초록 ▼

Containers such as bottles, which are to be filled with liquid from a tank pressurized with non-oxidizing gas, are coupled to a filling device and evacuated of air that is discharged to the atmosphere. Next gas from the tank is fed to the bottles. When gas pressure in the tank and bottle equalize, t

Containers such as bottles, which are to be filled with liquid from a tank pressurized with non-oxidizing gas, are coupled to a filling device and evacuated of air that is discharged to the atmosphere. Next gas from the tank is fed to the bottles. When gas pressure in the tank and bottle equalize, the liquid flows by gravity into the bottle to displace the gas and return it to the tank. After filling with liquid is cut off a charge of pure non-oxidizing gas is injected in the bottle to fill it to the top with pure gas. Excess pure gas is fed back into the tank to make up for the dilution of the gas that results from the evacuation of air from the bottles being necessarily imperfect. The bottles are uncoupled from the device after they are filled with pure gas and they are then sealed.

대표청구항 ▼

A method of filling containers such as bottles with a liquid which partially fills a tank and the space above the liquid is filled with a protective gas, said method including the steps of: evacuating most of the air from a bottle while the bottle is isolated from the atmosphere, filling said bottle

A method of filling containers such as bottles with a liquid which partially fills a tank and the space above the liquid is filled with a protective gas, said method including the steps of: evacuating most of the air from a bottle while the bottle is isolated from the atmosphere, filling said bottle with said gas from the tank to a pressure equal to the pressure in the tank, causing said liquid to flow by gravity from said tank to said bottle until the bottle is filled to a predetermined level and said liquid in the bottle displaces said gas back into said tank except for residual gas slightly diluted with air above said level, briefly injecting a quantity of pure protective gas into said bottle in excess of the quantity necessary to displace said residual gas, and conducting the displaced gas and excess pure protective gas to the gas filled space in the tank before the contents of said bottle are exposed to the atmosphere.