Pasteurisation plants are essential machines in food engineering, ensuring that food products remain shelf-stable for long periods. These plants can process soft drinks, fruits, and convenience food in a variety of containers. During pasteurisation, a conveyor belt transports the product while it is showered from above with hot water by sprinklers and passed through a hot bath. Optimal product quality can only be achieved through a well-tuned pasteurisation technology.
To further reduce the electricity and water consumption of the plant—and consequently the operating costs—information regarding the internal processes was required. This includes the energy transport from the sprinklers and the bath into the product, as well as the air movement induced by millions of falling water droplets. For this reason, FlowMotion was consulted to contribute their expertise as specialists in flow and thermal engineering issues.
To investigate the relationship between the product’s colour, texture, taste, and packaging and the various combinations of heating and cooling phases, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were employed. The complex physical heat transfer processes occurring during the pasteurisation process were implemented into the computer model with meticulous care to ensure accurate results.
The analysis of the simulation results contributed significantly to a better understanding of internal processes. This enabled the pasteurisation technology to be elevated to an even higher level, offering customers better products at lower costs. That makes the decisive difference.
