Improvements in Methods and Apparatus for Carbonating Beer.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 5th July, 1892-Accepted, 6th Aug., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Methods and Apparatus for Carbonating Beer.
1, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of 23 Southampton Buildings, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion. (a communication to me from The Universal Carbonating Company, a
corporation organized under the laws of the State of New-Jersey, and doing
business at Freeman Street, Newark, in the County of Essex and State of New-
Jersey, one of the United States of America), and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The invention consists in a new and improved method of carbonating beer and
other malt liquors and apparatus for carrying on the same.
The methods and apparatus heretofore used for the manufacture of carbonated
beverages are not suitable for brewing purposes, the conditions and result to be
obtained being very different. While the usual carbonated beverages are fully
saturated at a comparatively high pressure, substantially the pressure maintained
within the vessels from which the beverages are to be dispensed, it has been found
to be essential that the beer, as it comes from the ruh-cask or other receptacle,
should, when carbonic acid is injected into it, be at a pressure higher than the
ultimate pressure in the kegs into which it is filled, and that the supply of carbonic
acid should be less than what is required to fully saturate the beer under the con-
ditions of temperature and pressure at the place of injection, so that, when finally
the pressure is reduced and the beer filled into kegs, it shall be in the proper con-
dition, shall not foam too much, and that the final pressure in the kegs shall be
about five to eight pounds. Excessive foaming of the beer, due to surcharge of
carbonic acid, is particularly objectionable when the beer is to be drawn into
bottles from the kegs.
.
The method of impregnation to be suitable for brewing, must be such that very
large quantities of beer can be treated in a very short time, as fast as the beer is
racked into kegs, about 25 barrels per hour, with one apparatus.
In carrying out the invention, it has been found preferable to use apparatus
substantially such as shown in the annexed drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a complete apparatus, partly in section.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal elevation of the charger B in Figure 1.
Figure 3, a cross section of the charger.
Figures 4 and 5 show other forms of chargers.
Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.
In Figure 1 the letter A indicates a cask for supplying ruh-beer under pressure
to a carbonic acid charger B, a, a pipe or hose leading from the cask A to the
charger B, b and c, valves, d, a check valve, and e, a gauge to indicate the pressure
at the charger B.
C is a separating vessel or cask, f, a hose leading from the charger B to the
top of the separator C, D, a filter of the usual construction connected with the
lower part of the cask C by a hose g. From the filter D a hose or pipe / leads to
the double racking pipes i with valves or cocks j, through which the beer is passed
into kegs E.
F is a tank to receive cylinders G containing liquid carbonic acid, the tank to
be filled with water at a temperature of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent
freezing of the carbonic acid when drawn off rapidly. Several cylinders G are
by preference together connected to a receiver H with pressure gauge k, and
thence with a reducing valve I with pressure gauge p; a pipe or tube -m with
valve n leads the gaseous carbonic acid from the reducing valve to the charger. B.

page_text: The apparatus shown is adapted to the use of liquid carbonic acid to supply the
carbonic acid gas; it is manifest however that carbonic acid may be supplied from
any other suitable source under sufficient pressure.
Figures 2 and 3 show the charger; B Figure 1, on a larger scale. As shown in
these figures, the carbonic acid pipe has two branches which enter the charger
on two sides and discharge the carbonic acid more or less in the direction of the
current in the charger.
o is a pipe or rubber tube leading from the top of the separator C to the
charger B and entering the same between the check valve d and the nozzles rri
through a nozzle t.
Figure 4 shows a differently constructed charger, the gas being injected at the
end of the same through a valve V with adjustable opening, the beer entering and
leaving as indicated by arrows.
Figure 5 shows another modification of the charger, in which M and N are
two parts of a casing with an interposed foraminous diaphragm () of wire
gauze or other suitable material, uu, nozzles for injecting carbonic acid into
the current in the chamber formed by the part M of the casing and the
diaphragm O.
Beer is supplied from a cask, such as the cask A, at a fixed elevation above the
carbonic acid charger B and above the discharge valves j, so as to have a substan-
tially constant head of liquid above the charger, which head is larger than the
vertical distance between the charger and the racking cocks i, so that by opening
the cocks the beer is caused to flow through the apparatus.
In practice the pressure maintained at the charger is from 10 to 25 pounds per
square inch, by preference about 20 pounds. The pressure in the bunged kegs
should be about from 5 to 8 pounds.
When it is inconvenient to supply beer from a higher level, the same result is
obtained, namely, a substantially constant head, by maintaining upon the surface of
the beer in the cask A, gas pressure (air pressure or carbonic acid pressure) in the
usual well known manner.
(
From the charger B the beer is discharged against a fluid resistance smaller than
the fluid pressure of supply, so that whenever the discharge cocks j. are opened, a
current is established from the cask A. to the place of discharge.
Into the current thus produced, carbonic acid gas is injected at the charger B,
the pressure of the gas being so regulated as to prevent complete saturation of the
beer at the pressure and temperature at the charger, as beer fully charged would
be too much charged when the pressure decreases or the temperature is raised, as
it generally is when the beer reaches the discharge. Any overcharging of the
beer causes it to foam and strain the packages into which it may be placed.
It is also important that the beer should not arrive fully charged at the filter, as
the disengagement of gas due to the reduction of pressure would seriously interfere
with the operation of the filter.
To insure complete absorption of the injected carbonic acid, the current from
the charger B may be passed to a separator C through a hose f at least 50 feet
long, 1 inch hose being generally used. The bose fis attached to and enters the
cask or separator C at the top, while the beer passes off at or near the bottom
through the hose g leading to the filter D. Within the separator, such carbonic
acid gas as may not have been absorbed, separates from the liquid and is by
preference returned through pipe o and nozzle t into the fresh current of beer
between the check valve d and the carbonic acid nozzles . As shown, the
nozzle t discharges in the direction of the current, so that the gas from the return
tube o is drawn into the current whenever the velocity in the charger is sufficient.
Instead of returning the unabsorbed gas into the current of beer, it may
occasionally be discharged through a blow-off cock v on the separator.
valve n.
The flow of carbonic acid is regulated by the reducing valve and by the
The reducing valve is generally adjusted to close at a pressure of
about 40 pounds to the square inch, but when the current is, turned on the

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pressure due to the total head. The proper adjustment is readily made by a
practical brewer.
The filter may be dispensed with, also the separator; it is preferred however to
use both apparatus..
:
In this application no claim is made to any specific construction of the charger,
which may be varied in form.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The continuous method of preparing beer for the market, consisting in
supplying ruh-beer from a vessel to a carbonic acid charger under a substan-
tially constant head, causing a current to flow from the vessel to the charger
by allowing the beer to be discharged through a pipe against a fluid resistance
smaller than the pressure due to the constant head, injecting carbonic acid into
the current thus produced in the charger, and passing the mixed beer and carbonic
acid through a separator and through a filter and discharging the same, substan-
tially as specified.
2. The continuous method of preparing beer for the market, consisting in
supplying ruh-beer from a vessel to a carbonic acid charger under a substantially
constant head, causing a current to flow from the vessel to the charger by allowing
the beer to be discharged through a pipe against a fluid resistance smaller than the
pressure due to the constant head, injecting into the current thus produced in the
charger carbonic acid gas under constant pressure so regulated as to prevent com-
plete saturation under the conditions of pressure and temperature at the charger,
and passing the mixed beer and carbonic acid on its way to the place of discharge
through a separator, substantially as specified.
3. The continuous method of preparing beer for the market, consisting in
supplying ruh-beer from a vessel to a carbonic acid charger under a substantially
constant head, causing a current to flow from the vessel to the charger by allowing
the beer to be discharged through a pipe against a fluid resistance smaller than the
pressure due to the constant head, injecting into the current thus produced in the
charger carbonic acid gas under constant pressure so regulated as to prevent com-
plete saturation under the conditions of pressure and temperature at the charger,
and passing the mixed beer and carbonic acid through a pipe and discharging the
same, substantially as specified.
4. The continuous method of preparing beer for the market, consisting in passing
ruh-beer from a vessel through a pipe under substantially constant head, injecting
carbonic acid gas into the beer in the pipe, passing the mixed beer and carbonic
acid through a pipe against a resistance less than the pressure of the mixed beer
and carbonic acid and discharging it, substantially as specified.
5. In an apparatus for impregnating beer with carbonic acid, a vessel containing
beer, a carbonic acid charger, a pipe or hose connecting the vessel with the
charger, means substantially as described for producing a substantially constant
pressure at the charger, one or more nozzles for injecting carbonic acid into
the current passing through the charger, a separator, a pipe or hose leading from
the charger to the top of the separator and an outlet at or near the bottom of the
separator connected with a pipe or hose for carrying off the charged beer, substan-
tially as shown and described.
6. In an apparatus for impregnating beer with carbonic acid, a vessel con-
taining beer, a carbonic acid charger, a pipe or hose connecting the vessel with
the charger, means substantially as described for producing a substantially constant
pressure at the charger, a check valve at or near the charger, one or more nozzles
for injecting carbonic acid into the current passing through the charger, a
separating vessel, a pipe or hose leading from the charger to the top of the
separator, a pipe or hose leading from near the bottom of the separator to a filter

page_text: and a pipe or hose leading from the filter to the place of discharge, substantially
.as shown and described.
7. In an apparatus for impregnating beer with carbonic acid, a vessel con-
taining beer, a carbonic acid charger, a pipe or hose connecting the vessel with
the charger, means substantially as described for producing a substantially
constant fluid pressure at the charger, a check valve at or near the charger, one
or more nozzles for injecting carbonic acid into the current passing through the
charger, a separating vessel, a pipe or hose leading from the charger to the top of
the separator, a pipe leading from the top of the separator back into the charger
between the check valve and the injecting nozzles, and an outlet at or near the
bottom of the separator for carrying off the charged beer, substantially as shown
and described.
B. J. B. MILLS,
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.