Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02486630 2004-11-03
Method and Apparatus for Chilling Draught Beverages in a Trunk Line
Background of the Invention
Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to dispensing cold beverages from a
dispensing
apparatus, and in particular to an additional cooling unit used to reduce the
temperature of the beverage at the tap.
Description of Prior Art
Draught beverages in restaurants, bars, stadiums and other facilities are
dispensed
using systems that consist of a storage container that is kept cool in a
remote
refrigerator, a supply line that takes the beverage to the dispensing faucet
and a
dispensing faucet. Generally the beverages are stored in containers that are
kept in
remote walk-in refrigerators. Drinks may be dispensed at a location several
hundred
feet away from the storage container. The beverage trunk line used to
transport the
beverage to the dispensing tap is generally made up of a mufti-line insulated
construction that contains two central cooling liquid lines that will bring a
cold
glycol/water mixture, refrigerant or ice water to the tap and back to maintain
the
beverage's temperature. While this system is generally successful, it is
inconsistent.
The temperatures inside walk-in coolers fluctuate widely or are not regulated
to the
ideal serving temperature. The beverage trunk line will travel through areas
of
varying ambient temperatures and will often expose the beverage to hot spots
that will
raise the beverage temperature.
Several methods using coils of tubing in a cooling liquid bath have been used
in the
past to cool the beer in close proximity to the dispensing apparatus. These
system
have met with limited success. If the inlet beverage temperature is too warm,
these
heat exchangers have not been able to chill the beverage to desired
temperatures.
Manufacturers have attempted to increase the chilling capacities of these
devices by
increasing the length of coils, however this has increased the size of the
devices
making them too large to be situated close to the dispensing faucet.
CA 02486630 2004-11-03
Summary of the Invention
In this invention coil in shell heat exchangers are made more efficient by
agitating the
cooling liquid in the shell. The cooling liquid that circulates within the
trunk line is
introduced into the shell though a tube that extends through the axis of the
coil(s).
Spray nozzles are located on the tube so that the cooling liquid agitates the
liquid so
that heat transfer from the beer to the cooling liquid is optimized.
This invention is not limited in use to the application described herein. The
methods
of this invention can also be applied to any application where shell and tube
heat
exchangers or shell and coil heat exchangers are used. This invention
increases the
efficiency of these heat exchangers and may be used to cool or heat a liquid
to desired
temperatures.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig 1 is a schematic illustrating a beverage dispensing cooling system
constructed in
accordance with this invention
Fig 2 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the invention
Detailed Description of the Invention
Fig 1 shows a beverage dispenser cooling system particularly for use in
dispensing
beer on tap. The system includes a storage container such as a beer keg 31
containing
beer. The keg 31 will typically be located within a refrigerated unit 33 such
as a large
walk-in refrigerator. A pressurized tank, usually containing carbon dioxide,
beer gas
or compressed air 39 is connected by line 35 to the interior of keg 31 for
applying
pressure to the beer therein. The contents of the beer keg 31 are connected to
the
booster 10 by line 7 that travels through an insulated trunk line 34. The beer
travels
through booster 10 and travels through line 11 and flows to faucet 36. The
distance
between the beer keg 31 and the dispensing tap 36 can be quite far, with the
trunk line
34 extending up to five hundred feet. To prevent the beer in the trunk line
from
warming excessively, a glycol unit 32 is used. Glycol unit 32 is a
conventional
assembly, which chills glycol and pumps it through the trunk line 34 to the
booster 10
and back. The glycol travels in parallel with the beer keeping it cool.
CA 02486630 2004-11-03
In a particularly advantageous embodiment illustrated in Figure 2 and noted by
the
numerical designation 70, the booster consists of a tank 71 with end plates 87
and 88,
which contains a one or more heat exchanger coils. Two coils 74 and 75 are
shown in
Figure 2. The booster is covered with a layer of insulation 73 with an outer
shell 72.
A beverage, usually beer, will flow into one of lines 81 or 84 and into one of
the heat
exchanger coils 74 and 75. From the heat exchanger coils the beer exits
through line
78 or 76 to a dispensing faucet such as faucet 36. The coolant enters the
booster
through line 83. The coolant escapes from line 83 from one of two nozzles 80
and 79
and onto the coils 75 and 74. The coolant fills the cavity 86 and exits
through line 89.
The coolant travels down the trunk line and returns to the glycol deck by
entering port
77 and traveling through line 90 prior to exiting by port 82.
In another particularly advantageous embodiment illustrated in Figure 3 and
noted by
the designation 50, the booster consists of a tank 52 with end plates 61 and
59 which
contains one or more heat exchanger coils. One coil 53 is shown in Figure 3.
The
booster is covered with a layer of insulation 54 and with an outer shell 52. A
beverage, usually beer, will flow into line 64 and into the heat exchanger
coil 53.
From the heat exchanger coil 53 the beer exits through line 56 to a dispensing
faucet
such as faucet 36. The coolant enters the booster through line 63. The coolant
escapes from nozzle 51 and onto the heat exchange coil 53. The coolant fills
the
cavity 65 and exits through line 57. The coolant travels down the trunk line
and
returns to the glycol deck by entering port 58 and traveling through line 60
prior to
exiting by port 62.
It will be apparent that various changes and modifications can be made without
departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Thus the
shape of
the outer shell 3 of the Unit may be modified to suit mounting conditions and
the type
of heat exchanger may be modified accordingly.
