Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F26—DRYING
  • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
  • F26B21/00—Arrangements for supplying or controlling air or other gases for drying solid materials or objects
  • F26B21/006—Arrangements for supplying or controlling air or other gases for drying solid materials or objects with the air or gases passing through hollow spaces or cores within the materials or objects to be dried, e.g. tubes, pipes or bottles

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method for drying hollow bodies. It applies very particularly, although not exclusively, to the drying of containers between their manufacture and their filling, or even to the drying of preforms or blanks of containers during the container manufacturing process. It also relates to a device for implementing the method.
• drying within the meaning of the present invention, is meant a procedure for removing traces or a small volume of liquid remaining inside or on the walls of a hollow body. Drying is therefore an operation which can follow, for example, the draining or emptying of a hollow body after a cleaning, rinsing or sterilization operation, having required the prior filling of the hollow body; it may also be a question of removing the residues or traces of a sterilization agent or of any other treatment agent previously deposited on the external or internal walls of the hollow body.
• PET plastic containers
• PEN plastic containers
• the drying methods and the corresponding devices known hitherto are not suitable in the sense that they do not make it possible to ensure a distribution of the drying agent over the entire internal surface, also called the internal wall, of the hollow body when it is essentially this surface which must be dried; moreover, the known devices are not "universal" in the sense that they do not allow the treatment of hollow bodies having distinct shapes from each other, or even that they are not suitable for treatment of any type matter.
• a known solution for drying hollow bodies consists in heating them in order to evaporate the remaining liquid therein.
• Another solution is to blow hot air into the hollow bodies.
• This solution is not suitable for drying hollow bodies having particular shapes such as bottles or flasks.
• the subject of the invention is therefore a method and a device which do not have either of the aforementioned drawbacks, namely which allow: drying of the entire surface; a possibility of application, without significant modification of the device, in the event of a change of hollow body to be dried; an application to any type of hollow body (bottles, jars, flasks, basins, tubes ...); an application to any type of material.
• a method for drying hollow bodies is characterized in that it consists in causing a gaseous current to entrain a drying agent towards all of the surfaces in order to distribute it over all of said surfaces.
• driving that is to say by guiding the agent on the surfaces, one obtains a correct distribution of it unlike the devices where the agent is projected or blown inside.
• a simple entrainment of the agent after its introduction, makes the process usable with any type of material; as will be explained below, the method can be implemented with a relatively simple device usable for any type of hollow body whatever their shape or size, and without there being any need to modify it notably when the shape and / or the dimensions of the body are changed.
• Another advantage is that the entrainment of the agent by a gaseous entrainment current makes it possible to carry out the drying whatever the arrangement of the hollow body, that is to say whatever the position of its opening (top , low or other).
• the introduction of the agent is caused by the exterior of the hollow body, close to its opening, and the drive current is produced by causing the agent to be aspirated by means suction acting opposite the opening in the hollow body.
• Figure 1 is a block diagram of a device for drying hollow bodies according to one invention
• Figure 2 is a block diagram of a preferred device
• Figure 3 is a diagram of a variant of the devices of Figures 1 and 2 applicable to the drying of tubes or conduits.
• the device shown in Figure 1 includes a generator 1 of drying agent.
• the drying agent can be a dry or hot gas, such as air, or any other suitable agent (desiccant, for example).
• the generator 1 is a generator of hot air at high temperature.
• the drying agent is a flame and the generator 1 is then a burner.
• the generator 1 is arranged outside the hollow body 2 (here a container preform), near the opening of the latter, and the generator outlet is oriented so that the agent can be directed into the interior of the hollow body.
• a tube 3 is introduced into the hollow body through its opening 4.
• a end 5 of the tube is near an area of the hollow body distal to the opening (the bottom area in the case of a container); the other end of the tube is located outside the container and is connected either directly or via a conduit 6 to a suction source 7.
• the longitudinal axis of the tube 3 is aligned with that of the hollow body.
• the outside section of the tube is substantially smaller than the inside section of the opening of the hollow body so that the drying agent can enter the hollow body through the peripheral space remaining between the tube and the opening of the hollow body.
• means are provided for the establishment or removal of the hollow body 2 relative to the device.
• means are provided allowing relative axial displacement between the hollow body 2 and at least the tube 3.
• At least the tube 3 is sliding in the axial direction (double arrow 8) to allow the introduction or removal of the hollow body 2 relative to the device.
• the hollow body 2 can be brought opposite the device by simple lateral translation by erasing the tube from the supply path of the hollow body. It is thus possible to use, to ensure the positioning of the hollow body, transfer systems known per se, such as mechanisms with transfer clamps, mounted on articulated arms, or mechanisms with wheels or trays of transfer comprising notches or cavities for guiding the hollow bodies.
• the introduction of the hollow body is carried out by subjecting it to an axial translation, the tube 3 remaining fixed.
• only the tube 3 is sliding. It therefore slides relative to the hollow body, and to the generator 1 during the establishment or removal of the hollow body.
• the tube 3 and the generator 1 which are axially translated when the hollow body 2 is placed or removed.
• the opening 4 of the hollow body 2 is placed opposite the outlet of the generator 1, without however coming into contact with it.
• the device when the drying takes place during a sterilization process, the device is maintained in an atmosphere of sterile overpressure air to prevent additional particles or dust from entering. in the hollow bodies to be sterilized.
• known means are used, such as an isolation chamber under laminar flow of sterile air in which the device is installed.
• drying agent is generated by the generator 1.
• the suction generated by the suction means 7 through the tube 3 emerging (at 5) near the bottom of the hollow body 2 creates a driving current of the drying agent which is then directed inside the hollow body (arrows 9) and dries the internal surface of the hollow body.
• the drying agent used can be a dry gas, a desiccant, or even heat.
• aspiration is that it not only allows the agent to be entrained on all of the walls, but also allows it to be removed when it is a desiccant.
• the drying is carried out using heat: this is particularly advantageous when the drying occurs during a sterilization process.
• the generator 1 is a heat generator: it can be constituted by a hot air nozzle at high temperature or by a burner. The heat or the flame is directed towards the orifice 4 and simultaneously a suction is created in the hollow body to channel the flame or the heat towards the walls.
• a flame or a hot air generator is not contraindicated for drying hollow bodies made of heat-sensitive material, such as containers or preforms of containers made of thermoplastic material. Indeed, the time of exposure to heat is very short. Given the thermal inertia of the material, the hot air directed only has a function of sweeping or drying the hollow body.
• the hollow body to be dried is made of heat-sensitive material, it is preferable to provide means to prevent direct transfer between the outlet of the heat generator 1 (nozzle or burner) and the hollow body 2.
• FIG. 2 illustrates a possible embodiment of a device comprising means for preventing direct transfer.
• the means comprise a casing 10, made of heat-resistant material, cylindrical in the example illustrated, and open at one of its ends.
• the open end of the casing 10 faces the opening of the hollow body 2, here a container such as a bottle, without however coming into contact with it, on the one hand, to avoid deterioration of the hollow body when it is made of heat-sensitive material and, on the other hand, allow good circulation of heat. Tests have shown that a spacing of between 0.1 mm and 5 mm makes it possible to obtain good results.
• an orifice 11 is formed in the wall of the casing 10, and the outlet of the generator 1 is directed towards this orifice.
• the tube 3 is straight and passes through a wall of the casing 10, for example that opposite the opening opposite the hollow body.
• the tube could be bent and pass through the cylindrical wall.
• the casing 10 contributes to causing a directive effect on the agent.
• the plate is extended by a peripheral rim more broadly covering the opening of the hollow body.
• the drying phase of the hollow body is carried out in two stages: a first where the drying agent (flame, or hot air, or other), is directed towards the hollow body, the suction being active; and a second where the suction continues while the agent is no longer applied, so that all the residues of wetting product and agent, be it gas, heat, or product desiccant, be evacuated at best.
• the drying agent flame, or hot air, or other
• FIG 3 there is illustrated a block diagram of the invention, when applied to body drying hollows open at two of their ends. This is for example the case of various tubes or conduits.
• the suction is carried out not using a tube passing through the hollow body 13, and opening at the end 14 of the hollow body opposite to that 15 near which the generator 1 is located and, from preferably, the housing 10,11,12, as shown: it is produced using a tube 16 located at the open end 14 of the hollow body opposite that 13 near which the generator 1 and the housing are located 10.
• the tube 16 is connected to suction means 17.
• the devices described in Figures 1, 2, 3 can be part of a larger treatment facility. They may for example be downstream or upstream of a machine for manufacturing hollow bodies such as tubes or containers which should be dried following, for example, a cleaning or sterilization operation, or hollow bodies after their manufacture, either of preforms or blanks of hollow bodies before their manufacture.
• They may also be present upstream of filling installations, or also of manufacturing / filling installations, when the hollow bodies are containers.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Drying Of Solid Materials (AREA)
• Blow-Moulding Or Thermoforming Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
• Processing And Handling Of Plastics And Other Materials For Molding In General (AREA)
• Separation Using Semi-Permeable Membranes (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=9523087

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (21)

Family Cites Families (22)

• 1998
  • 1998-02-16 FR FR9801938A patent/FR2775064B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1999
  • 1999-02-04 WO PCT/FR1999/000252 patent/WO1999041558A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 1999-02-04 JP JP2000531698A patent/JP3486611B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-02-04 EP EP99902601A patent/EP1056980B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-02-04 AT AT99902601T patent/ATE239203T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1999-02-04 AU AU22838/99A patent/AU2283899A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1999-02-04 DE DE69907422T patent/DE69907422T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-02-04 US US09/622,358 patent/US6345452B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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