U.S. patent application number 14/315840 was filed with the patent office on 2015-01-08 for apparatus, method and system for reducing the oxygen content in a product container.
The applicant listed for this patent is NOMACORC LLC. Invention is credited to Antonio Manuel da Fonseca, Jerome Angelo Sciacchitano.
Application Number | 20150007906 14/315840 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50982899 |
Filed Date | 2015-01-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150007906 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sciacchitano; Jerome Angelo ;
et al. |
January 8, 2015 |
APPARATUS, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REDUCING THE OXYGEN CONTENT IN A
PRODUCT CONTAINER
Abstract
An apparatus is disclosed for reducing the oxygen content in a
product container having a closure, wherein the product container
is filled with a liquid product, comprising at least one first
injection nozzle arrangement configured to inert the product
container by injecting the inert gas stream into the filled product
container solely at an edge region of an opening of the filled
product container.
Inventors: |
Sciacchitano; Jerome Angelo;
(Pfulgriesheim, FR) ; da Fonseca; Antonio Manuel;
(Morges, CH) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
NOMACORC LLC |
Zebulon |
NC |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
50982899 |
Appl. No.: |
14/315840 |
Filed: |
June 26, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61842688 |
Jul 3, 2013 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
141/8 ;
141/66 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B67C 3/222 20130101;
B65B 31/042 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
141/8 ;
141/66 |
International
Class: |
B65B 31/04 20060101
B65B031/04 |
Claims
1. An apparatus for reducing the oxygen content in a product
container having a closure, wherein the product container is filled
with a liquid product, comprising: at least one first injection
nozzle arrangement configured to inert the product container by
injecting the inert gas stream into the filled product container
solely at an edge region of an opening of the filled product
container.
2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least
one outlet configured to enable an exhaustion of the gas flushed by
the inert gas stream.
3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least
one second injection nozzle arrangement configured to inert an
interior of a closure by injecting a further inert gas stream into
the interior of the closure.
4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least
one detector configured to detect the arrival of the product
container at the apparatus, wherein the detector is located in
front of the first injection nozzle arrangement.
5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising: at
least one controller connected to the detector, wherein the
controller is configured to control at least the first injection
nozzle arrangement such that upon detecting the arrival of a
product container the injection of the inert gas stream is
initiated.
6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising: a
controller connected to the detector, wherein the controller is
configured to control the second injection nozzle arrangement such
that upon detecting the arrival of a product container the
injection of the further inert gas stream is initiated.
7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least
two guiding elements for guiding an opening of a product container
along a defined travel path.
8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first injection
nozzle arrangement is configured to inject the inert gas stream at
a pressure between about 0 bar and 2 bar.
9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second
injection nozzle arrangement is configured to inject the further
inert gas stream at a pressure between about 0 bar and 2 bar.
10. The apparatus as claimed claim 1, wherein the first injection
nozzle arrangement is configured to inject the inert gas stream
such that the inert gas stream impacts the surface at a defined
angle of impact, and wherein the angle of impact is about
90.degree..
11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first
injection nozzle arrangement comprises a length between about the
length of the inner diameter of the opening of the product
container and three times of the length of the inner diameter of
the opening of the product, and the first injection nozzle
arrangement comprises a width between about 10% of the inner
diameter of the opening of the product container and 40% of the
inner diameter of the opening of the product container.
12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first
injection nozzle arrangement comprises a plurality of injection
openings.
13. A system, comprising: at least one apparatus reducing the
oxygen content in a product container having a closure, wherein the
product container is filled with a liquid product, comprising: at
least one first injection nozzle arrangement configured to inert
the product container by injecting the inert gas stream into the
filled product container solely at an edge region of an opening of
the filled product container, and at least one closing apparatus
configured to put a closure onto the opening after the product
container has been inerted.
14. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the closing
apparatus is configured to put the closure onto the opening of the
product container substantially directly after at least the product
container has been inerted.
15. A method for reducing the oxygen content in a product container
having a closure, comprising: filling the product container with a
liquid product through an opening of the product container,
injecting an inert gas stream by a first injection nozzle
arrangement into the filled product container solely at an edge
region of the opening of the product container, and putting a
closure onto the opening of the product container.
Description
PRIORITY APPLICATION
[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 61/842,688 filed on Jul. 3, 2013
entitled "APPARATUS, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REDUCING THE OXYGEN
CONTENT IN A PRODUCT CONTAINER," which is incorporated herein by
reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] The disclosure relates to an apparatus for reducing the
oxygen content in a product container having a closure, wherein the
product container is filled with a liquid product. The disclosure
also relates to a system comprising this apparatus and a method for
reducing the oxygen content in a product container having a
closure.
BACKGROUND
[0003] There are a wide variety of liquid products that are being
sold to be dispensed from product containers, such as bottles.
Exemplary liquid products are vinegar, vegetable oils, laboratory
liquids, detergents, honey, condiments, alcoholic beverages, and
the like.
[0004] The product is filled into the product containers through
respective openings of the container in the bottling process and
filling process, respectively. Subsequently, the openings are
closed by a suitable closure, such as a screw cap closure or a cork
closure.
[0005] From prior art, e.g. EP 2 485 370 A1, it is known to measure
the oxygen content, in particular, the total package oxygen (TPO),
within the filled product container. The total package oxygen is
comprised of the dissolved oxygen concentration in the product,
such as wine, and the gaseous oxygen in the headspace of the
product container. The headspace is the (gaseous) space between the
closure and the product which has been filled into the product
container. In the case of screw cap closures, the oxygen content is
generally higher than in the case of inner sealing closures, such
as cork closures, due to the greater headspace.
[0006] For example, the total oxygen content can be measured by
using a precise and non-invasive, non-destructive measuring method,
such as a luminescence technology. Thereby, it can be determined
that, on average, the significant part of the total oxygen content
results from the gaseous content in the headspace. Thus, the total
oxygen content is particularly high if screw cap closures or the
like are used due to the greater headspace.
[0007] However, the quality of the product, in particular, of
alcoholic beverages, such as wine depends on the oxygen content in
the container. High oxygen content may, in particular, reduce the
quality of wines due to early oxidation of the wine. The shelf-life
of the wine can be curtailed by the high oxygen content.
[0008] It is known from prior art to use evacuation techniques for
filling the product containers in order to reduce the oxygen
content in the product container. However, in addition to the high
level of effort required the achievable results are negligible, in
particular, in connection with screw cap closures.
[0009] Therefore, it is an object of the present disclosure to
provide an apparatus, method and system which reduce the oxygen
content in the product container in a simple manner.
SUMMARY OF THE DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] The object is solved according to a first aspect of the
disclosure by an apparatus according to claim 1. The apparatus for
reducing the oxygen content in a product container having a
closure, wherein the product container is filled with a liquid
product, comprises at least one first injection nozzle arrangement
configured to inert the product container by injecting the inert
gas stream into the filled product container solely at an edge
region of an opening of the filled product container.
[0011] In contrast to the prior art, the total package oxygen
content in the product container is reduced by injecting an inert
gas stream at a particular region of the opening of the product
container in order to generate a vortex in the product. The product
container can be efficiently inerted.
[0012] According to the disclosure, the product container may be
any containment device for a liquid product, for example a bottle,
a vat, a barrel, a bag or a bag-in-box container.
[0013] Furthermore, the liquid product may be any liquid substance
or combination. The product, in particular, may be any beverage,
for example wine or sparkling wine, such as champagne.
[0014] The term "closure" as used herein applies to any means for
effectively closing product-retaining containers in general. Such
closures include, but are not limited to, screw caps, stoppers,
such as corks, crown caps, latches, seals and lids. According to
one embodiment, the closure is selected from the group consisting
of a bottle cap, such as a screw cap or a crown cap, and a
cylindrically shaped bottle stopper. Examples of screw caps
include, but are not limited to, roll-on pilfer proof screw caps
("ROPP") and roll-on tamper evident screw caps ("ROTE"). According
to an embodiment, the material for the closure may, for example, be
selected from the group consisting of metal, polymer material,
glass, natural materials such as cork, ceramic, steel, and rubber
and combinations thereof.
[0015] An inert gas according to the disclosure may be a gas, which
does not undergo chemical reactions under a set of given
conditions. Preferred inert gases are noble gases and/or
nitrogen.
[0016] The filled product containers can be passed to the inerting
apparatus in series by e.g. a conveying mechanism. The first
injection nozzle arrangement is configured to dispense the inert
gas stream and inert gas flow, respectively.
[0017] The injection nozzle arrangement may be arranged such that
the dispensed inert gas stream is injected into the product
container solely at an edge region of the opening of the product
container. In other words, the inert gas stream is not injected at
the center region of the opening of the product container. Due to
the injection of an inert gas flow at the edge region, a vortex is
formed in the product. The vortex effect significantly improves the
inerting procedure. The total package content can be reduced. The
dissolved oxygen content and the oxygen content in the headspace,
in particular, can be reduced due to the vortex effect.
[0018] A particular advantage of the inerting apparatus according
to the disclosure lies in its ease of implementation and use. It is
possible to adapt the apparatus to any type of bottling line,
bottle type and line speed. Furthermore, due to the inert gas
injection the apparatus can be operated in a very economical way in
terms of gas consumption. In addition, advantages of inerting the
headspace include limiting the premature aging of wines sensitive
to oxygen, reducing the loss of antioxidants, in particular, free
sulfur dioxide (SO.sub.2) in the first months after bottling, and
as a consequence, reducing the doses of SO.sub.2 in wine.
[0019] According to a first embodiment of the apparatus according
to the disclosure, the apparatus may comprise at least one outlet
configured to enable exhaustion of the gas flushed by the inert gas
stream. The outlet may be a longitudinal hole which may run
substantially parallel to the first injection nozzle arrangement.
The flushed gas, such as air comprising oxygen, can be exhausted in
a simple way. Furthermore, generating the vortex in the product can
be supported by locating the outlet substantially parallel to the
first injection nozzle arrangement. The efficiency of the inerting
process can be improved. It shall be understood that evacuation
means can be provided for supporting the exhaustion of the flushed
gas.
[0020] As pointed out hereinbefore, the closure used may, in
general, be any suitable means for closing the product container.
Some closures, such as caps, may comprise an interior volume which
has the drawback that oxygen may be in the interior, and thus, by
putting the closure onto the opening, oxygen may be introduced into
the product container. According to a preferred embodiment, in
order to further reduce the oxygen content in the product
container, the apparatus may comprise at least one second injection
nozzle arrangement configured to inert an interior of a closure by
injecting a further inert gas stream into the interior of the
closure. The second injection nozzle arrangement may be formed by
at least one suitable nozzle configured to generate an inert gas
stream. The oxygen content can be flushed by inerting the inner
volume of the closure, such as the interior of a screw cap closure.
The total package content can be further reduced.
[0021] According to a preferred embodiment, the first injection
nozzle arrangement may comprise a plurality of injection nozzles
which can be consecutively arranged in the travel direction of the
product containers. In this case, the inert gas stream dispensed by
the first injection nozzle arrangement is comprised of a plurality
of partially inert gas streams and partially inert gas flows,
respectively. By providing two or more injection nozzles, air
turbulences can be created to chase the air in the headspace of the
container, such as the bottle neck, and to replace the air, and
thus the oxygen, with the inert gas used. The turbulences are
caused by the interruption of the inert gas stream. The number of
holes and injection nozzles, respectively, can be calculated and
chosen according to the container speed and according to the time
that the inert gas needs to replace the air with inert gas. The
number of the holes may be at least two, preferably between 5 and
20.
[0022] Furthermore, according to another embodiment of the
apparatus according to the disclosure, the apparatus may comprise
at least one detector configured to detect the arrival of the
product container at the apparatus. For example, after a product
container has been filled with the product by a filling apparatus,
the product container may be passed to the inerting apparatus of
the present disclosure by e.g. a conveyor belt. The detector may
preferably be located in front of the first injection nozzle
arrangement at the beginning of the inerting apparatus. In other
words, the first injection nozzle arrangement is arranged
downstream of the detector in a predefined distance in the passing
direction of the product containers. For example, an optical
sensor, such as a passive infrared sensor, can be provided. It
shall be understood that other sensors, such as electromagnetic
sensors or ultrasound sensors, can be used.
[0023] In a preferred embodiment, the inerting apparatus comprising
a detector may further comprise at least one controller connected
to the detector. In order to save inert gas, the controller may be
configured to control at least the first injection nozzle
arrangement such that upon detecting the arrival of a product
container the injection of the inert gas stream is initiated. For
example, if the arrival of a product container is detected by the
detector, a detection signal may be transmitted to the controller.
Upon receiving the detection signal, the controller may initiate
the injection of the inert gas, e.g. by causing a valve, such as a
gas injection valve, to open. The injection of inert gas can be
stopped after a predefined time has elapsed. This predefined time
may preferably correspond to the time required by the product
container to pass the first injection nozzle arrangement. The
travel velocity of the product container to be inerted, the
distance between the first injection nozzle arrangement and the
detector and the reaction time required to initiate the injecting
of the inert gas upon the actual arrival of the container at the
detector can preferably be adjusted to one another such that the
inert gas stream is dispensed just as the product container arrives
at the first injection nozzle arrangement.
[0024] Furthermore, if the first injection nozzle arrangement
comprises a plurality of injection nozzles arranged in series, it
may be preferred to individually drive at least two groups of the
injection nozzles. For example, upon detecting the arrival of a
container the injection nozzle groups may be consecutively
initiated by the controller such that substantially only the
injection nozzles are activated which can actually inject a
partially inert gas stream into the opening of the container. The
total gas consumption can be reduced.
[0025] In a further embodiment, alternatively or preferably
additionally, the controller connected to the detector may be
configured to control the second injection nozzle arrangement such
that upon detecting the arrival of a product container the
injection of the further inert gas stream is initiated. The second
injection nozzle arrangement can be controlled in a similar way as
was previously described for controlling the first injection nozzle
arrangement.
[0026] The apparatus may further comprise at least two guiding
elements for guiding an opening of a product container along a
defined travel path in order to guide the edge region of the
opening of the product container along the first injection nozzle
arrangement. For example, the guiding elements may have a distance
to one another which corresponds to the outer diameter of the
opening of the product container, such as the outer diameter of the
bottle neck of a bottle. In a simple manner, it can be ensured that
every product container travels along the inerting apparatus such
that the inert gas stream can be injected at an edge region of the
opening of the container.
[0027] According to a further embodiment, the first injection
nozzle arrangement may be configured to inject the inert gas stream
at a pressure between about 0 bar and 2 bar in order to generate a
particular strong vortex in the product of the product container.
The inert gas stream may preferably be dispensed at a pressure
between about 1 bar and 2 bar. It shall be understood that the
actually pressure used may depend on the type of product, the
length of the headspace of the container, the diameter of the inert
gas stream, and the like.
[0028] Furthermore, according to another embodiment, the second
injection nozzle arrangement may be configured to inject the
further inert gas stream at a pressure between about 0 bar and 2
bar. A good inertion result can be achieved.
[0029] For instance, the apparatus can be supplied by an inert gas
having 0 to 2 bar. The apparatus may comprise at least one,
preferably two individually controllable pressure reducer/s. One
pressure reducer can be comprised of or connected to the first
injection nozzle arrangement and a further pressure reducer can be
comprised of or connected to the second injection nozzle
arrangement. It is possible to inject the inert gas stream at a
desired pressure and/or the further inert gas stream at a desired
pressure.
[0030] According to a preferred embodiment of the apparatus
according to the disclosure, the first injection nozzle arrangement
may be configured to inject the inert gas stream such that the
inert gas stream impacts the surface at a defined angle of impact.
The term "angle of impact" as used herein is the angle between the
center axis of the inert gas stream injected by the first injection
nozzle arrangement and the (usually horizontal) surface of the
product in the product container. The angle of impact may be about
90.degree.. The flushed gas may leave the bottle with an angle of
about 30.degree., wherein the angle is the angle between the center
axis of the flushed gas and the (usually horizontal) surface of the
product in the product container. By arranging or setting the first
injection nozzle arrangement, e.g. every injection nozzle of the
first injection nozzle arrangement, such that the inert gas stream,
e.g. every partially inert gas stream, impacts the surface at a
defined angle of impact the generation of the vortex effect can be
further supported.
[0031] Furthermore, the second injection nozzle arrangement may be
configured to inject the further inert gas stream such that the
inert gas stream impacts the surface at an angle between about
45.degree. and 65.degree., preferably of about 55.degree., wherein
the angle is the angle between the center axis of the further inert
gas stream and the (usually horizontal) surface of the screw cap
closure.
[0032] Moreover, the first injection nozzle arrangement may
comprise a length between about length of the inner diameter of the
opening of the product container and three times the length of the
inner diameter of the opening of the product container. The length
may depend on the travel velocity of the product container. The
faster the container travels, the longer the length that needs be
chosen for obtaining a good inertion of the container. The length
is preferably about twice the length of the inner diameter of the
opening of the product container. The first injection nozzle
arrangement may comprise a width between about 10% of the inner
diameter of the opening of the product container and 40% of the
inner diameter of the opening of the product container. Such a
width enables the injection of the inert gas stream solely at the
edge region of the container in a simple manner. Furthermore, the
inert gas stream may have a width, which is sufficient for
generating the desired vortex in the product.
[0033] Furthermore, the flow of inert gas may be constant during
the flushing process and inerting process, respectively, for a
given container.
[0034] The apparatus can be can be adapted to any existing bottling
system in an easy manner. In other words, already existing bottling
lines can be easily upgraded with the previously described
apparatus.
[0035] A further aspect of the disclosure is a system comprising at
least one previously described apparatus and at least one closing
apparatus configured to put a closure onto the opening after the
product container has been inerted.
[0036] The system may be a bottling system. In a preferred
embodiment of the system according to the disclosure, the closing
apparatus may be configured to put the closure onto the opening of
the product container substantially directly after at least the
product container has been inerted. Since the injection procedure/s
is/are performed up until just before the closure is onto the
opening of the container, no oxygen can reenter the container. The
system may additionally comprise a filling apparatus configured to
fill the product container with the liquid product prior to
inerting the product container.
[0037] In another embodiment, at least the first injection nozzle
arrangement may be connected to an inert gas source. In the case
nitrogen is used as an inert gas, at least the first injection
nozzle arrangement may be connected to a nitrogen generator. A
nitrogen generator may be a stationary or mobile air-to-nitrogen
production device using e.g. adsorption technology or membrane
technology. Furthermore, the second injection nozzle arrangement
may preferably be connected to the nitrogen generator.
[0038] A still further aspect of the disclosure is a method for
reducing the oxygen content in a product container having a
closure, comprising: [0039] filling the product container with a
liquid product through an opening of the product container, [0040]
injecting an inert gas stream by a first injection nozzle
arrangement into the filled product container solely at an edge
region of the opening of the product container, and [0041] putting
a closure onto the opening of the product container.
[0042] The method can, in particular, be performed by using the
previously described system.
[0043] Furthermore, the inventive method for inerting the product
container can also be combined with vacuum techniques. For example,
the combination of liquid nitrogen and vacuum used for inerting may
allow very low amounts of oxygen to be achieved with all inner seal
closures.
[0044] In addition, according to an embodiment, the empty product
container can be flushed with an inert gas before filling the
product container. The flushing of empty bottles may avoid the
increase of dissolved oxygen in the product filled in the product
container.
[0045] These and other aspects of the present patent application
become apparent from and will be elucidated with reference to the
following figures. The features of the present application and of
its exemplary embodiments as presented above are also understood to
be disclosed in all possible combinations with each other.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0046] FIG. 1a shows a schematic side view of an exemplary product
container and an exemplary closure,
[0047] FIG. 1b shows a schematic top view of the product container
according to FIG. 1a;
[0048] FIG. 2a shows a schematic side view of an embodiment of the
apparatus according to the disclosure;
[0049] FIG. 2b shows a schematic top view of the embodiment
according to FIG. 2a;
[0050] FIG. 2c shows a schematic view of the embodiment of FIGS. 2a
and 2b during the passing of a product container;
[0051] FIG. 3a shows a schematic top view of a further embodiment
of the apparatus according to the disclosure;
[0052] FIG. 3b shows a schematic side view of the embodiment
according to FIG. 3a;
[0053] FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of
the apparatus according to the disclosure; and
[0054] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the
method according to the disclosure.
[0055] Like reference numerals in different figures indicate like
elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0056] FIG. 1a shows an exemplary product container 2 in the form
of a bottle 2. The depicted bottle 2, e.g. a glass bottle 2, is
filled with a product 4, such as wine 4. Furthermore, a headspace 6
of the bottle 2 comprises gaseous fluid. The headspace 6 comprises
an opening 10 for dispensing the product 6 or for inserting the
product 6. As can be further seen from FIG. 1a, a screw cap closure
8 is provided. The screw cap closure 8 is configured to be put onto
the opening 10 of the bottle 2 and thereby to close the opening
10.
[0057] Screw cap closures 8 commonly used in the wine industry
typically comprise an outer metal cap consisting of a head and a
skirt, a threaded plastic insert adapted to wine glass bottle screw
tops, and possibly a seal, if the plastic insert itself does not
perform the sealing function. Advantageously, the outer metal cap
of the screw cap closure 8 is itself not threaded, which improves
the aesthetic quality of the cap. Materials for and methods of
manufacturing a screw cap closure are known to the person skilled
in the art and for example described in detail in column 3 lines 15
to 67 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,403,173 B1.
[0058] FIG. 1b shows a top view of the bottle 2 without the closure
8. The opening 10 comprises an edge region 12 and a center region
14. As will be shown hereinafter, the inert gas stream is only
injected into the bottle 2 at this edge region 12.
[0059] Furthermore, from the top view of the bottle 2 shown in FIG.
1b, some dimensions of the bottle 2 can be seen. In particular,
reference sign 16 denotes the inner diameter of the opening 10 of
the bottle 2, reference sign 18 denotes the outer diameter of the
opening 10 of the bottle 2, reference sign 20 denotes the thickness
of the wall of the bottle 2 of the opening 10, and reference sign
22 denotes the diameter of the edge region 12. The diameter 22 of
the edge region 12 may be at most 40% of the inner diameter 16 of
the opening 10, preferably at most 30% of the inner diameter 16 of
the opening 10.
[0060] FIG. 2a shows an exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 18
for reducing the oxygen content in a product container, such as the
bottle 2 shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b. The depicted apparatus 30
comprises two guiding elements 32.1 and 32.2. The distance 36
between the two guiding elements 32.1 and 32.2 preferably
corresponds to an outer diameter of an opening of a product
container. For example, the distance 36 may substantially
correspond to diameter 18. This enables the bottle 2 to travel in
the travel direction 34.
[0061] Furthermore, FIG. 2b shows a top view of the apparatus 30
shown in FIG. 2a. The depicted apparatus 30 comprises at least one
detector 38. The detector 38 may comprise at least one optical
sensor. The detector 38 is configured to detect the passing of a
product container, such as the bottle 2. As can be seen, the
detector 38 is arranged at the beginning of the apparatus 39 in the
travel direction 34.
[0062] Furthermore, the apparatus 30 comprises a first injection
nozzle arrangement 41 which is arranged downstream of the detector
38 at a distance 50. The first injection nozzle arrangement 41 has
a length 44 and a width 46.
[0063] In the present embodiment, the first injection nozzle
arrangement 41 comprises a plurality of injecting openings 42. It
shall be understood that according to other variants more or less
injection openings can be provided and/or the form of an injection
opening may be different, e.g. elliptical.
[0064] The first injection nozzle arrangement 41 is arranged
parallel to the guiding elements 32.1 and 32.2. The first injection
nozzle arrangement 41 is, in particular, located at an edge region
of the apparatus 30. The distance 48 between the guiding element
32.1 and the first injection nozzle arrangement 41 may correspond
at least to the thickness 20. The distance 48 preferably depends on
thickness 20 but it is greater than thickness 20 of the bottle
neck. Even if the bottle 2 does not enter the inerting apparatus 30
completely centered the inert gas stream still generates a vortex
effect. This in particular enables an inert gas stream to be
injected at the edge region 12 of the opening 10 of the bottle 2,
and thus, to generate a vortex in the wine 4.
[0065] On the side opposite the first injection nozzle arrangement
41, there is located an outlet 40 configured to allow the flushed
gas to exhaust. The outlet 40 runs substantially parallel to the
first injection nozzle arrangement 41 and guiding elements 32.1 and
32.2, respectively. The length of the outlet 40 is at least equal
to the length 44. The outlet 40 comprises an inclined plane 52 for
guiding the flushed gas from the bottle.
[0066] FIG. 2c shows a further schematic extract of the embodiment
shown in FIG. 2b with a product container 2 to be inerted. As can
be seen, the bottle 2 is guided by the guiding elements 32.1 and
32.2. The outer diameter 18 of the opening 10 corresponds to the
distance 36 between the guiding elements 32.1 and 32.2. It shall be
understood that there may be margin since not every bottle 2 may be
exactly oriented to the center line of the apparatus 30.
[0067] The first injection nozzle arrangement 41 and the injection
openings 41, respectively are located with respect to the opening
10 such that an inert gas stream is injected (solely) at the edge
region 12 of the opening 10. The flushed gas can be exhausted via
the outlet 40.
[0068] The embodiment shown in FIGS. 2a to 2c may preferably be
used when the bottle 2 comprises a closure without an inner volume,
such as a natural or synthetic cork.
[0069] FIGS. 3a and 3b shows a further embodiment of an apparatus
54 according to the present disclosure. The embodiment shown is
similar to apparatus 30 of FIGS. 2a to 2c already described;
reference is, therefore, made to the above description to avoid
repetition.
[0070] The inerting apparatus 54 depicted comprises a detector 66,
a first injection nozzle arrangement 58 comprising nine injection
nozzles 59 in the form of holes 59, and a second injection nozzle
arrangement 60 having one injection nozzle in the form of a hole.
The first injection nozzle arrangement 58, in particular, all
injection nozzles 59, is/are fed by an inerting gas via feed line
62. The constant flow of inert gas can be provided. The second
injection nozzle arrangement 60 is preferably fed with the same
inert gas via feed line 64.
[0071] As can be further seen from FIG. 3a, the inerting apparatus
54 comprises two guiding elements 56.1 and 56.2 which guide the
bottles 2 along their travel path.
[0072] The detector 66 comprises a connection 68 with a controller
(not shown). Furthermore, the apparatus 54 comprises attachment
means 72. As can be further seen from FIG. 3b, the closures 8, such
as screw cap closures 8, are supplied to the end of the apparatus
by conveyor means (not shown). The delivered screw cap closures 8
are inerted by the second injection nozzle arrangement 60 just
before they are put onto the openings 10 of the bottles 2. A
further inert gas stream 70 can, in particular, be injected into a
screw cap closure 8.
[0073] Furthermore, FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a further
embodiment of the apparatus according to the disclosure. The
apparatus comprises the detector 66. The detector 66 is connected
to a controller 74 to send a detection signal to the controller 66.
If the detector 66 detects, in particular, the passing of a product
container, such as the bottle 2, a detection signal can be
generated and transmitted to the controller 74. The controller 74
may comprise suitable control means, such as a digital signal
processor.
[0074] The controller 74 depicted is configured to control the
first injection nozzle arrangement 58 and the second injection
nozzle arrangement 60. The controller 74 is, in particular,
configured to initiate the injecting process of the first and
second injection nozzle arrangements 58 and 60 and to stop the
injecting process of the first and second injection nozzle
arrangements 58 and 60.
[0075] Upon receiving a detection signal, the controller 74
initiates the injecting of an inert gas by the first injection
nozzle arrangement 58 and the second injection nozzle arrangement
60 which are both connected to a common inert gas source 60. For
example, a first valve 76.1 and a second valve 76.2 connected to
the common inert gas source 78 and the respective injection nozzle
arrangements 58 and 60 can be driven (opened and closed) by the
controller 74 to control the dispensing of the inert gas with a
predefined pressure.
[0076] In the following, a preferred embodiment of the method
according to the present disclosure will be described with the aid
of FIG. 5. In the preferred embodiment, the bottle 2 of FIGS. 1a
and 1b is used as a product container, the product 4 is wine 4 and
the closure 8 is screw cap closure 8 with an interior volume. It
shall be understood that in other variants of the present
disclosure the product container, the product and/or the closure
may be different.
[0077] In a first step 501, at least one bottle 2 is filled with
wine 4. A plurality of bottles can preferably be filled in series.
For example, the wine 4 can be drawn from a holding tank and then
filled into the bottles 2 in a filling machine. After filling, the
bottles 2 travel to the inerting apparatus 30 and then to the
closing apparatus configured to close the respective openings of
the bottle 2. A suitable travel mechanism, such as a conveyor belt,
can be provided.
[0078] As described above, before the bottles 2 are closed by a
closure 8, the bottles 2 are passed to the inerting apparatus 54 to
reduce the oxygen content in the bottle 2. In a next step 502, an
inert gas stream is generated and injected by the first injection
nozzle arrangement 41 into the bottle 2. The inert gas, such as
argon, nitrogen, carbon dioxide or any other mix of these inert
gases, is injected into the bottle by the first injection nozzle
arrangement 58 at an edge region 12 of the opening 10 of the bottle
2. A directed inert gas stream is preferably injected at an angle
of impact of about 90.degree. and at a pressure of e.g. 1 bar. The
injected inert gas stream generates a vortex in the product 4. The
vortex enables a particularly good inerting of the bottle 2. The
injecting process can be initiated upon detecting the passing of a
bottle 2 by the detector 66, such as an optical sensor 66.
[0079] In a step 503 which is preferably performed parallel to step
502, a further inert gas stream is injected into the screw cap
closure 8 to be used for closing the bottle 2 by a second injection
nozzle arrangement 60. If the detector 38 detects the passing of a
bottle 2, the injection of the further inert gas stream by the
second injection nozzle arrangement 60 is preferably also
enabled.
[0080] Both injection nozzle arrangements 58 and 60 may be
connected to the same inert gas source 78. However, it shall be
understood that more than one inert gas source and/or different
inert gases can be used.
[0081] Both injecting procedures are preferably performed up until
just before the screw cap closure 8 is put onto the bottle 2 in
step 504. Since the inerting process is performed up until just
before the screw cap closure 8 is put onto the opening 10 of the
bottle 2 the renewed insertion of oxygen can be substantially
avoided.
[0082] On average, without using the inventive method, the
headspace oxygen content of the bottle 2 with the screw cap 8 is
around 3 to 5 mg/l whereas using the previously described method,
apparatus and/or system the headspace oxygen content can be
decreased by a factor of ten times to a minimal headspace oxygen
level of e.g. 0.3-0.5 mg/l.
[0083] Finally, some test results are given in table 1 below. In
the table, Temp is the temperature of the wine 4, DO is the amount
of the dissolved oxygen in the wine, HS (mm) is the length of the
headspace filled with gas after the bottling, HS (hPa) is the
pressure in this headspace after bottling, HS (ppm) is the amount
of oxygen in this headspace and TPO is the total package oxygen in
the bottle.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Temp DO HS HS HS TPO Mode Closure type
(.degree. C.) (ppm) (mm) (hPa) (ppm) (ppm) No inerting, Natural
cork, 14.6 1.49 20 90 1.06 2.55 vacuum 44 mm No inerting Screw cap
14.5 2.70 47 186 5.15 7.85 Inerting Screw cap 14.2 1.90 47 20 0.55
2.45 bottle + screw cap
[0084] As can be seen from the first two test results which have
been achieved by performing a method according to prior art, the
TPO is high (2.55 ppm and 7.85 ppm) wherein the higher value of the
TPO for the closure type "screw cap" directly correlates with the
higher amount of oxygen in the headspace (1.06 ppm versus 5.15 ppm)
due to the greater length of the headspace (20 mm versus 47
mm).
[0085] As can be further seen from the third test results which
have been achieved by performing the previously described method
according to the disclosure the content of oxygen in the bottle can
be significantly reduced. The TPO value is, in particular, 2.45 ppm
which is much lower than 7.85 ppm and also lower than 2.55 ppm. In
comparison with the second test scenario the DO value and the HS
(ppm) value are reduced.
* * * * *