GB2440950A

GB2440950A - Cooling system for cooling a beverage comprising a heat exchanger

Info

Publication number: GB2440950A
Application number: GB0616568A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jonathan Harvey Taylor; Martin Behle
Original assignee: Scotsman Beverage Systems Ltd
Current assignee: Welbilt Halesowen Ltd
Priority date: 2006-08-19
Filing date: 2006-08-19
Publication date: 2008-02-20
Also published as: GB0616568D0

Abstract

A cooling system 12 for cooling a beverage for dispensing at a bar 14 includes a cooling container 18 containing a cooling liquid, where the cooling liquid in the container is a single phase liquid, and a heat exchanger for transferring heat from the cooling liquid to a coolant. A beverage flow line 20 is immersed within the cooling liquid in the cooling container through which beverage from a storage vessel 23 flows for cooling. The system further includes a refrigeration apparatus 24 located exterior to the cooling container, and a pump device 25 located exterior to the cooling container for circulating a single phase liquid coolant between the heat exchanger and the refrigeration apparatus where the coolant is cooled. Preferably, the cooling liquid is a glycol-water mixture.

Description

S

Title: Cooling System DescriDtion of Invention This invention relates to a cooling system and more particularly to a cooling system for cooling beverage, such as beer or a soft drink, for dispensing at a bar.

In our previous patent application GB-A-2357828 there is proposed a cooling system which includes a bath of cooled water through which beverage to be cooled passes in a flow line. The water is cooled by coolant with the aid of on or more external refrigeration units. Within the bath of cooled water, there is formed an ice bank, which is intended to be a cold store, to enable the system to cope with periods of heavy use, i.e. when high volumes of beverage are being dispensed when the external refrigeration unit may not be of sufficient capacity to maintain the water in the bath cool enough.

Such a water bath system can of course only cool the beverage at best to near water freezing point, and even with the use of coolant to cool the beverage as it flows to the point at which the beverage is to be served, the temperature to which the beverage can be reduced is restricted.

It is increasingly a requirement that some beverages are served at temperatures much lower than hithertofore has been possible using a water bath cooling system, i.e. sub-zero temperatures, and thus to achieve such lower temperatures, refrigeration apparatus which use gas-liquid have necessarily been employed.

According to a first aspect of the invention we provide a cooling system for cooling beverage for dispensing at a bar, the system including a cooling * 2 container containing a cooling liquid, and a heat exchanger for transferring heat from the cooling liquid to a coolant, and there being a beverage flow line immersed within the cooling liquid in the cooling container, through which beverage from a storage vessel flows for cooling, the system further including a refrigeration apparatus located exteriorly of the cooling container, and r pump device exterior to the cooling container for circulating single phase liquid coolant between the heat exchanger in the cooling container and the refrigeration apparatus where the coolant is cooled, and wherein the cooling liquid in the container is a single phase liquid.

Utilising a cooling system in accordance with the invention, the beverage may be cooled to lower temperatures than in our previous proposal which utilised water in the cooling container and consequently was dispensed at the bar at lower temperature. Because instead of water, a single phase cooling liquid is used in the container, no ice bank is formed, and so a greater specification refrigeration apparatus, or multiple refrigeration apparatus may be required to cope with periods when high volumes of cold beverage are dispensed.

Cooled beverage may pass from the cooling container to the bar where it is to be dispensed, along a supply line which is cooled.

In one arrangement, the supply line may be cooled by coolant which may be cooled by the or another refrigeration apparatus of the system, and the coolant may pass into a jacket which at least partially surrounds the supply line over a major portion of its length, the coolant in the jacket being in heat exchange relationship with the supply line. Such a cooled supply line, including the jacke.

and return line for coolant, is conventionally called a "python".

Preferably though the supply line is cooled by the single phase cooling liquid from the cooling container. To achieve this, a pump may be provided for pumping the cooling liquid from the container into a jacket which at least S 3 -t partially surrounds the supply line over a major portion of its length, the cooling liquid in the jacket being in heat exchange relationship with the supply line.

The pump may be driven by a motor which may also drive an impeller which in use stirs the cooling liquid in the cooling container. Preferably the pump is located exterior to the cooling liquid.

Cooling liquid may return to the cooling container from the jacket, along a return line.

If desired, along the supply line there may be provided a temperature trimming apparatus to trim the temperature of the beverage to a temperature within an ideal serving temperature range. The temperature trimming apparatus may selectively further cool or heat the beverage in the supply line where the temperature trimming apparatus is provided, and the length of the supply line between the temperature trimming apparatus and the point where the beverage is to be dispensed may be substantially shorter that the length of the supply line between the cooling container and the temperature trimming apparatus.

According to a second aspect of the invention we provide an installation including a cooling system according to the first aspect of the invention, a bar and a dispensing point at which cooled beverage is dispensed.

Preferably the installation includes a first room, which may be a cellar or other room below the level of the bar where the beverage is to be dispensed, the cooling chamber being located in the first room, and a second room where the refrigeration apparatus is located. The pump of the cooling system may be located in the first or preferably in the second room as required.

The storage vessel for the beverage to be cooled may be located in the fir room.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a schematic view of an installation of thT second aspect of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, an installation 10 is shown which includes a cooling system 12 for cooling beverage for dispensing at a bar 14, at a dispense point where one or more taps 16 may be provided.

The cooling system 12 includes a cooling container 18 which contains a cooling liquid which in this example is a glycol-water mixture, the proportion of glycol being such that the cooling liquid is a single phase liquid at least at operating temperatures achievable. Instead of glycol-water mixture, another single phase liquid may be used, but a glycol-water mixture is preferred as this does not present any substantial health risk in the event of any leakage of the cooling liquid from the container 18, for example into a beverage flow line 20 through which in use beverage flows in the cooling liquid, as hereinafter described.

Within the cooling container 18 there is a heat exchanger 21 for transferring heat from the cooling liquid to a coolant. The beverage flow line 20, is immersed within the cooling liquid in the cooling container 18 and the beverage flows to the beverage flow line 20 from a storage vessel 23.

The system 12 further includes a refrigeration apparatus 24 located exteriorly of the cooling container 18, and a pump device 25 exteriorly of the cooling container 18 for circulating the single phase liquid coolant between the heat exchanger 21 in the cooling container 18 and the refrigeration apparatus 24, where the coolant is cooled. * 5

In the example shown the pump device 25 is shown separately from the refrigeration apparatus 24, but in another example, the refrigeration apparatus 24 and the pump device 25 may both be provided within a common housing

for example.

In the example, the storage vessel 23 for the beverage is pressurised, and when a tap 16 on the bar 14 is opened, beverage passes from the storag vessel 23 to the flow line 20 in the cooling container 18 where the beverage is cooled, before passing from the cooling container 18 towards the bar 14, where it is to be dispensed along a supply line 30 of a "python" 32 which is cooled.

Although the python 32 may be cooled by coolant which may be cooled by the or another refrigeration apparatus 24 of the system 12, in the example, the python 32 is cooled by the single phase cooling liquid from the cooling container 18. A further pump 26 provided for pumping the cooling liquid from the cooling container 18 into a jacket 29 of the python 32 which at leact partially surrounds the supply line 30 over a major portion of its length, the cooling liquid in the jacket 29 being in heat exchange relationship with the supply line 30 and thus maintaining the coolness of the beverage as it flow along the supply line 30.

The further pump 26 is in this example driven by a motor 34 which also drives an impeller 35 which in use stirs the cooling liquid in the cooling container 18.

In the example and as is preferred, the further pump 26 is located exteriorly of the cooling liquid.

Cooling liquid may return from the jacket 29 of the python 32 to the cooling container 18, along a return line 40 within the python 32. O 6

Along the supply line 30, adjacent the bar 14, there is provided a temperature trimming apparatus 42 to trim the temperature of the beverage to a temperature within an ideal serving temperature range. The temperature trimming apparatus 42 may further cool or heat the beverage in the supply line 30 where the temperature trimming apparatus 42 is provided, and the length of the supply line 30 between the temperature trimming apparatus 42 and the point 15 where the beverage is to be dispensed i.e. the bar taps 16, is substantially shorter that the length of the supply tine 30 between the cooling container 18 and the temperature trimming apparatus 42.

The installation 10 is such that the cooling container 18 and beverage storag vessel 23 are located in a first room 44 which in the example, is most conveniently a cellar or other room at a level below that of the bar 14. The refrigeration apparatus 24 and pump 25 are however located in a second room 45 so as to be as thermally isolated as possible from the cooling container 18.

Conduits 46 extend between the refrigeration apparatus 24 and the heat exchanger 21 in the cooling container to convey the coolant and hence heat, from the cooling container 18 to the refrigeration unit 24 where the heat is removed from the coolant and the coolant is re-circulated to the cooling container 18 further to cool the cooling liquid therein.

Various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. For example if desired more than one refrigeration apparatus 24 may be required, preferably but not essentially both located in a room separate from the cooling container 18. Thus additional refrigeration capacity may be switched in when required, e.g. during any period when a large volume of beverage is being dispensed and the single refrigeration apparatus 24 is insufficient to maintain the single phase cooling liquid in the cooling container 18 and the cooling liquid in the jacket 29 in the python 32, at an acceptably low temperature. O 7

Utilising a cooling system 12 in accordance with the invention, the beverage may be cooled to sub-zero temperatures which is not possible in a system which utilises water as cooling liquid, and an ice bank.

As desired, more than one immersed beverage flow line 20 may pass though the cooling liquid in the cooling container 18, so that beverage from multipk storage vessels 23 may be cooled. Each such beverage flow line 20, which may carry different beverages, may pass to the bar 14 along the python 32 in their respective supply lines, or along different pythons 32 as required.

However the jacket 29 of the python 32 may carry cooling liquid which may cool beverage in the or each supply line 30 of the python 32.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in av combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof. * 8

Claims

CLAIMS

1. A cooling system for cooling beverage for dispensing at a bar, the system including a cooling container containing a cooling liquid, and a heat exchanger for transferring heat from the cooling liquid to a coolant, and there being a beverage flow line immersed within the cooling liquid in the cooling container, through which beverage from a storage vessel flows for cooling, the system further including a refrigeration apparatus located exteriorly of the cooling container, and a pump device exterior to the cooling container fe' circulating single phase liquid coolant between the heat exchanger and the refrigeration apparatus where the coolant is cooled, and wherein the cooling liquid in the container is a single phase liquid.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein cooled beverage passes from the cooling container to the bar where it is to be dispensed, along a supply line which is cooled.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein the supply line is cooled by coolant which is cooled by the or another refrigeration apparatus of the system, and the coolant passes into a jacket which at least partially surrounds the supply line over a major portion of its length, the coolant in the jacket being in heat exchange relationship with the supply line.

4. A system according to claim 3 wherein the supply line is cooled by the single phase cooling liquid from the cooling container.

5. A system according to claim 4 wherein a pump is provided for pumping the cooling liquid from the container into a jacket which at least partially surrounds the supply line over a major portion of its length, the cooling liquid in the jacket being in heat exchange relationship with the supply line. * 9

6. A system according to claim 5 wherein the pump is driven by a motor which also drives an impeller which in use stirs the cooling liquid in the cooling container.

7. A system according to claim 5 or claim 6 wherein the pump is located exterior to the cooling liquid.

8. A system according to any one of claims 5 to 7 wherein cooling liquid returns to the cooling container from the jacket, along a return line.

9. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein along the supply line there is provided a temperature trimming apparatus to trim the temperature of the beverage to a temperature within an ideal servin temperature range.

10. A system according to claim 9 wherein the temperature trimming apparatus selectively further cools or heat the beverage in the supply line where the temperature trimming apparatus is provided, and the length of the supply line between the temperature trimming apparatus and the point where the beverage is to be dispensed is substantially shorter that the length of the supply line between the cooling container and the temperature trimming apparatus. rl

11. A cooling system substantially as hereinbefore described with referecne to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawing.

12. An installation including a cooling system according to any one of the preceding claims, a bar and a dispensing point at which cooled beverage is dispensed. * 10

13. An installation according to claim 12 wherein the installation includes a first room, the cooling chamber being located in the first room, and a second room where the refrigeration apparatus is located.

14. An installation according to claim 13 wherein the first room is a cellar or other room below the level of the bar where the beverage is to be dispensed.

15. An installation according to claim 13 or claim 14 wherein the pump of the cooling system is located in the second room.

16. An installation accoding to any one of claims 12 to 15 wherein the storage vessel for the beverage to be cooled is located in the first room.

17. An installation substailly as hereinbefore descriobed with referecne to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawing.

18. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herer and/or as shown in the accompanying drawing.