Abstract: Scraped surface heat exchanger, the shape of the chamber thereof and the positioning and direction of feed and discharge conduits opening into said chamber being such that, on feeding a liquid through these conduits and the chamber, the flow of said liquid will cover the entire chamber.

Abstract: The invention concerns an apparatus for dispensing measured quantities of a liquid or liquefied material, comprising first pumping means, capable of delivering a continuous flow of material, second pumping downstream from said first pumping means, said second pumping means being capable of delivering less than the amount fed thereto by said first pumping means, a recirculation line, connected to the line connecting said first and said second pumping means, said recirculation line being provided with a valve and means for compensating excess of material fed by said first pumping means, which means for compensating excess material are present in said connecting line, and can activate a switch for opening said valve. In order to obviate possible problems concerning contamination by microorganisms, and to provide longer production runs, the invention is characterized in that said means for compensating excess material comprises a membrane which is impermeable for said liquid or liquefield material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process and an apparatus for the aseptic packaging of products such as foodstuffs and pharmaceutical products, using a tunnel over the filling track of the filling machine, which tunnel is provided with means for introducing sterile gas. This aseptic packaging could be improved by introducing the sterile gas only from one side, preferably such that the gas stream moves contrary to the product stream, and by providing means which ensure a horizontal gas flow of low turbulance in the tunnel so that the suction of ambient air into the system is avoided.

Abstract: A machine for weighing and sorting articles to make up packs of a pre-determined weight with the aid of a computer. The improvement is a particular drive mechanism for feeding the articles to a series of weigh heads and then on therefrom. The drive mechanism splits the motion into two components, preferably simple harmonic motions, one of which is a continuously operating vertical reciprocation and the other is a selectively actuated horizontal reciprocation.