Vacuum transfer system and method for food grade product

Abstract

A vacuum transfer system for transferring food grade products. A biased ball in a cage with a substantially uninterrupted cage wall is utilized as a check valve. The ball may be biased by a weight to float in a predictable orientation relative to the cage. The biased ball assures that a certain portion of the ball will consistently engage with and aperture. The biased ball also minimizes chattering of the ball in the cage under high flow conditions.

1 . A transfer system for transferring liquid product into a vessel and from the vessel, comprising: 
 a selectable air pump for pumping air;    valving interposed between the air pump and the vessel, the valving being selectively alterable to isolate the air pump from the vessel, to force air under pressure into the vessel, and to evacuate air from the vessel as desired;    a product inlet/outlet defined in the vessel for selectively admitting product to the vessel and for expelling product from the vessel, the product inlet/outlet being selectively in fluid communication with the air pump; and    selectively configuring the valving to pressurize and evacuate the vessel as desired, the pressurization and evacuation effecting transfer of the product without the use of a mechanical pump being in contact with the product.    
   
   
       2 . The transfer system of  claim 1 , including a self-actuatable primary shutoff for isolating the product from the air pump.  
   
   
       3 . The transfer system of  claim 2 , the a self-actuatable primary shutoff having a floatable sphere and at least one spherical seat, the sphere being seatable against the at least one seat to effect isolation of the product from the air pump  
   
   
       4 . The transfer system of  claim 2 , including a self-actuatable secondary shutoff for isolating the product from the air pump.  
   
   
       5 . The transfer system of  claim 1 , including a selectable vent valve for selectively venting the vessel to the atmosphere  
   
   
       6 . The transfer system of  claim 1 , the valving including a vacuum operated valve interposed between the air pump and the vessel.  
   
   
       7 . The transfer system of  claim 6 , the vacuum operated valve being opened by a selected vacuum generated by the air pump and being closed by removal of the selected vacuum.  
   
   
       8 . The transfer system of  claim 7 , the selected valve-opening vacuum generated by the air pump being less than the vacuum generated in the vessel to effect product transfer.  
   
   
       9 . A method for transferring liquid product into a vessel and from the vessel, comprising: 
 selectively pumping air by means of an air pump;    interposing valving between the air pump and the vessel; selectively altering the valving to isolate the air pump from the vessel, to force air under pressure into the vessel, and to evacuate air from the vessel as desired;    selectively admitting product to the vessel and for expelling product from the vessel by means of a a product inlet/outlet defined in the vessel for, the product inlet/outlet being selectively in fluid communication with the air pump; and    selectively configuring the valving to pressurize and evacuate the vessel as desired, the pressurization and evacuation effecting transfer of the product without the use of a mechanical pump being in contact with the product.    
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , including isolating the product from the air pump by means of a self-actuatable primary shutoff.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , including providing the self-actuatable primary shutoff with a floatable sphere and at least one spherical seat and seating the floatable sphere against the at least one seat to effect isolation of the product from the air pump.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 10 , including including further isolating the product from the air pump by means of a self-actuatable secondary shutoff.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 9 , including selectively venting the vessel to the atmosphere by means of a selectable vent valve.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1 , including interposing a vacuum operated valve between the air pump and the vessel.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , including opening the vacuum operated valve by a selected vacuum generated by the air pump and closing the vacuum operated valve by removal of the selected vacuum.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , generating the selected valve-opening vacuum generated by the air pump at a vacuum that is less than the vacuum generated in the vessel to effect product transfer.