Patent GB-971904-A (GB)
IPC: B08B9/08
Abstract: 971,904. Filling and cleaning casks. G. HOPKINS & SONS Ltd. May 26, 1961 [May 27, 1960], No.18845/60. Heading B8T. Apparatus for cleaning and filling a container provided with a filling valve, comprises a valve member having two valve-controlled passages, one of which discharges a fluid into the container while the other discharges fluid from the container. Beer casks, which may be of the type described in Specification 905,125, are transferred from a conveyer 69 on to a turntable 28 underneath a racking head 10. A plurality of racking heads 10 are mounted for rotation with the turntable, each head being mounted for vertical movement by a pneumatic piston and cylinder assembly 33. Each head has a multi-port plug cock 11 shown as two discs in Fig. 1 which are rotatable by means of a starwheel 31 on a shaft 29 to connect the various pipe-lines which pass through the head. The star-wheels 31 are rotated by contacting a series of fixed trip members 32 as the turntable rotates. Connecting to the upper end of the head are pipe-lines 12 (to a beer ring main 13), 14 and 15 (to a beer-holding vessel 16), 47 (to a fob collecting ring main 65), 17 (to a carbon dioxide ring main 82), 22 (to a steam ring main 83) and 24 to a water carrying ring main 84. The cleansing and filling processes carried out by a head 10 are as follows: (i) water spray, (ii) steam sterilize, (iii) carbondioxide purge. In each of these operations the fluids coming from their ring mains through pipes 24, 22 and 17 enter the cask 34 through annulus 37 and are expelled through the valve passage 35. Rotation of the plug cock 11 allows pressurized carbon dioxide to flow from the pipe-line 17 into the cask and also beer which is already in the holding vessel 16 to run into the cask. Further rotation of the plug cock 11 connects the passage 35 to the ring main 13 via the pipe 12. The beer is supplied from a tank 19 in which it is maintained at a constant level by a float valve 27 and held under pressure through a carbon dioxide supply 20. The gas displaced by the beer passes into the annulus 37 to be fed back to the top of the tank 19 via a pipe 18. The plug cock 11 is then returned to the off position and the air pressure in the cylinder 33 is reduced to allow the cask valve to close. Further rotation of the plug cock 11 allows compressed air from the ring main 82 to pass through pipes 17 and 14 to expel the contents of the racking head into the holding vessel 16, the gas or fob that is in the vessel being conveyed by the pipes 15, 47 to the fob collecting ring main 65, the beer settled out in the ring main 65 being returned to the tank 19 by a pump 67. When the head has been emptied the plug cock is moved to the " off " position and the head is raised clear of the cask which is ejected and replaced by a further cask. Each racking head 10 may have the construction shown in Fig. 11. This comprises a pair of concentric tubes 25, 26 which can be brought into communication with the various pipe-lines attached to the upper end of the racking head by ducts such as 79 in the plug cock 11. The plug cock is rotated via a pair of bevel gears 71, one of which is mounted on a rotatable shaft 29 having a further shaft 72 splined to it and having the star-wheel 31 attached to the shaft 72. The shaft 72 has a pair of collars 74 attached to it and an arm 73 co-operates with these collars to allow a pneumatic piston and cylinder assembly 38 to move the shaft 72 longitudinally with respect to the shaft 28 (see Fig. 1) to cause the star-wheel 31 to engage the trips 32. The lower part of the racking head 10 comprises a skirt portion 80 which is pressed resiliently downwards by a spring 61. Sealing rings 75, 77 are attached to the lower edges of the head to form an airtight seal between the head and the container. The portion to the left of centre line A-A shows the head lightly pressed against the container with the filling valve of the container still closed and the portion to the right shows the head firmly pressed against the container, the force being sufficient to compress the spring 61 and to open the valve passages 35, 36 of the container. The skirt 80 has a weep orifice 60 which allows compressed air to pass into the space between the sealing rings 77. In a modified form of racking head the spring 61 is dispensed with and a piston and cylinder assembly is incorporated in the head (Fig. 20, not shown) to be operated by a compressed air supply to open the container valve passages. Pneumatic controls.-Various pneumatic circuits are described which connect compressed air from a supply 85 to the cylinders 33, 38 and to the piston and cylinder assembly in the modified form of racking head. One form of circuit (Fig. 1) comprises a high pressure line 39 which passes air through a pressure reducer valve 40 and then through a pair of valves 41, 42 to the cylinder 33 to lower the head, and also via valves 41, 42 and a throttle valve 43 to the weep orifice 60. If the head is in proper engagement with a cask, air cannot escape from the orifice 60 and thus the pressure builds up until it operates a pressure connection on the valve 42b to connect high pressure air from the line 39 to the cylinder 33 to cause the cask valve passages to open. The additional pressure thus created also blows an unloader valve 44 to allow high pressure air to enter the cylinder 38 to move the star-wheel 31 into the path of the trips, thus commencing the cleaning and filling operations. Cams 48, 49 contact operating levers 42a, 41a to operate the valves 42, 41 to firstly close the cask valves and then raise the head 10 clear of cask.