GB2180632A

GB2180632A - A liquid dispensing system

Info

Publication number: GB2180632A
Application number: GB08621229A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Callum Grant
Original assignee: Koolflo Ltd
Current assignee: Koolflo Ltd
Priority date: 1985-09-19
Filing date: 1986-09-03
Publication date: 1987-04-01
Also published as: GB8621229D0; GB8523147D0

Abstract

A liquid, e.g. beer, dispensing system comprises a barrel (10) delivering the liquid via tube (12) to a dispenser (11). A refrigeration system (15) utilising volatile coolant fluid operates a coolant coil (16) which is wound around barrel (10) and a U-shaped conduit (13) which extends alongside tube (12). Tube (12) and conduit (13) are housed in a thermally insulating sleeve (14). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for conveying liquids This invention relates to apparatus for conveying liquids, especially potable liquids.

Potable liquids such as beer, lager, fruitjuices, milk and the like require to be dispensed at or about a par ticulartemperature if the taste of the liquid is to be at its best. For example, it is known that beers taste best at a temperature of about 540F wh ereas lager tastes best at a temperature of about48 F.

Atthe presenttime,where potable liquids are stored in bulk, it is the practise to cool the bulk liquid to the relevanttemperature and thereafter to convey it to a dispenserthrough a tube. The tube may be one of a number collected together and housed in a thermally-insulating sleeve and the length ofthe tube may vary greatly from as little as a few feet to as much as 100 yards orso. Furthermore, the tube may pass close to a variety of heat-emitting devices so that by virtue of length and/or location of the tube the temperature of the liquid at the dispenser is relatively uncontrolled despite the close control oftemperature at the bulk store.

In a known arrangementthetube is one of a bundle housed in a thermally-insulating sleeve which additi onallycontainsflowand return pipes for recirculation of chilled water,the chilled water being continuously supplied from an ice-bank reservoir. In this arrangement, known as a 'python', the chilled water is art a temperature of about 34 F and very large quantities of water are involved in orderto maintain the potable liquids atorabouttheir required dispense temperaturesduringconditionswhentheliquidsare being regularly dispensed, butthe same amount of water circulates when no potable liquids are being dispensed which gives rise to under-cooling of at least that volume of potable liquid held within the python.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatusforconveying liquids from a bulk store to a dispenser.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus conveying liquids from a bulkstore to a dispenser, said apparatus comprising at least one tube for carrying the liquid to be dispensed, the tube being housed togetherwith conduit means in a thermally-insulating sleeve, said conduit means carrying a volatilecoolantfluid supplied tothe con- duitmeansbya refrigeration system.

Convenientlythevolatilecoolantfluid isR12.

The conduit means may take the form of a heat pipeormaytaketheform of a U-shaped pipe. In the latter case the limbs of the U-shaped pipe may be of equal cross-sectional area or may differ in crosssectional area. By way of example one limb ofthe U-shaped pipe may be of sufficiently small crosssectional area to function as a capilliary. The free ends of the U-shaped pipe may be terminated with quick-release pipe couplings for interconnection with the refrigeration system. One limb ofthe Ushape may be located inside the other or may be wound helically around the outside of the other.

Conveniently the refrigeration system incorporates at least one coolant coil arranged to control the temperature of a bulkstoreofthe liquid, said tube for carrying the liquid being coupled between said store and a dispenser. It is preferred that the refrigeration system be that disclosed in U.K. Patent 2099979 since such a system has a very short duty cycle.

Conveniently the apparatus is manufactured in predetermined lengths with the conduit means having cross-sectional dimensions determined by said length and by the refrigeration system in order to provide fortemperature maintenance only of liquids standing in said tube.

In anotherform the conduit means may be in the form of a heat pipe which preferably is inclined to allowflowofthe coolant fluid undergravity.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described byway of example with reference to the accompanying schematic drawing in which: Figure 1 illustrates a first embodiment; and Figure2 illustrates a second embodiment.

As is illustrated in Figure 1 a beer barrel informs part of a bulk store of beer 9, (in the interests of clarity only one beer barrel isshown)whichistobedis- pensed at dispenser 11, beer being transported between barrel 10 and dispenser 11 by means of a plastic tube 12. Thetube 12 is many metres in length and, in accordance with the present invention, substantiallythe entire length ofthetube 12 is housed together with a copperconduitarrangement 13 in a thermallyinsulating sleeve 14. Sleeve 14mayconveniently be made of foam rubber our polystyrene.

The conduit arrangement 13 is in the form of a Ushaped pipe connected to a refrigeration system 15 and is filled with a volatile coolant fluid such as R1 2.

Also, refrigeration system 15 supplies a coolant coil 16withvolatilecoolantfluid,coil 16 being located at the bulkstore and inthevicinity of barrel 10 in order to maintain the beertherein at a predetermined temperature. In order to provide the appropriate restriction offlow rate ofthevolatilecoolantfluid, arrange- ment 13 and coil 16 preferably incorporate sections which are capillary and itwill be understood that arrangement 13 is dimensioned to providefortemperature maintenance only within the length of sleeve 14whereas coil 16 is designed for achieving a controlled temperature of beer within the bulk store and thermostatic operation of the refrigeration system 15 is effected via coil 16 to provide rapid cycling of system 15 since prolonged running would tend to freeze the beer in tube 12.Thus, when beer is dispensed at dispenser 11 a small bleed of coolant fluid flows along conduitarrangement 13 caused bycoil 16 driving the refrigeration system 15 to its ON condition and temperature maintenance oftube 12 is achieved and continues even when system 15 is in its OFF condition duets the balancingflowofcoolant fluid from the high side to the low side ofthe system 15.

In the Figure 2 system refrigeration system 15 is local to the dispenser 11 and incorporates a local product cooling coil 1 SA in which beer to be dispensed is cooled and the tube 12 is only one meter orso in length. In this system beer is delivered from the bulk store 9 to product cooling coil 1 5A at any convenient temperature, such as by the Figure 1 python arrange mentor by the conventional water-cooled python arrangement, andthe principal cooling effectisun- dertaken by coil 1 5A in order to bring the productto the desired final temperature. Arrangement 13, as before, is designed for temperature maintenance onlywithinthe length of sleeve 14. In the Figure2 system the cooling requirement imposed upon the refrigeration system 15 is small so that the bulk of the system 15 is small.

Claims

1. Apparatusforconveying liquids from a bulk storeto a dispenser, said apparatus comprising at least one tube for carrying the liquid to be dispensed, the tube being housed together with conduit means in athermally-insulating sleeve, said conduit means carrying a volatile coolant fluid supplied to the conduit means by a refrigeration system.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the volatile coolant fluid is R12.

3. Apparatus as claimed in either preceding claim,wherein the conduit means comprises a Ushaped pipe.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the two limbs of the U-shaped pipe are of different crosssectional areas.

5. Apparatus as claimed in ctaim 4, wherein one limb ofthe U-shaped pipe is sufficiently small in cross-sectional area to function as a capillary.

6. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the refrigeration system incorporates at least one coolant coil arranged to control thetem peratureofa bulkstoreofthe liquid, saidtubefor carrying the liquid being coupled between said store and a dispenser.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.