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EP-4161863-B1 - CHILLER FOR COOLING A BEVERAGE

EP4161863B1EP 4161863 B1EP4161863 B1EP 4161863B1EP-4161863-B1

Inventors

  • FANTAPPIE, GIANCARLO
  • CAMPISANO, Francesco
  • DIMARCO, Paolo
  • JERSEY, STEVEN T.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20210604

Claims (15)

  1. A chiller (100; 400) for cooling a beverage, comprising: a reservoir (110) configured to hold a heat exchange fluid; an evaporator coil (160) arranged within the reservoir (110), the evaporator coil (160) comprising: a plurality of windings (162) configured to circulate a coolant, and projections (170) extending from an exterior surface of one or more of the plurality of windings (162), wherein the projections (170) comprise a body (171) having a plurality of openings (173) configured to allow the heat exchange fluid to flow through the plurality of openings (173); and a chiller coil (130) arranged in the reservoir (110), wherein the beverage is configured to flow through the chiller coil (130), and wherein when the coolant is circulated through the plurality of windings (162) of the evaporator coil (160), a bank of frozen heat exchange fluid forms on the windings and on the projections (170).
  2. The chiller (100; 400) of claim 1, wherein the projections (170) comprise one or more fins (172).
  3. The chiller (100; 400) of claim 1, wherein the projections (170) comprise one or more rods (178).
  4. The chiller (100; 400) of claim 1, wherein the projections (170) comprise a lattice structure.
  5. The chiller (100; 400) of claim 1, wherein the evaporator coil (160) is formed from a first material, and wherein the projections (170) are formed from a second material, and wherein the first material is the same as the second material.
  6. The chiller (100; 400) of claim 1, wherein the evaporator coil (160) defines a central volume (164), and wherein the chiller coil (130) is arranged within the central volume (164) of the evaporator coil (160).
  7. The chiller (100; 400) of claim 1, further comprising a second chiller coil (440) arranged in the reservoir (110), wherein the beverage is configured to flow through the first chiller coil (430) and the second chiller coil (440).
  8. The chiller (100; 400) of claim 7, further comprising a splitter (408) configured to divide a flow of the beverage to the first chiller coil (430) and to the second chiller coil (440), wherein the splitter (408) divides the flow of the beverage such that a greater portion of the beverage flows to the first chiller coil (430) than to the second chiller coil (440).
  9. The chiller (100; 400) of claim 1, wherein a wall thickness of the chiller coil (130) is in a range of about 0.2 mm to about 1.0 mm, and wherein the reservoir (110) comprises a total volume of about 3 L to about 10 L.
  10. The chiller (100; 400) of claim 1, further comprising an agitator (490) arranged in the reservoir (110), wherein the agitator (490) comprises an impeller (492) having one or more blades (494).
  11. The chiller (100; 400) of claim 10, further comprising a temperature sensor (404) configured to determine a temperature of the chiller coil (130), wherein the agitator (490) is configured to operate when a temperature of the chiller coil (130) as detected by the temperature sensor (404) is in a predetermined temperature range.
  12. A beverage dispenser (600), comprising: a user interface (640) configured to receive a selection of a beverage; the chiller (100; 400) according to any of claims 1 to 11; and a dispensing nozzle (620) in communication with the chiller coil (130) of the chiller (100) for dispensing the selected beverage.
  13. The beverage dispenser (600) of claim 12, further comprising a cooling system (800) configured to circulate the coolant, and wherein the cooling system (800) comprises the evaporator coil (160).
  14. The beverage dispenser of claim 12, further comprising a carbonator (670) configured to carbonate the beverage, wherein the carbonator (670) is in communication with the chiller coil (130).
  15. The chiller (100) of claim 1, wherein the heat exchange fluid is an ionic liquid having a freezing point of about 0°C.

Description

FIELD Embodiments described herein generally relate to a chiller for cooling a beverage that has a compact size. Specifically, embodiments described herein relate to a chiller that includes one or more chiller coils through which a beverage flows and an evaporator coil for circulating a coolant that includes projections for facilitating heat transfer from the chiller coils to the evaporator coil. BACKGROUND Chillers are used to cool and dispense a beverage. Some chillers operate by cooling a quantity of a beverage in a reservoir prior to dispensing the beverage. When a consumer desires a beverage, a portion of the pre-cooled beverage is simply dispensed from the reservoir. Chillers that require a reservoir for storing pre-cooled beverages have several drawbacks. The reservoir consumes substantial space, increasing the size of the chiller. This may be undesirable when providing a chiller for a home or office setting. Further, cooling the quantity of beverage within the reservoir may take an extended period of time. Once the stored quantity of pre-cooled beverage is dispensed, the consumer must wait for a period of time until a new batch of the beverage is cooled. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a chiller that has a small form factor and that can rapidly chill a beverage in seconds and dispense the chilled beverage on a continuous basis. Document US 4 036 621 A discloses beverage dispensers. Document US 3 892 335 A discloses a beverage dispenser. Document US 2010/155037 A1 discloses a container and a device for indirectly cooling materials and a method for producing the container. Document US 5 363 671 A discloses a modular beverage cooling and dispensing system. Further relevant prior art is disclosed in document US2752763A. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is defined in the independent claim 1. Further embodiments are disclosed in the dependent claims. In doing so, the present invention discloses chiller according to claim 1 for cooling a beverage, wherein the chiller includes a reservoir configured to hold a heat exchange fluid, and an evaporator coil arranged within the reservoir. The evaporator coil of the chiller includes a plurality of windings configured to circulate a coolant, and projections extending from an exterior surface of one or more of the plurality of windings. The chiller according to claim 1 further includes a chiller coil arranged in the reservoir, wherein the beverage is configured to flow through the chiller coil, and wherein when the coolant is circulated through the plurality of windings of the evaporator coil, a bank of frozen heat exchange fluid forms on the plurality of windings and on the projections. In any of the various embodiments described herein, the projections may include one or more fins. In any of the various embodiments described herein, the projections may include one or more rods. In any of the various embodiments described herein, the projections may include a lattice structure. In any of the various embodiments described herein, the evaporator coil may be formed from a first material, and the projections may be formed from a second material, and the first material may be the same as the second material. In any of the various embodiments described herein, the evaporator coil may define a central volume, and the chiller coil may be arranged within the central volume of the evaporator coil. In any of the various embodiments described herein, the chiller may further include a second chiller coil arranged in the reservoir, wherein the beverage is configured to flow through the second chiller coil. In some embodiments, the chiller may further include a splitter configured to divide a flow of the beverage to the first chiller coil and to the second chiller coil, wherein the splitter divides the flow of the beverage such that a greater portion of the beverage flows to the first chiller coil than to the second chiller coil. In any of the various embodiments described herein, a wall thickness of the chiller coil may be in a range of about 0.2 mm to about 1.0 mm. In any of the various embodiments described herein, the reservoir of the chiller may have a total volume of about 3 L to about 10 L. In any of the various embodiments described herein, the chiller further includes an agitator arranged in the reservoir, wherein the agitator may include an impeller having one or more blades. In some embodiments, the chiller further includes a temperature sensor configured to determine a temperature of the chiller coil, wherein the agitator is configured to operate when a temperature of the chiller coil as detected by the temperature sensor is in a predetermined temperature range. Some embodiments described herein relate to a beverage dispenser that includes a user interface configured to receive a selection of a beverage and a chiller according to claim 1 configured to cool a beverage. The chiller of the beverage dispenser includes a reservoir configured