WO2015122767A1

WO2015122767A1 - Pressure vessel

Info

Publication number: WO2015122767A1
Application number: PCT/NL2015/050088
Authority: WO
Inventors: Philippe Ramirez
Original assignee: Moba Group BV
Current assignee: Moba Group BV
Priority date: 2014-02-11
Filing date: 2015-02-10
Publication date: 2015-08-20
Anticipated expiration: 2016-08-11

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pressure vessel for processing liquid product, for example food product such as egg liquid, under high pressure, comprising, - a high pressure processing tank having a substantially cylindrical form, - a liquid inlet-outlet conduit to said tank for feeding and discharging said lquid product, respectively before and after processing, - a valve in said liquid inlet-outlet conduit for directing said liquid into and from said vessel, and - a pressure control unit comprising a piston system on top of said vessel for increasing and lowering said pressure during operating said vessel in an operating cycle, wherein at least a cleaning fluid inlet conduit is comprised, concentric within said liquid inlet-outlet conduit and telescopically movable within said liquid inlet conduit thereby opening and closing a cleaning fluid discharging opening. Furthermore the present invention concerns a method for carrying out an operating cycle in such a vessel. With great advantage an economic way of working with such vessel, both as to cleaning and as to coupling processing lines, is obtained.

Description

Pressure Vessel

The present invention relates to a pressure vessel for processing liquid product, for example food product such as egg liquid, under high pressure, comprising:

- a high pressure processing tank having a substantially cylindrical form,

- at least one liquid conduit to said tank for feeding and discharging said liquid product, respectively before and after processing,

- a valve in said at least one liquid conduit for directing said liquid into and from said vessel, and

- a pressure control unit comprising a piston system on top of said vessel for increasing and lowering said pressure during operating said vessel in an operating cycle.

The invention also relates to a method for processing product liquid, for example food product such as egg liquid, under high pressure, and carried out in a pressure vessel tank and thereby carrying out an operating cycle.

Such vessels in particular comprise tanks used for processing food liquids, either directly by pressurizing such liquids, or by pressurizing packaged food liquids. For example such systems are referred to in US7722912. As can be read in more detail parallel processing is applied to avoid long stops. However, in any case only batches of such food liquids can be processed in order to obey strict pasteurization requirements.

Furthermore a tank as used in this field of technology is disclosed in Buzrul et al., Compression heating of selected pressure transmitting fluids and liquid foods during high hydrostatic pressure treatment, Journal of Food Engineering, 85 (2008), 466 - 472. In this article no references to cleaning or specific cleaning conditions and cleaning

arrangements can be read. In case of processing pressurized liquids directly a further problem arises by carrying out cleaning procedures within such tanks. As well known in this field of technology, thereby referring to e.g. www^ankcleaningtechnoiogies.co.uk, tanks are cleaned from top.

Consequently for pressure vessel tanks disassembling of e.g. cover part is necessary after every operating cycle in order to arrive at full cleaning.

In order to remedy the above-mentioned shortcoming the vessel in accordance with the present invention is characterized in that at least a cleaning fluid inlet conduit is comprised, concentric within a liquid product conduit and telescopically movable within said liquid conduit thereby opening and closing a cleaning fluid discharging opening.

With great advantage a straightforward inlet-outlet system allows operators to clean in short time without need to disassemble bigger or smaller parts of such vessel. An economic way of working with such vessel, both as to cleaning and as to coupling processing lines, is obtained. Moreover multi-vessel logistics which can be applied in processing large amounts of such food liquids can be applied and operated in a parallel way. According to preferred embodiments, the vessel of the present invention is further characterized in that,

said fluid discharging opening comprises at least one orifice close to the distal end of said conduit;

said conduit can rotate when said at least one orifice is opened;

said conduit has a length such that the conduit can be moved into the tank close to the piston;

the vessel further comprises a piston positioning system for moving the piston to a cleaning position, and/or

the piston positioning system comprises an electromagnetic control, e.g. including one or more solenoids for (magnetically) attracting the piston. The present invention also comprises a method for processing product liquid, for example food product such as egg liquid, under high pressure, and carried out in a pressure vessel tank and thereby carrying out an operating cycle, comprising,

- supplying said tank with product at atmospheric pressure through a product liquid inlet, up to complete filling against a piston,

- increasing said pressure to a high pressure by means of said piston,

- lowering said pressure to atmospheric pressure by means of said piston,

- discharging product from said tank through a product liquid outlet, and

- cleaning said tank after such operating cycle with cleaning liquid through a cleaning fluid inlet.

Such method provides a very suitable way of processing both reducing cleaning time and improving cleaning characteristics substantially. According to preferred embodiments the method of the present invention is further characterized in that

said cleaning comprises spraying said tank, particularly an interior (i.e. inner wall) of the tank; and/or

said cleaning comprises positioning said piston in a cleaning position, for example a retracted position with respect to the tank.

Hereinafter an example of the invention is explained in detail thereby referring to a drawing, wherein

FIGURE 1 shows an opened view of an embodiment of the vessel according to a non- limiting embodiment of the present invention for the situation the tank is being filled with product liquid,

FIGURE 2 shows the same embodiment for the situation filling is completed,

FIGURE 3 presents said embodiment for the situation pressurizing the product is carried out,

FIGURE 4 presents said embodiment for the situation the product liquid has been processed and is being discharged from the tank, and

FIGURE 5 shows said embodiment during cleaning the tank.

In the FIGURES the same parts are represented by the same numbers and indications.

The drawings show an embodiment of a pressure vessel 1 for processing liquid product, for example food product such as egg liquid, under high pressure. It comprises a high pressure processing tank having a substantially cylindrical form. Additionally, there is provided at least one liquid conduit to said tank (in this case two conduits 10, 20) for feeding and discharging said liquid product P, respectively before and after processing. In the example, each liquid conduit 10, 20 includes a respective valve for controlling liquid flow through the conduit (i.e. for directing said liquid product into and from said vessel). Also, there is provided a pressure control unit comprising a piston system on top of said vessel for increasing and lowering said pressure during operating said vessel in an operating cycle.

As will be explained below, and as follows from the drawings, with great advantage the vessel 1 includes a cleaning fluid inlet conduit, concentric within a said product conduit (the feed conduit 10, in this example) and telescopically movable within said liquid conduit 10 thereby opening and closing a respective cleaning fluid discharging opening. In the example said discharge opening is located at or near a distal end of the conduit 10, particularly a distal end that leads into the tank for supplying the product thereto.

It will be clear that a liquid product supply conduit 10 can be connected to a liquid product supply (not shown), e.g. via suitable supply lines (not shown). Similarly, it will be clear that a liquid product discharge conduit 20 can be connected to a processed liquid product receiver (not shown), e.g. via suitable discharge lines (not shown).

More particularly, as follows from FIGURE 1 , the pressurizing vessel 1 comprises a tank with tank wall 2 which can be closed by a cover 3 thus forming an assembly having substantially cylindrical form with central cylinder axis A. For pressurizing product liquid P when filled up completely a piston 4 is installed for exerting pressure on said product liquid P by means of an hydraulic pressurizing liquid, to be supplied through an hydraulic inlet conduit 5. A schematically depicted piston position control 6 (e.g.

including a solenoid for magnetically attracting a magnetically attractable part of the piston) controls the position of the piston 4 when the tank is empty, particularly for retracting the posting 4 towards an initial retracted position (as in Fig. 5), thereby making tank wall 2 free for cleaning purposes.

At the other side of the vessel 1 two inlet-outlet units (i.e. respective fluid product conduits) 10, 20 are shown.

In this example, for supplying product liquid P into said tank a product inlet 10 is provided controlled by a valve. Said valve comprises an inlet valve stem 11, an inlet valve stop 12, and an inlet valve control 13. For discharging the product liquid P after having been processed by pressurizing said liquid P is discharged through a product outlet 20 which is also controlled by a valve system. Said outlet valve comprises an outlet valve stem 21, an outlet valve stop 22, and an outlet valve control 23. For supplying cleaning liquid C into the tank after product liquid P has been discharged a cleaning inlet system is applied wherein a further cleaning inlet valve is used. Said cleaning inlet valve comprises a cleaning liquid inlet conduit 30, having a distal a cleaning inlet orifice (e.g. a sprayer or spraying nozzle) 32, and a cleaning inlet control. As is mentioned before, the cleaning fluid inlet conduit is concentric within a said liquid product conduit (in this case the inlet 10), and is also telescopically movable within said liquid conduit 10. By telescopically moving the cleaning fluid inlet conduit 30 with respect to the respective liquid product conduit 10, the cleaning fluid discharging opening (orifice 32) can be opened and closed. This also follows from Figure 4 depicting a closed position of the orifice 32 when the cleaning fluid conduit 30 is in a first retracted position, and Figure 5 depicting an opened or free position of the orifice 32 when the cleaning fluid conduit 30 is in a second position moved inwards with respect to the tank. More particularly, when the cleaning fluid conduit 30 is in a retracted position, the distal cleaning fluid discharge orifice 32 is located within a closed distal section of the valve stem 11 of the respective product conduit 10. As follows from the drawing, also, to that aim, the valve stop 12 of the respective conduit covers and closes off the distal section of the valve stem 11. In this example, the valve stop 12 is connected to the cleaning fluid conduit 30 (via a respective cleaning fluid stem 31), to be moved away from the distal edge of the respective valve stem 11 during telescopic movement of the cleaning fluid conduit 30 (i.e. stem 31). Thus, and as follows from Fig. 5, when the cleaning fluid 30 has been brought to its second position, the valve stem 11 has been moved away from the stem 11 , and the underlying cleaning fluid discharge orifice or orifices 32 has/have been moved out of the distal section of the valve stem 11. In that position, cleaning fluid can be sprayed via the discharge orifice(s) 32 into the tank. Hereinafter the sequence of an operating will be explained, thereby referring to the subsequent FIGURES 1 to 5.

As can be seen in FIGURE 1 , in a first step the product liquid outlet 20 is closed by closing tank outlet opening 2b of the tank wall 2 with outlet valve stop 22. More in particular outlet valve control 23 has moved stop 22 and its stem 21 to a retracted position. For every skilled person it may be clear that many such controls are well known in this field of technology (e.g. including a hydraulic control, or a pneumatic control), whereas a spring control has been shown in this particular embodiment. As regards the product inlet 10 a similar set-up has been shown, with an open product liquid inlet 10 because of the outwardly moved inlet valve stem 11 which makes the inlet valve stem free from tank inlet opening 2a. For moving said inlet valve stem 11 valve control 13 has been moved in the same outward direction, which means into the tank. As follows from the drawings, the inlet valve stem 11 has been moved together with the respective cleaning fluid conduit 30, in such a manner that the valve stop 12 closes off the stem section that contains the distal cleaning fluid exit orifice(s) 32. It should be noted that in this example, for introducing cleaning fluid C into the tank (i.e. for moving the cleaning fluid conduit 30 with respect to the valve stem 11 ) a substantially similar valve system is provided within the product liquid inlet valve stem 11 (i.e. similar to the valve system that controls that stem). More in particular the inlet valve stem 11 movably contains a said cleaning inlet conduit 30, a cleaning fluid spray orifice 32 housed in an inlet orifice body 32a closely fitting in said stem 11. For moving said conduit 30 with respect to the stem 11, a cleaning fluid valve control 33 is comprised, shown in this FIGURE 1 in closed position, thus closing the orifice 32.

For FIGURE 2 it can be seen that supplying product liquid P is completed wherein the product liquid P is contacting the piston 4. The situations for the product liquid inlet 10 and for the product liquid outlet 20 are the same as shown in FIGURE 1. In FIGURE 3 the situation of pressurizing product liquid P is shown. After the tank having filled the product liquid inlet 10 has been closed, wherein the inlet valve stop 12 is closing the tank inlet opening 2a, and wherein therefore the inlet valve control 13 has retracted the inlet valve stem 11 to the closed position.

Because of pressurizing the product liquid P, the piston 4 is shown in a pressurizing position thereby reducing the product liquid volume. Pressurizing the product liquid P by moving the piston 4 downwardly is carried out by hydraulic fluid H supplied through the hydraulic fluid inlet-outlet conduit 5.

In FIGURE 4 a further stage of the operating cycle is shown, i.e. discharging the product liquid P after having been processed by pressurizing. More in particular the product liquid outlet 20 is open after the outlet valve control 23 has moved outlet valve stem 21 with outlet valve stop 22 upwardly an away from the tank outlet opening 2b. As shown, for that step the piston has been retracted to its starting position, e.g. at least partly under control of an electromagnetic control, including a solenoid 5 (shown in cross section) in this example. In FIGURE 5 cleaning the tank, and more in particular the tank wall 2 and the piston 4. For that specific and important purpose the tank outlet opening 2b is closed and the piston 4 is held in the retracted position, in this case by means of the solenoid 5, whereas the controls 13, 33 are activated to move respectively the inlet valve stem 11 and the cleaning fluid inlet valve stem 31. By moving the latter 31 further with respect to the stem 11, the cleaning fluid valve orifice 32 which is arranged in an orifice head 32a is freed, and opened thus giving a spray after the cleaning fluid or cleaning liquid has been supplied through the cleaning fluid inlet 30. In a further embodiment, wherein said head 32a is closely fitting in the upper part (i.e. the distal section) of the inlet stem 11. By further moving said stems 11, 31 all wall parts can be exposed to cleaning liquid . In a preferred embodiment the cleaning fluid conduit 30 can be rotated during the discharging or spraying of cleaning fluid into the tank (i.e. when one or more respective exit orifices 32 is/are opened). For a skilled person it might be clear that a suitable cleaning fluid will be chosen in order to start a next operating cycle with a clean tank according to usual requirements.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For those skilled in the art it will be clear that various modifications are possible within the scope covered by the attached claims. For example, movement of the piston 4 can be effected in various ways, for example using a piston drive, hydraulically, pneumatically,

electromagnetically, by a combination thereof, or differently, movement being e.g.

controlled by a suitable control or control unit 6, as will be appreciated by the skilled person. Also, a retracting movement of the piston 2 may be effected under influence of pressure of pressurized liquid within the tank, e.g. in case of reduction of a hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic fluid pressure/control line 5.

Also, as follows from the drawings, each control 13, 23, 33 for controlling movement of a respective stem or conduit can include a piston/cylinder-type control, particularly a pneumatically or hydraulically controllable piston/cylinder-type actuator, a spring control, or a different type of control. LEGENDA

A vessel axis 20 product liquid outlet

P product liquid 21 outlet valve stem

C cleaning liquid 22 outlet valve stop

1 pressurizing vessel 23 outlet valve control

2 tank wall 30 cleaning fluid inlet

2a,b tank inlet/outlet opening 31 cleaning fluid inlet valve stem

3 cover 32 cleaning fluid spray orifice

4 piston 32a spray orifice head

5 hydraulic fluid inlet-outlet 33 cleaning fluid valve control

6 piston control H hydraulic fluid

10 product liquid inlet

11 inlet valve stem

12 inlet valve stop

13 inlet valve control

Claims

1. Pressure vessel for processing liquid product, for example food product such as egg liquid, under high pressure, comprising:

- a high pressure processing tank having a substantially cylindrical form,

- a pressure control unit comprising a piston system on top of said vessel for increasing and lowering said pressure during operating said vessel in an operating cycle,

characterised in that,

at least a cleaning fluid inlet conduit is comprised, concentric within a said liquid product conduit and telescopically movable within said liquid conduit thereby opening and closing a cleaning fluid discharging opening.

2. Vessel of claim 1 , characterized in that,

said fluid discharging opening comprises at least one orifice close to the distal end of said liquid product conduit, particularly a distal end located within said processing tank. and/or leading into the tank.

3. Vessel of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that,

said cleaning fluid inlet conduit is rotatatable, for example when at least one cleaning fluid discharge orifice of the conduit is opened for discharging the cleaning fluid into the tank.

4. Vessel of one of the claims 1 - 3, characterized in that,

said cleaning fluid inlet conduit has a length such that the conduit can be moved into the tank close to the piston.

5. Vessel of one of the claims 1 - 4, characterized in that, the vessel further comprises a piston positioning system for moving a piston of the piston system to a cleaning position, for example a retracted position with respect to the tank.

6. Vessel of claim 5, characterized in that,

the piston positioning system comprises an electromagnetic control.

7. Vessel according the any of the preceding claims, wherein the pressure vessel includes a liquid inlet for feeding liquid product into the tank, and a liquid outlet for discharging liquid product from the tank, wherein the cleaning fluid inlet conduit is arranged concentric within the said liquid inlet.

8. Vessel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the cleaning fluid conduit can be moved between first retracted position, and at least one second position moved inwards with respect to the tank.

9. Vessel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one fluid discharge orifice is located within a closed distal section of a valve stem of the respective product conduit when the cleaning fluid conduit is in a first position.

10. Vessel according to claim 9, wherein a valve stop of the respective liquid product conduit covers and closes off the said distal section of the valve stem, wherein the valve stop is movable away from a distal edge of the respective liquid product conduit by telescopic movement of the cleaning fluid conduit.

11. Vessel according to any of the preceding claims, said liquid product conduit including a said valve having a stem for opening and closing said liquid product conduit, wherein the cleaning fluid conduit extends through said stem, and is telescopically movable with respect to the stem.

12. Method for processing product liquid, for example food product such as egg liquid, under high pressure, and carried out in a pressure vessel tank and thereby carrying out an operating cycle, the method for example utilizing a pressure vessel according to any of the preceding claims, the method comprising:

- increasing said pressure to a high pressure by means of said piston,

- lowering said pressure to atmospheric pressure by means of said piston,

- discharging product from said tank through a product liquid outlet, and

- cleaning said tank after such operating cycle with cleaning liquid through a cleaning fluid inlet conduit.

13. Method of claim 12, characterized in that,

said cleaning comprises spraying an interior of said tank.

14. Method of claim 12 or 13, characterized in that,

said cleaning comprises positioning said piston in a cleaning position.

15. Method according to any of claims 12-14, wherein the cleaning fluid inlet conduit concentrically extends through a liquid product conduit, and is being telescopically moved with respect to that conduit.