Apv North America, Inc.

Apv Gaulin Gmbh

Gea Mechanical Equipment Italia S.p.a.

Michael Jarchau

Harald O Korstvedt

Blaine Potter

Klaus Lindemann

Steffen Jahnke

Ralf Priebe

A valve including a valve body having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, the valve body comprising a first valve element and a second valve element arranged in a housing. A gap is formed between the valve elements, the first valve element being conformed as a sleeve with an inner surface that tapers at least in sections towards the fluid outlet, the second valve element being conformed as a cone mounted in the sleeve, with the same inclination as the inner surface of the sleeve so as to form the gap. Additionally, an annular space open to the fluid outlet is formed between the sleeve and the inner surface of the housing. The sleeve has through holes towards the annular space and the cone has through openings towards the fluid inlet, the sleeve and the cone being axially adjustable relative to one another.

Valve

A homogenization valve includes a housing and stacked valve members within the housing. The valve members have central holes therethrough defining a high pressure volume. Each valve member includes a valve seat defining, with a valve surface, gaps through which fluid is expressed radially from an inside high pressure volume to the outer low pressure volume. An actuator closes one end of the central volume and acts on the valve members to control the width of the gaps. A pressure barrier is positioned within the central volume to reduce the force from the central volume acting on the actuator.

Force absorbing homogenization valve

A homogenization valve includes a housing and stacked valve members within the housing. The valve members have central holes therethrough defining a high pressure volume. Each valve member includes a valve seat defining, with a valve surface, gaps through which fluid is expressed radially from an inside high pressure volume to the low pressure volume. The actuator acts on the valve members to control the width of the gaps. The valve member includes circumferentially spaced, compressible spacing elements to maintain the gap. The actuator controls substantially all of the gap widths by compressing the spacing elements. Annular springs are positioned within the high pressure volume in spring-grooves in the valve members to align adjoining pairs of valve members to maintain the stacked member configuration.

Valve members for a homogenization valve

A homogenization valve includes a housing and stacked valve members within the housing. The valve members have central holes therethrough defining a low pressure volume. Each valve member includes a valve seat defining with a valve surface, gaps through which fluid is expressed radially from an outside high pressure volume to the central low pressure volume. The actuator acts on the valve members to control the width of the gaps. A counterbalancing mechanism reduces the amount of actuator force required to maintain a predetermined homogenization pressure.

Homogenization valve with outside high pressure volume

Homogenizing pressures are reduced by providing three homogenizing valves in series. The addition of a holding chamber between the first and second stages which provides a dwell time in the order of seconds can further reduce the pressure requirements or improve product quality for a given pressure.

Premix homogenizing system

A homogenizer comprises a homogenizing valve mounted to a pump block. The pump has multiple plungers housed in a set of pump chambers formed through a surface of the pump block. Sets of suction valves and discharge valves are positioned in valve bores formed through the block intersecting the pump chambers. During homogenization, each plunger reciprocates in a pump chamber to draw fluid through a suction valve and the pump chamber and discharge that fluid through a discharge valve and subsequently to the homogenizing valve. The homogenizer has a plurality of seals located along its fluid flow path and positioned to have a surface exposed directly to the fluid. As such, the homogenizer is characterized by the absence of recessed seals along the fluid flow path and provides an internal geometry in which microorganism growth and fluid residue buildup are minimized.

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Lubeck, Germany

Michael Jarchau