Liquid Treatment Pressure Drop and Droplet Heating for Microbe Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for microbial deactivation in liquids, such as pasteurization and sterilization, often require additional equipment and processing steps, lead to quality deterioration, and do not effectively kill heat-resistant microbes, while introducing steam or hot air can adversely impact the liquid's properties.
Innovation Solution
A method and device utilizing pressure drop and temperature increase, without steam or hot air, to diffuse liquid into droplets, subjecting them to a pressure drop of at least five Bars and a temperature rise of 2.8°C to 10°C, while using inert gas to further reduce microbial count.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If steam or hot air is used for thermal treatment, then microbes are killed effectively, but the quality and stability of the liquid deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the thermal field (steam/hot air heating) with a mechanical field (pressure drop system). By subjecting the liquid to a rapid pressure drop from high pressure (e.g., 7-10 MPa) to atmospheric pressure, the liquid experiences intense mechanical stress that deactivates microbes without thermal damage, thus resolving the contradiction between effective sterilization and quality preservation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter from temperature to pressure. Instead of increasing temperature to kill microbes (which damages quality), the system increases pressure then rapidly releases it. This parameter substitution allows achieving microbe deactivation through pressure-induced mechanical effects rather than thermal effects, thereby preserving liquid quality while ensuring sterilization
2Reliability
If high temperature is applied for sterilization, then pathogens are eliminated, but the liquid undergoes qualitative changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes thermal sterilization with mechanical sterilization through pressure drop. The rapid pressure reduction creates intense shear forces and cavitation effects that disrupt microbial cell structures and deactivate pathogens without raising the liquid temperature, thus eliminating pathogens while preserving all qualitative properties of the liquid
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potentially harmful rapid pressure drop (which could cause liquid splashing or container damage) into a beneficial sterilization mechanism. The same pressure drop that creates mechanical stress on containers also creates intense shear forces and cavitation within the liquid that effectively deactivate pathogens, transforming a harmful effect into a useful sterilization tool
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
Preserves the liquid's desirable properties by efficiently killing or deactivating microbes in a short time, maintaining the liquid's composition, biological activity, and nutritional value without adverse effects.
Implementation Method 1
the pressure of liquid at the inlet being at least eight Bars greater than the pressure at the outlet
Implementation Method 2
a nozzle for diffusing a stream of liquid into droplets of liquid
Implementation Method 3
after the liquid has been diffused into droplets, increasing its temperature by 10°C or more
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and devices use one or more of pressure, pressure drop, increased temperature, rate of temperature increase, and inert gas to kill microbes. Utilizing a method or device, liquid is subjected to a pressure drop and heated either during and/or after the pressure drop. The liquid may be heated while in droplet phase, in a liquid volume, or both. Inert gas may be dissolved into the liquid at a pressure greater than 1 Bar. The pressure is later reduced, which causes inert gas to be released from the liquid. Other method steps and processes are also disclosed.