Method and device for carbonating a liquid medium, for example a beverage

A method and a device for carbonating a liquid medium, for example a beverage, by introducing CO2 under pressure into the liquid medium via at least one nozzle device (5, 5a, 5b, 21) which is arranged in a housing (3, 3a-c) through which the liquid medium flows.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is the National Stage of International Application No. PCT/EP2009/004540, filed on Jun. 24, 2009, which claims the benefit of German Application Serial No. 10 2008 032 369.1, filed on Jul. 10, 2008. The contents of both of the foregoing applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The invention relates to a method according to the preamble of claim1and to a device for accomplishing the method according to the preamble of claim8.

Methods and devices for carbonating liquid media, in particular beverages, are known. In the case of the conventional methods used today, the carbonating is effected, as a rule, by means of the most varied types of injection nozzles, by means of which CO2 is introduced into the liquid medium, for example a beverage, that is traversing a carbonating section. This known method is problematic with ever increasing CO2 content and ever increasing outputs or through rates being required (amount of carbonated medium per unit time). Thus, for example, with the carbonation of beverages, a quite considerable portion of CO2, for example 10 g or more per litre is to be introduced into the beverage in the shortest possible time, with high throughputs or volume flows of up to 75 m3/h. In many cases this is not achievable using the known methods, in particular there is also insufficient stable bonding of the carbon dioxide gas in the beverage.

It is the object of the invention to provide a method, which avoids the aforementioned disadvantages and enables the liquid medium, in particular beverages, to be carbonated, even where there is a high CO2 content, providing sufficiently stable bonding of the carbon dioxide gas in the liquid medium. This object is achieved by a method corresponding to claim1. A device for accomplishing the method is the object of claim8.

In the case of the method according to the invention, the introducing of CO2 into the liquid medium is effected by means of a plurality of nozzle or discharge openings, which are provided along at least one fairly long carbonating section or at least one fairly long treatment chamber or channel traversed by the medium to be carbonated, said chamber or channel being formed, for example, by a pipe line or a pipe section. The CO2 concentration in the liquid medium increases with this treatment proportionately to the length of the carbonation section or of the at least one treatment channel. By using a plurality of nozzle or outlet openings for the CO2 and by distributing said openings along the treatment channel, sufficient contact surfaces are created between the CO and the liquid medium. The same is achieved when using at least one fairly long slot-type nozzle or outlet opening that extends in the direction of the treatment channel.

In the case of a preferred embodiment of the invention, means are provided in order to improve the CO2 or carbon dioxide bonding in the medium by means of turbulence or by means of flow turbulence in the liquid medium. Said means are formed, for example, by a pump provided at the outlet of the at least one carbonating section, for example a booster pump, and/or by a mixing device and/or in that a baffle giving rise to flow turbulence in the liquid medium is provided in the region of the treatment channel, said baffle preferably being at the same time also the nozzle unit for discharging the CO2.

Further developments, advantages and applications of the invention are produced from the following description of exemplary embodiments and from the Figures. In this case, all features described and/or graphically represented are objects of the invention, either individually or combined, irrespective of their summary in the claims or their dependency. The content of the claims is also made a component of the description.

The carbonation device given the general reference1inFIG. 1is used to carbonate a liquid medium, i.e. to introduce CO2 or carbon dioxide gas into the liquid medium, e.g. into a beverage.

The device1comprises a carbonation section2, which is formed, for its part, by a housing3, which is tubular in the embodiment represented, with a treatment channel4that is traversable by the liquid medium and extends over the entire length of the housing3.

A nozzle unit5is provided inside the housing3along the treatment channel4, said nozzle unit, in the embodiment represented, comprising a nozzle housing6with a circular cylindrical circumferential wall, said nozzle housing being closed at both ends and located on the identical axis as the longitudinal axis L of the tubular housing3. The interior7of the nozzle housing6is connected by means of a line8, in which a non-return valve9and a control valve10are provided, to a source11for a pressurized CO2 gas or to a line leading to said CO2 gas.

The outside diameter of the nozzle housing6is smaller than the inside diameter of the housing3such that the treatment channel4is a ring-shaped channel formed between the nozzle housing6and the inside face of the housing3, the axial length of which channel being considerably greater than the cross section of the housing3.

The nozzle housing6is provided on the circumferential face over its entire length and over its entire circumferential extent with a plurality of openings12, for the outlet of CO2 into the treatment channel4.

The references13and14inFIG. 1are given to two pumps, via which the liquid medium to be carbonated (e.g. beverage) is supplied to the carbonation section2or to its inlet2.1(pump13) or via which the carbonated medium, i.e. the medium charged with carbon dioxide gas, is supplied from the carbonation section2or from its outlet2.2to another use (pump14), for example to a filling machine (not shown). In order to avoid an ingress of liquid medium into the interior7of the nozzle housing6and in particular also to enable the discharging of CO2 via the nozzle openings12into the liquid medium traversing the treatment channel4, the pressure P1of the CO2 gas in the interior7is set such that it is greater than the pressure P2of the liquid medium in the treatment channel4. In order to maintain these pressure conditions, corresponding toFIG. 3, a sensor15measuring the pressure P1is provided in the line8. In addition, a sensor16measuring the pressure P2of the liquid medium is provided in the treatment channel4. The measuring signals of the two sensors15and16are compared in a regulating means17, which controls the control valve10in such a manner that the pressure P1is always greater than the pressure P2.

In addition, it is possible to control the volume flow of the CO2 gas supplied to the nozzle housing6in dependence on the volume flow of the liquid medium traversing the treatment channel, in order, in this manner, to achieve a desired CO2 concentration in the carbonated liquid medium. To this end, corresponding toFIG. 1, provided in the line8is a sensor18measuring the volume flow of the CO2 gas and in the treatment channel4a sensor19measuring the volume flow of the liquid medium. The two sensors18and19are, in their turn, connected to the regulating means17, which controls the control valve10additionally having regard to the sensor signals of the sensors18and19, preferably also in dependence on further control parameters or settings, for example in dependence on the desired carbonation rate or the desired CO2 content and possibly in dependence on additional parameters, such as, for example, the temperature of the liquid medium, etc.

The regulating means17is, for example, a control unit supported, for example, by a microprocessor or is a component of a control device or a computer for controlling an installation that includes the device1. The regulating means17can obviously also be realized entirely or partially by software in a control unit or in a computer.

The advantage of the device1or of the carbonation section2is that the introducing of the CO2 gas into the liquid medium is effected over a relatively long treatment section4and consequently, in particular where the device1has high outputs, i.e. a high throughput of the liquid medium through the device1per unit time, a uniform addition of CO2 into the liquid medium is achieved with stable CO2 bonding in the liquid medium. This also prevents or greatly reduces CO2 escaping from the liquid medium in an unwanted manner in a further treatment, in particular during the filling process, such that, for example, higher outputs are possible when filling the carbonated medium.

The addition of the CO2 gas is effected at a pressure P1, which is clearly above the respective saturation pressure. By means of the pump14, connected downstream and serving as a booster pump, the CO2 bonding in the liquid medium is improved even more on account of the flow turbulence occurring in said pump.

As shown inFIG. 4, the CO2 concentration KCO2increases in the liquid medium proportionately to the length I of the carbonation section or of the at least one treatment channel.

FIGS. 5 and 6show further possible embodiments of the carbonating section2aor2b. In the case of the embodiment inFIG. 5, the carbonating section2a, corresponding to the carbonating section2, is realized such that the treatment channel4a, corresponding to the treatment channel4, is situated within the nozzle device5a, i.e. the nozzle device5a, with its ring-shaped nozzle housing6a, surrounds the treatment channel4aand is provided on its wall surrounding said treatment channel with a plurality of nozzle openings12.

In the case of the embodiment inFIG. 6, the carbonation section2bcomprises a nozzle device5bwith a nozzle housing6b, which is rectangular in cross section and is provided in the cross sectional sides with the greater width with the plurality of openings12. Treatment channels4bare formed on both sides of the housing6bconnecting to the cross sectional sides with the greater width, said treatment channels being defined in each case by arcuate wall sections20that are connected in a sealing manner to the nozzle housing6b. The nozzle housing6bis, once again, closed at both ends and is connected to the line8for supplying the CO2 gas. The non-return valve9and the control valve10as well as the pressure sensor15are provided in the line. The pressure sensor16is located in at least one treatment channel4b. In addition, the regulating means17is represented inFIG. 6, by way of which regulating means the control valve10is actuated as a function of the sensor signals of the pressure sensors15and16.

It is obvious that also in the case of carbonating sections2aand2b, the respective nozzle device5aor5bextends over the entire length of the treatment channel4aor of the treatment channels4b, the length of the treatment channels4aand4bbeing clearly greater than the cross section of said channels.

FIG. 7shows a longitudinal section of a carbonating section2c, where a baffle21for the liquid medium in the form of a screw-like or helix-like hollow body is located inside the tubular housing3cthat defines the treatment channel4c. The baffle21comprises, for this purpose, a pipe section22, which is located on the identical axis as the longitudinal axis L of the housing3c, and a helix23, which protrudes beyond the outside face of the pipe section22, is realized as a hollow body and is provided on its surfaces with a plurality of nozzle or outlet openings24. The pipe section22is sealingly closed at one end. At the other end, the pipe section22is guided in a sealing manner out of the tubular housing3cby way of a curved portion25and is connected, for example, to the line8for supplying pressurized CO2. The diameter of the baffle21or of the helix23is approximately identical to the inside diameter of the housing3c, such that the liquid medium traversing the carbonation section2cor the housing3c, inside the helical baffle21, traverses said baffle on a helical flow path surrounding the longitudinal axis L of the pipe section22or the treatment channel4cand at the same time the CO2 emerging from the openings24is bonded into the liquid medium.

Particular advantages of the carbonation section2care, among other things, that, in spite of a compact embodiment of the carbonation section2c, a relatively long treatment channel4cis produced by means of the helical flow path. In addition, considerable flow turbulence is generated inside the liquid medium by the baffles21and this turbulence improves the mixing and bonding of CO2 into the liquid medium in a considerable manner, in particular it also results in a uniform, stable bonding of CO2 in the liquid medium, such that a releasing of CO2 especially also during a subsequent treatment of the carbonated medium, for example, when filling said medium into bottles or similar containers, is prevented or at least considerably reduced.

The invention has been described above by way of exemplary embodiments. It is obvious that changes and conversions are possible without in any way departing from the inventive concept underlying the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCES