UHT sterilization device for preventing feed liquid from being vaporized after power failure

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of UHT sterilization, in particular to a UHT sterilization device for preventing feed liquid vaporization after power failure. The UHT sterilizer can solve the following problems of an existing UHT sterilizer: during power failure, a heating medium cannot be quickly isolated from feed liquid, and the heating medium still continuously heats the feed liquid, so that the feed liquid has undesirable phenomena of vaporization, coking, scaling and the like; the sterilized feed liquid and the non-sterilized feed liquid are mutually doped in a closed anti-vaporization system, so that the consistency of products is destroyed; when sudden power failure occurs, a heating medium is pumped out of the high-temperature barrel, feed liquid is not continuously heated any more, and therefore the adverse effects of vaporization, coking, scaling and the like caused by continuous heating of the feed liquid stopping in the heating coil are avoided, meanwhile, the feed liquid is controlled to automatically flow back, continuous heating vaporization is avoided, and the heating efficiency is improved. In addition, the sterilized heating feed liquid can be stored independently, and the situation that the consistency of products is affected due to the fact that the sterilized feed liquid is mixed with unsterilized feed liquid is avoided.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of UHT sterilization, in particular to a UHT sterilization device capable of preventing vaporization of material liquid after power failure. BACKGROUND

[0002] As a core sterilization method in the food and beverage industry, UHT (ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization) technology can kill harmful microorganisms while retaining the maximum nutrients and flavors of the material liquid by heating the material liquid to 135-150℃ in a short time and rapidly cooling it. Therefore, it is widely used in the production and processing of various liquid foods such as milk, juice, and sauce.

[0003] During the actual operation of the UHT sterilization device, sudden power failure is an unavoidable emergency condition. At this time, the material liquid often remains stagnant in the high-temperature heating pipeline. If not handled in time, the material liquid in the high-temperature environment is prone to vaporization, carbonization, and even scaling, which not only causes material liquid loss and affects product quality, but also may cause equipment blockage and shorten the service life due to scaling on the inner wall of the pipeline, increasing production and maintenance costs.

[0004] To solve the problem of material liquid vaporization after power failure, relevant technical personnel in the field have provided corresponding improvement schemes. For example, a UHT sterilization machine capable of preventing material liquid vaporization after power failure is disclosed in Chinese Patent No. CN110712809A, which includes a balance tank, a conveying pipe connected to the balance tank, a main pump, a sterilization section heat exchanger, a heat recovery section heat exchanger, and a cooling section heat exchanger arranged in sequence along the output direction of the material liquid on the conveying pipe, a first reversing valve arranged on the conveying pipe at the output end of the cooling section heat exchanger, a backflow reversing valve arranged on the backflow pipe, and a booster pump arranged on the conveying pipe between the main pump and the sterilization section heat exchanger.

[0005] When the above-mentioned prior art encounters sudden power failure, the main pump and the booster pump stop working, and the first reversing valve and the backflow reversing valve work to form a closed anti-vaporization system between the sterilization section heat exchanger, the heat recovery section heat exchanger, the cooling section heat exchanger, the first reversing valve, the backflow reversing valve, and the pressure tank. The material liquid in the anti-vaporization system will not vaporize. After power is restored, the material liquid is outputted or self-circulated, and the material liquid in the pressure tank is discharged.

[0006] However, the UHT sterilization machine provided by the above-mentioned prior art still has some deficiencies: 1、Although the above prior art provides a closed anti-vaporization system, the closed anti-vaporization system cannot quickly isolate the heating medium from the liquid, so that the heating medium in the high-temperature heating area continues to transfer heat to the stagnant liquid, even in a closed space, long-term continuous heating still causes the liquid to appear local vaporization, carbonization, and even scale formation on the inner wall of the pipeline, not only causing waste of the liquid, but also affecting the normal operation of the subsequent equipment.

[0007] 2、Because the liquid stagnant in the heating pipeline has temperature differences due to different heating times, the preheated liquid in the pipeline has not completed full sterilization, while the liquid in the high-temperature heating area of the pipeline has completed ultrahigh-temperature sterilization and belongs to high-temperature liquid, the prior art stores the two kinds of liquid in the closed anti-vaporization system when power is off, without distinguishing the liquid according to temperature, causing the sterilized high-temperature liquid and the unsterilized low-temperature liquid to be mixed with each other, which destroys the consistency of the product, and the high-temperature finished product liquid still has the risk of secondary vaporization in its own hot temperature environment for a long time.

[0008] Therefore, under the above-mentioned viewpoints, the existing UHT sterilization machine still has room for improvement. SUMMARY

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides a UHT sterilization device for preventing liquid vaporization after power failure, comprising a rack, a high-temperature barrel arranged at the upper end of the rack, a heating coil for conveying the liquid arranged inside the high-temperature barrel, the high-temperature barrel being used for ultrahigh-temperature sterilization of the liquid in the heating coil, the bottom end of the heating coil being an input end and the top end being an output end, a support cylinder arranged inside the high-temperature barrel for supporting and fixing the heating coil, a storage box arranged at the upper end of the rack, a reflux pipeline arranged on the outer wall of the storage box for receiving the liquid refluxed from the heating coil when power is off, a cooling barrel arranged at the upper end of the rack for rapidly cooling the liquid after heating sterilization, the cooling barrel being in communication with the output end of the heating coil, the liquid in the heating coil being conveyed into the cooling barrel for rapid cooling after heating is completed, a conveying pipeline in communication with the input end of the heating coil, a conveying pump arranged on the conveying pipeline for pumping the liquid, a control box arranged at the upper end of the rack for operating the device, temperature and pressure monitoring, a standby power source arranged on one side of the control box for maintaining the power demand and operation of the control box when power is off, and an electromagnetic three-way valve arranged at one end of the heating coil, the other two ends being in communication with the conveying pipeline and the reflux pipeline, respectively, for adaptively adjusting the flow direction of the liquid according to power on and power off.

[0010] Preferably, a piston plate is slidably arranged on the inner wall of the support cylinder, two guide columns slidably passing through the piston plate are arranged between the upper and lower inner walls of the support cylinder, a lead screw is rotatably arranged at the bottom of the support cylinder, the lead screw passes through the piston plate in a threaded connection manner, a driving motor connected with the lead screw is arranged on the top of the high-temperature barrel through a motor base, and the driving motor is electrically connected with the control box and the standby power source.

[0011] Preferably, the bottom of the support cylinder is provided with a plurality of annularly distributed through holes for drawing the heating medium in the high-temperature barrel from the through holes when the piston plate moves up. Both the high-temperature barrel and the top of the support cylinder are provided with extension cylinders, and the extension cylinder at the top of the support cylinder passes through the high-temperature barrel and is connected to the outside.

[0012] Preferably, a discharge pipe is provided between the top of the heating coil and the cooling tank, and a sleeve is fixedly fitted on the outer wall of the heating coil and the discharge pipe together, with an air inlet one-way valve installed at the upper end of the sleeve.

[0013] Preferably, the storage box is equipped with a vertical partition to divide the interior of the storage box into a high-temperature zone and a low-temperature zone. An automatic temperature-controlled three-way valve is installed at the end of the return pipe away from the heating coil. The output end of the automatic temperature-controlled three-way valve is connected to the high-temperature zone and the low-temperature zone respectively. Water pumps are installed in both the high-temperature zone and the low-temperature zone. The output end of the water pump in the high-temperature zone is connected to the cooling tank through a heat-resistant pipe, and the output end of the water pump in the low-temperature zone is connected to the conveying pipe through a return pipe.

[0014] Preferably, the electromagnetic three-way valve consists of a T-shaped housing and an electromagnetic valve core, wherein the vertical part of the T-shaped housing is connected to the bottom end of the heating coil, the straight pipe part of the T-shaped housing is connected to the delivery pipe and the return pipe respectively, and the electromagnetic valve core is disposed on the inner wall of the straight pipe of the T-shaped housing.

[0015] Preferably, the solenoid valve core includes a reciprocating block slidably mounted on the inner wall of the straight tube of the T-shaped housing. The two ends of the reciprocating block are respectively provided with a feed port and a return port. The feed port and the return port point to the conveying pipe and the return pipe, respectively. Both the feed port and the return port are provided with through holes on the side near the heating coil. An annular rubber ring is installed on both sides of each through hole on the outer wall of the reciprocating block to compensate for the gap between the reciprocating block and the inner wall of the straight tube of the T-shaped housing and to prevent material leakage.

[0016] Preferably, both the inlet and the return port have notches on their inner bottom walls, and a displacement cover is installed on the inner wall of the notch. Two positioning covers that cooperate with the displacement cover are installed on the inner bottom wall of the T-shaped outer shell straight tube. The displacement cover and the positioning cover slide together to form a telescopic structure. A reset spring is installed between the displacement cover and the positioning cover on the inlet side, and an electromagnet is installed between the displacement cover and the positioning cover on the return port side. The electromagnet is powered by the main power supply.

[0017] Preferably, positioning rings are installed on the inner walls of both sides of the T-shaped outer casing straight tube. An annular rubber pad is installed on the inner wall of the positioning ring. A circular baffle for closing the positioning ring is rotatably installed on the inner wall of the positioning ring by a torsion spring. Two arc-shaped frames are provided on the inner wall of the positioning ring, respectively located on both sides of the circular baffle. The two arc-shaped frames are distributed vertically. The upper arc-shaped frame is located on the side of the circular baffle away from the reciprocating block, and the lower arc-shaped frame is located on the side of the circular baffle closer to the reciprocating block.

[0018] Preferably, the inner top wall of the T-shaped outer casing straight tube is equipped with support frames on both sides of the reciprocating block, and push rods are slidably mounted on the support frames. The push rods abut against the upper end of the circular baffle. The inner top walls of the feed inlet and return outlet are equipped with top plates corresponding to the positions of the push rods.

[0019] In summary, this application includes the following beneficial technical effects: I. In the event of a sudden power outage, this invention switches the main power supply to the backup power supply to provide continuous power to the control box and electrical loads. At this time, the control box controls the electromagnetic three-way valve to disconnect the liquid delivery pipeline and connects the bottom of the heating coil to the return pipeline. This allows the heated liquid in the heating coil that has not been delivered to the cooling tank to flow back down the heating coil to the storage tank for later use. This avoids the liquid from stagnating in the heating coil and continuously being heated, vaporizing, coking, and scaling, which would affect the quality of the liquid. It also reduces the loss of liquid and effectively lowers costs.

[0020] Second, when a sudden power outage occurs, the present invention drives the lead screw to rotate via the drive motor. The lead screw drives the piston plate to move upward and draw the heating medium in the high-temperature tank into the support cylinder, thus ceasing to heat the heating coil. Furthermore, the liquid in the heating coil is automatically returned, further reducing the heating of the liquid and thus avoiding adverse effects such as vaporization, coking, and scaling caused by the continuous heating of the liquid stagnating in the heating coil.

[0021] Third, this invention uses an automatic temperature-controlled three-way valve to deliver the reflux liquid to the low-temperature zone and the high-temperature zone respectively according to the temperature of the reflux liquid. This allows the sterilized heated liquid to be stored separately in the high-temperature zone for direct cooling, avoiding vaporization caused by prolonged stagnation under its own heat, and preventing the sterilized liquid from mixing with the unsterilized liquid, which would affect the consistency of the product. Subsequently, the liquid in the high-temperature zone is cooled in separate cooling tanks. After power is applied, the liquid in the low-temperature zone is pumped into the delivery pipeline through the return pipeline and pumped into the heating coil for ultra-high temperature heating sterilization and subsequent cooling.

[0022] Fourth, this invention can control the connection between the heating coil and the conveying pipe and the return pipe according to the power supply and power failure status, so as to control the feeding of materials into the heating coil and the automatic return of the heated liquid, avoid the liquid from stagnating and vaporizing in the heating coil after the power failure, and ensure the quality of the liquid.

[0023] 5. In controlling the movement of the reciprocating block, the invention pushes the corresponding circular baffle to a vertical position by pushing the push rod through the top plate. The circular baffle abuts against the annular rubber pad on its outer wall and the arc-shaped frame on both sides, thereby achieving complete sealing of the T-shaped outer shell straight pipe. This prevents the liquid from seeping into the return pipe during the conveying process and prevents the return heated liquid from seeping into the conveying pipe, causing the sterilized liquid to mix with the unsterilized liquid and affecting the consistency of the product. Furthermore, the heated liquid is prone to scaling on the inner wall of the conveying pipe, further affecting the conveying efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a first structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the second structure of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the high-temperature barrel of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 4 This is the present invention. Figure 3 A magnified view of part A.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the storage box of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure between the return pipe, the delivery pipe and the electromagnetic three-way valve of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the T-shaped outer shell of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 8 This is the present invention. Figure 7 A magnified view of section B.

[0033] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure between the displacement cover, the positioning cover, and the return spring of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure between the displacement cover, the positioning cover, and the electromagnet of the present invention.

[0035] In the diagram, 1. Frame; 2. High-temperature tank; 21. Heating coil; 211. Discharge pipe; 212. Connecting sleeve; 213. Inlet check valve; 22. Support cylinder; 221. Piston plate; 222. Guide column; 223. Lead screw; 224. Drive motor; 225. Through hole; 226. Extension cylinder; 227. Moving ring; 3. Storage box; 31. Return pipe; 32. Vertical partition; 33. High-temperature zone; 34. Low-temperature zone; 35. Automatic temperature control three-way valve; 36. Heat-resistant pipe; 37. Return pipe; 4. Cooling tank; 5. 51. Conveying pipeline; 6. Conveying pump; 7. Control box; 8. Backup power supply; 9. Solenoid three-way valve; 10. T-shaped housing; 11. Positioning ring; 12. Annular rubber pad; 13. Circular baffle; 14. Arc frame; 15. Support frame; 16. Push rod; 17. Top plate; 18. Solenoid valve core; 19. Reciprocating block; 10. Feed inlet; 11. Return outlet; 12. Through hole; 13. Annular rubber ring; 14. Displacement cover; 15. Positioning cover; 16. Return spring; 17. Electromagnet. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figures 1-10 The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0037] This application discloses a UHT sterilization device to prevent liquid vaporization after power failure. It should be noted that this UHT sterilization device is mainly used to extract the heating medium from the high-temperature tank 2 and separate it from the heating coil 21 when power is off, and to automatically return the liquid in the heating coil 21. This prevents the liquid from stagnating in the heating coil 21 and continuously being heated, vaporizing, coking, and scaling, thus affecting the quality of the liquid. Technically, it can control the connection between the heating coil 21 and the conveying pipeline according to the power supply and power failure status. The connection between pipe 5 and return pipe 31 facilitates the control of feeding the heating coil 21 and the automatic return of the heated liquid, preventing the liquid from stagnating and vaporizing in the heating coil 21 after a power outage. Furthermore, the UHT sterilization device of this application, which prevents the liquid from vaporizing after a power outage, can also store the sterilized heated liquid separately to prevent the sterilized liquid from mixing with the unsterilized liquid and affecting the consistency of the product. Subsequently, the liquid in the high-temperature zone 33 is cooled in the cooling tank 4 to prevent the liquid from vaporizing under its own heat.

[0038] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, a UHT sterilization device for preventing liquid vaporization after power failure includes a frame 1; a high-temperature tank 2, located on the upper part of the frame 1, with a heating coil 21 for conveying the liquid inside the high-temperature tank 2, and a heating medium pumped into the high-temperature tank 2 through an external medium pipeline for ultra-high temperature sterilization of the liquid in the heating coil 21; the bottom end of the heating coil 21 is the input end, and the top end is the output end; a support cylinder 22 is provided inside the high-temperature tank 2 for supporting and fixing the heating coil 21; a storage tank 3, installed on the upper part of the frame 1, with a return pipe 31 installed on its outer wall for receiving the liquid returning from the heating coil 21 when power is lost; and a cooling tank 4, installed on the upper part of the frame 1, with a cooling medium pumped into the cooling tank 4 through an external medium pipeline for rapidly cooling the liquid after heat sterilization. The cooling tank 4 is connected to the heating coil 21. The output end of the heating coil 21 is connected to the cooling tank 4 after the liquid in the heating coil 21 is heated. The liquid is then transported from the top of the heating coil 21 to the cooling tank 4 for rapid cooling. The conveying pipe 5 is connected to the input end of the heating coil 21. A conveying pump 51 for pumping the liquid is installed on the conveying pipe 5. The control box 6 is installed on the upper end of the frame 1 and is used for operating the device, monitoring temperature and pressure. A backup power supply 61 is installed on one side of the control box 6 to maintain the power supply and operation of the control box 6 when the power is off. The liquid in the heating coil 21 that is not transported to the cooling tank 4 is returned to the storage tank 3 to prevent the liquid from stagnating in the heating coil 21 and being continuously heated and vaporized. The electromagnetic three-way valve 7 is installed at the bottom end of the heating coil 21, and the other two ends are connected to the conveying pipe 5 and the return pipe 31 respectively. It is used to adaptively adjust the flow direction of the liquid according to the power on and power off conditions.

[0039] In the specific implementation process, the control box 6 is operated first to start the transfer pump 51. The transfer pump 51 pumps the liquid requiring ultra-high temperature sterilization into the heating coil 21 through the transfer pipe 5 and the solenoid three-way valve 7. At the same time, the corresponding heating and cooling media are delivered to the high-temperature tank 2 and the cooling tank 4 through the external media pipes, so that the heating media surrounds the heating coil 21. When the liquid rises spirally in the heating coil 21, it undergoes ultra-high temperature sterilization under the action of the heating media. The bottom end of the heating coil 21 is heated by heat conduction and forms a preheating section, which is used to preheat the liquid as it passes through the bottom end of the heating coil 21. This allows the temperature of the liquid to rise gradually, with small temperature fluctuations when the liquid enters the heating section. Thus, ultra-high temperature sterilization after preheating can prevent the liquid from suddenly heating up and causing coking and scaling, thereby improving the quality of the liquid. After the liquid is heated, it is transported to the cooling tank 4 through the top of the heating coil 21 for cooling.

[0040] It should be noted that the backup power supply 61 consists of a battery pack and a converter with bidirectional energy storage. The converter has bidirectional inverter capability, and its output voltage is consistent with that of the main power supply. During normal operation, the main power supply serves as the primary power source, providing continuous power to the control box 6 and the electrical loads. The backup power supply 61 continuously monitors the voltage amplitude, frequency, and phase information of the main power supply through its internal high-speed detection unit (not shown in the figure). In the event of a sudden power outage, the backup power supply 61 identifies the main power supply anomaly through the high-speed detection unit. When the voltage amplitude is detected to be lower than the rated value or the frequency deviation exceeds the allowable range, a power outage signal is immediately generated, and the device power supply is immediately switched to the backup power supply 61. The bidirectional energy storage converter of the backup power supply 61 maintains the stability of the output voltage phase, frequency, and amplitude, ensuring continuous power supply to the control box 6 and the electrical loads during power switching and preventing power outages.

[0041] After the power switch is completed, the battery pack of the backup power supply 61 continues to supply power through the converter. Since the backup power supply 61 cannot continuously supply power to the control box 6 and the electrical load, in order to avoid the liquid from vaporizing, the liquid in the heating coil 21 needs to be recovered in time. In addition, the main power supply and the backup power supply 61 have different power supply channels from the control box 6. Therefore, when the control box 6 detects that the power source is the backup power supply 61 through the power supply channel, it controls the solenoid three-way valve 7 to disconnect the liquid delivery of the delivery pipe 5 and connect the bottom end of the heating coil 21 with the return pipe 31. This allows the liquid that has been heated in the heating coil 21 but has not been delivered to the cooling tank 4 to flow back down along the heating coil 21 and into the storage tank 3 for standby through the return pipe 31. This prevents the liquid from stagnating in the heating coil 21 and continuously being heated, vaporizing, coking, and scaling, which would affect the quality of the liquid. It also reduces the loss of the liquid and effectively reduces costs.

[0042] After power is restored, the power supply channel is switched from backup power supply 61 to main power supply, and the heated liquid and preheated liquid in storage tank 3 are respectively transported to cooling tank 4 and high temperature tank 2 to avoid repeated heating of the heated liquid, which would cause nutrient loss and reduce quality.

[0043] Reference Figure 3As shown, when the power is suddenly cut off, the delivery pump 51 cannot continue to work, causing the liquid to stagnate in the heating coil 21. The heating medium in the high-temperature tank 2 continues to heat the liquid, which makes the liquid in the heating coil 21 prone to vaporization. To avoid this problem, in this embodiment, the heating medium can be discharged in time when the power is cut off. Specifically, a piston plate 221 is slidably installed on the inner wall of the support cylinder 22. Two guide posts 222 are installed between the upper and lower inner walls of the support cylinder 22, which slide through the piston plate 221. A lead screw 223 is rotatably installed at the bottom of the support cylinder 22. The lead screw 223 passes through the piston plate 221 through a threaded connection. The guide posts 222 are used to limit the rotation direction of the piston plate 221. Therefore, when the lead screw 223 rotates, it can drive the piston plate 221 to move up and down. A drive motor 224 connected to the lead screw 223 is installed on the top of the high-temperature tank 2 through a motor base. The drive motor 224 is electrically connected to the control box 6 and the backup power supply 61.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the bottom of the support cylinder 22 is uniformly provided with a plurality of annularly distributed through holes 225, which are used to draw the heating medium in the high-temperature tank 2 from the through holes 225 when the piston plate 221 moves upward. Both the high-temperature tank 2 and the support cylinder 22 are provided with extension cylinders 226, and the extension cylinder 226 at the top of the support cylinder 22 passes through the high-temperature tank 2 and is connected to the outside. The extension cylinder 226 ensures that when the piston plate 221 draws the heating medium in the high-temperature tank 2, no negative pressure is generated inside the high-temperature tank 2, and the air inside the support cylinder 22 is empty. The gas can be discharged to the outside to balance the internal and external air pressure and prevent negative pressure from affecting the extraction of the heating medium. It should be noted that when the heating medium is not being extracted, the heating medium in the high-temperature tank 2 does not overflow from the extension cylinder 226, and the heating medium extracted into the support cylinder 22 will also not overflow from the extension cylinder 226 at its top. Furthermore, the piston plate 221 is in the lowest position in the initial state. At this time, the heating medium is located between the high-temperature tank 2 and the support cylinder 22, and is used to sterilize the liquid inside the heating coil 21 at ultra-high temperature.

[0045] It should be further explained that the outer wall of the lead screw 223 is fitted with a rotating ring 227 that rotates synchronously with it, and the inner wall of the piston plate 221 is provided with a stationary ring that matches the rotating ring 227. The stationary ring and the piston plate 221 are sealed by a sealing ring, and the end faces of the rotating ring 227 and the stationary ring are tightly fitted to seal the gap between the lead screw 223 and the piston plate 221, so as to prevent the liquid from passing through the gap and affecting the extraction effect of the piston plate 221 on the heating medium.

[0046] In the specific implementation process, if a sudden power failure occurs, the control box 6 will energize the drive motor 224. The drive motor 224 will drive the lead screw 223 to rotate, and the lead screw 223 will drive the piston plate 221 to move upward, so that a negative pressure is formed at the bottom of the support cylinder 22. The heating medium in the high temperature tank 2 will enter the interior of the support cylinder 22 through the through hole 225, so that the heating medium will be transferred to the interior of the support cylinder 22 and will no longer continue to heat the heating coil 21, thereby avoiding the adverse effects such as vaporization, coking and scaling caused by the continuous heating of the liquid material stagnating in the heating coil 21.

[0047] After power is restored, the control box 6 causes the drive motor 224 to drive the lead screw 223 to rotate in the opposite direction. The lead screw 223 drives the piston plate 221 to move down and discharges the heating medium inside the support cylinder 22 through the through hole 225 into the high temperature tank 2, restoring the high temperature heating of the heating coil 21 and the ultra-high temperature sterilization of the liquid.

[0048] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, since the top of the heating coil 21 is connected to the cooling tank 4, when the liquid in the heating coil 21 flows back, the top of the heating coil 21 needs to be simultaneously air-intaked to avoid the liquid from failing to flow back due to negative pressure at the top of the heating coil 21. Based on this, in this embodiment, a discharge pipe 211 is provided between the top of the heating coil 21 and the cooling tank 4. The outer walls of the heating coil 21 and the discharge pipe 211 are jointly fitted with a sleeve 212. An air inlet check valve 213 is installed at the upper end of the sleeve 212. The air inlet check valve 213 allows only external air to enter and cannot allow the liquid between the heating coil 21 and the discharge pipe 211 to be discharged through the air inlet check valve 213.

[0049] In the specific implementation process, the ultra-high temperature sterilized liquid in the heating coil 21 is transported to the cooling tank 4 through the discharge pipe 211 for cooling. When the power is off, the bottom end of the heating coil 21 is connected to the return pipe 31. The liquid in the heating coil 21 flows downward along the spiral direction of the heating coil 21 under the action of gravity and flows back to the storage tank 3 through the return pipe 31. During the liquid return process, the air intake one-way valve 213 adaptively introduces air to avoid the negative pressure in the heating coil 21 causing the liquid to stagnate and vaporize. In addition, this application provides a heat recovery heat exchanger (not shown in the figure) on the outer wall of the discharge pipe 211 to preheat the heated liquid and recover the heat on the discharge pipe 211 to the bottom end of the heating coil 21 to preheat the liquid, reducing energy waste. The liquid can be preheated and preheated before heating and cooling, avoiding the sudden rise and fall of the liquid temperature, which can easily cause vaporization.

[0050] Reference Figure 5As shown, since the heating time of the liquid in the upper half of the heating coil 21 is longer than that of the liquid in the lower half, the temperatures of the liquid on the upper and lower sides of the heating coil 21 are inconsistent. Therefore, in this embodiment, the liquid can be refluxed separately according to its temperature. Specifically, the storage box 3 is equipped with a vertical partition 32 to divide the storage box 3 into a high-temperature zone 33 and a low-temperature zone 34. An automatic temperature-controlled three-way valve 35 is installed at the end of the reflux pipe 31 away from the heating coil 21. The input end of the automatic temperature-controlled three-way valve 35 is connected to the reflux pipe 31, and the output end of the automatic temperature-controlled three-way valve 35 is connected to the high-temperature zone 33 and the low-temperature zone respectively. 34 are connected. Both the high-temperature zone 33 and the low-temperature zone 34 are equipped with water pumps (not shown in the figure). The output end of the water pump in the high-temperature zone 33 is connected to the cooling tank 4 through the heat-resistant pipe 36. The output end of the water pump in the low-temperature zone 34 is connected to the conveying pipe 5 through the return pipe 37. The automatic temperature control three-way valve 35 is equipped with a paraffin temperature sensor. Due to the physical property of thermal expansion and contraction of the paraffin temperature sensor, it expands when heated, driving the valve core of the automatic temperature control three-way valve 35 to move. When the paraffin temperature sensor comes into contact with the lower temperature liquid, the spring inside the automatic temperature control three-way valve 35 pushes the valve core back to its original position, so that the valve core can move adaptively according to the temperature of the liquid.

[0051] When the liquid in the lower half of the heating coil 21 flows back into the automatic temperature-controlled three-way valve 35, the paraffin temperature sensor expands to a smaller volume, causing the valve core to close the high-temperature channel under the action of the spring, and the liquid flows into the low-temperature zone 34 from the low-temperature channel. When the liquid in the upper half of the heating coil 21 flows back into the automatic temperature-controlled three-way valve 35, the paraffin temperature sensor expands due to heat and drives the valve core to move after overcoming the spring's thrust, which closes the low-temperature channel and opens the high-temperature channel. Thus, the heated liquid flows back into the high-temperature zone 33 through the high-temperature channel for direct cooling, avoiding vaporization caused by prolonged stagnation under its own heat. This allows the sterilized heated liquid to be stored separately, preventing the sterilized liquid from mixing with the unsterilized liquid and affecting product consistency. Subsequently, the water pump pumps the sterilized liquid in the high-temperature zone 33 into the cooling tank 4 through the heat-resistant pipe 36 for cooling and temperature reduction, preventing the liquid from vaporizing under its own heat.

[0052] After power is restored, the liquid material in the low-temperature zone 34 is pumped into the conveying pipe 5 through the return pipe 37 by a water pump, and then pumped into the heating coil 21 along with the conveying pipe 5 for ultra-high temperature heating sterilization and subsequent cooling.

[0053] It should be noted that the automatic temperature control three-way valve 35 used in this embodiment adopts existing technology, and its temperature control accuracy is relatively reliable. It can accurately distinguish between sterilized heated liquid and unsterilized preheated liquid based on the temperature of the liquid, with small error. It is suitable for the high-temperature environment of the heated liquid in this invention. In addition, the automatic temperature control three-way valve 35 does not require external energy. It senses temperature through the physical properties of thermal expansion and contraction of the paraffin temperature sensing bulb, which is suitable for distinguishing liquids at different temperatures after power outage in this invention.

[0054] Reference Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, in order to ensure that the conveying pipe 5 pumps the liquid into the heating coil 21 when the power is normal, and to promptly return the liquid in the heating coil 21 to the storage tank 3 when the power is off, an electromagnetic three-way valve 7 capable of controlling the input and output of the heating coil 21 is provided in this embodiment. Specifically, the electromagnetic three-way valve 7 consists of a T-shaped housing 71 and an electromagnetic valve core 72. The vertical part of the T-shaped housing 71 is connected to the bottom end of the heating coil 21, and the straight pipe part of the T-shaped housing 71 is connected to the conveying pipe 5 and the return pipe 31 respectively. The electromagnetic valve core 72 is disposed on the inner wall of the straight pipe of the T-shaped housing 71. It should be noted that the T-shaped housing 71 is a split assembly structure to facilitate the installation of the electromagnetic valve core 72 and other components inside.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the solenoid valve core 72 includes a reciprocating block 721 slidably mounted on the inner wall of the straight tube of the T-shaped housing 71. The reciprocating block 721 coincides with the axis of the straight tube. The two ends of the reciprocating block 721 are respectively provided with a feed inlet 722 and a return outlet 723. The feed inlet and return outlet 723 point towards the conveying pipe 5 and the return pipe 31, respectively. Both the feed inlet and return outlet 723 have through holes 724 on the side near the heating coil 21. 2. A feeding channel for pumping liquid into the heating coil 21 is formed between the through hole 724 and the T-shaped outer shell 71. A return channel for returning the heated liquid in the heating coil 21 is formed between the return port 723, the through hole 724 and the T-shaped outer shell 71. An annular rubber ring 725 is installed on both sides of each through hole 724 on the outer wall of the reciprocating block 721 to compensate for the gap between the reciprocating block 721 and the inner wall of the straight tube of the T-shaped outer shell 71 and prevent liquid leakage.

[0056] Reference Figure 9 and Figure 10As shown, further in this embodiment, both the inlet and outlet 723 have notches on their inner bottom walls, and displacement covers 726 are installed on the inner walls of the notches. Two positioning covers 727 that cooperate with the displacement covers 726 are installed on the inner bottom wall of the straight tube of the T-shaped outer shell 71. The displacement covers 726 and the positioning covers 727 slide together to form a telescopic structure. A return spring 728 is installed between the displacement cover 726 and the positioning cover 727 on the inlet side. The return spring 728 always applies a contraction force to the displacement cover 726 and the positioning cover 727, so that the displacement cover 726 and the positioning cover 727 move closer to the positioning cover 727 in the initial state. An electromagnet 729 is provided between the displacement cover 726 and the positioning cover 727 on the outlet 723 side. The electromagnet 729 is powered by the main power supply.

[0057] In the specific implementation process, during normal power supply, the electromagnet 729 between the displacement cover 726 and the positioning cover 727 on the side of the return port 723 is energized, generating magnetic attraction. This causes the displacement cover 726 on that side to drive the reciprocating block 721 to move towards the side closer to the return port 723. As a result, the through hole 724 on the side of the reciprocating block 721 near the feed port 722 is connected to the vertical part of the T-shaped outer shell 71, so that the conveying pipe 5 can pump the liquid through the feeding channel into the heating coil 21 for heating sterilization and subsequent cooling. When a power outage occurs, the electromagnet 729 is de-energized, and the magnetic force disappears. This causes the displacement cover 726 and the positioning cover 727 on the side of the feed inlet 722 to move closer to each other under the action of the return spring 728. The displacement cover 726 on this side drives the reciprocating block 721 to move closer to the feed inlet 722, so that the through hole 724 on the side of the reciprocating block 721 near the return port 723 is connected to the vertical part of the T-shaped outer shell 71, so that the heating liquid in the heating coil 21 can flow back to the storage tank 3 through the return channel under the action of gravity.

[0058] After power is restored, the electromagnet 729 is energized and attracts the reciprocating block 721, which overcomes the contraction force of the return spring 728 and moves it to the side closer to the return port 723, so that the liquid material is pumped back into the heating coil 21 from the feeding channel. Therefore, the connection between the heating coil 21 and the conveying pipe 5 and the return pipe 31 can be controlled according to the power supply and power failure status, so as to control the automatic return of the feeding and heating liquid material to the heating coil 21, and avoid the liquid material from stagnating in the heating coil 21 and vaporizing after the power failure, thus ensuring the quality of the liquid material.

[0059] Continue to refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10As shown, to prevent the liquid from flowing towards the return pipe 31 during normal power supply, or from entering the conveying pipe 5 during the return process of heated liquid when the power is off, it is necessary to seal the side of the straight pipe of the T-shaped housing 71 near the return pipe 31 or the conveying pipe 5 after controlling the movement of the reciprocating block 721. Based on this, in this embodiment, positioning rings 711 are installed on the inner walls of both sides of the straight pipe of the T-shaped housing 71, and annular rubber gaskets 712 are installed on the inner walls of the positioning rings 711. The inner walls of the positioning rings 711 are rotatably mounted with a torsion spring for positioning. The positioning ring 711 encloses a circular baffle 713. The inner wall of the positioning ring 711 is provided with two arc-shaped frames 714 located on both sides of the circular baffle 713. The two arc-shaped frames 714 are distributed vertically. The upper arc-shaped frame 714 is located on the side of the circular baffle 713 away from the reciprocating block 721, and the lower arc-shaped frame 714 is located on the side of the circular baffle 713 closer to the reciprocating block 721. The torsion spring always applies a torsional force to the circular baffle 713, so that the top of the circular baffle 713 tends to tilt towards the side closer to the reciprocating block 721.

[0060] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inner top wall of the straight tube of the T-shaped outer shell 71 is equipped with support frames 715 on both sides of the reciprocating block 721. A push rod 716 is slidably arranged on the support frame 715. The push rod 716 abuts against the upper end of the circular baffle 713. The inner top walls of the feed port 722 and the return port 723 are equipped with top plates 717 corresponding to the position of the push rod 716.

[0061] In the specific implementation process, when it is necessary to open the feeding channel, the reciprocating block 721 moves towards the side closer to the return pipe 31 and pushes the push rod 716 towards the side closer to the return pipe 31 through the top plate 717 on the inner top wall of the return port 723. The push rod 716 pushes the corresponding circular baffle 713 to the vertical position, and the circular baffle 713 abuts against the annular rubber pad 712 on its outer wall and the arc-shaped frame 714 on both sides, thereby achieving complete closure of the straight pipe of the T-shaped outer shell 71 towards the return pipe 31, avoiding the material liquid from seeping into the return pipe 31 and affecting the material liquid conveying efficiency.

[0062] When the reflux channel needs to be opened, the reciprocating block 721 moves to the side closer to the conveying pipe 5 and, under the action of the top plate 717 and the push rod 716, pushes the circular baffle 713 on that side to a vertical position. The circular baffle 713, together with the annular rubber gasket 712 and the arc frame 714, seals the straight pipe of the T-shaped outer shell 71 on the side closer to the conveying pipe 5, preventing the refluxed heated liquid from seeping into the conveying pipe 5, which would cause the sterilized liquid to mix with the unsterilized liquid and affect the consistency of the product. In addition, the heated liquid is prone to scaling on the inner wall of the conveying pipe 5, which would further affect the conveying efficiency. Thus, the sealing structure formed by the annular rubber ring 725 on the outer wall of the reciprocating block 721 and the circular baffle 713 can ensure no leakage under high temperature and high pressure, and improve durability.

[0063] During operation: Step 1: First, operate the control box 6 to power on and start the delivery pump 51. The delivery pump 51 pumps the liquid requiring ultra-high temperature sterilization into the heating coil 21 through the delivery pipe 5 and the solenoid three-way valve 7. At the same time, the corresponding heating and cooling media are delivered to the high-temperature tank 2 and the cooling tank 4 through the external media pipes, so that the heating media surrounds the heating coil 21. When the liquid rises spirally in the heating coil 21, it undergoes ultra-high temperature sterilization under the action of the heating media. After the liquid is heated, it is delivered to the cooling tank 4 through the top of the heating coil 21 for cooling.

[0064] Step 2: In the event of a sudden power outage, the backup power supply 61 maintains the stability of the phase, frequency, and amplitude of the output voltage to ensure continuous power supply to the control box 6 and the electrical load during power switching. The control box 6 energizes the drive motor 224, which drives the lead screw 223 to rotate. The lead screw 223 drives the piston plate 221 to move upward, creating a negative pressure at the bottom of the support cylinder 22. The heating medium in the high-temperature tank 2 enters the support cylinder 22 through the through hole 225 and no longer heats the heating coil 21, thus avoiding the adverse effects of vaporization, coking, and scaling caused by the continuous heating of the liquid material stagnating in the heating coil 21.

[0065] Step 3: When the power supply is normal, the electromagnet 729 between the displacement cover 726 and the positioning cover 727 on the side of the return port 723 is energized and generates magnetic attraction, which causes the displacement cover 726 on this side to drive the reciprocating block 721 to move closer to the return port 723. As a result, the through hole 724 on the side of the reciprocating block 721 near the feed port 722 is connected to the vertical part of the T-shaped outer shell 71, so that the conveying pipe 5 can pump the liquid into the heating coil 21 through the feeding channel for heating sterilization and subsequent cooling.

[0066] When a power outage occurs, the electromagnet 729 is de-energized, and the magnetic force disappears. This causes the displacement cover 726 and the positioning cover 727 on the side of the feed inlet 722 to move closer to each other under the action of the return spring 728. The displacement cover 726 on this side drives the reciprocating block 721 to move closer to the feed inlet 722, so that the through hole 724 on the side of the reciprocating block 721 near the return port 723 is connected to the vertical part of the T-shaped outer shell 71, so that the heating liquid in the heating coil 21 can flow back to the storage tank 3 through the return channel under the action of gravity.

[0067] Step 4: When the liquid in the lower half of the heating coil 21 flows back into the automatic temperature control three-way valve 35, the automatic temperature control three-way valve 35 discharges the liquid into the high temperature zone 33 and the low temperature zone 34 respectively according to the temperature of the liquid, so as to store the sterilized heating liquid separately. Then, the water pump pumps the heated and sterilized liquid in the high temperature zone 33 into the cooling tank 4 through the heat-resistant pipe 36 for cooling and cooling down, so as to prevent the liquid from vaporizing under its own heat.

[0068] Step 5: After power is restored, the power supply channel is switched from backup power supply 61 to main power supply, and electromagnet 729 is energized and attracted, driving reciprocating block 721 to move and reset towards the side closer to return port 723, so that the liquid material is pumped into heating coil 21 from the feeding channel; then the liquid material in low temperature zone 34 is pumped into conveying pipe 5 through return pipe 37 by water pump, and pumped into heating coil 21 along with conveying pipe 5; at the same time, control box 6 causes drive motor 224 to drive lead screw 223 to rotate in the opposite direction, lead screw 223 drives piston plate 221 to move down, and discharges the heating medium inside support cylinder 22 through through hole 225 into high temperature tank 2, restoring high temperature heating of heating coil 21 and ultra-high temperature sterilization of liquid material.

[0069] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention.

[0070] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A UHT sterilization device for preventing liquid vaporization after power failure, characterized in that, include: Rack (1); A high-temperature tank (2) is set on the upper end of the frame (1). A heating coil (21) for conveying liquid is installed inside the high-temperature tank (2). The high-temperature tank (2) is used to sterilize the liquid in the heating coil (21) at ultra-high temperature. The bottom end of the heating coil (21) is the input end and the top end is the output end. A support cylinder (22) for supporting and fixing the heating coil (21) is set inside the high-temperature tank (2). Storage box (3) is installed on the upper end of frame (1), and its outer wall is equipped with return pipe (31) for receiving the liquid returning from heating coil (21) when the power is off; Cooling tank (4) is installed on the upper end of frame (1) and is used to quickly cool down the liquid after heating and sterilization. Cooling tank (4) is connected to the output end of heating coil (21). After the liquid in heating coil (21) is heated, it is transported to cooling tank (4) for rapid cooling. The conveying pipe (5) is connected to the input end of the heating coil (21), and a conveying pump (51) for pumping the material liquid is installed on the conveying pipe (5). The control box (6) is installed on the upper end of the frame (1) for operating the device, temperature and pressure monitoring. A backup power supply (61) is provided on one side of the control box (6) to maintain the power demand and operation of the control box (6) when the power is off. The electromagnetic three-way valve (7) is installed at one end of the heating coil (21) and the other two ends are connected to the conveying pipe (5) and the return pipe (31) respectively. It is used to adaptively adjust the flow direction of the liquid according to the power-on and power-off conditions.

2. The UHT sterilization device for preventing liquid vaporization after power failure according to claim 1, characterized in that, A piston plate (221) is slidably installed on the inner wall of the support cylinder (22). Two guide posts (222) are installed between the upper and lower inner walls of the support cylinder (22) and slide through the piston plate (221). A lead screw (223) is rotatably installed at the bottom of the support cylinder (22). The lead screw (223) passes through the piston plate (221) by means of threaded connection. A drive motor (224) connected to the lead screw (223) is installed on the top of the high temperature barrel (2) through a motor base. The drive motor (224) is electrically connected to the control box (6) and the backup power supply (61).

3. The UHT sterilization device for preventing liquid vaporization after power failure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The bottom of the support cylinder (22) is provided with a plurality of annularly distributed through holes (225) for the piston plate (221) to draw the heating medium in the high temperature barrel (2) from the through holes (225) when it moves upward. The top of the high temperature barrel (2) and the support cylinder (22) are both provided with extension cylinders (226), and the extension cylinder (226) at the top of the support cylinder (22) passes through the high temperature barrel (2) and is connected to the outside.

4. The UHT sterilization device for preventing liquid vaporization after power failure according to claim 1, characterized in that, A discharge pipe (211) is provided between the top of the heating coil (21) and the cooling tank (4). The outer walls of the heating coil (21) and the discharge pipe (211) are fixedly fitted with a sleeve (212). An air inlet check valve (213) is installed at the upper end of the sleeve (212).

5. The UHT sterilization device for preventing liquid vaporization after power failure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The storage box (3) is equipped with a vertical partition (32) to divide the storage box (3) into a high temperature zone (33) and a low temperature zone (34). An automatic temperature control three-way valve (35) is installed at the end of the return pipe (31) away from the heating coil (21). The output end of the automatic temperature control three-way valve (35) is connected to the high temperature zone (33) and the low temperature zone (34) respectively. Both the high temperature zone (33) and the low temperature zone (34) are equipped with water pumps. The output end of the water pump in the high temperature zone (33) is connected to the cooling tank (4) through the heat-resistant pipe (36). The output end of the water pump in the low temperature zone (34) is connected to the conveying pipe (5) through the return pipe (37).

6. The UHT sterilization device for preventing liquid vaporization after power failure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electromagnetic three-way valve (7) consists of a T-shaped housing (71) and an electromagnetic valve core (72). The vertical part of the T-shaped housing (71) is connected to the bottom end of the heating coil (21), and the straight pipe part of the T-shaped housing (71) is connected to the delivery pipe (5) and the return pipe (31) respectively. The electromagnetic valve core (72) is set on the inner wall of the straight pipe of the T-shaped housing (71).

7. The UHT sterilization device for preventing liquid vaporization after power failure according to claim 6, characterized in that, The solenoid valve core (72) includes a reciprocating block (721) that is slidably installed on the inner wall of the straight pipe of the T-shaped housing (71). The two ends of the reciprocating block (721) are respectively provided with a feed port (722) and a return port (723). The feed port and the return port (723) point to the conveying pipe (5) and the return pipe (31) respectively. The feed port and the return port (723) are respectively provided with a through hole (724) on the side near the heating coil (21). The outer wall of the reciprocating block (721) is provided with an annular rubber ring (725) on both sides of each through hole (724) to compensate for the gap between the reciprocating block (721) and the inner wall of the straight pipe of the T-shaped housing (71) and avoid leakage of liquid.

8. The UHT sterilization device for preventing liquid vaporization after power failure according to claim 7, characterized in that, The bottom wall of the inlet and outlet (723) is provided with a notch, and a displacement cover (726) is installed on the inner wall of the notch. The bottom wall of the straight tube of the T-shaped outer shell (71) is provided with two positioning covers (727) that cooperate with the displacement cover (726). The displacement cover (726) and the positioning cover (727) slide together to form a telescopic structure. A reset spring (728) is installed between the displacement cover (726) and the positioning cover (727) on the side of the liquid inlet, and an electromagnet (729) is installed between the displacement cover (726) and the positioning cover (727) on the side of the return port (723). The electromagnet (729) is powered by the main power supply.

9. The UHT sterilization device for preventing liquid vaporization after power failure according to claim 7, characterized in that, The inner walls of the straight tube of the T-shaped outer shell (71) are equipped with positioning rings (711). The inner wall of the positioning ring (711) is equipped with an annular rubber pad (712). The inner wall of the positioning ring (711) is rotatably equipped with a circular baffle (713) for closing the positioning ring (711) by a torsion spring. The inner wall of the positioning ring (711) is provided with two arc-shaped frames (714) located on both sides of the circular baffle (713). The two arc-shaped frames (714) are distributed vertically. The upper arc-shaped frame (714) is located on the side of the circular baffle (713) away from the reciprocating block (721), and the lower arc-shaped frame (714) is located on the side of the circular baffle (713) close to the reciprocating block (721).

10. The UHT sterilization device for preventing liquid vaporization after power failure according to claim 9, characterized in that, The inner top wall of the straight tube of the T-shaped outer shell (71) is equipped with support frames (715) on both sides of the reciprocating block (721). A push rod (716) is slidably arranged on the support frame (715). The push rod (716) abuts against the upper end of the circular baffle (713). The inner top walls of the feed port (722) and the return port (723) are equipped with top plates (717) corresponding to the position of the push rod (716).

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