Direct Steam Injection Heating Process for Solid Product Concentration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Direct steam injection in heating processes adds significant amounts of condensed water to the final product, diluting it and requiring additional steps to remove excess water, which is inefficient and affects product concentration.
Innovation Solution
A process involving direct steam injection into a starting material, followed by separation into a solid and liquid product, pressurizing and heating the liquid, and reducing pressure to generate steam, which is then recycled for further heating, while simultaneously removing excess water through evaporation, resulting in a concentrated liquid product.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If direct steam injection is used for heating, then heating efficiency and speed are improved, but condensed water is added to the product stream diluting the final product
Solution Approach 1:
The invention recovers condensed water from the heating process through a separator and flash evaporator system. The condensed water is flash-evaporated to generate steam that is recycled back to the direct steam injection heater, while the concentrated liquid product has reduced water content. This closes the water cycle and eliminates the net addition of water to the final product.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes phase transitions of water between liquid, vapor, and concentrated liquid states. Steam condenses to liquid water during heating, the condensed water is then flash-evaporated back to steam for reuse, and the remaining liquid becomes concentrated. These phase transitions enable both efficient heating and water removal.
2Speed
If direct steam injection is used for heating, then heating speed is improved, but product concentration is reduced due to diluted product
Solution Approach 1:
The separator removes condensed water from the heated material stream, and the flash evaporator concentrates the liquid product by removing water. This recovery and concentration system maintains product concentration while preserving the fast heating benefits of direct steam injection.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a continuous cycle where condensed water is continuously recovered, flash-evaporated, and recycled as steam. This continuous operation ensures that heating efficiency is maintained while water is continuously removed from the product stream to preserve concentration.
3Quantity of substance
If condensed water is removed from the product stream, then product concentration is improved, but additional processing steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines the heating function with the water removal function in an integrated system. The direct steam injection heater provides heating while generating condensed water that is immediately routed to the separator and flash evaporator. This merging of functions reduces overall process complexity compared to separate heating and concentration operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The flash evaporator utilizes rapid phase transition of water from liquid to vapor at reduced pressure to achieve concentration. This single-step phase change process is more efficient and less complex than multi-stage evaporation or other concentration methods, achieving both water removal and concentration in one operation.
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 method achieves efficient heating with reduced water addition, concentrating the liquid product and enhancing processing efficiency by up to 25% compared to indirect heating methods, while maintaining product quality and enzyme activity.
Implementation Method 1
Direct injection of steam to the starting material offers a more efficient and faster heating due to the absent of heat exchanger surfaces to transfer the heat from the heating medium to the material being processed
Implementation Method 2
steam is directly injected into a food material being processed
Implementation Method 3
heating and pressurizing the aqueous liquid, and reducing the pressure of the aqueous liquid thereby generating steam
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention concerns a process for producing a solid product and a liquid product, comprising the steps of a. heating by direct steam injection a finely divided starting material, b. separating the heated starting material in the solid product and an aqueous liquid, c. heating and pressurizing the aqueous liquid, and d. reducing the pressure of the aqueous liquid thereby generating steam and the liquid product, wherein the steam generated in step d is returned to step a for injection into the finely divided starting material. The process suggests a solution for extracting the additional water appearing in the aqueous liquid due to condensed steam.