Claims
- 1. Cleaning apparatus for cleaning and sanitizing a tank, the tank for holding liquid food grade product, the liquid food grade product being transferred into and out of the tank by means of vacuum, the tank having a vacuum transfer system for transferring liquid food grade product, comprising:
- means for cyclically alternating a flow of cleaning fluid between the tank and the vacuum transfer system.
- 2. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cyclic alterations of the flow of cleaning fluid between the tank and the vacuum transfer system are controlled by a first valve and a second valve, the first valve being fluidly coupled to the tank, the second valve being fluidly coupled to the vacuum transfer system.
- 3. The cleaning apparatus of claim 2 further including a timer operably, communicatively coupled to the first and second valves for timing the cycling of the first and second valves between the open and closed configurations.
- 4. The cleaning apparatus of claim 3 wherein the timer substantially simultaneously sequences the first and second valves between the open and closed configurations.
- 5. The cleaning apparatus of claim 4 wherein the timer substantially simultaneously sequences the first and second valves between the open and closed configurations at a rate of between once each five seconds and once each five minutes.
- 6. The cleaning apparatus of claim 4 wherein the timer substantially simultaneously sequences the first and second valves between the open and closed configurations at a rate being at least once during each cleaning program cycle.
- 7. A cleaning apparatus for cleaning and sanitizing a first tank configured to hold a liquid food grade product, the first tank comprising a vacuum transfer system for transferring the liquid food grade product into and out of the first tank, the cleaning apparatus comprising:
- a first valve in fluid communication with a first fluid flow path configured to displace the liquid food grade product from a second tank into the first tank;
- a second valve in fluid communication with a second fluid flow path configured to deliver fluid for purging the first tank; and
- an assembly for cyclically alternating a flow of cleaning fluid between the first and second valves.
- 8. The cleaning apparatus of claim 7, in which the assembly for cyclically alternating a flow of cleaning fluid further comprises a timer operably, communicatively coupled to the first and second valves.
- 9. The cleaning apparatus of claim 8, in which the timer is configured for timing a cycling of the first and second valves between open and closed positions.
- 10. The cleaning apparatus of claim 9, in which the timer substantially simultaneously sequences the first and second valves between the open and closed positions.
- 11. The cleaning apparatus of claim 9, in which the timer substantially simultaneously sequences the first and second valves between the open and closed positions at a rate of between about once each five seconds and once each five minutes.
- 12. The cleaning apparatus of claim 9, in which the timer substantially simultaneously sequences the first and second valves between the open and closed positions at a rate of at least once during a cleaning cycle.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/632,558, filed Apr. 15, 1996, and now U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,484, which application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/001,846 to Engle, entitled "Vacuum Transfer System for Food Grade Product", filed Aug. 2, 1995, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
US Referenced Citations (42)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
632558 |
Apr 1996 |
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