Tubular sterilization heat exchanger and tubular sterilization machine

Abstract

The application discloses a tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism and relates to the technical field of food production sterilization equipment. The tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism mainly comprises a preheating unit, a holding unit and a cooling unit which are formed by a plurality of serially connected heat exchange tube assembly units. The heat exchange tube assembly unit comprises an outer sleeve and a material conveying assembly which is assembled on the inner side of the outer sleeve. The material conveying assembly mainly comprises a front end butt joint assembly, a rear end butt joint assembly and a plurality of material tubes. The tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism comprises a heat exchange mechanism. The material conveying assembly is rotatable. The spiral channel of the material tube is designed. When the Chinese wolfberry original slurry passes through the material tube, the secondary circulation effect is generated, so that the boundary layer between the Chinese wolfberry original slurry and the tube wall is broken, the heat transfer efficiency is improved, the flow of the Chinese wolfberry original slurry in the material tube is more uniform, the temperature gradient or local overheating is avoided, the sterilization effect is improved, and the scale layer is inhibited.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of food production sterilization equipment technology, specifically a tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism and a tubular sterilizer. Background Technology

[0002] Goji berry juice is rich in heat-sensitive active ingredients (such as goji berry polysaccharides and carotenoids), which are easily oxidized and lose nutrients at high temperatures. In order to balance sterilization efficiency and ingredient retention, high-temperature instantaneous sterilization is usually used to shorten the heating time and retain the nutrients in goji berry juice to the maximum extent.

[0003] Tubular sterilizers are currently the preferred equipment for sterilizing and processing goji berry pulp or juice beverages. However, the heat exchange tube assembly in the heat exchange mechanism of existing tubular sterilizers uses a fixed structure design with straight tubes and straight walls for the internal material capillary components. Goji berry pulp has a higher viscosity than ordinary liquid beverage materials. During the sterilization process, the goji berry pulp tends to form laminar flow in the capillary of the heat exchange tube assembly, which reduces the heat transfer coefficient. Moreover, the laminar flow phenomenon also makes the pulp flow uneven, easily forming temperature gradients, resulting in incomplete sterilization or local overheating. This accelerates the oxidation of active ingredients and makes the capillary walls more prone to scale buildup. The machine needs to be stopped and cleaned at least twice a day, with each cleaning session lasting at least 2-3 hours.

[0004] To address this, we designed a tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism and a tubular sterilizer. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism and a tubular sterilizer.

[0006] The present invention provides a tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism, comprising a preheating unit, a holding unit, and a cooling unit connected in series. 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 at the sterilization temperature, so that the wolfberry pulp can reach the predetermined high-temperature sterilization time and ensure the sterilization effect. The cooling unit is used to rapidly cool the wolfberry pulp material passing through the holding unit, so that it is reduced to the 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 heat exchange tube assembly unit includes an outer tube and a material transfer assembly assembled inside the outer tube. The material transfer assembly mainly consists of a front-end docking assembly, a rear-end docking assembly, and several material tubes. The front-end docking assembly and the rear-end docking assembly each include a stator assembly and a rotor assembly, and the two ends of the several material tubes are respectively mounted on the rotor assemblies of the front-end docking assembly and the rear-end docking assembly.

[0008] To enable the material transfer assembly to rotate using the force of the heat exchange medium, causing the rotor assemblies in the front and rear docking assemblies to rotate, thereby generating centrifugal force within the outer casing, the outer casing of the heat exchange tube assembly unit specifically includes an insulated main body and a tail end cap. An annular tube is fitted around the front outer side of the outer casing, with a medium inlet port on one side. Three medium inlets, equidistant from each other, are located on the inner side of the annular tube and communicate with the interior of the insulated main body. These medium inlets are angled on the insulated main body, allowing the heat exchange medium to rapidly enter the insulated main body at a downward angle, thus facilitating better interaction with the rotor assemblies in the front docking assembly and causing the rotor assemblies to rotate.

[0009] Furthermore, to facilitate the assembly between the rear docking component and the tail end of the outer sleeve in the material transfer assembly, the front end of the tail end cap is detachably installed at the tail end of the insulation main body by bolts. The tail end cap is annular and has a contraction end design, so that the tail end cap can be effectively fitted onto the outside of the rear docking component and play a fixing role. In order to ensure that each heat exchange tube assembly unit in the entire heat exchange mechanism forms an independent heat exchange effect with the medium inlet port, a medium discharge port is also provided on the side of the tail end of the insulation main body. After the heat transfer 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 transfer medium achieves heat exchange processing of wolfberry pulp during the flow inside the outer sleeve.

[0010] Furthermore, the stator components in both the front-end and rear-end docking assemblies include a mounting ring and a fixed flange seat that is bolted to the end of the mounting ring and is annular in shape. The purpose of the fixed flange seat is to facilitate the connection of adjacent heat exchange tube assembly units end to end. The fixed flange seat has an annular seat extending from the center towards the inside of the mounting ring for mounting the rotor assembly. The end of the fixed flange seat is detachably mounted with a transfer pipe flange by bolts and a sealing gasket.

[0011] Furthermore, to ensure a reliable rotational assembly between the rotor and stator assemblies in both the front and rear docking assemblies, the rotor assemblies in both assemblies include a rotating collar fitted around the outer side of the annular seat. To prevent the rotor assembly from detaching from the annular seat in the stator assembly, an anti-detachment ring is detachably installed at the end of the annular seat via bolts. Simultaneously, the tail end of the rotating collar is bent inward at a 90-degree angle to form a hanging ring. A food-grade sealed bearing is used for rotational assembly and fixation between the inner side of the rotating collar and the outer side of the annular seat. The anti-detachment ring and the hanging ring at the tail end of the rotating collar are located on both sides of the food-grade sealed bearing, with the outer edge of the anti-detachment ring slidingly fitted against the inner wall of the rotating collar. The outer edge of the anti-detachment ring has an annular groove, and a Y-shaped sealing ring is placed within the annular groove. This ensures that the rotational assembly between the rotor and stator assemblies is unaffected while maintaining the airtightness of the assembly gap. It should be further noted that the food-grade sealed bearing is a lubrication-free design and complies with food safety certification standards for bearings (such as FDA, EC1935).

[0012] Furthermore, to enhance the stability of the rotor assembly and stator assembly after assembly, both the outer side of the rotating collar and the inner wall of the assembly collar feature a smooth mirror-like surface design. A waterproof roller bearing collar is installed between the outer front end of the rotating collar and the inner wall of the assembly collar to provide support to the rotor assembly from the outside. Moreover, the rotor assembly includes a sealing plate mounted to the front end of the rotating collar via bolts and a sealing ring. The sealing plate has evenly distributed through holes for installing material pipes, and the end of the material pipe is seamlessly welded to the through holes on the sealing plate.

[0013] Furthermore, the front-end docking assembly differs from the rear-end docking assembly in that the sealing disc in the front-end docking assembly has several fan blades integrally formed around its outer circumference. The fan blades correspond to the positions of the medium inlet. When the heat-conducting medium enters the interior of the insulation main body from the medium inlet, since the medium inlet is set with the same inclination angle, the heat-conducting medium rushes towards the fan blades from three angles in the same direction. This causes the rotor assembly in the front-end docking assembly to drive all the material pipes to rotate, thereby generating centrifugal force in the goji berry pulp inside the material pipes.

[0014] Furthermore, another difference between the front-end docking assembly and the rear-end docking assembly is that the front-end docking assembly has an integrally formed mounting flange at the middle position of the outer side of the mounting ring for assembly and fixation with the front end of the outer sleeve, while the mounting ring in the rear-end docking assembly is threaded onto the inner side of the tail end cover and sealed by a sealing gasket.

[0015] Furthermore, in order to enable the goji berry pulp to achieve secondary circulation within the material tube during transmission within the heat exchange tube assembly unit, in conjunction with centrifugal force, the secondary circulation breaks down the boundary layer, thereby enhancing the radial mixing effect of the goji berry pulp as it passes through the material tube. This breaks down the boundary layer between the goji berry pulp and the tube wall, accelerating the renewal of the thermal boundary layer, improving heat transfer efficiency, and making the flow of the goji berry pulp in the material tube more uniform. This effectively avoids temperature gradients or local overheating. A spiral groove with an arc-shaped cross-section is integrally formed around the circumference of several of the material tubes at equal intervals. To minimize resistance during the transmission of the goji berry pulp, both the inner and outer walls of the material tubes adopt a smooth mirror-like structure design.

[0016] Furthermore, in order to enable the goji berry juice to undergo sterilization in an orderly manner, the holding unit is located between the preheating unit and the cooling unit, and the heat exchange tube assembly units in the preheating unit, holding unit and cooling unit are connected in series through the first adapter pipe and the second adapter pipe to form a whole. In addition, the two ends of the first adapter pipe are integrally formed with the adapter pipe flanges on the front end docking components of the corresponding two sets of heat exchange tube assembly units, and the two ends of the second adapter pipe are integrally formed with the adapter pipe flanges on the rear end docking components of the corresponding two sets of heat exchange tube assembly units.

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

[0018] In order to enable the heat transfer medium used for heat exchange to be connected to the heat source medium recovery system in the tubular sterilizer, thereby realizing heat energy recovery and reducing 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 heat source medium recovery branch pipe is connected to a heat source medium recovery main pipe connected to the heat source medium recovery system of the tubular sterilizer.

[0019] Furthermore, in order to connect with the cooling system of the tubular sterilizer and achieve rapid cooling of the wolfberry pulp after sterilization, all the media inlet ports of the heat exchange tube assembly units in the cooling unit are connected to the cooling system of the tubular sterilizer through cooling medium input pipe fittings. In addition, a second electric pressure regulating valve is installed on the media inlet port of each heat exchange tube assembly unit in the cooling unit. This ensures that the cooling medium in each heat exchange tube assembly unit is flushed out from the media inlet at a certain pressure value and pushes the fan blades, causing the material tube to rotate and generate centrifugal force.

[0020] Meanwhile, in order to facilitate the transfer of the sterilized wolfberry pulp and to facilitate the connection with the self-cleaning system in the tubular sterilizer, a discharge pipe is integrally connected to the flange of the transfer pipe 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 tubular sterilizer is installed in the middle of the discharge pipe through a second electric three-way switching ball valve.

[0021] Furthermore, in order to connect the cooling unit in the heat exchange mechanism with the cooling system of the tubular sterilizer and form a circulation, the medium discharge port on the heat exchange tube assembly unit in the cooling unit is connected to the cooling medium recovery mechanism of the tubular sterilizer through a cooling medium recovery pipe fitting.

[0022] A tubular sterilizer includes the tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism described above.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0024] This invention proposes a heat exchange tube assembly unit that constitutes the heat exchange mechanism in a tubular sterilizer. It employs a rotatable material transfer component and utilizes a pressurized heat-conducting medium in conjunction with the outer casing and the material transfer assembly design. This allows the material tube used to transport goji berry pulp within the material transfer assembly to rotate autonomously within the outer casing, generating centrifugal force. Furthermore, the spiral channel design of the material tube creates a secondary circulation effect as the goji berry pulp passes through it, enhanced by the combined action of the spiral channel and centrifugal force. This strengthens the radial mixing effect of the goji berry pulp as it passes through the material tube, breaking down the boundary layer between the goji berry pulp and the tube wall. This accelerates the renewal of the thermal boundary layer, improves heat transfer efficiency, and ensures more uniform flow of the goji berry pulp within the material tube. This effectively avoids temperature gradients or localized overheating, significantly improving sterilization efficiency while also inhibiting scale buildup, allowing the material tube to maintain high-efficiency heat transfer for extended periods.

[0025] In addition, the spiral material tube design allows the cleaning medium to form a spiral circulation when passing through the heat exchange mechanism of the tubular sterilizer. This enables the cleaning medium to have a better flushing effect on the tube wall, effectively shortening the time required for each equipment cleaning process. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings:

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention. Figure 1 ;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention. Figure 2 ;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention. Figure 3 ;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the heat exchange tube assembly unit structure in this invention;

[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the outer tube structure of the heat exchange tube assembly unit in this invention;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the material transfer component in this invention. Figure 1 ;

[0033] Figure 7This is a partial cross-sectional view of the material transfer component in this invention. Figure 2 ;

[0034] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a half-section of the front-end docking component in this invention;

[0035] Figure 9 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the back-end docking component in this invention;

[0036] Figure 10 This is a partial structural diagram of the material pipe in this invention.

[0037] In the diagram: 1. Preheating unit; 2. Holding unit; 3. Cooling unit; 4. Feed pipe; 5. First electric three-way switching ball valve; 6. Flushing inlet port; 7. Discharge pipe; 8. Second electric three-way switching ball valve; 9. Flushing outlet port; 10. Heat exchange tube assembly unit; 101. Outer jacket; 111. Insulated main body; 112. Ring pipe; 113. Medium inlet port; 114. Medium inlet; 115. Medium outlet port; 116. Tail end cap; 102. Front docking assembly; 121. Assembly ring; 122. Fixed flange seat; 123. Ring seat; 124. Rotary... 125. Moving collar; 126. Anti-detachment ring; 127. Food-grade sealed bearing; 128. Roller bearing collar; 129. Sealing disc; 120. 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 Implementation

[0038] The following illustrations disclose several embodiments of the present invention. For clarity, many physical details will be described in the following description. However, it should be understood that these physical details are not intended to limit the invention. That is, in some embodiments of the invention, these physical details are not essential. Furthermore, for the sake of simplicity, some conventional structures and components will be shown in the illustrations in a simple schematic manner.

[0039] Example

[0040] To address the issues of laminar flow in traditional tubular sterilizers when heating and sterilizing high-viscosity fruit pulp, leading to uneven pulp flow, temperature gradients, localized overheating resulting in incomplete sterilization, high nutrient loss, and scale buildup, we propose a tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism and a tubular sterilizer. The specific solution is as follows:

[0041] Please see Figure 1-3 As shown, this embodiment provides a tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism, including a preheating unit 1, a holding unit 2, and a cooling unit 3 connected in series. 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 at the sterilization temperature, so that the wolfberry pulp can reach the predetermined high-temperature sterilization time and ensure the sterilization effect. The cooling unit 3 is used to rapidly cool the wolfberry pulp material that has passed through the holding unit 2, so that it is reduced to the 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 several heat exchange tube assembly units 10. Each heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 includes an outer sleeve 101 and a material transfer assembly assembled inside the outer sleeve 101. The material transfer assembly mainly consists of a front-end docking assembly 102, a rear-end docking assembly 103, and several 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 the two ends of the several material pipes 104 are respectively installed on the rotor assemblies in the front-end docking assembly 102 and the rear-end docking assembly 103.

[0043] Please see Figure 4-7 As shown, in order for the material transfer assembly to utilize the force of the heat exchange medium to cause the rotor assemblies in the front-end docking assembly 102 and the rear-end docking assembly 103 to rotate, thereby causing several material pipes 104 to rotate inside the outer sleeve 101 and generate centrifugal force, the outer sleeve 101 of the heat exchange pipe assembly unit 10 specifically includes an insulated main body 111 and a tail end cap 116. An annular tube 112 is fitted on the outer side of the front end of the outer sleeve 101. A medium inlet port 113 is provided on one side of the annular tube 112, and three medium inlets 114, which communicate with the interior of the insulated main body 111, are provided at equal intervals on the inner side of the annular tube 112. The medium inlets 114 are set at an inclined angle on the insulated main body 111, so that the heat exchange medium rushes into the interior of the insulated main body 111 at an inclined downward angle, so that it can better cooperate with the rotor assembly in the front-end docking assembly 102, thereby causing the rotor assembly to rotate.

[0044] Please see Figure 4-7As shown, in order to facilitate the assembly between the rear docking component 103 and the tail end of the outer tube 101 in the material transfer assembly, the front end of the tail end cover 116 is detachably installed at the tail end of the insulation main body 111 by bolts. The tail end cover 116 is annular and the tail end adopts a shrinkage design so that the tail end cover 116 can be effectively fitted onto the outside of the rear 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 form an independent heat exchange effect with the medium inlet port 113, a medium discharge port 115 is also provided on the side of the tail end of the insulation main body 111. After the heat transfer medium enters the outer tube 101 from the medium inlet 114, it flows through the outer tube 101 and is discharged from the medium discharge port 115. The heat transfer medium realizes the heat exchange processing of wolfberry pulp during the flow inside the outer tube 101.

[0045] Please see Figure 6-9 As shown, the stator assemblies in both the front-end docking assembly 102 and the rear-end docking assembly 103 include a mounting ring 121 and a fixed flange seat 122 that is annular and installed at the end of the mounting ring 121 by bolts and a sealing rubber ring. The purpose of the fixed flange seat 122 is to facilitate the connection of adjacent heat exchange tube assembly units 10 end to end. The center of the fixed flange seat 122 extends into an annular seat 123 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] To ensure reliable rotational assembly between the rotor and stator assemblies in the front-end docking assembly 102 and the rear-end docking assembly 103, the rotor assemblies in both assemblies include a rotating collar 124 fitted around the outer side of the annular seat 123. Furthermore, to prevent the rotor assembly from detaching from the annular seat 123 in the stator assembly, an anti-detachment ring 125 is detachably bolted to the end of the annular seat 123. Simultaneously, the tail end of the rotating collar 124 is bent inward at a 90-degree angle to form a hanging ring. A food-grade sealing shaft connects the inner side of the rotating collar 124 to the outer side of the annular seat 123. The food-grade sealed bearing 126 is rotated and fixed. The anti-detachment ring 125 and the hanging ring at the tail end of the rotating collar 124 are located on both sides of the food-grade sealed bearing 126, and the outer edge of the anti-detachment ring 125 slides and fits against the inner wall of the rotating collar 124. The outer edge of the anti-detachment ring 125 is provided with an annular groove and a Y-shaped sealing ring is set in the annular groove. The rotational assembly effect between the rotor assembly and the stator assembly is not affected, and the sealing of the assembly gap is also ensured. It should be further noted that the food-grade sealed bearing 126 adopts a lubrication-free design and is a sealed bearing that meets the food safety certification standards for bearings (such as FDA, EC1935).

[0047] To improve the stability of the rotor assembly and stator assembly after assembly, a smooth mirror surface structure is designed on the outer side of the rotating collar 124 and the inner wall of the assembly collar 121. A waterproof roller bearing collar 127 is provided between the outer front end of the rotating collar 124 and the inner wall of the assembly collar 121 to provide support for the rotor assembly from the outside. Furthermore, the rotor assembly also includes a sealing plate 128 installed at the front end of the rotating collar 124 by bolts and a sealing ring. The sealing plate 128 has through holes evenly distributed on it for installing the material pipe 104. The end of the material pipe 104 is seamlessly welded to the through holes on the sealing plate 128. 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-detachment ring 125. The wolfberry pulp then enters each material pipe 104 at this point for subsequent heat exchange treatment until the wolfberry pulp re-converges in the rear docking assembly 103 from the other end of the material pipe and flows into the next set of heat exchange pipe assembly unit 10 from the second transfer pipe 12.

[0048] The difference between the front-end docking assembly 102 and the rear-end docking assembly 103 is that the sealing plate 128 in the front-end docking assembly 102 has several fan blades 129 integrally formed around its outer circumference. The fan blades 129 correspond to the positions of the medium inlet 114. When the heat transfer medium enters the interior of the insulation main body 111 from the medium inlet 114, since the medium inlet 114 is set with the same inclined angle, the heat transfer medium rushes towards the fan blades 129 from three angles in the same direction. This causes the rotor assembly in the front-end docking assembly 102 to drive all the material pipes 104 to rotate, thereby generating centrifugal force in the wolfberry pulp in the material pipes 104.

[0049] Furthermore, another difference between the front-end docking assembly 102 and the rear-end docking assembly 103 is that the front-end docking assembly 102 has an integrally formed mounting flange 1210 at the middle position of the outer side of the mounting ring 121 for assembly and fixation with the front end of the outer sleeve 101, while the mounting ring 121 in the rear-end docking assembly 103 is threaded onto the inner side of the tail end cover 116 and sealed by a sealing gasket.

[0050] Please see Figure 10As shown, in order to enable the goji berry pulp to achieve secondary circulation within the material tube 104 during transmission within the heat exchange tube assembly unit 10, centrifugal force is used to break the boundary layer, thereby enhancing the radial mixing effect of the goji berry pulp as it passes through the material tube 104. This breaks the boundary layer between the goji berry pulp and the tube wall, accelerating the renewal of the thermal boundary layer, improving heat transfer efficiency, and making the flow of the goji berry pulp in the material tube 104 more uniform. This effectively avoids temperature gradients or local overheating. Spiral grooves with an arc-shaped cross-section are integrally formed around the circumference of several material tubes 104 at equal intervals. In order to minimize the resistance during the transmission of the goji berry pulp, both the inner and outer walls of the material tubes 104 adopt a smooth mirror surface structure design.

[0051] In order to enable the goji berry juice to be sterilized in an orderly manner, the holding unit 2 is located between the preheating unit 1 and the cooling unit 3. The heat exchange tube assembly units 10 in the preheating unit 1, holding unit 2 and cooling unit 3 are connected in series through the first adapter 11 and the second adapter 12 to form a whole. In addition, the two ends of the first adapter 11 are integrally formed with the adapter flange 105 on the front end docking component 102 of the corresponding two sets of heat exchange tube assembly units 10, while the two ends of the second adapter 12 are integrally formed with the adapter flange 105 on the rear end docking component 103 of the corresponding two sets of heat exchange tube assembly units 10.

[0052] Please see Figure 1-3As shown, to facilitate the connection between the heat exchange mechanism and the feeding system and self-cleaning system of the tubular sterilizer, a feed pipe 4 for connecting to the feeding system of the tubular sterilizer is integrally connected to the transfer pipe flange 105 of the front docking assembly 102 on the front heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 in the preheating unit 1. A flushing inlet port 6 for connecting to the cleaning system of the tubular 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 tubular sterilizer to achieve material preheating treatment, the medium inlet port 113 on the heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 in the preheating unit 1 is connected to the boiler system of the tubular sterilizer through the preheating medium input pipe fitting 13. Meanwhile, the medium inlet ports 113 on the heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 in unit 2 are connected to the boiler system of the tube sterilizer through the high-temperature medium input pipe fitting 15. In order to ensure that the pressure of the heat source heat transfer medium entering each heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 in preheating unit 1 and holding unit 2 can be kept constant, a first electric pressure regulating valve 14 is installed on the medium inlet port 113 of each heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 in preheating unit 1 and holding unit 2. This ensures that the heat transfer medium can be rushed out from the medium inlet 114 at a certain pressure value, which can effectively push the fan blades 129 in the front docking assembly 102, thereby ensuring that the material pipe 104 in each heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 can rotate autonomously and generate centrifugal force.

[0053] In order to enable the heat transfer medium used for heat exchange to be connected to the heat source medium recovery system in the tubular sterilizer, thereby realizing heat energy recovery and reducing 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 tubular sterilizer.

[0054] In order to connect with the cooling system of the tubular sterilizer and achieve rapid cooling of the wolfberry pulp after sterilization, all the media inlet ports 113 of the heat exchange tube assembly units 10 in the cooling unit 3 are connected to the cooling system of the tubular sterilizer through cooling medium input pipe fittings 16. Furthermore, a second electric pressure regulating valve 17 is installed on the media inlet port 113 of each heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 in the cooling unit 3. This ensures that the cooling medium in each heat exchange tube assembly unit 10 is flushed out from the media inlet 114 at a certain pressure value and pushes the fan blades 129, causing the material pipe 104 to rotate and generate centrifugal force.

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

[0056] Furthermore, in order to connect the cooling unit 3 in the heat exchange mechanism with the cooling system of the tubular 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 tubular sterilizer through the cooling medium recovery pipe fitting 19.

[0057] A tubular sterilizer includes the aforementioned tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism.

[0058] The heat exchange tube assembly unit 10, which constitutes the heat exchange mechanism in the tubular sterilizer proposed in this invention, adopts a rotatable material transfer component design. Utilizing a pressurized heat-conducting medium, along with the outer casing 101 and the material transfer component design, the material tube 104 used to transport goji berry pulp can rotate autonomously within the outer casing 101 during operation, generating centrifugal force. Furthermore, the spiral channel design of the material tube 104 allows for a secondary circulation effect as the goji berry pulp passes through it, enhanced by the combined action of the spiral channel and centrifugal force. This strengthens the radial mixing effect of the goji berry pulp as it passes through the material tube 104, thereby breaking down the impurities of the goji berry pulp. The boundary layer between the slurry and the pipe wall accelerates the renewal of the thermal boundary layer, improves heat transfer efficiency, and makes the flow of wolfberry slurry in the material pipe 104 more uniform. This effectively avoids temperature gradients or local overheating, effectively improving the sterilization effect while also inhibiting scale buildup. This allows the material pipe 104 to maintain a high-efficiency heat transfer effect for a long time. In addition, the spiral material pipe 104 design also allows the cleaning medium to form a spiral circulation when passing through the heat exchange mechanism of the tubular sterilizer during cleaning. This allows the cleaning medium to have a better flushing effect on the pipe wall when passing through the material pipe 104, effectively shortening the time spent in each equipment cleaning process.

[0059] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tubular 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), holding unit (2) and cooling unit (3) each include several heat exchange tube assembly units (10), and the heat exchange tube assembly unit (10) includes an outer tube (101) and a material transfer assembly assembled inside the outer tube (101); The material transfer assembly mainly consists of a front-end docking assembly (102), a rear-end docking assembly (103), and several material tubes (104). Both the front-end docking assembly (102) and the rear-end docking assembly (103) include a stator assembly and a rotor assembly. The two ends of the several material tubes (104) are respectively installed on the rotor assemblies in the front-end docking assembly (102) and the rear-end docking assembly (103). The tube walls of the several material tubes (104) are integrally formed with spiral grooves of arc cross-section at equal intervals around the circumference. The inner and outer tube walls of the material tubes (104) are designed with a smooth mirror surface. The outer sleeve (101) includes an insulation main body (111) and a tail cap (116). An annular tube (112) is sleeved on the outer front end of the outer sleeve (101). A medium inlet port (113) is provided on one side of the annular tube (112), and three medium inlets (114) that communicate with the interior of the insulation main body (111) are provided at equal intervals on the inner side of the annular tube (112). The stator components in both the front-end docking assembly (102) and the rear-end docking assembly (103) include a mounting ring (121) and a fixed flange seat (122) that is annular and installed at the end of the mounting ring (121) by 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 mounting ring (121). A transfer flange (105) is detachably installed at the end of the fixed flange seat (122) by bolts and a sealing gasket. An anti-detachment ring (125) is detachably installed at the end of the annular seat (123) by bolts. The rotor assemblies in the front-end docking assembly (102) and the rear-end docking assembly (103) both include a rotating collar (124) fitted 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. The inner side of the rotating collar (124) and the outer side of the annular seat (123) are rotated and fixed by a food-grade sealed bearing (126). The anti-detachment ring (125) and the hanging ring at the tail end of the rotating collar (124) are located on both sides of the food-grade sealed bearing (126). The outer edge of the anti-detachment ring (125) slides and fits against the inner wall of the rotating collar (124). The outer edge of the anti-detachment ring (125) is provided with an annular groove and a Y-shaped sealing ring is provided in the annular groove. A waterproof roller bearing collar (127) is provided between the outer front end of the rotating collar (124) and the inner wall of the mounting ring (121). The front end of the rotating collar (124) is fitted with a sealing plate (128) by bolts and a sealing ring. The sealing plate (128) has through holes evenly distributed on it for installing the material pipe (104).

2. The tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tail end cap (116) is annular and has a constricted end design. The front end of the tail end cap (116) is detachably installed on the tail end of the thermal insulation main body (111) by bolts. The side of the tail end of the thermal insulation main body (111) is also provided with a medium discharge port (115).

3. The tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer side of the rotating collar (124) and the inner wall of the mounting collar (121) are both designed with a smooth mirror surface.

4. The tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing plate (128) in the front-end docking assembly (102) has several fan blades (129) integrally formed around the circumference of the outer side. The fan blades (129) correspond to the positions of the medium inlet (114), and the medium inlet (114) is set at an inclined angle on the thermal insulation main body (111).

5. The tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The mounting ring (121) in the front-end docking assembly (102) has an integrally formed mounting flange (1210) at the middle position of the outer side of the mounting ring (121) for assembly and fixation with the front end of the outer sleeve (101). The mounting ring (121) in the rear-end docking assembly (103) is threadedly fitted to the inner side of the tail end cap (116) and sealed by a sealing gasket.

6. The tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The holding unit (2) is located 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 through the first adapter pipe (11) and the second adapter pipe (12) to form a whole. The two ends of the first adapter pipe (11) are integrally formed with the adapter pipe flange (105) on the front end docking assembly (102) of the corresponding two sets of heat exchange tube assembly units (10), and the two ends of the second adapter pipe (12) are integrally formed with the adapter pipe flange (105) on the rear end docking assembly (103) of the corresponding two sets of heat exchange tube assembly units (10). In the preheating unit (1), a feed pipe (4) for connecting to the feeding system of the tubular sterilizer is integrally connected to the transfer pipe flange (105) of the front-end docking assembly (102) on the front-end heat exchange tube assembly unit (10). The feed pipe (4) has a flushing access port (6) for connecting to the cleaning system of the tubular sterilizer installed in the middle through the first electric three-way switching ball valve (5). 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 tubular sterilizer through the preheating medium input pipe fitting (13). The medium inlet port (113) on the heat exchange tube assembly unit (10) in the holding unit (2) is connected to the boiler system of the tubular sterilizer through the high temperature medium input pipe fitting (15). A first electric pressure regulating valve (14) is installed on the medium inlet port (113) of each heat exchange tube assembly unit (10) in the preheating unit (1) and the holding unit (2). 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). 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 tubular sterilizer. The medium inlet port (113) on the heat exchange tube assembly unit (10) in the cooling unit (3) is connected to the cooling system of the tubular sterilizer through the cooling medium input pipe fitting (16). A second electric pressure regulating valve (17) is installed on the medium inlet 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). A flushing discharge port (9) connected to the cleaning system of the tubular sterilizer is installed in the middle of the discharge pipe (7) through the 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 tubular sterilizer through the cooling medium recovery pipe fitting (19).

7. A tubular sterilizer, characterized in that: The tubular sterilization heat exchange mechanism includes any one of claims 1-6.

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