Heat Treatment Unit for Liquid Food with Particles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for processing liquid food with particles require separate processing lines for water and food concentrate and particles, leading to increased costs and particle maceration during heat treatment, which affects the quality of the final product.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a blender, a heat treatment unit, and a control unit that integrates the blending of water and food concentrate with the introduction of particles directly into the heat treatment unit, allowing for optimized heat treatment and minimal particle maceration by selecting the introduction location based on the heat requirements of the particles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If two separate processing lines are used for water/concentrate and particles, then heat treatment effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and energy cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the water/concentrate processing line and particle processing line into a single integrated processing line. The blender combines water, concentrate, and particles in one sequence, and the heat treatment unit processes the complete mixture in one continuous flow, eliminating the need for separate processing lines while maintaining heat treatment effectiveness through optimized residence time and temperature control.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat treatment unit is designed to handle both the liquid food matrix and suspended particles simultaneously in a single processing stream. The system performs multiple functions - heating, pasteurization, and particle treatment - within one unified processing line, reducing overall system complexity while achieving the required heat treatment effectiveness for both components.
2Reliability
If two separate processing lines are used for water/concentrate and particles, then heat treatment effectiveness is improved, but energy cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By combining both processing streams into one continuous flow through the heat treatment unit, the system eliminates the need for duplicate heating systems, pumps, and control mechanisms. This single integrated line processes both liquid food and particles simultaneously, significantly reducing total energy consumption compared to operating two separate heat treatment systems.
3Reliability
If particles are heat treated separately, then heat treatment effectiveness is improved, but particle maceration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blender is designed to optimize particle distribution and suspension in the liquid food matrix before the mixture enters the heat treatment unit. This preliminary conditioning ensures uniform heat distribution and appropriate residence time during heating, achieving effective pasteurization while minimizing excessive particle maceration through controlled blending parameters and flow conditions.
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 integrated system reduces the need for additional processing lines and energy costs while minimizing particle maceration, maintaining the mechanical characteristics of particles and enhancing the quality of the processed liquid food.
Implementation Method 1
The liquid food is then subjected to heat treatment in the heat treatment unit, e.g. in the form of a heat exchanger, in order to obtain a desired heat treatment effect of the liquid food
Implementation Method 2
The blender blends water and food concentrate into liquid food
Data Source
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AI summary
Liquid food is processed in a system (100) that comprises a blender (102), a heat treatment unit (106) and a control unit (150). The blender (102) is configured to receive a flow of water (101) and a flow of food concentrate (103). The blender (102) is further configured to blend, according to a recipe (158) provided by the control unit (150), the received water (101) and the received food concentrate (103) to liquid food (105) and provide the liquid food (105) to the heat treatment unit (106). The heat treatment unit (106) is configured to receive the liquid food (105) from the blender (102) and receive a flow of particles (109) into a flow of liquid food (105) inside the heat treatment unit (106) such that liquid food comprising particles (107) is formed. The heat treatment unit (106) is further configured to heat treat the liquid food comprising particles (107).