Tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism and tubular sterilization machine

Abstract

The invention discloses a tube nest type sterilization heat exchange mechanism, and relates to the technical field of food production sterilization equipment, the tube nest type sterilization heat exchange mechanism mainly comprises a preheating unit formed by a plurality of heat exchange tube assembly units connected in series, a maintaining unit and a cooling unit, and each heat exchange tube assembly unit comprises an outer sleeve and a material conveying assembly assembled on the inner side of the outer sleeve; the material conveying assembly is mainly composed of a front end butt joint assembly, a rear end butt joint assembly and a plurality of material pipes. The heat exchange mechanism is formed in the tubular sterilization machine, the rotatable material conveying assembly is adopted, and the spiral channel design of the material pipe is utilized, so that when the Chinese wolfberry fruit puree passes through the material pipe, a secondary circulation effect is generated, a boundary layer between the Chinese wolfberry fruit puree and the pipe wall is broken, the heat transfer efficiency is improved, and the sterilization effect is improved. And thus, the flowing of the Chinese wolfberry primary pulp in the material pipe is more uniform, the temperature gradient or local overheating is avoided, and a certain inhibition effect on a scale layer is also achieved while the sterilization effect is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of food production sterilization equipment, in particular to a shell-and-tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism and a shell-and-tube sterilizer. Background Art

[0002] Lycium barbarum puree beverages are rich in heat-sensitive active ingredients (such as Lycium barbarum polysaccharides and carotenoids), which are prone to oxidation and nutrient loss under high temperatures. In order to balance sterilization efficiency and ingredient retention, high-temperature instantaneous sterilization is currently commonly used to shorten the heating time and maximize the retention of the nutrients rich in Lycium barbarum puree beverages.

[0003] The shell and tube sterilizer is currently the preferred equipment for the sterilization and processing of wolfberry puree or juice beverages. However, the heat exchange tube assembly in the heat exchange mechanism of the existing shell and tube sterilizer adopts a fixed structure design of straight tube and straight wall for the internal material capillary parts, and the viscosity of wolfberry puree is higher than that of ordinary liquid beverage materials. During the disinfection and sterilization process, the wolfberry puree tends to form laminar flow when flowing in the capillaries of the heat exchange tube assembly, which reduces the heat transfer coefficient. Moreover, the laminar flow phenomenon also makes the puree flow uneven, which easily forms a temperature gradient, resulting in incomplete sterilization or local overheating, accelerating the oxidation of active ingredients and making the capillary wall more prone to scale. The machine needs to be shut down for cleaning at least twice a day, and each cleaning time is at least 2-3 hours.

[0004] To this end, we have designed a shell and tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism and a shell and tube sterilizer. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a shell-and-tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism and a shell-and-tube sterilizer.

[0006] The present invention provides a shell-and-tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism, which includes a preheating unit, a holding unit and a cooling unit connected in series in sequence. The preheating unit is used to heat the wolfberry pulp material to reach the temperature required for sterilization. The holding unit is used to maintain the wolfberry pulp that has reached the sterilization temperature at a constant temperature, so that the wolfberry pulp can reach a predetermined high-temperature sterilization time to ensure the sterilization effect. The cooling unit is used to quickly cool the wolfberry pulp material passing through the holding unit, so that it can be reduced to a preset temperature in a short time.

[0007] Specifically, the preheating unit, holding unit, and cooling unit each include several heat exchange tube assembly units, each comprising an outer sleeve and a material transfer assembly mounted inside the outer sleeve. The material transfer assembly primarily consists of a front-end docking assembly, a rear-end docking assembly, and several material pipes. The front-end docking assembly and the rear-end docking assembly each include a stator assembly and a rotor assembly, with the ends of the several material pipes mounted on the rotor assemblies of the front-end docking assembly and the rear-end docking assembly, respectively.

[0008] In order to enable the material transfer assembly to use the force of the heat exchange medium to cause the rotor assemblies in the front-end docking assembly and the rear-end docking assembly to rotate, thereby causing several material pipes to rotate inside the outer sleeve, thereby generating centrifugal force, the outer sleeve in the heat exchange tube assembly unit specifically includes an insulating main pipe body and a tail end cover, and an annular tube is sleeved on the outer side of the front end of the outer sleeve, and a medium access port is provided on one side of the annular tube, and three medium inlets that are connected to the interior of the insulating main pipe body are equidistantly provided on the inner side of the annular tube, wherein the medium inlet is arranged at an inclined angle on the insulating main pipe body, so that the heat exchange medium quickly rushes into the interior of the insulating main pipe body at an inclined downward angle, so that it can better cooperate with the rotor assembly in the front-end docking assembly, thereby causing the rotor assembly to rotate.

[0009] Furthermore, in order to facilitate the assembly between the rear end docking component and the tail end of the outer sleeve in the material transmission component, the front end of the tail end cover is detachably mounted on the tail end of the thermal insulation main body by bolts, and the tail end cover is annular and the tail end adopts a contraction port design, so that the tail end cover can be effectively sleeved on the outside of the rear end docking component and play a fixing role. In order to make each group of heat exchange tube assembly units in the entire heat exchange mechanism cooperate with the medium access port to form an independent heat exchange effect, a medium discharge port is also provided on the side of the tail end of the thermal insulation main body. After the heat-conducting medium enters the outer sleeve from the medium inlet, it flows through the outer sleeve and is discharged from the medium discharge port. The heat exchange processing of the wolfberry puree is realized during the flow of the heat-conducting medium inside the outer sleeve.

[0010] Furthermore, the stator assemblies in the front-end docking assembly and the rear-end docking assembly both include an assembly collar and an annular fixed flange seat installed at the end of the assembly collar by bolts and a sealing rubber ring. The purpose of the fixed flange seat is to facilitate the end-to-end connection of adjacent heat exchange tube assembly units; wherein, an annular seat extends from the center of the fixed flange seat toward the inner side of the assembly collar for mounting the rotor assembly; and a transfer pipe flange is detachably mounted on the end of the fixed flange seat by bolts and a sealing gasket.

[0011] Furthermore, in order to achieve a reliable rotational assembly effect between the rotor assembly and the stator assembly in the front-end docking assembly and the rear-end docking assembly, the rotor assemblies in the front-end docking assembly and the rear-end docking assembly each include a rotating collar sleeved on the outside of the annular seat, and in order to prevent the rotor assembly from detaching from the annular seat in the stator assembly, an anti-slip ring is detachably installed at the end of the annular seat by bolts, and at the same time, the tail end of the rotating collar is bent inward by 90 degrees to form a hanging ring, and the rotational assembly and fixation between the inner side of the rotating collar and the outer side of the annular seat are performed by a food-grade sealed bearing, wherein the anti-slip ring and the hanging ring at the tail end of the rotating collar are respectively located on both sides of the food-grade sealed bearing, and the outer edge of the anti-slip ring is slidably fitted with the inner wall of the rotating collar, and the outer edge of the anti-slip ring is provided with an annular groove and a Y-shaped sealing rubber ring is provided in the annular groove, so that the rotational assembly effect between the rotor assembly and the stator assembly is not affected while ensuring the airtightness of the assembly gap. It should be further explained that the food-grade sealed bearing adopts a non-lubricated design and meets the food safety certification standards for bearings (such as FDA, EC1935).

[0012] Furthermore, to enhance the stability of the rotor and stator assemblies after assembly, the outer side of the rotating collar and the inner wall of the assembly collar feature a smooth, mirror-like finish. A waterproof roller bearing ring is installed between the outer front end of the rotating collar and the inner wall of the assembly collar, providing external support for the rotor assembly. Furthermore, the rotor assembly includes a sealing disk mounted at the front end of the rotating collar via bolts and a sealing ring. The sealing disk is evenly distributed with through-holes for mounting material pipes, and the ends of the material pipes are seamlessly welded to the through-holes in the sealing disk.

[0013] Furthermore, the difference between the front-end docking assembly and the rear-end docking assembly is that a plurality of fan blades are integrally formed around the circumference of the outer side of the sealing disk in the front-end docking assembly, and the fan blades correspond to the position of the medium inlet. When the heat-conducting medium enters the interior of the thermal insulation main body from the medium inlet, since the medium inlet is set at the same inclination angle, the heat-conducting medium rushes toward the fan blades from three angles in the same direction, thereby causing the rotor assembly in the front-end docking assembly to drive all material pipes to rotate, thereby causing the wolfberry puree in the material pipe to generate centrifugal force.

[0014] Furthermore, another difference between the front-end docking assembly and the rear-end docking assembly is that a mounting flange for assembling and fixing with the front end of the outer sleeve is integrally formed at the middle position of the outer side of the assembly collar in the front-end docking assembly, while the assembly collar in the rear-end docking assembly is threadedly assembled on the inner side of the tail cover and sealed by a sealing gasket.

[0015] Furthermore, in order to enable the wolfberry puree to be transmitted inside the heat exchange tube assembly unit, the centrifugal force is cooperated to realize secondary circulation in the material tube, and the boundary layer is broken by the secondary circulation to enhance the radial mixing effect of the wolfberry puree when passing through the material tube, thereby breaking the boundary layer between the wolfberry puree and the tube wall, accelerating the renewal of the thermal boundary layer, improving the heat transfer efficiency, and making the wolfberry puree flow more uniform in the material tube, thereby effectively avoiding the occurrence of temperature gradients or local overheating, spiral grooves with an arc-shaped cross-section are integrally formed on the tube walls of several of the material tubes at equal distances around the circumference. Among them, in order to minimize the resistance during the transmission of the wolfberry puree, the inner and outer tube walls of the material tube are designed with a smooth mirror structure.

[0016] Furthermore, in order to enable the wolfberry puree to be sterilized in an orderly manner, the holding unit is located in the middle position between the preheating unit and the cooling unit, and the heat exchange tube assembly units in the preheating unit, the holding unit and the cooling unit are connected in series in sequence through the first transfer tube and the second transfer tube to form a whole. In addition, the two ends of the first transfer tube are integrally formed with the transfer tube flanges on the front end docking assemblies in the corresponding two groups of heat exchange tube assembly units, and the two ends of the second transfer tube are integrally formed with the transfer tube flanges on the rear end docking assemblies in the corresponding two groups of heat exchange tube assembly units.

[0017] In order to facilitate the connection of the heat exchange mechanism with the feeding system and the self-cleaning system on the shell and tube sterilizer, a feed pipe for connecting to the feeding system of the shell and tube sterilizer is integrally connected to the adapter pipe flange in the front-end docking assembly on the front-end heat exchange tube assembly unit in the preheating unit, and a flushing access port connected to the cleaning system of the shell and tube sterilizer is installed in the middle of the feed pipe through the first electric three-way switching ball valve. In order to cooperate with the boiler system in the shell and tube sterilizer to realize material preheating treatment, the medium access ports on the heat exchange tube assembly unit in the preheating unit are connected to the boiler system of the shell and tube sterilizer through preheating medium input pipe fittings. At the same time, the media access ports on the heat exchange tube assembly units in the holding unit are connected to the boiler system of the shell and tube sterilizer through high-temperature media input pipes. In order to ensure that the pressure of the heat source heat transfer medium entering each heat exchange tube assembly unit in the preheating unit and the holding unit can be maintained at a constant value, a first electric pressure regulating valve is installed on the media access port of each heat exchange tube assembly unit in the preheating unit and the holding unit to ensure that the heat transfer medium can rush out from the media inlet at a certain pressure value, effectively pushing the fan blades in the front docking assembly, thereby ensuring that the material pipes in each group of heat exchange tube assembly units can rotate autonomously, thereby generating centrifugal force.

[0018] In order to enable the heat-conducting medium used for heat exchange to be connected to the heat source medium recovery system in the shell-and-tube sterilizer, realize heat energy recovery and reduce energy consumption, a heat source medium recovery branch pipe is installed on the medium discharge port of each heat exchange tube assembly unit in the preheating unit and the holding unit, and each of the heat source medium recovery branches is connected to a heat source medium recovery main pipe connected to the heat source medium recovery system of the shell-and-tube sterilizer.

[0019] Furthermore, in order to connect with the cooling system of the shell and tube sterilizer and realize rapid cooling of the wolfberry puree after sterilization, the medium access ports on all the heat exchange tube assembly units in the cooling unit are connected to the cooling system of the shell and tube sterilizer through cooling medium input pipes, and a second electric pressure regulating valve is installed on the medium access port of each heat exchange tube assembly unit in the cooling unit to ensure that the cooling medium in each group of heat exchange tube assembly units rushes out from the medium inlet at a certain pressure value and pushes the fan blades, so that the material pipe rotates to generate centrifugal force.

[0020] At the same time, in order to facilitate the transfer of the sterilized wolfberry puree and to facilitate the connection with the self-cleaning system in the shell and tube sterilizer, a discharge pipe is integrally connected to the transfer pipe flange at the end of the heat exchange tube assembly unit at the end of the cooling unit, and a flushing discharge port connected to the cleaning system of the shell and tube sterilizer is installed in the middle of the discharge pipe through a second electric three-way switching ball valve.

[0021] In order to connect the cooling unit in the heat exchange mechanism with the cooling system of the shell and tube sterilizer and form a circulation, the medium discharge ports on the heat exchange tube assembly unit in the cooling unit are connected to the cooling medium recovery mechanism of the shell and tube sterilizer through cooling medium recovery pipes.

[0022] A shell and tube sterilizer comprises the shell and tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism described above.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0024] The present invention proposes a heat exchange tube assembly unit constituting a heat exchange mechanism in a shell-and-tube sterilizer, adopts a rotatable material transmission assembly, utilizes a heat-conducting medium with a certain pressure in combination with the design of an outer sleeve and a material transmission assembly, so that when the shell-and-tube sterilizer is working, the material tube in the material transmission assembly used to transport wolfberry pulp can rotate autonomously inside the outer sleeve, thereby generating centrifugal force, and with the help of the spiral channel design of the material tube, when the wolfberry pulp passes through the material tube, a secondary circulation effect is generated under the dual action of the spiral channel and centrifugal force, thereby enhancing the radial mixing effect of the wolfberry pulp when it passes through the material tube, thereby breaking the boundary layer between the wolfberry pulp and the tube wall, accelerating the renewal of the thermal boundary layer, improving the heat transfer efficiency, and making the wolfberry pulp flow in the material tube more uniform, which can effectively avoid the occurrence of temperature gradients or local overheating, effectively improve the sterilization effect, and also have a certain inhibitory effect on the scale layer, so that the material tube can maintain an efficient heat transfer effect for a long time.

[0025] In addition, the spiral material pipe design can also enable the cleaning medium to form a spiral circulation when passing through the material pipe when cleaning the heat exchange mechanism of the shell and tube sterilizer, so that the cleaning medium can have a better flushing effect on the pipe wall when passing through the material pipe, which can effectively shorten the time spent in each equipment cleaning process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0027] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0028] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0029] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention Figure 3 ;

[0030] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the heat exchange tube assembly unit structure in the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the outer casing structure of the heat exchange tube assembly unit in the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the partial cross-sectional structure of the material transmission component in the present invention. Figure 1 ;

[0033] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of the partial cross-sectional structure of the material transmission component in the present invention. Figure 2 ;

[0034] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of a half-section structure of the front-end docking assembly of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the rear-end docking assembly in the present invention;

[0036] Figure 10 It is a schematic diagram of the partial structure of the material pipe in the present invention.

[0037] In the figure: 1. Preheating unit; 2. Holding unit; 3. Cooling unit; 4. Feed pipe; 5. First electric three-way switching ball valve; 6. Flushing access port; 7. Discharge pipe; 8. Second electric three-way switching ball valve; 9. Flushing discharge port; 10. Heat exchange tube assembly unit; 101. Outer sleeve; 111. Insulation main body; 112. Ring pipe; 113. Medium access port; 114. Medium inlet; 115. Medium discharge port; 116. Tail cover; 102. Front end docking assembly; 121. Assembly ring; 122. Fixed flange seat; 123. Ring seat; 124. Rotating Dynamic sleeve; 125, anti-slip ring; 126, food-grade sealed bearing; 127, roller bearing sleeve; 128, sealing plate; 129, fan blade; 1210, mounting flange; 103, rear-end docking assembly; 104, material pipe; 105, transfer pipe flange; 11, first transfer pipe; 12, second transfer pipe; 13, preheating medium input pipe fitting; 14, first electric pressure regulating valve; 15, high-temperature medium input pipe fitting; 16, cooling medium input pipe fitting; 17, second electric pressure regulating valve; 18, heat source medium recovery branch pipe; 19, cooling medium recovery pipe fitting; 20, heat source medium recovery main pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The following diagrams illustrate various embodiments of the present invention. For clarity, many physical details will be included in the following description. However, it should be understood that these physical details are not intended to limit the present invention. In other words, in some embodiments of the present invention, these physical details are not essential. Furthermore, to simplify the illustrations, some commonly used structures and components are depicted in a simplified schematic manner.

[0039] Example

[0040] In view of the fact that the heat exchange mechanism in the traditional shell and tube sterilizer is prone to laminar flow during the heating and sterilization of fruit pulp materials with high viscosity, resulting in uneven flow of the raw pulp, temperature gradients and local overheating, which leads to incomplete sterilization, high nutrient loss rate, and easy formation of scale, we have proposed a shell and tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism and shell and tube sterilizer. The specific solution is as follows:

[0041] See also Figure 1-3 As shown, the present embodiment provides a shell-and-tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism, comprising a preheating unit 1, a holding unit 2 and a cooling unit 3 connected in series in sequence. The preheating unit 1 is used to heat the wolfberry pulp material to reach the temperature required for sterilization. The holding unit 2 is used to maintain the wolfberry pulp that has reached the sterilization temperature at a constant temperature, so that the wolfberry pulp can reach a predetermined high-temperature sterilization time to ensure the sterilization effect. The cooling unit 3 is used to quickly cool the wolfberry pulp material passing through the holding unit 2, so that it can be reduced to a preset temperature in a short time.

[0042] For details, please refer to Figure 1-9 As shown, the preheating unit 1, the holding unit 2, and the cooling unit 3 each include a plurality of heat exchange tube assembly units 10. Each heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 includes an outer sleeve 101 and a material transfer assembly mounted inside the outer sleeve 101. The material transfer assembly primarily comprises a front-end docking assembly 102, a rear-end docking assembly 103, and a plurality of material pipes 104. The front-end docking assembly 102 and the rear-end docking assembly 103 each include a stator assembly and a rotor assembly, while the ends of the plurality of material pipes 104 are mounted on the rotor assemblies of the front-end docking assembly 102 and the rear-end docking assembly 103, respectively.

[0043] See also Figure 4-7 As shown, in order to enable the material transmission assembly to use the force of the heat exchange medium to cause the rotor assemblies in the front docking assembly 102 and the rear docking assembly 103 to rotate, thereby causing the several material pipes 104 to rotate inside the outer sleeve 101, thereby generating centrifugal force, the outer sleeve 101 in the heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 specifically includes an insulating main pipe body 111 and a tail end cover 116, and an annular tube 112 is sleeved on the outer side of the front end of the outer sleeve 101, and a medium access port 113 is provided on one side of the annular tube 112, and three medium inlets 114 that are connected to the interior of the insulating main pipe body 111 are equidistantly provided on the inner side of the annular tube 112, wherein the medium inlet 114 is arranged at an inclined angle on the insulating main pipe body 111, so that the heat exchange medium quickly rushes into the interior of the insulating main pipe body 111 at an inclined downward angle, so that it can better cooperate with the rotor assembly in the front docking assembly 102, thereby causing the rotor assembly to rotate.

[0044] See also Figure 4-7As shown, in order to facilitate the assembly between the rear end docking component 103 and the tail end of the outer sleeve 101 in the material transmission component, the front end of the tail end cover 116 is detachably installed on the tail end of the thermal insulation main body 111 by bolts, and the tail end cover 116 is annular and the tail end adopts a contraction port design, so that the tail end cover 116 can be effectively sleeved on the outside of the rear end docking component 103 and play a fixing role. In order to make each group of heat exchange tube assembly units 10 in the entire heat exchange mechanism cooperate with the medium access port 113 to form an independent heat exchange effect, a medium discharge port 115 is also provided on the side of the tail end of the thermal insulation main body 111. After the heat-conducting medium enters the outer sleeve 101 from the medium inlet 114, it flows through the outer sleeve 101 and is discharged from the medium discharge port 115. The heat exchange processing of the wolfberry puree is realized during the flow of the heat-conducting medium inside the outer sleeve 101.

[0045] See also Figure 6-9 As shown, the stator assemblies in the front-end docking assembly 102 and the rear-end docking assembly 103 both include an assembly collar 121 and an annular fixed flange seat 122 installed at the end of the assembly collar 121 by bolts and a sealing rubber ring. The purpose of the fixed flange seat 122 is to facilitate the end-to-end connection of adjacent heat exchange tube assembly units 10; wherein, an annular seat 123 is extended from the center of the fixed flange seat 122 toward the inner side of the assembly collar 121 for mounting the rotor assembly; the end of the fixed flange seat 122 is detachably mounted with a transfer pipe flange 105 by bolts and a sealing gasket.

[0046] In order to achieve a reliable rotational assembly effect between the rotor assembly and the stator assembly in the front-end docking assembly 102 and the rear-end docking assembly 103, the rotor assemblies in the front-end docking assembly 102 and the rear-end docking assembly 103 include a rotating collar 124 sleeved on the outside of the annular seat 123, and in order to prevent the rotor assembly from detaching from the annular seat 123 in the stator assembly, an anti-slip ring 125 is detachably installed at the end of the annular seat 123 by bolts, and at the same time, the tail end of the rotating collar 124 is bent inwardly by 90 degrees to form a hanging ring, and a food-grade sealing shaft is passed between the inside of the rotating collar 124 and the outside of the annular seat 123. The bearing 126 is assembled and fixed for rotation, wherein the anti-slip ring 125 and the hanging ring at the tail end of the rotating collar 124 are respectively located on both sides of the food-grade sealed bearing 126, and the outer edge of the anti-slip ring 125 is slidably fitted with the inner wall of the rotating collar 124, and the outer edge of the anti-slip ring 125 is provided with an annular groove and a Y-shaped sealing rubber ring is provided in the annular groove. While the rotational assembly effect between the rotor assembly and the stator assembly is not affected, the airtightness of the assembly gap can also be ensured. It should be further explained that the food-grade sealed bearing 126 adopts a non-lubricated design and meets the food safety certification standards for bearings (such as FDA, EC1935).

[0047] In order to improve the stability of the rotor assembly and the stator assembly after assembly, the outer side of the rotating ring 124 and the inner wall of the assembly ring 121 are both designed with a smooth mirror structure, and a circle of waterproof roller bearing ring 127 is provided between the outer side of the front end of the rotating ring 124 and the inner wall of the assembly ring 121 to support the rotor assembly from the outside. Moreover, the rotor assembly also includes a sealing plate 128 installed at the front end of the rotating ring 124 by bolts and a sealing ring. The sealing plate 128 is evenly distributed with through holes for installing the material pipe 104. The end of the material pipe 104 and the through holes on the sealing plate 128 are fixed by seamless welding. The wolfberry pulp material enters from the transfer pipe flange 105, flows through the annular seat 123, and enters the space between the sealing plate 128 and the anti-slip ring 125. The wolfberry pulp enters each material pipe 104 here for subsequent heat exchange treatment until the wolfberry pulp is re-converged from the other end of the material pipe in the rear end docking assembly 103, and then flows from the second transfer pipe 12 to the next group of heat exchange tube assembly units 10.

[0048] The difference between the front-end docking component 102 and the rear-end docking component 103 is that a plurality of fan blades 129 are integrally formed around the circumference of the outer side of the sealing disk 128 in the front-end docking component 102, and the fan blades 129 correspond to the position of the medium inlet 114. When the heat-conducting medium enters the interior of the insulation main body 111 from the medium inlet 114, since the medium inlet 114 is set at the same inclination angle, the heat-conducting medium rushes toward the fan blades 129 from three angles in the same direction, so that the rotor assembly in the front-end docking component 102 drives all the material pipes 104 to rotate, thereby generating centrifugal force for the wolfberry puree in the material pipe 104.

[0049] Another difference between the front-end docking assembly 102 and the rear-end docking assembly 103 is that a mounting flange 1210 for assembling and fixing with the front end of the outer sleeve 101 is integrally formed at the middle position of the outer side of the assembly collar 121 in the front-end docking assembly 102, while the assembly collar 121 in the rear-end docking assembly 103 is threadedly assembled on the inner side of the tail cover 116 and sealed by a sealing gasket.

[0050] See also Figure 10As shown, in order to make the wolfberry puree be transmitted inside the heat exchange tube assembly unit 10, the centrifugal force is cooperated to realize secondary circulation in the material tube 104, and the boundary layer is broken by the secondary circulation to enhance the radial mixing effect of the wolfberry puree when passing through the material tube 104, thereby breaking the boundary layer between the wolfberry puree and the tube wall, accelerating the renewal of the thermal boundary layer, improving the heat transfer efficiency, and making the wolfberry puree flow more uniform in the material tube 104, thereby effectively avoiding the occurrence of temperature gradients or local overheating. Spiral grooves with an arc-shaped cross-section are integrally formed on the tube walls of several material tubes 104 at equal distances around the circumference. Among them, in order to minimize the resistance during the transmission of the wolfberry puree, the inner and outer tube walls of the material tube 104 are designed with a smooth mirror structure.

[0051] In order to enable the wolfberry puree to be sterilized in an orderly manner, its holding unit 2 is located in the middle position between the preheating unit 1 and the cooling unit 3, and the heat exchange tube assembly units 10 in the preheating unit 1, the holding unit 2 and the cooling unit 3 are connected in series in sequence through the first transfer tube 11 and the second transfer tube 12 to form a whole. In addition, the two ends of the first transfer tube 11 are integrally formed with the transfer tube flanges 105 on the front end docking components 102 in the corresponding two groups of heat exchange tube assembly units 10, and the two ends of the second transfer tube 12 are integrally formed with the transfer tube flanges 105 on the rear end docking components 103 in the corresponding two groups of heat exchange tube assembly units 10.

[0052] See also Figure 1-3As shown, in order to facilitate the connection of the heat exchange mechanism with the feeding system and the self-cleaning system on the shell and tube sterilizer, a feed pipe 4 for connecting to the feeding system of the shell and tube sterilizer is integrally connected to the transfer pipe flange 105 in the front-end docking assembly 102 on the front-end heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 in the preheating unit 1, and a flushing access port 6 connected to the cleaning system of the shell and tube sterilizer is installed in the middle of the feed pipe 4 through the first electric three-way switching ball valve 5. In order to cooperate with the boiler system in the shell and tube sterilizer to realize the preheating treatment of the material, the medium access port 113 on the heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 in the preheating unit 1 is connected to the boiler system of the shell and tube sterilizer through the preheating medium input pipe 13. At the same time, the medium access port 113 on the heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 in the holding unit 2 is connected to the boiler system of the shell and tube sterilizer through the high-temperature medium input pipe 15. In order to ensure that the pressure of the heat source heat transfer medium entering each heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 in the preheating unit 1 and the holding unit 2 can be maintained at a constant value, a first electric pressure regulating valve 14 is installed on the medium access port 113 of each heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 in the preheating unit 1 and the holding unit 2 to ensure that the heat transfer medium can rush out from the medium inlet 114 at a certain pressure value, thereby effectively promoting the fan blades 129 in the front docking assembly 102, thereby ensuring that the material pipe 104 in each group of heat exchange tube assembly units 10 can rotate autonomously, thereby generating centrifugal force.

[0053] In order to enable the heat-conducting medium used for heat exchange to be connected to the heat source medium recovery system in the shell-and-tube sterilizer, realize heat energy recovery and reduce energy consumption, a heat source medium recovery branch pipe 18 is installed on the medium discharge port 115 of each heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 in the preheating unit 1 and the holding unit 2, and each heat source medium recovery branch pipe 18 is connected to a heat source medium recovery main pipe 20 connected to the heat source medium recovery system of the shell-and-tube sterilizer.

[0054] In order to connect with the cooling system of the shell and tube sterilizer and realize rapid cooling of the wolfberry puree after sterilization, the medium access ports 113 on all the heat exchange tube assembly units 10 in the cooling unit 3 are connected to the cooling system of the shell and tube sterilizer through the cooling medium input pipe 16, and a second electric pressure regulating valve 17 is installed on the medium access port 113 of each heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 in the cooling unit 3, so as to ensure that the cooling medium in each group of heat exchange tube assembly units 10 rushes out from the medium inlet 114 at a certain pressure value and pushes the fan blades 129, so that the material pipe 104 rotates to generate centrifugal force.

[0055] At the same time, in order to facilitate the transfer of the sterilized wolfberry puree and to facilitate the connection with the self-cleaning system in the shell and tube sterilizer, a discharge pipe 7 is integrally connected to the transfer pipe flange 105 at the end of the heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 at the end of the cooling unit 3, and a flushing discharge port 9 connected to the cleaning system of the shell and tube sterilizer is installed in the middle of the discharge pipe 7 through a second electric three-way switching ball valve 8.

[0056] In order to connect the cooling unit 3 in the heat exchange mechanism with the cooling system of the shell and tube sterilizer and form a circulation, the medium discharge port 115 on the heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 in the cooling unit 3 is connected to the cooling medium recovery mechanism of the shell and tube sterilizer through the cooling medium recovery pipe 19.

[0057] A shell-and-tube sterilizer includes the above-mentioned shell-and-tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism.

[0058] The heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 constituting the heat exchange mechanism in the shell-and-tube sterilizer proposed by the present invention adopts a rotatable material transmission assembly design, and utilizes a heat-conducting medium with a certain pressure in combination with the design of the outer sleeve 101 and the material transmission assembly, so that when the shell-and-tube sterilizer is in operation, the material pipe 104 used to transport the wolfberry puree can rotate autonomously inside the outer sleeve 101, thereby generating centrifugal force, and with the help of the spiral channel design of the material pipe 104, when the wolfberry puree passes through the material pipe 104, a secondary circulation effect is generated under the dual action of the spiral channel and the centrifugal force, thereby enhancing the radial mixing effect of the wolfberry puree when it passes through the material pipe 104, thereby breaking the wolfberry puree. The boundary layer between the slurry and the pipe wall accelerates the renewal of the thermal boundary layer, improves the heat transfer efficiency, and makes the flow of wolfberry pulp in the material pipe 104 more uniform, which can effectively avoid the occurrence of temperature gradients or local overheating, effectively improve the sterilization effect, and at the same time have a certain inhibitory effect on the scale layer, so that the material pipe 104 can maintain a high-efficiency heat transfer effect for a long time. In addition, the spiral material pipe 104 design can also form a spiral circulation when the cleaning medium passes through the material pipe 104 when the heat exchange mechanism of the shell and tube sterilizer is cleaned, so that the cleaning medium can have a better flushing effect on the pipe wall when passing through the material pipe 104, which can effectively shorten the time spent in each equipment cleaning process.

[0059] The foregoing is merely an embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations of the present invention are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A shell-and-tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism, comprising a preheating unit (1), a holding unit (2) and a cooling unit (3), characterized in that: The preheating unit (1), the holding unit (2), and the cooling unit (3) each include a plurality of heat exchange tube assembly units (10), wherein the heat exchange tube assembly unit (10) includes an outer sleeve (101) and a material transmission assembly assembled inside the outer sleeve (101); The material transmission assembly is mainly composed of a front-end docking assembly (102), a rear-end docking assembly (103), and a plurality of material pipes (104); the front-end docking assembly (102) and the rear-end docking assembly (103) each include a stator assembly and a rotor assembly; and both ends of the plurality of material pipes (104) are respectively mounted on the rotor assemblies in the front-end docking assembly (102) and the rear-end docking assembly (103); The outer sleeve (101) comprises a heat-insulating main body (111) and a tail end cover (116). An annular tube (112) is sleeved on the outer side of the front end of the outer sleeve (101). A medium access port (113) is provided on one side of the annular tube (112), and three medium inlets (114) are provided on the inner side of the annular tube (112) at equal distances and are communicated with the interior of the heat-insulating main body (111).

2. The shell-and-tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tail end cover (116) is annular and has a contraction-shaped tail end. The front end of the tail end cover (116) is detachably mounted on the tail end of the heat-insulating main body (111) by means of bolts. A medium discharge port (115) is also provided on the side of the tail end of the heat-insulating main body (111).

3. The shell-and-tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stator assemblies in the front-end docking assembly (102) and the rear-end docking assembly (103) each include an assembly collar (121) and an annular fixed flange seat (122) mounted on the end of the assembly collar (121) by means of bolts and a sealing rubber ring; an annular seat (123) extends from the center of the fixed flange seat (122) toward the inside of the assembly collar (121); a transfer pipe flange (105) is detachably mounted on the end of the fixed flange seat (122) by means of bolts and a sealing gasket, and an anti-slip ring (125) is detachably mounted on the end of the annular seat (123) by means of bolts.

4. The shell-and-tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotor assemblies in the front-end docking assembly (102) and the rear-end docking assembly (103) each include a rotating collar (124) sleeved on the outside of the annular seat (123), the tail end of the rotating collar (124) is bent inward at ninety degrees to form a hanging ring, and the inner side of the rotating collar (124) and the outer side of the annular seat (123) are rotatably assembled and fixed via a food-grade sealed bearing (126), the anti-slip ring (125) and the hanging ring at the tail end of the rotating collar (124) are respectively located on both sides of the food-grade sealed bearing (126), and the outer edge of the anti-slip ring (125) is slidably fitted with the inner wall of the rotating collar (124), and the outer edge of the anti-slip ring (125) is provided with an annular groove and a Y-shaped sealing rubber ring is provided in the annular groove.

5. The shell-and-tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The outer side of the rotating collar (124) and the inner wall of the assembly collar (121) are both designed with a smooth mirror structure, and a circle of waterproof roller bearing collar (127) is provided between the outer side of the front end of the rotating collar (124) and the inner wall of the assembly collar (121); A sealing disk (128) is mounted on the front end of the rotating collar (124) through bolts and a sealing ring. Through holes for mounting the material pipe (104) are evenly distributed on the sealing disk (128).

6. The shell-and-tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: A plurality of blades (129) are integrally formed around the outer side of the sealing disk (128) in the front end docking assembly (102). The blades (129) correspond to the positions of the medium inlet (114), which is arranged at an inclined angle on the heat-insulating main pipe (111).

7. The shell-and-tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: A mounting flange (1210) for mounting and fixing with the front end of the outer sleeve (101) is integrally formed at the middle portion of the outer side of the mounting collar (121) in the front end docking assembly (102). The mounting collar (121) in the rear end docking assembly (103) is threadedly mounted on the inner side of the tail end cover (116) and sealed by a sealing gasket.

8. The shell-and-tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: Spiral grooves with arc-shaped cross sections are integrally formed on the tube walls of the plurality of material tubes (104) at equal distances around the circumference, and both the inner and outer tube walls of the material tubes (104) are designed with a smooth mirror-like structure.

9. The shell-and-tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The holding unit (2) is located in the middle of the preheating unit (1) and the cooling unit (3), and the heat exchange tube assembly units (10) in the preheating unit (1), the holding unit (2) and the cooling unit (3) are sequentially connected in series through a first transfer tube (11) and a second transfer tube (12) to form a whole, wherein both ends of the first transfer tube (11) are integrally formed with the transfer tube flanges (105) on the front end docking components (102) in the corresponding two groups of heat exchange tube assembly units (10), and both ends of the second transfer tube (12) are integrally formed with the transfer tube flanges (105) on the rear end docking components (103) in the corresponding two groups of heat exchange tube assembly units (10); A feed pipe (4) for connecting to the feeding system of the shell-and-tube sterilizer is integrally connected to the transfer pipe flange (105) in the front end docking assembly (102) on the front end heat exchange tube assembly unit (10) in the preheating unit (1), and a flushing access port (6) for connecting to the cleaning system of the shell-and-tube sterilizer is installed in the middle of the feed pipe (4) through a first electric three-way switching ball valve (5). The medium access ports (113) on the heat exchange tube assembly unit (10) in the preheating unit (1) are all connected to the boiler system of the shell-and-tube sterilizer through the preheating medium input pipe (13); The medium access port (113) on the heat exchange tube assembly unit (10) in the holding unit (2) is connected to the boiler system of the shell-and-tube sterilizer through the high-temperature medium input pipe (15), and a first electric pressure regulating valve (14) is installed on the medium access port (113) of each heat exchange tube assembly unit (10) in the preheating unit (1) and the holding unit (2), and a heat source medium recovery branch pipe (18) is installed on the medium discharge port (115) of each heat exchange tube assembly unit (10) in the preheating unit (1) and the holding unit (2), and each of the heat source medium recovery branch pipes (18) is connected to a heat source medium recovery main pipe (20) connected to the heat source medium recovery system of the shell-and-tube sterilizer; The medium access ports (113) on the heat exchange tube assembly units (10) in the cooling unit (3) are connected to the cooling system of the shell-and-tube sterilizer through cooling medium input pipe fittings (16), and a second electric pressure regulating valve (17) is installed on the medium access port (113) of each heat exchange tube assembly unit (10) in the cooling unit (3). A discharge pipe (7) is integrally connected to the transfer pipe flange (105) at the end of the heat exchange tube assembly unit (10) in the cooling unit (3), and a flushing discharge port (9) connected to the cleaning system of the shell-and-tube sterilizer is installed in the middle of the discharge pipe (7) through a second electric three-way switching ball valve (8); the medium discharge port (115) on the heat exchange tube assembly unit (10) in the cooling unit (3) is connected to the cooling medium recovery mechanism of the shell-and-tube sterilizer through a cooling medium recovery pipe fitting (19).

10. A tubular sterilizer, characterized in that: It comprises the shell-and-tube sterilization heat exchange mechanism described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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