“Bertolaso’s innovative solution has revolutionized not only the design of fill valves, but also the concept of the machine.”
Bertolaso could meet a request that is as ambitious as thrilling: a sparkling and still wine bottling plant that can work both in slight vacuum and high pressure and that enables to canalise gas into the bottles outside the tank.
Traditional technical solution
A traditional filler for sparkling and semi-sparkling wines consists of a pressure-resistant bowl in
which a range of valves driven by springs move. The springs, that are placed in the bowl, i.e. in a
wet area, ensure that the flow opens when the pressure inside the bottle and the pressure in the
bowl are the same. In the filling phase, the liquid flows from the bowl to the bottle, while through a
central tube, the gas in the bottle returns into the bowl beyond the liquid to be bottled. The overpressure
inside the bowl, instead, acts on the spring, thus determining the valve closure when the
bottle is not present.
However the traditional filler for pressure fluids has two contraindications: a minimum work pressure
of about 1 bar is required and the gas that goes back from the bottle returns into the same
bowl that contains the product.
Innovative technical solution
Bertolaso innovative solution has revolutionised not only the filling valve project, but also the
machine concept. The valve drive has been separated from the tank’s internal pressure. This modification
has enabled the machine to work in both slight vacuum and high pressure conditions,
without affecting the perfect functionality of the filler. To further simplify the machine construction,
springs have been removed from the bowl. The bowl, inside, is crossed by the filling valve that
essentially consists of a simple tube in Aisi 316 stainless steel. This allows for the top sanitation
of the filler.
The innovative solution also allows to canalize and evacuate outside the bowl the gas contained
in the bottles, thus protecting the product from any external contact. Thanks to these innovations
Bertolaso could grant and get the minimum oxygen absorption in any operational condition. The
high specific speed got through this special filling valve and its functional reliability have combined
at best and have enabled continuity and production efficiency at the highest levels. The end result
is a 18,000 bottle/hour machine, performing continuously 2/3 shifts per day.