In all industries, and in particular the food industry, the use of different machines and equipment is carried out, these have different functions, which together allow to carry out the processes for the elaboration of a food product.
Some of these equipments are heat exchangers, as we know the
Heat exchangers have the function of transferring energy (heat) from one place to another, or from one fluid to another.
The heat exchangers found in the food industries have a great variety of forms and functions, but although they may have all these varieties and similar functions, the most common heat exchangers that we can find in most of the Companies due to their affordability and their operation that they perform and that is essential are: the evaporator, boilers, coolers and pasteurizers.
There are heat exchangers that have similar operations, each of the exchangers used in the industries have advantages and disadvantages. Evaporators, vaporizers and boilers have almost the same operation since they work with liquid fluids that are superheated in order to convert the fluid in steam, but it should be mentioned that in the case of the first two, we are working with liquid fluids of a different nature.
The objective of this essay is to show the definition, the characteristics and above all the great importance of heat exchangers in the food industry.
Keywords: Heat exchanger, evaporator, food industry
The importance of heat exchangers in the food industry
In the food industry we can find endless machines and equipment, all of these are used to carry out their processes, in what is the transformation of a raw material into a finished product.
Many times we do not think that these equipments and machines have a great relevance in the industry, and much less about how it works. Some equipment found in the food industry is equipment called heat exchangers, these are named this way because as mentioned by Jaramillo (2007) that heat exchangers are devices that are responsible for transferring heat from one place to another, or from one fluid to another fluid.
There are many types of heat exchangers that can be found in food companies, these can have many shapes and sizes, but it should be mentioned that many companies do not have all types, because that implies high costs or because of the efficiency that some can present on others, but the most common that we can find are: evaporators, boilers, chillers and pasteurizers.
There are some heat exchangers that have certain characteristics, such as their similar operation, but I consider that there are many varieties according to the advantages and disadvantages that they offer. Continuing with the similarities between the exchangers, we can find that evaporators, vaporizers and boilers have a similar application, although in the case that these work with liquid fluids in order to heat them and convert them into steam, the first 2 work each with liquid fluids of different nature.
For example, with the evaporator what is heated and evaporated is the water, because energy is supplied with a temperature equivalent to the evaporation of water, on the other hand, with a vaporizer another fluid other than water can be heated and evaporated.
Boilers are another type of heat exchangers, they have the function of heating water or producing steam, here I consider that it is depending on the use to which the product resulting from the process that is carried out in the boiler will be used.
The use of these heat exchangers is important, because as I described about the 3 aforementioned equipment, they can be used to produce steam or to heat water and at the same time these resulting products can be used to perform operations such as sterilization. Likewise, they are also very important, as is the case with evaporators, to withdraw a certain amount of water from a product in transformation, such as juices and jams, just to mention a few, because the application can be given in other products, continuing with what As I was saying, a part of the water is removed so that the ingredients of the products can be more concentrated. The exchangers serve us for many things, such as, what I have already mentioned,that of heating liquids and making them go from one state to another, as well as heating and raising the temperature of some foods in order to give them a treatment that allows the food to be decontaminated, that is, to eliminate or inactivate the enzymes and pathogenic microorganisms, a practical case of this is that of pasteurization or ultra pasteurization, depending on the parameters that are taken to carry it out, and the equipment with which these treatments are carried out are the pasteurizer or ultra pasteurizer.depending on the parameters that are taken to perform it, and the equipment with which these treatments are carried out are the pasteurizer or the ultra pasteurizer.depending on the parameters that are taken to perform it, and the equipment with which these treatments are carried out are the pasteurizer or the ultra pasteurizer.
As we can realize, this equipment is of great importance, since with this pasteurization heat treatment we can obtain a safe and quality product, and this is achieved thanks to the application of a heat exchanger.
I have concentrated on talking about how a heat exchanger helps us transfer energy, and about the high temperatures that equipment is handled to heat liquid fluids and to evaporate them, but it must also be clarified that a heat exchanger can be a equipment that handles low temperatures (cold), this can be carried out in industrial freezers, in which what happens is to remove the heat from one place to another, this takes great importance in the food industry because thanks to these equipment is achieved food preservation.
As we can see in heat exchangers, high and low temperatures are handled and there is a transfer between them, I think about the impact that heat exchangers have in the food industry, also how is the influence of the differences of temperatures and the management that has been given to these equipments in order to obtain benefits from its operating principle, which originates from the transfer of energy by the difference in temperatures.
Heat exchangers are of great importance in the food industry, because with these equipment, engineers and operators carry out different tasks throughout the different stages of the production process of different food products, with heat exchangers they are able to obtain many benefits such as the conservation, purification, safety and quality of the products, as well as the efficiency in the processes, saving resources and reducing losses.
conclusion
Heat exchangers are very important in the food industry, they are equipment that has an operating principle from the transfer of energy caused by the difference in temperatures that exist, the human being has used this for their own benefit and thus as it has transported it to the food industry, it has done so in other areas.
Despite the fact that there are many types of heat exchangers, companies adapt to having equipment that is more efficient and that they can afford with their expenses to invest their economic resources in equipment with better technologies and are concerned about having in their facilities the equipment that are more common such as pasteurizers, freezers, boilers and evaporators, or this may also depend on what products are being produced.
Each of the heat exchangers are of great importance in the food industry, because with them processes and transformations can be carried out, and if these did not exist, companies would not be able to get ahead, since companies benefit from this equipment, because with they achieve efficiencies in processes, loss of time and economic resources, as well as the conservation, safety and quality of their products.
I believe that human beings are also constantly searching for ways to innovate or improve their equipment, with the sole purpose of benefiting from obtaining the best efficiency in their equipment, reducing costs and losses.
Bibliography
- Jaramillo, OA (2007). Heat exchangers. Energy Research Center. National Autonomous University of Mexico Retrieved on September 13, 2016 from http://www.cie.Unam.mx/~ojs/pub/HeatExchaLostaunau, LM (2007). Boilers and Steam Turbines for Electric Power Generation. Faculty of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru Pérez-Reyes, ME & Sosa-Morales, ME (2013). Heat transfer mechanisms that occur in heat treatments of food. Selected Topics in Food Engineering, 7 (1), 37-47. http://www.absorsistem.com/tecnologia/calderas/descripci%C3%B3n-de-calderas-ygeneradores-de-vapor http://www.machinepoint.com/foodtechnologies/machinery.nsf/beverage_technology/interc ambiadores_ de_calor.html
