PURPOSE: To successfully charge a flexible container with a carbonate-saturated liquid in low level by dissolving a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen in a carbonate-saturated liquid so that the concentration of carbon dioxide is a specified concentration, charging a container with the liquid and then closing the container tightly after leaving the liquid for some time.
CONSTITUTION: The tank 6 is filled to a chosen level 8 with freshly brewed ale. Nitrogen gas is fed into a head or ullage space 12 of the tank 6. By feeding a pressurized mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen to the tank 6 through a throat 28, the mixture flows into the stream of the ale at the throat 28 and encounters a turbulent flow. Then undissolved bubbles of nitrogen and carbon dioxide are carried to a chiller 30 and encounter a strengthened surface area which promotes mass transfer between gaseous phase and liquid phase. The ale is carried to a buffer tank 34 and held under the atmosphere containing nitrogen for 10 or more minutes. Lastly the ale is carried to a filler 38 and a flexible thin walled can is charged with the ale being moved and sealed with nitrogen stream.
Scott Christian Petersen
David Grant Wardle
