insulated jacket conduit 23. The beer line 19 and the glycol lines 35 and 
37 are normally of a polyethylene. 
The glycol 31 is maintained in its chilled condition by means of a 
conventional refrigeration system including a compressor 39. Compressor 39 
pumps gaseous refrigerant such as freon through a condenser 41. The 
refrigerant condenses into a liquid in the condenser 41, caused by the 
cooling from a fan 43. The liquid refrigerant flows through an expansion 
valve 45 where it expands into a cold gas. The cold gas flows through an 
evaporator 47, cooling the coils of the evaporator 47. Evaporator coils 47 
are located in the glycol tank 29 for cooling the glycol 31. The 
refrigerant from the evaporator 47 returns to the compressor 39. 
To further enhance cooling of the beer in the beer line 19 at the tap 25, a 
concentric coil 49 is located at the dispensing site. Concentric coil 49 
includes an outer conduit 51 which normally is of a plastic such as 
polyethylene. An inner conduit 53 is carried concentrically inside the 
outer conduit 51. The inner conduit 53 is of stainless steel. The outer 
conduit 51 is connected on one end to the glycol transmit line 35 and on 
the other end to the glycol return line 37. The inner conduit 53 is 
connected on one end to the beer line 19. The other end of the inner 
conduit 53 is connected to the valve or tap line 54. The tap line 54 is 
typically only two or three feet in length and leads to the tap 25. The 
length of the concentric coil 49 is preferably from about fifteen feet to 
twenty-five feet. 
The concentric coil 49 is carried inside a box 55. Box 55 is filled with an 
insulation foam 57. FIG. 2 shows a preferred embodiment for the manifold 
means for connecting the concentric coil 49 to the lines 19, 35, 37 and 
54. The manifold means includes two fittings 59 and 61. Each fitting 59 
and 61 is identical and comprises a tubular member. Each fitting 59, 61 
has an axial passage 63 extending through it. The inner conduit 53 extends 
axially through passage 63 and protrudes out each end. This defines an 
annular space 67 in the passage 63 that surrounds the inner conduit 53. A 
seal 69 is located on the outer end of each passage 63. Seal 69 is an 
elastomeric seal compressed between the inner conduit 53 and the walls of 
the passage 63. A retainer nut 71 is secured to the outer end of each 
fitting 59, 61 for compressing the seal 69. As previously mentioned, one 
end of the inner conduit 53 is connected to the beer line 19. The other 
end of the inner conduit 53 is connected to the tap line 54. 
A port 73 extends through the sidewall of each fitting 59, 61 perpendicular 
to the passage 63. Port 73 communicates with the annular space 67. A 
tubular nipple 75 extends outwardly from the port 73. Nipple 75 for the 
fitting 59 receives the glycol transmit line 35. Nipple 75 for fitting 61 
receives the glycol return line 37. A nipple 77 is also formed on the end 
of each fitting 59, 61 opposite the seal 69. Nipple 77 receives the outer 
conduit 51 of the concentric coil 49. 
In operation, the glycol unit 27 will chill the glycol 31 to maintain its 
temperature at approximately 28 degrees in the tank 29. Pump 33 will pump 
the glycol through the glycol transmit line 35. As shown in FIG. 2 by 
arrows 79, the glycol flows through the port 73, through the annular space 
67 and through the outer conduit 51 of the concentric coil 49. The glycol 
exits the fitting 61 and flows back into the return glycol line 37, where 
it subsequently enters the tank 29, shown in FIG. 1. 
The close proximity of the chilled glycol lines 35 and 37 in the insulated 
jacket conduit 23 prevents the beer in line 19 from warming substantially. 
If the tap 25 is open, the pressure from the carbon dioxide tank 15 will 
cause the beer to flow from beer keg 11 through beer line 19. As shown by 
the arrows 81 in FIG. 2, the beer flows into the inner conduit 53 of the 
concentric coil 49. The beer is further cooled by the heat transfer that 
takes place between the thin walled stainless steel inner conduit 53 and 
the glycol flowing through the outer conduit 51. 
The beer exits the manifold 61 and flow through the tap line 54 to the 
valve 25 (FIG. 1). Depending upon the temperature of the beer in keg 11, 
the concentric coil 49 will maintain the beer temperature as it exits the 
tap 25 in the range from about 29 degrees to 38 degrees. This is below the 
range at which beer tends to foam, which is around 40 degrees to 45 
degrees. The connections of the inner conduit 53 with the tap line 54 and 
the beer line 19 are smooth, with little change in flow area so as to 
reduce turbulence at this point, which can cause foaming. 
In the preferred embodiment, the glycol unit 27 will have a capacity of 
about 25 to 100 gallons per hour. The glycol lines 35 and 37 will be about 
one-half inch inner diameter. Typically, the beer line 19 has about a 3/8 
inch inner diameter. Preferably, the stainless steel inner conduit 53 has 
about 1/4 inch inner diameter, and the beer line 19 will be reduced down 
from 3/8 inch to 1/4 inch by a reducer (not shown) prior to connecting to 
the inner conduit 53. Typically, the tap line 54 will be about 1/4 inch in 
diameter. Often, there will be many more conduits in the insulated jacket 
conduit than the three conduits shown in the preferred embodiment. Others 
of the conduits will lead to other dispensing stations, or be used to 
dispense soft drinks. In some cases, as many as nineteen different lines 
will be contained in the jacket conduit 23. Although box 55 has been shown 
containing only one concentric coil 49, a separate concentric coil will be 
needed for each tap 25. The box 55 may be made to contain more than one 
concentric coil 49, or several of the boxes 55 may be used. 
In a soft drink only system, where beer isn't being dispensed, normally the 
chilled liquid lines 35 and 37 will be circulating chilled carbonated 
water rather than glycol. On the other side of the concentric coil 49, in 
a soft drink installation, mixing valves (not shown) will connect with the 
carbonated water line for mixing with the syrup flowing through other of 
the conduits. Carbonated water temperatures are preferably maintain around 
33 to 34 degrees so as to prevent the soft drink from being dispensed at 
more than 40 degrees. 
While the invention has been shown in only one of its forms, it should be 
apparent to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is 
susceptible to various changes without departing from the scope of the 
invention.