阅读说明：本技术 用于以液体填料灌装容器的方法 (Method for filling containers with liquid filling material ) 是由 L·克吕塞拉特 于 2020-03-26 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种用于通过使用具有至少一个灌装元件(3,3a)的灌装系统(1)以液体填料灌装容器(2)的方法。在此在灌装阶段开始之前,在密封位置中在所述灌装元件(3,3a)上布置的容器(2)的内腔在至少一个抽真空和冲洗阶段中通过与环形通道(40)连接而被抽真空,并且然后被抽真空的并且此外与所述环形通道(40)连接的容器内腔以冲洗气体被冲洗。此外,所述容器内腔在所述抽真空和冲洗阶段之后以来自环形通道(30)的惰性气体被填充和/或预加载、然后以液体填料被灌装并且紧接着被卸载到所述环形通道(40)中。本发明的特征在于,在所述至少一个抽真空和冲洗阶段中,对相应的容器内腔的冲洗至少部分地以作为冲洗气体的、来自被施加蒸汽的环形通道(50)的蒸汽在容器(2)中在低的压力下进行。(A method for filling a container (2) with a liquid filling by using a filling system (1) having at least one filling element (3, 3 a). Before the filling phase begins, the interior of the container (2) arranged in the sealing position on the filling element (3, 3a) is evacuated in at least one evacuation and flushing phase by connection to the annular channel (40), and the evacuated container interior, which is also connected to the annular channel (40), is then flushed with a flushing gas. Furthermore, the container interior is filled and/or preloaded with inert gas from the annular channel (30) after the evacuation and flushing phase, then filled with a liquid filling and subsequently unloaded into the annular channel (40). The invention is characterized in that, during the at least one evacuation and flushing phase, the flushing of the respective container interior takes place at least partially with steam as flushing gas from the steam-supplied annular channel (50) in the container (2) at low pressure.)

1. A method for filling containers (2) with a liquid filling by using a filling system (1) having at least one filling element (3, 3a), wherein, before the start of a filling phase, the interior of a container (2) arranged in a sealing position on the filling element (3, 3a) is evacuated in at least one evacuation and flushing phase by connecting to an annular channel (40) and then the evacuated container interior, which is furthermore connected to the annular channel (40), is flushed with a flushing gas, wherein the container interior is filled and/or preloaded with an inert gas from the annular channel (30), filled with a liquid filling and preferably subsequently unloaded into the annular channel (40) after the evacuation and flushing phase,

characterized in that, during the at least one evacuation and flushing phase, the flushing of the respective container interior takes place at least partially with steam as flushing gas from the steam-supplied annular channel (50).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the annular channel (50) is supplied with water vapour as flushing gas.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one first control valve (SV1) for controllably switching the annular channel (50) to which steam is applied is isolated from the first and second gas chambers (15, 20) by means of a thermal insulator (52).

4. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the evacuation and flushing phase comprises an evacuation step and a temporally subsequent flushing step, wherein in the evacuation step the inner cavity of the container (2) is reduced in an absolute manner to a pressure lower than the pressure of the flushing gas, preferably a pressure between 0.1 and 0.2 bar.

5. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the temporally subsequent flushing step the steam from the annular channel (50) is throttled over a cross section of a return gas pipe (16) or a control valve arranged in the return gas pipe so that the pressure in the inner chamber of the container (2) increases by 0.1 to 0.5bar, preferably 0.1 to 0.3bar, compared to at the end of the evacuation step.

6. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that superheated steam is generated in the vessel interior of the vessel (2) by being throttled flushed with steam from the annular channel (50) during the flushing step.

7. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an amount of steam corresponding to, for example, 0.5 to 2.0 times the internal volume of the container is dosed during the rinsing step.

8. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the extracted steam is condensed and/or condensed on the way to the annular channel (40) and/or further on the way to a vacuum pump.

9. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the relative and/or absolute pressure in the first and/or second gas chamber (15, 20) and in the first and/or second gas channel (17, 21) is monitored and/or controlled by means of at least one pressure sensor (DS).

10. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that at least the flushing step is pressure-controlled and/or pressure-regulated with access to the at least one pressure sensor (DS).

Technical Field

The invention relates to a method for filling containers with a liquid filling according to the preamble of claim 1.

Background

Methods and filling systems for filling containers with liquid filling, in particular also pressure filling, are known to the person skilled in the art in different embodiments.

"free-jet filling or free-jet filling" is understood within the framework of the present invention to mean a filling system or a filling method in which a liquid filling flows from a fluid valve in a free-filling jet or filling jet into a container to be filled, wherein the flow of the filling is not influenced or changed by guide elements, such as guide hoods, swirlers, short or long filling tubes.

The free jet filling can be carried out not only pressureless but also under pressure. In the case of pressureless free-jet filling, the container has an ambient pressure, wherein the container usually does not rest with its container mouth or container opening on the filling element, but is spaced apart from the filling element or the provided outlet opening. If the container is in contact with its container mouth with the filling element in the case of pressureless free-jet filling, the gas path establishes a connection between the interior of the container and the surroundings, as a result of which pressureless filling is achieved. Preferably, the gas contained in the container and expelled by the beverage discharge flowing into the container is also emitted into the surroundings through said gas path.

If the free-jet filling is carried out at a pressure different from ambient pressure, the container is pressed with its mouth onto the filling element and sealed, and the pressure in the interior of the container is adjusted to a pressure different from ambient pressure by the application of a pressure gas (inert gas or CO2 gas) or by the application of a negative pressure, which can be not only higher than ambient pressure but also lower than ambient pressure.

For the filling method according to the invention, which is described in further detail below, an embodiment as a free jet filling method is not absolutely necessary. The filling method according to the invention is also implemented without limitation as a filling method in which the filling material is introduced into the container to be filled through the bottle wall. The aforementioned free jet filling method is therefore to be understood as merely one possible embodiment and not as an essential feature of the invention.

The containers in the sealed position with the filling element are understood to mean, in the sense of the present invention, that the containers to be filled in each case are pressed with their container mouths sealingly against the filling element or a seal surrounding at least one outlet opening there in a manner known to the person skilled in the art.

In particular, a method for pressure filling is also known (DE 4225476 a1), in which, after the end of a filling phase, the respective containers arranged in the sealing position on the filling elements are first pre-unloaded into a pre-unloading chamber common to all filling elements of the filling system to a pre-unloading pressure still above atmospheric pressure and then the respective containers are left unloaded in the remaining unloading phase to atmospheric pressure or ambient pressure. In the known method, provision is also made for the container to be flushed with inert gas from the pre-unloading chamber.

The consumption of inert gas, i.e. in particular CO2 gas, during the flushing of the containers results in a significant cost factor and environmental pollution during the filling of the containers.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a method for filling containers with a liquid filling, which method reduces the costs and significantly reduces the consumption of inert gas compared to the prior art from an environmental point of view.

This object is achieved by a method for filling a container with a liquid filling according to the features of independent claim 1. The dependent claims relate here to particularly preferred embodiments of the invention.

According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a method for pressure filling a container with a liquid filling by using a filling system having at least one filling element. Before the filling phase is initiated, the interior of the container arranged on the filling element in the sealing position is evacuated in at least one evacuation and flushing phase by connecting to a vacuum channel, and the evacuated container interior, which is also connected to the vacuum channel, is then flushed with a flushing gas. Furthermore, after the evacuation and flushing phases, the container interior is preloaded with inert gas under pressure, then filled with a liquid filling and then discharged into the discharge channel. The invention is characterized in particular in that the flushing of the interior of the respective container in at least one evacuation and flushing phase takes place at least partially with steam as flushing gas from the steam-supplied annular channel. In this case, steam as a flushing gas is significantly less expensive and also less harmful to the environment than inert gas or CO2 gas. It is also to be taken into account here that the consumption of CO2 necessarily also leads to CO2 emissions which are usually to be avoided. In contrast, energy from renewable energy sources may be used to generate steam.

According to an advantageous embodiment variant, provision can be made for the annular channel to be supplied with water vapor as flushing gas.

According to a further advantageous embodiment variant, it can be provided that at least one first control valve for the controlled switching of the annular channel to which steam is applied is isolated from the first gas chamber and the second gas chamber by means of a thermal insulator.

According to a further advantageous embodiment variant, it can be provided that the evacuation and rinsing phases comprise an evacuation step and a rinsing step which follows in time, wherein the interior of the container is reduced to a pressure of between 0.1bar and 0.3bar in an absolute manner during the evacuation step.

According to a further advantageous embodiment variant, it can be provided that in a temporally subsequent rinsing step the steam from the annular channel is supplied centrally via a cross section of the return gas pipe that is reduced in a throttled manner such that the pressure in the interior of the container is increased by 0.1 to 0.5bar, preferably 0.1 to 0.3bar, compared to at the end of the evacuation step.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, provision can be made for superheated steam to be generated in the container interior of the container by throttled flushing with steam from the annular channel during the flushing step.

According to a further advantageous embodiment variant, provision can be made for a quantity of steam to be dispensed during the rinsing step, which corresponds, for example, to 0.5 times to 3, 0 times the internal volume of the container.

According to a further advantageous embodiment variant, provision can be made for the drawn-off steam to condense on the way to the annular channel. In this case, it can also be provided that the vapor is extracted by a vacuum pump, wherein the extracted vapor condenses or is condensed on the way to the annular channel and/or on the way to the vacuum pump.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, it can be provided that the relative pressure and/or the absolute pressure in the first and/or second gas chamber and/or in any filling point in the container and/or in the first and/or second gas channel is monitored and/or controlled by means of at least one pressure sensor.

According to a further advantageous embodiment variant, it can be provided that at least the flushing step is pressure-controlled and/or pressure-regulated in the case of at least one pressure sensor being connected.

The expression "substantially" or "approximately" in the sense of the present invention means a deviation from the respectively exact value of +/-10%, preferably +/-5%, and/or a deviation in the form of a change which is not important for the function.

Further aspects, advantages and possibilities of use of the invention result from the following description of an exemplary embodiment and from the drawings. All described and/or graphically illustrated features are, independently of their combination in the claims or their back-reference, in principle the subject matter of the invention, alone or in any combination. The content of the claims is also part of the description.

Not only is some aspects described in connection with a filling machine understood to mean that this aspect is also a description of the corresponding filling method, so that components or components of the device are also understood to mean corresponding method steps or features of the method steps. Analogously thereto, aspects described in connection with one or more method steps are also a description of corresponding components or details or features of a corresponding device. Some or all of the method steps may be implemented by hardware means (or by using hardware means), for example a microprocessor, a programmable computer or a circuit. In some embodiments, some or more of the most important method steps may be performed by the apparatus.

Drawings

The invention is explained in detail below with the aid of the drawings of embodiments. In the drawings:

fig. 1 to 8 show exemplary embodiments of a filling element of a filling system according to the invention in different stages of the filling process, which are simplified and are shown in cross section;

fig. 9 shows an exemplary embodiment variant of the filling system according to the invention, which is simplified and is shown in a sectional view.

In the figures, the same reference numerals are used for identical or identically acting elements of the invention. Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, only the reference numerals necessary for describing the respective figures are shown in the respective figures.

Detailed Description

The filling system, which is generally designated 1 in the drawings, is a component of a rotary-type filling machine for filling liquid filling into bottles 2 or containers of this type. The filling system 1 can be designed in particular for free-jet filling and/or for filling through container walls and/or for long-tube filling.

The filling system 1 for this purpose also comprises filling elements 3, 3a, of which only one filling element 3 is shown in fig. 1, which are arranged at uniform angular intervals on the periphery of a rotor 4 of the filling machine that can be driven in rotation about a vertical machine axis MA. A filler pot 5 common to all filling elements 3, which is designed, for example, as an annular pot and is filled with filling material in portions controlled in level during a filling operation up to a predetermined level, is located on a rotor 4, which is only partially shown. The annular channels 30 and 40 common to all filling elements 1.1 of the filling machine are also located on the rotor 4 next to the filler pot 5.

In the filler pot 5, an upper gas space 5.1 and a lower liquid space 5.2 are thus formed during the filling operation. If the filling system 1 is used for pressure filling of liquid filling into containers or bottles 2, the gas space 5.1 is pressure-controlled supplied with inert gas (CO2 gas) at the filling pressure. The liquid filling material is supplied in a controlled manner to the filling tank 5 via a supply line which is not shown in detail.

The use of a filled can which is only partially filled with filling is not mandatory, however. The corresponding embodiments are only examples. The filling method according to the invention can also be used in filling machines in which filled cans filled completely or almost completely with filling material are used.

The annular channels 30 and 40 can perform different functions depending on the filling method. The annular channel 30 for conducting inert gas under pressure can be configured, for example, in particular as a Trinox gas channel or a pressure gas line, and/or the annular channel 40 as a vacuum channel for evacuating or discharging the container 2 and has a pressure of, for example, 0.05bar to 0.25bar in this case.

In the housing 6 of the filling element 3, a liquid channel 7 is furthermore formed, which is connected to the liquid space 5.2 of the tank 5 via a line 8. The line 8 can be assigned a flow meter 8.1, by means of which the volume flow of the liquid filling, i.e. the filling quantity per time unit, which is supplied to the liquid channel 7 via the line 8 can be detected.

Furthermore, a switching valve 8.2 can also be provided in the connection between the liquid space 5.2 of the tank 5 and the liquid channel 7, said switching valve having at least two switching states, so that variable product flows (liters per time unit) can be set by means of different switching states. Alternatively, instead of the changeover valve 8.2, a control valve can also be provided, which can also adjust and/or control the product flow more variably.

Furthermore, a fluid valve 9 is provided in the liquid channel 7, specifically for the controlled discharge of the liquid filling material via an annular discharge opening 10 which surrounds concentrically with the vertical filling element axis FA and which is formed on the underside of the filling element 3 by the end of the liquid channel 7 which is open there.

A central bell 11 with a seal 12 is arranged on the outlet opening 10, which surrounds the outlet opening 10 in a ring-shaped manner and against which the respective container 2 is pressed with its container mouth 2.1 during filling, in particular also during pressure filling and/or during the evacuation and flushing phases, i.e. in the sealing position.

The fluid valve 9 is essentially formed by a valve body 9.1 arranged in the liquid channel 7, which interacts with a valve seat formed on the inner face of the liquid channel 7. In the embodiment shown, the valve body 9.1 is provided or formed on a valve or gas tube 13 which is arranged coaxially to the filling element axis FA and is open at both ends and which simultaneously serves as a valve tappet for actuating the liquid valve 9 and interacts for this purpose with an actuating device 14, which is only schematically shown, by means of which the gas tube 13 and thus the valve body 9.1 can be moved axially by a predetermined stroke on the filling element axis FA for opening and closing the liquid valve 9.

The gas tube 13 projects with an open lower end through the outlet opening 11 out of the lower side of the housing 6 and thus projects with this end into the interior of the container 2 during filling. The gas tube 13 projects with its likewise open upper end into the first gas chamber 15 and thus forms a first gas duct 21 which extends from the interior of the container 2 into the first gas chamber 15.

Furthermore, the respective filling element 3 of the filling system 1 can have a return gas tube 16, which can be designed as a Trinox tube and which extends through the gas tube 13 and protrudes with its lower end from the open lower end of the gas tube 13, arranged coaxially to the filling element axis FA and which determines the filling level in the respective container 2. More specifically, the filling element 3 has a return gas tube 16 which is arranged coaxially to the filling element axis FA, is open at both ends and is surrounded at a distance by a gas tube 13 and which, as an element determining the filling level, also extends with its end 16.1 into the upper region or head space of the container 2 during the filling operation and projects beyond the lower end of the gas tube 13.

The return gas pipe 16 is guided through the housing 6 of the filling element 3, protrudes with its upper length above the upper side of the housing 6 and is held with its length on a carrying arm 18 of an adjusting device 19. The adjusting device 19 is designed here to move the carrier arm 18, including the return gas tube 16 held thereon, i.e. fixedly arranged, axially along the filling element axis FA, in particular to raise and lower, or rather preferably to move downward from an upper initial position or a raised position, respectively, in a manner described in more detail below, in order to adjust different filling heights during the filling process of the filling element 3. Furthermore, a second gas channel 17 formed in the return gas pipe 16 opens into a second gas chamber 20 formed inside the housing 6. For this purpose, the return gas pipe 16 can have a radial opening 16.2 in the region of the second gas chamber 20, which connects the second gas duct 17 fluidically with the second gas chamber 20.

At the end of the respective filling process, the return gas line 16 designed as a Trinox line conveys excess filling material back to the filling tank 5 by applying pressure to the head space of the filled container 2 not occupied by the filling material, for such a long time that the open lower end of the Trinox line is above the filling material level in the container 2 and is thus set to the correct filling material level.

In order to prevent dirt and/or germs from entering the critical region or process side of the filling element 1 when the return gas tube 16 is axially adjusted, i.e., when the filling level up to which the containers 2 are filled with the liquid filling in each case is adjusted, the return gas tube 16 can be guided through a protective or separating section 22 formed in the housing 6 before it protrudes on the upper side of the housing 6, which protective or separating section is formed in the illustrated embodiment cylindrically concentrically to the filling element axis FA and has an axial length with respect to the filling element axis FA, which axial length is at least equal to the maximum adjustment travel with which the return gas tube 16 is moved between the "maximum filling level" and the "minimum filling level" in the position.

Furthermore, the filling element 3, 3a has a further annular channel 50, which is designed as a steam channel, i.e. is supplied with steam or contains steam, in particular water vapor, and is connected by means of a connecting line 51 to a valve block, in particular a first control valve SV1 of the valve block, designed as a filling element 3, 3 a.

More specifically, the first and second gas chambers 15, 20 are part of a gas path containing the control valves SV1 to SV4 of the filling elements 3, 3a, through which at least the first and second gas channels 17, 21 can be controllably connected with the gas chamber 5.2 and with three annular channels 30, 40 and 50, which are jointly provided for all filling elements 3, 3a of the filling machine or filling system 1. The valve group comprises for this purpose in particular a first control valve SV1, a second control valve SV2, a third control valve SV3 and a fourth control valve SV 4. The first to fourth control valves SV1 to SV4 may each be designed as a controllable and/or adjustable diaphragm valve.

In this case, it can be provided that at least the first control valve SV1, which is fluidically connected to the connecting line 51, is isolated from the first and second gas chambers 15, 20 by means of a thermal insulator 52 in order to prevent thermal effects of the steam.

Furthermore, the filling element 3, 3a can also have at least one pressure sensor DS for detecting the relative and/or absolute pressure inside the first and/or second gas chamber 15, 20 and in the first and/or second gas channel 17, 21. Particularly advantageously, the pressure sensor DS is at least designed here to detect a pressure, for example a relative pressure and/or an absolute pressure, inside the first gas chamber 15, said pressure sensor being connected to the interior of the container.

The filling element or the method carried out by the filling element 1.1 is distinguished by a particular manner and design of flushing the interior of the respective container 2 arranged on the filling element 1 in the sealing position in order to expel ambient air carried in the container 2 out of the interior of the container 2.

The following additional method steps of the filling process: for example, the bottle interior is pre-loaded with inert gas from the gas chamber 5.1 to the filling pressure, the container 2 is filled with liquid filling pressure, and the filled container 2 is discharged, for example, into the annular channel 40 to atmospheric pressure, corresponding, for example, to conventional, known method steps.

For this purpose, in the method for pressure filling of containers 2 with a liquid filling using a filling system 1 having at least one filling element 3, 3a, the interior of the container 2, which is arranged in the sealing position on the filling element 3, 3a, is evacuated in at least one evacuation and flushing phase by connection to the annular channel 40 before the filling phase begins.

The evacuated container interior of the respective container 2, which is also connected to the annular channel 40, is then flushed with flushing gas, and the container interior is preloaded with inert gas under pressure from the annular channel 30 after the evacuation and flushing phases, before the container 2 is filled with the liquid filling and then unloaded into the annular channel 40 to atmospheric pressure.

According to the invention, it is provided that, in at least one evacuation and flushing phase, the respective container interior is flushed at least partially by means of steam as flushing gas from the steam-supplied annular channel 50.

The aim is to effectively flush the bottle interior with a reduced use of steam as flushing gas. For this purpose, the evacuation and rinsing phase can comprise at least two method steps, namely an evacuation step and a rinsing step which follows in time. In the evacuation step, the interior of the container 2 is evacuated, to be precise completely, for example to a vacuum or to a pressure in the range of 0.1-0.3bar (fig. 2), via the first gas chamber 15 and the first gas channel 21 via the open fourth control valve SV4 when the fluid valve 9 is closed and the control valves SV1, SV2 and SV3 are closed.

In at least one subsequent flushing step, the first control valve SV1 is also opened as the fourth control valve SV4 continues to open, so that the steam from the steam-supplied annular channel 50 enters the second gas chamber 20 through the open first control valve SV1 and through the cross-sectional reduction in the return gas pipe 16 and from there centrally, i.e. downwards in the direction of the filling element axis FA, as flushing gas into the interior of the container 2 or into the high vacuum therein (fig. 3) through the second gas channel 17. The throttling by means of the cross-sectional reduction can be adjusted, for example, by the opening diameter and/or the number of the openings 16.2. In this way, it is provided that superheated steam is formed in the evacuated container interior of the container 2 by throttled flushing with steam from the annular channel 50.

During the treatment, the evacuation and/or flushing phases can also be switched or carried out in any desired alternation with one another.

Since the return gas pipe 16 extends downward into the interior of the container 2, the flushing gas which is discharged in vapor form from the return gas pipe 16 also reaches up to the bottom of the container 2. The flushing gas and the air displaced by said flushing gas from the container interior are conducted out into the annular channel 40 via the first gas channel 21, the first gas chamber 15 and the open fourth control valve SV 4.

By throttling the volume flow of the flushing gas stream consisting of steam or of the flushing gas in the vapor state by means of the cross-sectional reduction in the return gas pipe 16 to such an extent that the negative pressure occurring at the end of the first evacuation step during flushing in the container 2 is only slightly increased, for example, by approximately 0.1bar to 0.2 bar. In the second flushing step, the internal pressure or flushing pressure in the container 2 is thus regulated, which is still significantly lower than ambient pressure at all times and is, for example, approximately 0.15bar to 0.45 bar. Within the framework of the invention, it is provided here that the cross-sectional reduction in the return gas pipe 16 is produced by reducing the inner diameter of the return gas pipe 16 or by a control valve.

In this case, a vortex flow is generated by the very dilute atmosphere in the interior of the container, which produces an optimum mixing of the residual air and the superheated steam. It is particularly advantageously provided here that the amount of steam dispensed corresponds to approximately 0.5 to 3.0 times the container volume of the container 2 to be flushed during the flushing step, and that the amount of steam dispensed corresponds to the amount of flushing gas released in the annular channel 40. This achieves a very rapid evacuation of the residual air from the container interior at a simultaneously low steam consumption.

Furthermore, the steam blown into the evacuated container 2 during the rinsing step leads to a rinsing effect and reduces the air content in the container interior of the container 2. The extracted steam then at least partially condenses on the way to the annular channel 40 and on the way to the vacuum pump and thus, unlike CO2, no longer or no longer has to be extracted by the vacuum pump, thereby achieving a significant energy saving and thus a cost saving in the operation of the vacuum pump.

In this case, it is particularly advantageous to provide that a plurality of filling elements 3, which at the same time each have a container 2 or its container interior arranged in a sealing position on the respective filling element 3, are connected to the annular channel 40 during a simultaneous flushing step, so that a pressure compensation is carried out between the connected container interiors of the containers 2.

In order to enhance the purging, the supply of the vapor-state purging gas in the second method step can be carried out in a time-controlled and uninterrupted manner. Alternatively, the delivery of the flushing gas in the vapor state can however also be continued at intervals, i.e. in a plurality of partial steps.

It may also be provided that at least the flushing step is pressure-controlled and/or pressure-regulated in the case of the connection of at least one pressure sensor DS.

For the flushing gas supply, it is advantageously provided that the connection of the interior of the container 2 to the annular channel 40 leading to the vacuum is continuously open, since the flushing of the interior of the container 40 is thereby particularly intensive.

In addition, it is particularly advantageously provided that the flushing line 16 is also designed as an electronic detector for determining the filling level.

After completion of the evacuation and flushing phases, the container interior is preloaded with inert gas under pressure from the annular channel 30, for which purpose the second control valve SV2 is opened and the remaining three control valves SV1, SV3 and SV4 are closed, so that inert gas flows from the annular channel 30 through the first gas chamber 15 and the first gas channel 21 into the container interior and the container interior is supplied with inert gas (fig. 4).

The actual filling phase is then carried out, in which the container 2 is filled with the liquid filling and is furthermore located on the filling element 3, 3a in the sealing position. The filling stage is described, for example, in DE 102013109430 a1 and is known to the person skilled in the art. The article paragraphs related to this are described by reference to the contents of the present invention and are shown in fig. 5 and 6.

In order to unload the head space, in particular of the filled container 2, the first gas channel 21 is connected to the annular channel 40 via the first gas chamber 15 by opening the third control valve SV3, so that inert gas flows from the head space into the annular channel 40 configured as an unloading channel (fig. 7). The filled container 2 is then lowered (fig. 8). Alternatively, the unloading of the containers can of course also be designed as a separate function, in which the unloading into a separate unloading channel additionally formed on the filling machine takes place.

Fig. 9 shows a further embodiment of the filling element 3a, in which, unlike the previous embodiment, the return gas tube 16 is guided through the housing 6 of the filling element 3, protrudes over the upper side of the housing 6 by an upper length, and is held there at the likewise open end 16.3 on the carrying arm 18 of the adjusting device 19. The adjusting device 19 is designed here for moving the carrier arm 18, with the return gas tube 16 held, i.e. arranged fixedly on it, axially along the filling element axis FA, in particular for raising and lowering. Furthermore, the upper open end 16.3 is connected via a connecting line 51 to the annular channel 50 under steam, to be precise with the intermediate connection of the first control valve SV 1.

The invention is described by the foregoing embodiments. It is understood that numerous modifications and variations can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

The main part of the foregoing description or embodiments therefore relates to a method for pressure filling a container. It is clear that the method according to the invention is also used for filling without pressure, i.e. at normal pressure or at ambient pressure, wherein a filling is filled which does not contain CO2 or a similar pressure gas.

The claims are described as part of the specification.

List of reference numerals

1 filling system

2 Container

2.1 Container mouth

3, 3a filling element

4 rotor

5 filling tank

5.1 gas space

5.2 liquid space

6 casing

7 liquid channel

8 pipeline

8.1 flow meter

9 fluid valve

9.1 valve body

10 output opening

11 center positioning clock

12 seal

13 gas pipe

14 operating device

15 first gas chamber

16 return gas pipe

16.1 lower end part

16.2 opening

16.3 open end

17 second gas channel

18 bearing arm

19 adjusting device

20 second gas chamber

21 first gas channel

22 isolation region

30 annular channel

40 annular channel

50 annular channel

51 pipeline

52 heat insulator

DS pressure sensor

Axis of FA filling element

MA machine axis

SV1 first control valve

SV2 second control valve

SV3 third control valve

SV4 fourth control valve.