CO2 Heat-Pump Homogenizer for Faster Food Thermal Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing machines for homogenization and thermal treatment of liquid and semi-liquid food products face inefficiencies in heat transfer, difficulty in controlling local temperatures, high electricity consumption, and prolonged thermal treatment cycles due to suboptimal heating and cooling systems.
Innovation Solution
A machine utilizing a thermal machine with a reversible transcritical thermodynamic cycle using carbon dioxide as refrigerant, which operates as a heat pump or cooling machine, providing efficient heating and cooling through a gas-cooler or evaporator, reducing energy consumption and improving temperature control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If an electric heater is mounted on the bottom of the vessel pump or on the side wall of the tank, then heating function is provided, but heat transmission to the circulating mixture is not optimal and heating time becomes very long
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the heating function from the traditional electric heater mounted on pump bottom or tank wall, and relocates it to a heating plate that forms the bottom of the containment tank itself. This allows direct thermal contact between the heating surface and the mixture, dramatically improving heat transmission efficiency and reducing heating time.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating plate serves multiple functions: it acts as both the heating element and the bottom structure of the containment tank. This integrated design eliminates the need for separate heating devices mounted on pumps or walls, optimizing space and improving thermal efficiency simultaneously.
2Productivity
If the operating temperature of the heating element is raised to improve heating speed, then heating efficiency increases, but local overheating and burning of the mixture occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The heating plate provides uniform heat distribution across its entire surface area that contacts the mixture. This distributed heating approach ensures that no localized spots receive excessive heat, preventing burning while maintaining efficient overall heating. The large surface area of the heating plate compared to traditional elements creates uniform temperature distribution.
3Temperature
If the surface available for heat exchange is increased to improve heating, then heating efficiency improves, but mounting the cooling circuit becomes complex due to insufficient space
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling circuit is arranged in the vertical dimension by coiling the evaporator around the pump liner, which extends vertically within the pump housing. This vertical arrangement allows the cooling circuit to occupy the vertical space around the pump rather than competing for horizontal surface area on the tank walls, enabling both large heating surface and effective cooling without structural conflict.
4Reliability
If traditional electric heaters and cooling circuits are used, then thermal treatment function is provided, but electricity consumption is very high and running costs increase considerably
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses the phase transition properties of carbon dioxide in a transcritical refrigeration cycle. CO2 absorbs and releases large amounts of latent heat during phase changes, enabling highly efficient heating and cooling operations. This thermodynamic approach significantly reduces electricity consumption compared to resistive electric heating while maintaining reliable thermal treatment functions.
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
The machine achieves uniform and efficient heating, reduces energy consumption, and shortens thermal treatment cycles, offering improved efficiency and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional refrigerant-based systems.
Implementation Method 1
a thermal machine with reversible transcritical thermodynamic cycle
Implementation Method 2
which operates as a heat pump or cooling machine
Implementation Method 3
providing efficient heating and cooling through a gas-cooler or evaporator
Implementation Method 4
a centrifugal pump put in fluid communication with the bottom of the containment tank for drawing mixture from the tank and putting it back into the tank
Implementation Method 5
Heating and cooling means operate at the pump for heating and cooling the mixture in transit in the pump
Data Source
AI summary
A machine for the homogenization and thermal treatment of liquid and semi-liquid food products, for example ice creams, whipped cream, creams, chocolate, yogurt and the like, comprises a containment tank for the mixture and a centrifugal pump put in fluid communication with the bottom of the containment tank for drawing mixture from the tank and putting it back into the tank, heating and cooling means acting at the pump for heating and cooling the mixture in transit in the pump. The heating and cooling means comprise a thermal machine with reversible thermodynamic cycle and using carbon dioxide as refrigerant.