Sterilizable Homogenizer Damper With Air Pocket Pulsation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing homogenizer dampers in liquid food processing lines face inefficiencies in cleaning and sterilization, leading to suboptimal operation and potential equipment breakdowns due to pressure pulsations.
Innovation Solution
A damper arrangement featuring vessels with air pockets and jackets for sterilization, where the heating media is passed through the jacket rather than directly through the inner chamber, allowing for efficient sterilization and reduced manual cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hot water is fed through the inner chamber for sterilization, then sterilization can be performed, but time and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a jacket as an intermediary structure surrounding the inner chamber. Heating media is passed through the jacket to indirectly heat and sterilize the inner chamber contents, rather than directly feeding hot water through the chamber. This intermediary approach reduces the time and energy required for sterilization while maintaining effectiveness.
2Reliability
If hot water is fed through the inner chamber for sterilization, then sterilization can be performed, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The jacket serves as a thermal intermediary that efficiently transfers heat from the heating media to the inner chamber contents. This indirect heating method through the jacket wall reduces energy consumption compared to directly heating water flowing through the chamber, while still achieving complete sterilization.
3Ease of manufacture
If manual cleaning is performed, then cleaning can be done, but labor requirements and downtime increase
Solution Approach 1:
The damper arrangement is equipped with automatic cleaning capability where cleaning media and heating media can be circulated through the system via valves and pumps. This self-service cleaning system eliminates the need for manual disassembly and cleaning by operators, thereby reducing labor requirements and minimizing operational downtime while maintaining thorough cleaning effectiveness.
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 proposed solution enhances the efficiency of cleaning and sterilization processes, reducing time and energy consumption while improving the overall productivity and reliability of food processing lines.
Implementation Method 1
a jacket that has a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet for passing, via a heating media valve, a heating media through the jacket for sterilizing the inner chamber of the vessel
Implementation Method 2
the upper end valve, the lower end valve and the line connecting valve being operable to drain the inner chamber from liquid product and form a pressure absorbing air pocket inside the inner chamber
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4
AI summary
A damper arrangement (100) for reducing pressure pulsations in a fluid line (102) filled with a liquid product The damper arrangement comprises: a vessel (104) having an inner chamber (116); an upper end valve (132) that connects an upper end (106) of the inner chamber to a gaseous media supply (135); a lower end valve (128) that connects a lower end (108) of the inner chamber to a liquid output (130); and a line connecting valve (126) that connects the lower end of the inner chamber to the fluid line. The upper end valve, the lower end valve and the line connecting valve are operable to drain the inner chamber from liquid product and form a pressure absorbing air pocket (109) inside the inner chamber. The vessel comprises a jacket (110) that has a fluid inlet (112) and a fluid outlet (114) for passing, via a heating media valve (142), a heating media through the jacket for sterilizing the inner chamber of the vessel.