Our client asked us to prepare a family of shell-and-tube heat exchangers with exceptional capability for efficient and optimized performance in various branches of the food processing industry. They were looking for an experienced and reliable supplier to provide a complete custom-made exchanger based on key requirements, industry standards, and unique features to distinguish the product on the market. The client’s priority was a high-quality product with supreme resistance to fouling, efficient and reliable performance, and easy maintenance options. All in a compact form with an extensive heat exchange surface.
Our engineering team reviewed the assumptions and came up with the concept, considering the materials and mechanical qualities around which they could develop all necessary sanitary features. The concept was based on the U-tube bundle (TEMA type BEU) to eliminate the risk of fractures and leakages caused by insufficiently compensated thermal expansion. The use of high-quality stainless steel and sealing material ensured material compatibility and corrosion resistance for a wide range of products to be processed. Our sanitary heat exchangers were featured with a polished crevice-free product side surface to eliminate the risk of biofouling. Thanks to this, a complete draining of the exchanger could take place without disassembly (Clean in Place).
Our engineers successfully managed to design a solution for each sanitary heat exchanger based on advanced software for numerical analysis. The extensive software capabilities allowed us to simulate complex heat transfer processes for almost any food medium, from dairy products, beverages, and alcohol to vegetable and fruit preserves. The Clean in Place feature allowed for significant cost savings related to maintenance actions, and most importantly, it reduced losses of valuable food products. All of the design ideas allowed us to feature our sanitary heat exchangers with up to 30% more heat transfer area than a competitive solution available on the market.
We knew that we first needed to find a mechanical concept for the heat exchanger, considering the materials and mechanical qualities around which, in further steps, we could develop all necessary sanitary features. This was where we started. The idea based on the U-tube bundle (TEMA type BEU) allows for avoiding fractures and leakages caused by insufficiently compensated thermal expansion resulting from high-temperature differences between the product and utility sides. This is essential in the context of devices used in food processes, such as sterilization or pasteurization, using high-temperature media as a heating medium, e.g., saturated steam. The use of high-quality stainless steel and sealing materials compliant with market and food regulations guarantees material compatibility and corrosion resistance for a wide range of products to be processed. With an outline of the basic concept of the device, we could move on to implementing subsequent features. Bearing in mind the sanitary aspects, antifouling design became the starting point for turning shell and tube heat exchangers into reliable sanitary devices. Our sanitary heat exchangers were featured with certain, wisely thought-out qualities to remedy this. All of these allowed us to feature our sanitary heat exchangers with up to 30% more heat transfer area than a competitive solution available on the market. As part of the design of the sanitary devices, we created a solution for each sanitary heat exchanger based on advanced software for numerical analysis.
