Superhigh-temperature instantaneous sterilization steam direct injection mixing nozzle

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of food sterilization, in particular to an ultrahigh-temperature instant sterilization steam direct injection mixing nozzle. Comprising a liquid inlet valve body and a steam valve body which are connected, and further comprises a valve element arranged in the liquid inlet valve body and the steam valve body. A plurality of notches distributed in the periphery of the valve element in a circumferential array mode are formed in the position, at the joint of the liquid inlet valve body and the steam valve body, of the valve element. By adopting the structure designed by the scheme, materials can be atomized into small liquid drops in a spiral form to be jetted into the steam mixing cavity, so that the contact area with steam is greatly increased, and efficient heat transfer and phase change are realized; after the first mixing, the gas-liquid mixed fluid is jetted out again through the annular nozzle, so that bubbles and liquid drops of the gas-liquid mixed fluid are micronized again, the contact surfaces are enlarged, complete heat transfer between steam and materials is achieved, and uniform and stable high-temperature liquid is formed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of food sterilization, and in particular to an ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization steam direct spray mixing nozzle. Background Art

[0002] The main purpose of heat treatment of milk is to kill microorganisms and inactivate enzymes. The effectiveness of heat treatment and its impact on product quality are mainly related to the temperature-time combination, the heating method used and the pretreatment conditions of milk. At present, there are four main types of heat sterilization: preheating sterilization, pasteurization, ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization and maintenance sterilization. After a long period of scientific experiments and practical exploration, countries around the world have now formed a relatively unified production model, mainly pasteurization and ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization (UHT) sterilization.

[0003] In addition, an advanced sterilization method has emerged: direct steam injection sterilization. This technology is to inject steam directly into the milk to increase the temperature, and then pass it through the sterilization temperature pipe at high pressure to achieve instant sterilization. The core breakthrough of this technology is to retain the natural nutritional active protein in milk to the maximum extent. The direct steam injection sterilization process (infection, referred to as INF) has high heat transfer efficiency because of direct contact with the heating medium (steam) and then immediate cooling through vacuum, thereby limiting the product quality loss caused by excessive heat exposure. The main principle of direct steam injection sterilization is to fully mix the liquid phase fluid to be sterilized with the steam phase fluid, and use the high temperature of steam to sterilize the liquid phase fluid. It mainly includes two categories: (1) steam immersion sterilization (steam infusion): that is, spraying the liquid phase fluid into a steam bath for sterilization; (2) steam injection sterilization (steam injection): the liquid phase is first formed into a ring jet, and then mixed with the injected steam for sterilization. Steam direct injection (INF) sterilizes directly. Due to the direct contact between the material and the heating medium (steam), the heat transfer efficiency is high, which greatly reduces the product quality loss caused by excessive heat exposure and can greatly improve the active nutrition of the product. At the same time, the direct heat transfer of steam also greatly reduces thermal damage and slagging due to the absence of heat transfer surface, avoiding the occurrence of pipe sticking.

[0004] At present, the direct steam injection sterilization technology mainly adopts a mixer structure such as that in CN101969782B to achieve the mixing and heat transfer of steam and materials. However, the mixing of steam and materials in this structure is only for a very short time through the annular slit. After the steam enters the material, it will form bubbles of larger size, which greatly reduces the speed of phase change heat transfer and cannot achieve full and complete mixing and heat transfer, resulting in uneven heating of the material and the local material temperature is lower than the sterilization temperature, affecting the sterilization effect. Therefore, when using the direct steam injection sterilization process, the sterilization temperature is usually 3-5°C higher than the traditional indirect sterilization temperature to ensure the sterilization effect. However, a higher sterilization temperature will also cause additional heating of the material, resulting in the loss of active business and sensory flavor. This is also one of the reasons why the application of direct steam injection sterilization technology is currently limited. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problem of uneven gas-liquid mixing in existing steam direct injection mixers, and to propose a nozzle structure with secondary injection mixing function, which can achieve better gas-liquid mixing effect.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solution: the ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization steam direct spray mixing nozzle, the nozzle comprises a liquid inlet valve body and a steam valve body connected to each other, the nozzle also comprises a valve core arranged in the liquid inlet valve body and the steam valve body;

[0007] At the connection between the liquid inlet valve body and the steam valve body, the valve core is provided with a plurality of notches arranged in a circular array on the outer circumference of the valve core, the notches are inclined relative to the direction of the valve core, and the valve core abuts against the inner walls of the liquid inlet valve body and the steam valve body at other parts of the notches.

[0008] Further, a connecting piece is provided on the outer periphery of the valve core, which abuts against the inner walls of the liquid inlet valve body and the steam valve body, the notch is located on the connecting piece, the connecting piece includes a frustum arranged in the front and rear directions, and the notch extends to the side surface of the frustum located at the front end;

[0009] The rear end of the valve core is connected with an adjusting screw.

[0010] Furthermore, an inner end cover is provided at the rear end of the valve core, and an outer end cover is provided outside the inner end cover.

[0011] Furthermore, a mesh sheet surrounding the outer side of the valve core is provided in the steam valve body, and a plurality of holes are opened in the mesh sheet.

[0012] Furthermore, a tail nozzle is provided at the front end of the steam valve body.

[0013] Furthermore, an adjustable valve stem with a tail vertebra is provided in the valve core.

[0014] Furthermore, the adjustable tail vertebrae valve stem is connected with an adjusting screw at the rear end.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] After the material enters the nozzle from the feed port, it is atomized into small droplets in a spiral form through the notch and sprayed into the steam mixing chamber. At the same time, clean steam enters from the steam inlet and enters the steam mixing chamber through the porous mesh to mix with the atomized small droplets for the first time. Since the material has formed small mist droplets, the contact area with the steam is greatly increased, achieving efficient heat transfer and phase change. The notch design allows the atomized droplets to be sprayed into the steam mixing chamber in a spiral form, and form a vortex-shaped fluid in the chamber, enhancing the mixing effect with the steam.

[0017] After the first mixing, the gas-liquid mixed fluid is ejected again through the annular nozzle, thereby further miniaturizing the bubbles and droplets of the gas-liquid mixed fluid, increasing the contact surface, and achieving complete heat transfer between the steam and the material to form a uniform and stable high-temperature liquid. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall three-dimensional structure of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 Schematic diagram for comparing the effects of this embodiment and a traditional mixer;

[0020] In the figure: 1-outer end cover; 2-inner end cover; 3-adjusting screw; 4-valve core; 5-liquid inlet valve body; 6-liquid inlet; 7-notch; 71-connector; 72-table; 8-steam valve body; 9-mesh; 10-steam inlet; 11-tail nozzle; 12-adjustable valve stem with tail cone. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, the ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization steam direct spray mixing nozzle of the present invention comprises an outer end cover 1, a liquid inlet valve body 5, and a steam valve body 8 which are sequentially connected from the rear end.

[0023] An inner end cover 2 is provided inside the outer end cover 1, and a valve core 4 is provided at the front end of the inner end cover 2. The valve core 4 is axially arranged along the liquid inlet valve body 5 and the steam valve body 8, and an adjustable valve stem 12 with a tail cone is provided inside. The front end of the adjustable valve stem 12 with a tail cone extends out of the tail nozzle 11 of the steam valve body 8, and the rear end is connected with an adjusting screw 3 through the inner end cover 2, so that the relative position of the valve core 4 inside the nozzle can be adjusted by adjusting the screw 3.

[0024] At the connection between the liquid inlet valve body 5 and the steam valve body 8, a connecting piece 71 is provided on the valve core 4, which abuts against the inner walls of the liquid inlet valve body 5 and the steam valve body 8. The connecting piece 71 includes a frustum 72 arranged in the front and rear directions thereof. On the outer end surface of the connecting piece 71, that is, the connection and intersection of the two frustums 72, a plurality of notches 7 arranged in a circular array are provided. These notches 7 are all inclined relative to the direction of the valve core 4, and have the same orientation, and extend forward to the side of the frustum 72 at the front end. In this way, when the relative position of the valve core 4 inside the nozzle is adjusted by adjusting the screw 3, the gap between the notch 7 and the liquid inlet valve body 5 and the steam valve body 8 can also be adjusted.

[0025] In addition, it can be seen from the figure that a liquid inlet 6 is provided on the liquid inlet valve body 5, and a steam inlet 10 is provided on the steam valve body 8. In this way, when the material enters the liquid inlet valve body 5 from the liquid inlet 6, since these notches 7 are all arranged at an angle, the material can be atomized into small droplets in a spiral form through the notches 7 and sprayed into the steam valve body 8. At the same time, clean steam enters from the steam inlet 10 and enters the steam valve body 8 through a porous mesh 9 arranged around the outer side of the valve core 4, and is mixed for the first time with the above-mentioned atomized small droplets.

[0026] Since the material has become mist-like droplets, the contact area with the steam can be greatly increased, achieving more efficient heat transfer and phase change. The spiral injection method can also enable the droplets to form a vortex-like fluid in the steam valve body 8, further enhancing the mixing effect with the steam.

[0027] After the first mixing, the gas-liquid mixture is ejected again through the tail nozzle 11, thereby further miniaturizing the bubbles and droplets of the gas-liquid mixed fluid, increasing the contact surface, and achieving complete heat transfer between the steam and the material to form a uniform and stable high-temperature liquid. Correspondingly, the adjusting screw 3 can achieve different injection speeds by adjusting the relative position of the valve core 4 inside the nozzle.

[0028] like Figure 2As shown, it shows the temperature fluctuation of the material within 1 hour after mixing and heating in the present embodiment and the traditional mixer. The material is milk, and the sterilization temperature is set to 135°C. It can be seen that the temperature fluctuation of the present embodiment is between 134.8-135.3°C, while the temperature fluctuation of the traditional mixer is between 134.3-135.9°C. Compared with the traditional steam mixer, the present invention can achieve a better steam and liquid mixing effect, the temperature of the mixed material is more uniform, and a better sterilization effect can be achieved.

[0029] The contents not described in detail in this specification belong to the prior art known to professional and technical personnel in this field.

[0030] Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, it is still possible for those skilled in the art to modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or to make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features therein. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization steam direct spray mixing nozzle, characterized in that: The spray head comprises a liquid inlet valve body and a steam valve body connected to each other, and the spray head further comprises a valve core arranged in the liquid inlet valve body and the steam valve body; At the connection between the liquid inlet valve body and the steam valve body, the valve core is provided with a plurality of notches arranged in a circular array on the outer circumference of the valve core, the notches are inclined relative to the direction of the valve core, and the valve core abuts against the inner walls of the liquid inlet valve body and the steam valve body at other parts of the notches.

2. The ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization steam direct spray mixing nozzle according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The outer periphery of the valve core is provided with a connecting piece that abuts against the inner walls of the liquid inlet valve body and the steam valve body, the notch is located on the connecting piece, the connecting piece includes a frustum arranged in the front and rear directions, and the notch extends to the side surface of the frustum located at the front end; The rear end of the valve core is connected with an adjusting screw.

3. The ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization steam direct spray mixing nozzle according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that: An inner end cover is arranged at the rear end of the valve core, and an outer end cover is arranged outside the inner end cover.

4. The ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization steam direct spray mixing nozzle according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The steam valve body is provided with a mesh sheet surrounding the outer side of the valve core, and the mesh sheet is provided with a plurality of holes.

5. The ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization steam direct spray mixing nozzle according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A tail nozzle is arranged at the front end of the steam valve body.

6. The ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization steam direct spray mixing nozzle according to claim 1, characterized in that: An adjustable valve stem with a tail vertebra is arranged in the valve core.

7. The ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization direct spray mixing nozzle according to claim 5, characterized in that: The adjustable tail vertebrae valve stem is connected with an adjusting screw at the rear end.

Images