Fluid handling – With cleaner – lubrication added to fluid or liquid sealing... – Cleaning or steam sterilizing
Patent
1996-10-15
1999-07-27
Walton, George L.
Fluid handling
With cleaner, lubrication added to fluid or liquid sealing...
Cleaning or steam sterilizing
137241, 137312, 13761418, 137627, 134 951, 134 981, 134 991, 134166C, 134167C, 141 85, 141 91, 222148, B08B 906, F16K 144, F16K 5100
Patent
active
059273186
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to an automated pipe connection apparatus for a piping change-over station, and specifically to an automated pipe connection apparatus for a piping change-over station in which piping employed, for example, in a batchwise production system is changed over to transfer raw materials, a final product, an intermediate product and the like.
BACKGROUND ART
In a batchwise production system, transfer of fluids such as raw materials and a product (an intermediate product or a final product) has heretofore been conducted primarily by a transfer system which makes use of fixed pipes and requires changing-over operation of one or more valves. To transfer an intermediate product from a group of plural tanks in a step to another group of plural tanks in another step as needed, for example, in a food or drink production plant, this transfer is carried out by arranging a group of fixed header pipes and changing over the pipes, namely, performing changing-over operation of valves. A system constructed of a header and valves as described above is accompanied by problems such as loses of the raw materials and the product remaining in the pipes and mixing of a fluid of a different kind (cross contamination).
Fields which involve such changing-over of product species include, for example, fields such as foods, pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals and the like.
In the food production field, for example, washing is conducted to avoid contamination or the like due to possible rotting of an intermediate product remaining in piping whenever the piping is changed over. It is the common practice to effect this washing by washing product-contacted portions with washing water while maintaining a piping facility in a fixed state without disassembly, movement and the like of production facilities, that is, by the so-called cleaning-in-place (hereinafter abbreviated as the "CIP") method. Accordingly, directional control valves of a complex construction have heretofore been used for changing over from transfer of a product to washing and vice versa.
Further, for example, in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology-related fields, sterilization is conducted in addition to a CIP washing operation to ensure sterility whenever piping is changed over. It is the common practice to effect this sterilization by the sterilization-in-place (hereinafter abbreviated as the "SIP") method, that is, by causing a high-temperature fluid, for example, steam or the like to act on product-contacted portions while maintaining a piping facility in a fixed state without disassembly, movement and the like of production facilities. To effect changing-over among transfer of a product, washing and sterilization, it has hence been needed to employ a more complicated piping construction and many valves.
For sanitation, it is also necessary to permit easy disassembly of these valves. Further, as their material, corrosion-resistant stainless steel is used and moreover, their surfaces are smoothened by surface treatment. Valves of this type are therefore costly. For a changing-over station, valves are needed as many as the product of the number of pipes in one group by the number of pipes in another group. Use of pipes in a large number therefore leads to a substantial increase in cost.
In Japanese Patent Applications Nos. 21252/1992, 125812/1992, 315207/1992 and 214034/1993, the present inventors have therefore proposed changing-over systems with a view to overcoming such a situation.
The systems proposed in these applications are of a type such that in which desired pipes can be connected together as needed without construction of such a fixed grid-like valve block as in the conventional system shown in FIG. 15.
For example, an automated pipe connection changeover apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 214034/1993 will be described with reference to FIG. 16. When two groups of pipelines are connected together as shown in the drawing, a group of movable carriage cells arranged adjacent to each other as many as the pipeli
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Ishibashi Hiroki
Katoh Mieko
Shima Kazumi
Toyo Engineering Corporation
Walton George L.
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