Separator Recirculation Circuit for Milk Disinfection Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large-capacity separators for disinfecting raw milk or whey experience a significant reduction in disinfection efficiency when their capacity is reduced, leading to impaired performance at lower throughput levels, whereas smaller machines are less affected.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a second recirculation circuit for disinfected milk or whey, which allows for controlled recirculation back into the inlet, maintaining stable flow conditions and enhancing disinfection efficiency even at reduced capacities by compensating for inflow quantity variations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single recirculation circuit for entraining liquid is used, then the separator can maintain basic disinfection function, but the disinfection efficiency is significantly reduced when capacity is lowered
Solution Approach 1:
The recirculation system is divided into two independent circuits: one for entraining liquid and another for disinfected milk. This segmentation allows each circuit to function independently, enabling the separator to maintain disinfection efficiency even when overall capacity is reduced, as the disinfected milk recirculation can compensate for reduced throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The second recirculation circuit creates a feedback loop where disinfected milk is returned to the inlet. This feedback mechanism ensures that the separator continuously processes material through the drum, maintaining optimal flow conditions and disinfection efficiency regardless of the actual throughput capacity.
2Loss of energy
If the separator operates at reduced capacity, then energy consumption is reduced, but the disinfection result is impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The second recirculation circuit ensures continuous processing by returning disinfected milk to the inlet, maintaining constant flow through the drum. This continuity of useful action allows the separator to maintain disinfection quality even at reduced capacity, as the recirculated milk ensures sufficient residence time and processing through the centrifugal field.
3Device complexity
If no recirculation is used, then the system is simpler, but the separator cannot adapt to capacity changes
Solution Approach 1:
The recirculation system provides dynamic adaptability to capacity changes. The second recirculation circuit for disinfected milk can be adjusted to compensate for variations in throughput, allowing the separator to adapt to different operating conditions without changing the physical construction, thereby maintaining disinfection efficiency across capacity ranges.
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 solution stabilizes and improves disinfection efficiency, achieving a 'double disinfection' effect at lower capacities, maintaining optimal pressure and flow conditions, and ensuring a stable disinfection of below 50 spores per liter, without the need for physical adaptations to the separator's construction.
Implementation Method 1
a rotatable drum (12) having a vertical axis of rotation
Implementation Method 2
a disk stack (13)
Data Source
AI summary
A method of operating a separator to disinfect raw milk or whey by operating the separator within a range of an optimal clarifying effect by recirculating a portion of a disinfected milk phase with an entraining liquid.