Counter-flow feed liquid circulation sterilization system
By adopting a counterflow liquid circulation sterilization system and multiple thermal coupling design in the sterilization system, the problem of untimely heat exchange in the prior art is solved, rapid preheating and temperature stability are achieved, sterilization efficiency is improved and energy consumption is reduced.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510015513.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-06
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-22
- Estimated Expiration
- Not applicable · inactive patent
AI Technical Summary
The existing tube sterilization system uses unpowered water in the preheating section and the heating section, resulting in untimely heat exchange and the medium water quickly reaching temperature saturation, resulting in a long preheating time on the machine and unstable temperature, which affects the production rhythm of the production line.
The counterflow liquid circulation sterilization system is adopted. Through multiple thermal coupling design, the liquid and medium water are fully heat exchanged in each heat exchanger. The medium water is always in a turbulent state, which improves the heat exchange efficiency.
It realizes rapid preheating of the sterilization system, improves temperature stability, fast sterilization speed, low energy consumption of equipment, improves the sterilization efficiency of the material liquid, and reduces operating costs.
Smart Images

Figure CN119856797A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of liquid sterilization, and in particular to a countercurrent liquid circulation sterilization system. Background Art
[0002] Tubular sterilization systems are widely used for sterilization of liquid feeds and can be used for aseptic production of dairy products, beverages, cereal beverages, condiments, cream, egg liquid, ice cream and other products.
[0003] The existing tubular sterilization system mainly includes a controller, a centrifugal pump, a balancing cylinder, a preheating section, a homogenizing section, a heating section, a sterilization section, an ice water section and other structures. The flow direction of the feed liquid is: from the balancing cylinder to the preheating section, the homogenizing section, the heating section, the sterilization section in turn, and then enters the heating and preheating sections again, and finally the feed liquid is discharged after cooling in the ice water section; the flow direction of the medium water is: the medium water in the preheating section and the heating section does not circulate (that is, it is unpowered water), and only the medium water in the sterilization section is countercurrent to the steam heating direction.
[0004] Since the preheating and heating stages use unpowered water, timely heat exchange cannot be achieved and the medium water quickly reaches temperature saturation, resulting in a long preheating time for the sterilization system and unstable temperature adjustment, which in turn affects the production rhythm of the entire production line. Summary of the invention
[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention discloses a countercurrent liquid circulation sterilization system, comprising a balancing cylinder, a homogenizer, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, a sterilizer, a third heat exchanger, a fourth heat exchanger, a fifth heat exchanger, a sixth heat exchanger, an insulation pipe and a water storage tank; The discharge end of the balancing cylinder is connected to the feed end of the first heat exchanger, the discharge end of the first heat exchanger is connected to the feed end of the second heat exchanger through a homogenizer, the discharge end of the second heat exchanger is connected to the feed end of the sterilizer, the discharge end of the sterilizer is connected to the feed end of the third heat exchanger through an insulation pipe, the discharge end of the third heat exchanger is connected to the feed end of the fourth heat exchanger, and the discharge end of the fourth heat exchanger is connected to the feed end of the fifth heat exchanger; The water outlet of the water storage tank is connected to the water inlet of the fourth heat exchanger, the water outlet of the fourth heat exchanger is connected to the water inlet of the third heat exchanger, the water outlet of the third heat exchanger is connected to the water inlet of the sixth heat exchanger, the water outlet of the sixth heat exchanger is connected to the water inlet of the sterilizer, the water outlet of the sterilizer is connected to the water inlet of the second heat exchanger, the water outlet of the second heat exchanger is connected to the water inlet of the first heat exchanger, and the water outlet of the first heat exchanger is connected to the water inlet of the water storage tank.
[0006] Furthermore, a first liquid feed pump is provided on the liquid feed channel between the balancing cylinder and the first heat exchanger, and a second liquid feed pump is provided on the liquid feed channel between the second heat exchanger and the sterilizer.
[0007] Furthermore, a switching valve is provided on the medium water channel between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.
[0008] Furthermore, a first back-pressure valve is provided at the discharge end of the fifth heat exchanger, and a second back-pressure valve is provided on the medium water channel between the first heat exchanger and the water storage tank.
[0009] Furthermore, a water inlet valve is provided at the water inlet end of the fifth heat exchanger.
[0010] Furthermore, an air inlet valve is provided at the feed end of the sixth heat exchanger, and a drain valve is provided at the discharge end of the sixth heat exchanger.
[0011] Furthermore, a water pump is provided on the medium water channel between the water storage tank and the fourth heat exchanger.
[0012] Furthermore, the water storage tank is also provided with a water replenishment valve.
[0013] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. The heat exchange medium water works in a turbulent state, with high heat exchange efficiency. At the same time, the medium water uses pure water to reduce scaling and extend the continuous working time of the sterilization system; 2. The sterilization system has a short preheating time, which not only has a fast sterilization speed, but also has low energy consumption, thereby improving the sterilization efficiency of the liquid and reducing operating costs; 3. The relatively low temperature medium water exchanges heat with the high temperature feed liquid after sterilization, realizing systematic circulation heat exchange, making full use of heat energy exchange, and achieving high heat recovery efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.
[0015] Figure 1 It is a structural principle diagram of the present invention.
[0016] Reference numerals: 1-Balancing cylinder, 2-Homogenizer, 3-First heat exchanger, 4-Second heat exchanger, 5-Sterilizer, 6-Third heat exchanger, 7-Fourth heat exchanger, 8-Fifth heat exchanger, 9-Sixth heat exchanger, 10-Insulation pipe, 11-Water storage tank, 12-First liquid pump, 13-Second liquid pump, 14-Inlet valve, 15-Drain valve, 16-First back pressure valve, 17-Water inlet valve, 18-Water pump, 19-Water replenishment valve, 20-Switch valve, 21-Second back pressure valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments.
[0018] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.
[0019] In addition, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. in the present invention are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features.
[0020] In the description of the embodiments, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "disposed", "connected" and the like should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be a communication between the two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.
[0021] like Figure 1 As shown, the countercurrent liquid circulation sterilization system in this embodiment includes a balancing cylinder 1, a homogenizer 2, a first heat exchanger 3, a second heat exchanger 4, a sterilizer 5, a third heat exchanger 6, a fourth heat exchanger 7, a fifth heat exchanger 8, a sixth heat exchanger 9, an insulation pipe 10 and a water storage tank 11.
[0022] The discharge end of the balancing cylinder 1 is connected to the feed end of the first heat exchanger 3 , and a first liquid pump 12 is provided on the liquid channel between the balancing cylinder 1 and the first heat exchanger 3 . Under the action of the first liquid pump 12 , the liquid enters the first heat exchanger 3 from the balancing cylinder 1 .
[0023] The discharge end of the first heat exchanger 3 is connected to the feed end of the second heat exchanger 4 through the homogenizer 2 , and the feed liquid enters the homogenizer 2 from the first heat exchanger 3 for homogenization and then enters the second heat exchanger 4 .
[0024] The discharge end of the second heat exchanger 4 is connected to the feed end of the sterilizer 5. A second liquid pump 13 is provided on the liquid channel between the second heat exchanger 4 and the sterilizer 5. The discharge end of the sterilizer 5 is connected to the feed end of the third heat exchanger 6 through the insulation pipe 10. After the liquid is sterilized at high temperature in the sterilizer 5, it enters the insulation pipe 10 for insulation treatment.
[0025] An air inlet valve 14 is provided at the feed end of the sixth heat exchanger 9, and a drain valve 15 is provided at the discharge end of the sixth heat exchanger 9. High-temperature steam is introduced into the sixth heat exchanger 9 through the air inlet valve 14 to exchange heat with the medium water inside the sixth heat exchanger 9. After being heated, the medium water enters the sterilizer 5 to exchange heat with the feed liquid and perform high-temperature sterilization treatment. Part of the steam becomes condensed water after heat exchange with the medium water and is discharged from the drain valve 15.
[0026] The discharge end of the third heat exchanger 6 is connected to the feed end of the fourth heat exchanger 7, the discharge end of the fourth heat exchanger 7 is connected to the feed end of the fifth heat exchanger 8, and the discharge end of the fifth heat exchanger 8 is provided with a first back pressure valve 16. After the feed liquid passes through the third heat exchanger 6, the fourth heat exchanger 7 and the fifth heat exchanger 8 for heat exchange in sequence, it is discharged by the first back pressure valve 16.
[0027] The water inlet end of the fifth heat exchanger 8 is provided with a water inlet valve 17 , through which ice water is introduced into the fifth heat exchanger 8 to cool the feed liquid, and the ice water after heat exchange is discharged from the water outlet end of the fifth heat exchanger 8 .
[0028] The water outlet end of the water storage tank 11 is connected to the water inlet end of the fourth heat exchanger 7, and the water outlet end of the fourth heat exchanger 7 is connected to the water inlet end of the third heat exchanger 6. A water pump 18 is provided on the medium water channel between the water storage tank 11 and the fourth heat exchanger 7. The medium water in the water storage tank 11 is sent to the fourth heat exchanger 7 through the water pump 18, and enters the third heat exchanger 6 after heat exchange with the feed liquid in the fourth heat exchanger 7.
[0029] The water storage tank 11 is also provided with a water replenishment valve 19 to replenish the medium water consumed during the operation of the system; wherein, the medium water can be pure water to reduce scaling, which is beneficial to prolong the continuous working time of the sterilization system.
[0030] The water outlet of the third heat exchanger 6 is connected to the water inlet of the sixth heat exchanger 9, and the water outlet of the sixth heat exchanger 9 is connected to the water inlet of the sterilizer 5. The medium water is heated by high-temperature steam in the sixth heat exchanger 9 and circulates in the system, so that the feed liquid in other heat exchangers can be preheated, heated up and cooled down to shorten the start-up preheating time of the sterilization system. Not only the sterilization speed is fast, but also the energy consumption of the equipment is low, thereby improving the sterilization efficiency of the feed liquid and reducing the operating cost.
[0031] The water outlet of the sterilizer 5 is connected to the water inlet of the second heat exchanger 4, and the water outlet of the second heat exchanger 4 is connected to the water inlet of the first heat exchanger 3. The residual temperature of the medium water can be used to preheat and increase the temperature of the liquid in the first heat exchanger 3 and the second heat exchanger 4, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the liquid.
[0032] A switching valve 20 is provided on the medium water channel between the first heat exchanger 3 and the second heat exchanger 4, the water outlet of the first heat exchanger 3 is connected to the water inlet of the water storage tank 11, and a second back pressure valve 21 is provided on the medium water channel between the first heat exchanger 3 and the water storage tank 11.
[0033] According to the temperature of the feed liquid, whether the medium water passes through the first heat exchanger 3 can be selected by switching the switching valve 20 and the second back pressure valve 21; if the switching valve 20 is closed, the channel for the medium water to return to the water storage tank 11 is cut off, so the medium water will enter the first heat exchanger 3; if the switching valve 20 and the second back pressure valve 21 are opened at the same time, the medium water will return to the water storage tank 11 through the resistance-free medium water channel.
[0034] The sterilization system of the present invention adopts a full countercurrent method of the feed liquid and the medium water to perform a circulating sterilization operation. Compared with the traditional unpowered medium water, the medium water of the present invention is always in a turbulent state, and the entire system adopts a multiple thermal coupling design. In each heat exchanger, the feed liquid and the medium water can fully exchange heat, with high heat exchange efficiency and high heat energy recovery efficiency.
[0035] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in the field to implement; when the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the protection scope required by the present invention.
Claims
1. A countercurrent liquid circulation sterilization system, characterized in that: It includes a balancing cylinder, a homogenizer, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, a sterilizer, a third heat exchanger, a fourth heat exchanger, a fifth heat exchanger, a sixth heat exchanger, a heat preservation pipe and a water storage tank; The discharge end of the balancing cylinder is connected to the feed end of the first heat exchanger, the discharge end of the first heat exchanger is connected to the feed end of the second heat exchanger through a homogenizer, the discharge end of the second heat exchanger is connected to the feed end of the sterilizer, the discharge end of the sterilizer is connected to the feed end of the third heat exchanger through an insulation pipe, the discharge end of the third heat exchanger is connected to the feed end of the fourth heat exchanger, and the discharge end of the fourth heat exchanger is connected to the feed end of the fifth heat exchanger; The water outlet of the water storage tank is connected to the water inlet of the fourth heat exchanger, the water outlet of the fourth heat exchanger is connected to the water inlet of the third heat exchanger, the water outlet of the third heat exchanger is connected to the water inlet of the sixth heat exchanger, the water outlet of the sixth heat exchanger is connected to the water inlet of the sterilizer, the water outlet of the sterilizer is connected to the water inlet of the second heat exchanger, the water outlet of the second heat exchanger is connected to the water inlet of the first heat exchanger, and the water outlet of the first heat exchanger is connected to the water inlet of the water storage tank.
2. The countercurrent liquid circulation sterilization system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A first liquid feed pump is provided on the liquid feed channel between the balancing cylinder and the first heat exchanger, and a second liquid feed pump is provided on the liquid feed channel between the second heat exchanger and the sterilizer.
3. The countercurrent liquid circulation sterilization system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A switching valve is provided on the medium water channel between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.
4. The countercurrent liquid circulation sterilization system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A first back-pressure valve is provided at the discharge end of the fifth heat exchanger, and a second back-pressure valve is provided on the medium water channel between the first heat exchanger and the water storage tank.
5. The countercurrent liquid circulation sterilization system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A water inlet valve is provided at the water inlet end of the fifth heat exchanger.
6. The countercurrent liquid circulation sterilization system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: An air inlet valve is provided at the feed end of the sixth heat exchanger, and a drain valve is provided at the discharge end of the sixth heat exchanger.
7. The countercurrent liquid circulation sterilization system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A water pump is provided on the medium water channel between the water storage tank and the fourth heat exchanger.
8. The countercurrent liquid circulation sterilization system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The water storage tank is also provided with a water replenishment valve.