Tempering Vessel Barrier Layout for Gentle Fruit Particle Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for tempering mixtures of solid and liquid phases, such as fruit particles and juice, often subject sensitive products to mechanical and thermal stress due to agitators and direct heating, which negatively impacts quality.
Innovation Solution
A device with a barrier, such as a sieve or filter, separates the liquid phase from the solid phase, allowing for gentle separation and temperature control without mechanical stress, using a temperature-controlled liquid phase introduced from below and a plate heat exchanger, with optional degassing and overpressure features for gentle handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If an agitator is used to mix the liquid and solid phases, then mixing efficiency is improved, but mechanical stress on the solid phase increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the harmful agitator from the system and replaces it with a barrier that enables gentle gravitational separation. The liquid phase is drawn off from the bottom without mechanical mixing, eliminating mechanical stress on solid particles while still achieving temperature homogenization through the circulation of heated liquid.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical mixing system (agitator) is replaced with a gravitational separation system using a barrier. The liquid phase separates naturally under gravity and is drawn off through a pump, eliminating the need for mechanical agitation while maintaining process efficiency.
2Temperature
If direct heating on the container wall is used, then heating efficiency is improved, but thermal stress on the product increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces the liquid phase as an intermediary heat transfer medium. The liquid is heated in the heat exchanger and then circulated back to contact the solid particles, providing gentle and uniform heat transfer throughout the mixture without direct contact between hot container walls and the product.
3Device complexity
If the barrier is positioned close to the container wall, then device complexity is reduced, but liquid phase withdrawal space is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier is nested within the container in a coaxial arrangement, creating an annular collection space between the barrier and the container wall. This nested configuration efficiently utilizes the available volume to create sufficient withdrawal space for the liquid phase without adding external complexity to the device.
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 solution enables efficient and gentle temperature homogenization of the mixture, reducing mechanical and thermal stress on the solid phase, while allowing for effective removal of gases and gentle emptying, thereby preserving product quality.
Implementation Method 1
the liquid phase is mainly drawn off from the bottom of the container and sent via a pump into the heat exchanger, which further heats the liquid phase
Implementation Method 2
The heated liquid then returns to the container and runs down onto the floating fruit particles, which also heats them up
Implementation Method 3
The orifice 5a of the circuit line 5 is separated from the interior of the container 2 by a barrier 8 which is designed in such a way that only or mainly the liquid phase gets into the circuit line 5
Implementation Method 4
the liquid phase is mainly drawn off from the bottom of the container and sent via a pump into the heat exchanger
Implementation Method 5
The agitator is operated in such a way that gravity separation occurs, with the liquid phase tending to collect at the bottom of the vessel and the solids to float
Data Source
AI summary
A device for tempering a mixture of a solid and a liquid phase, in particular a liquid containing fruit particles, is described. The device comprises a container connected to a heat exchanger via a recirculating line, the recirculating line having an inlet and an outlet in the container. To make such a device more gentle on the product, it is proposed that a barrier be arranged in the container to block the outlet of the recirculating line from the solid phase.