GB2241054A

GB2241054A - Cooled beer engine

Info

Publication number: GB2241054A
Application number: GB9003531A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Sammy James Engineer
Original assignee: Whitbread PLC
Current assignee: Whitbread PLC
Priority date: 1990-02-16
Filing date: 1990-02-16
Publication date: 1991-08-21
Anticipated expiration: 2010-02-16
Also published as: GB9003531D0; GB2241054B

Abstract

A cooled beer engine is described comprising a supply line (4) from a cask (5) stored in a remote cellar (6) for dispensing a beverage via a lift pump (14) to a dispensing spout (3) of the beer engine (1). A coolant is supplied along a supply line (7) and a return line (8) from the beer engine. A heat exchanger (9) is located between the beer engine (1) the lift pump (14) and the spout (3) and the supply of coolant to the heat exchanger (9) is controlled by a gate valve (10) to set the temperature of the beverage dispensed from the spout (3). The coolant is water or a water and glycol mixture which passes through a suitable refrigeration machine. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVED COOLED BEER ENGINE This invention relates to an improved cooled beer engine and more particularly to a beer engine with a controlled output temperature.

Traditional beer engines are connected to a beer cask in a cellar by uncooled pipes. Due to the ambient temperature the beer temperature cannot be controlled during its passage, from the cask in the cellar to the dispensing spout at the point-of-sale.

Various precooling and beverage refrigeration and dispensing apparatus have been proposed to resolve the above problem. However, these apparatus have the disadvantage that the beverage becomes over-cooled particularly if the dwell time between use of a particular dispensing unit is excessively long.

An aim of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned disadvantage and provide a cooled beer engine which can be idividually controlled to dispense a beverage at a predetermined temperature.

According to the present invention there is provided a cooled beer engine comprising a connection via a lift pump to a remote store for the beverage to be dispensed from a dispensing outlet, a coolant supply line to and a return line from the beer engine, wherein a heat exchanger is located between the beer engine, the lift pump and the dispensing outlet, and the supply of coolant to the heat exchanger is controlled by a control valve to set the temperature of the beverage dispensed from the dispensing outlet.

Preferably, the coolant is water or a water glycol mixture which is passed through a refrigeration machine.

Conveniently the control valve is a gate valve located between the supply line and return line for the coolant.

The invention also extends to a plurality of cooled beer engines as set forth in the three preceding paragraphs, wherein they are linked in series with the supply and return lines for the coolant.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows a diagrammatic layout of a system linking three beer engines in series.

The diagrammatic layout shown in the drawing comprises three cooled beer engines linked with each other.

Each cooled beer engine 1, la and lb comprise a pull handle 2 which operates a lift pump 14 to dispense a beverage e.g. beer to a dispensing outlet in the form of a spout 3. The beer engine 1 is supplied with a beverage along a supply line 4 from a remote store, such as a cask 5 located in the cellar 6 of a building shown in dotted line, and enters the beer pump 14 via a nonreturn valve 15.

Coolant, which may be water or a water glycol mixture, is fed to the beer engine 1 along a supply line 7 from a suitable refrigeration machine (not shown) and returned along a return line 8.

Located between the beer engine 1, the cask 5 and the spout 3 is a plate heat exchanger 9. A control valve in the form of a gate valve 10 is situated between the coolant supply line 7 and return line 8 to set the temperature of the beer to be dispensed from the spout.

The gate valve 10 and plate heat exchanger 9 may be built into the beer engine to reduce the number of connections required on installation to three i.e. at the inlet 11 and outlet 12 for the coolant and the beer inlet 13.

The temperature of the product is e.g. 550F and can vary due to ambient temperature as it travels along the supply line 4 to the beer engine 1. By adjusting the gate valve 10 the coolant is diverted to the heat exchanger 9 where it circulates around the supply line 4 passing through the heat exchanger cooling the beer in its passage to the spout 3. Coolant from the heat exchanger 9 is returned to the refrigerating machine along the return line 8.

In the diagram three cooled beer engines la, 1b and Ic are linked in series with the coolant supply and return lines with the interposition of gate valves 10.

It will be appreciated that by adjustment of each individual gate valve the predetermined temperature of the flow of beer in the respective beer engine can be set. This is partiuclarly useful in the case where one of the beer engines is not used for long periods and the known practice of cooling the beer supply line, resulted in radical differences in the temperature of the beer being dispensed.

In a preferred arrangement of the cooled beer engine the temperature of the beer at the dispensing spout is maintained at 530F + 20F.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A cooled beer engine comprising a connection via a lift pump to a remote store for the beverage to be dispensed from a dispensing outlet, a coolant supply line to and a return line from the beer engine, wherein a heat exchanger is located between the beer engine, the lift pump and the dispensing outlet, and the supply of coolant to the heat exchanger is controlled by a control valve to set the temperature of the beverage dispensed from the dispensing outlet.

2. A cooled beer engine as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the coolant is water or a water glycol mixture which is passed through a refrigeration machine.

3. A cooled beer engine as claimed in Claims 1 or 2, wherein the control valve is a gate valve located between the supply line and return line for the coolant.

4. A cooled beer engine as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the flow of coolant through the heat exchanger is controlled by regulating the by-pass flow.

5. A cooled beer engine as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the remote store for the beverage is at a temperature of 550F.

6. A cooled beer engine as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the beer dispensed at the dispensing outlet is 530F + 20F.

7. A plurality of cooled beer engines as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein they are linked in series with the supply and return lines for the coolant.

8. A cooled beer engine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.