Cold Plasma Sanitation for a Dispensing Machine

摘要

An apparatus comprises a dispensing system and a sanitizing system. The apparatus has a dispensing mode and sanitizing mode. The dispensing system may comprise a first valve and at least one component, the at least one component having an inner surface. The first valve is opened to send a free-flowing material to the at least one component when the apparatus is in the dispensing mode. The first valve is closed when the apparatus is in the sanitizing mode. The sanitizing system comprises a processing unit having a discharge cell configured to initiate a cold plasma discharge in an air flow. A tank may be configured to receive the air flow from the discharge cell of the processing unit and expose water in the tank to the air flow for a time sufficient to provide dissolution of ozone from the air flow into the water and form ozone-containing water.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
providing an air flow through a discharge cell of a sanitizing system, the discharge cell comprising a discharge chamber and discharge electrodes; initiating in the discharge cell a cold plasma discharge in the air flow using the discharge electrodes; after initiating the cold plasma discharge in the air flow, exposing a liquid comprising water to the air flow for time sufficient to provide dissolution of ozone and other ions and chemical radicals from the air flow into the liquid and forming ozone-containing liquid; and sending the ozone-containing liquid from the sanitizing system to an interior surface of at least one component of a beverage dispensing system to sanitize the interior surface of the at least one component.