Container Cleaning Heat Circuit with Return Flow Cooler
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Solution Overview
Problem
Container cleaning systems in the beverage industry are energy-intensive due to the inefficiency in processing thermal energy, as combined heat and power plants struggle with small temperature differences, limiting their effectiveness in heating circuits, especially after the treatment liquid cools down to around 83°C.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a pretreatment stage as a return cooler to reduce the return temperature to 70°C or less, utilizing a heat exchanger to optimize energy processing, and incorporating a bypass to manage energy demands efficiently, allowing the combined heat and power plant to handle the heat medium effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a block-type thermal power station is used to heat the treatment liquid in the main cleaning stage, then thermal energy is provided efficiently, but the plant cannot effectively process the return heat medium after it cools down to around 83°C due to small temperature differences
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-treatment stage heat exchanger acts as an intermediary device between the main cleaning stage and the block-type thermal power station. It mediates the temperature difference by using the hot treatment liquid from the main cleaning stage (≥80°C) to heat the pre-treatment stage liquid, thereby cooling the return heat medium to a temperature suitable for the thermal power station (≤70°C) and enabling effective thermal energy recovery.
2Loss of energy
If the pre-treatment stage heat exchanger operates as a return cooler to reduce return temperature to 70°C or less, then the block-type thermal power station can process the heat medium effectively, but the main cleaning stage may require greater energy than usual
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-treatment stage heat exchanger performs preliminary cooling action on the return heat medium before it enters the block-type thermal power station. By pre-cooling the return liquid to ≤70°C using the hot treatment liquid from the main cleaning stage, the system prepares the heat medium in advance to be suitable for efficient thermal energy processing by the thermal power station.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the temperature parameter of the return heat medium from around 83°C to 70°C or less through the pre-treatment stage heat exchanger. This parameter change enables the block-type thermal power station to process the heat medium effectively, improving thermal energy recovery efficiency.
3Loss of energy
If a heat exchanger is used to cool the return heat medium, then energy efficiency is enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-treatment stage heat exchanger serves multiple functions: it heats the pre-treatment stage treatment liquid, cools the return heat medium for the thermal power station, and enables thermal energy recovery. By making this device multi-functional, the system enhances energy efficiency without adding separate dedicated cooling equipment, thus limiting the increase in device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances energy efficiency by enabling better processing of heat energy within the combined heat and power plant, reducing energy consumption and operational costs in container cleaning systems, while maintaining effective cleaning temperatures for containers.
Implementation Method 1
supplying the main cleaning stage (2) and/or the pre-treatment stage (3) via a heat exchanger (8)
Data Source
AI summary
A tank cleaning plant with at least one main cleaning stage (2) and at least one pretreatment stage (3) is described, each operating with heated treatment fluids. To operate such a tank cleaning plant in an energy-efficient manner, it is proposed that the main cleaning stage (2) and the pretreatment stage (3) be connected to a combined heat and power plant (4) via a common heat circuit (5) with supply and return lines (5a, 5b), wherein the pretreatment stage (3) is connected in the return line (5b) after the main cleaning stage (2) and can be operated as a return flow cooler.