Systems and methods for heat exchange

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016366918-A1
Application number	US-201615189253-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 22, 2016
Priority date	Mar 17, 2011
Publication date	Dec 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Heat exchange devices, including aseptic cooler devices, and systems including same are provided. Methods of using heat exchange device are also provided. In a general embodiment, the present disclosure provides heat exchangers having an open chamber configuration and including a first section containing a cooling or heating media and a second section containing a food product. The first section includes a level detecting device that is configured to maintain a level of cooling or heating media in the first section, while preventing the cooling or heating media from pressurizing the first section. The open chamber configuration provides an air break at a top portion of the first section that ensures that the cooling or heating media entering the first section is at, or close to, atmospheric pressure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A heat exchanger for a food product, compromising:
a shell having a first end, a second end, and a heating media receiving chamber, the first end having a heating media inlet, a food product outlet, and an air vent, the second end having a heating media outlet and a food product inlet; a tubing for transporting the food product, the tubing disposed within the heating media receiving chamber of the shell and extending between the food product inlet and the food product outlet of the shell; a source of a heating media; a heating media inlet pathway for transporting the heating media from the source of the heating media to the heating media inlet of the shell; a recirculation pathway for transporting the heating media from the heating media outlet to the heating media inlet; a heating media outlet pathway for expelling the heating media from the recirculation pathway; a first valve interposed in the heating media inlet pathway so as to selectively control the flow of heating media from the source of heating media to the heating media receiving chamber of the shell; a temperature sensing device in communication with the tubing downstream of the food product outlet and with the first valve such that when the temperature of the food product flowing from the shell falls under a predetermined temperature, the first valve is actuated to permit the heating media to flow from the source of the heating media to the heating media receiving chamber via the heating media inlet pathway; a second valve interposed at an intersection of the heating media recirculation pathway and the heating media outlet pathway to selectively control the flow of heating media from the heating media receiving chamber to one of the heating media recirculation pathway and the heating media outlet pathway; and a level element in communication with the heating media receiving chamber and the second valve such that when the level of the heating media in the heating media chamber exceeds a predetermined level, the second valve is actuated to divert the flow of the heating media from the heating media recirculation pathway to the heating media outlet pathway, wherein the predetermined level of the heating media is from about 75% to about 95% of a height of the heating media receiving chamber, as measured from the second end to the first end so that the pressure within the heating media receiving chamber is substantially equal to atmospheric pressure as the heating media from the heating media source flows into the heating media receiving chamber.

2 . The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined level of the heating media is from about 80% to about 90% of the height of the heating media receiving chamber.

3 . The heat exchanger according to a claim 1 , wherein the air comprises about 5% to about 35% of a total interior volume of the chamber.

4 . The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the level element is at least one of: a capacitance level element, a grounded level element, radar, guided radar, ultrasonic, hydrostatic pressure, differential pressure element, radiometricor element, a combination thereof.

5 . The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is an aseptic heater.

6 . The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the heating media is a food grade coolant selected from the group consisting of water, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, salt brine, synthetic hydrocarbon base chemicals from the polyalphaolefin family, refined vegetable extracts coolant and combinations thereof.

7 . The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the food product comprises particulates.

8 . The heat exchanger according to a claim 1 , wherein the chamber comprises a top end and a bottom end, wherein the top end of the chamber comprises a food product outlet and a first composition inlet, and wherein the bottom end of the chamber comprises a food product inlet and a heating media.

9 . The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the tubing comprises a shape that is selected from the group consisting of linear, helical, serpentine, and combinations thereof.

10 . The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , further comprising a pressure sensor in communication with the heating media receiving chamber to sense an amount of pressure within the heating media receiving chamber.

11 . The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the air comprises about 5% to about 35% of a total volume of the chamber.

12 . The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a holding apparatus; and a pre-heating apparatus.

13 . The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is a closed system.

14 . The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one of: a temperature sensor, a pre-heating apparatus; a pump configured to circulate the first composition, or a combination thereof.

15 . A method of producing an aseptic food product, the method comprising:
heating a food composition in a heat exchanger to a predetermined temperature, wherein the heat exchanger is selected from a group consisting of those claimed in claims 1 to claim 14 ; holding the composition in a holding apparatus for a predetermined amount of time; and cooling the composition in a cooling device having a chamber configured to contain a first composition and an amount of air, tubing located within the chamber and configured to maintain a predetermined amount of the first composition within the chamber, wherein the predetermined amount of the first composition corresponds to a level of the first composition that is from about 75% to about 95% of a height of the chamber.

16 . The method according to claim 15 , further comprising pre-heating the composition in a pre-heating tank.

17 . The method according to claim 15 , further comprising pre-cooling the composition in a pre-cooling tank.

18 . The method according to claim 15 , wherein the monitoring is performed with a temperature sensor.

19 . The method according to claim 15 , further comprising circulating the first composition through the chamber.

20 . The method according to claim 15 , further comprising recirculating at least a portion of the heating media through the chamber.

Assignees

• Batmaz Ediz
• Hartliep Barbara Burzinski
• Reyes-Trevino Ricardo
• Beutler Ernst
• Nestec Sa

Inventors

• Batmaz Ediz
• Hartliep Barbara Burzinski
• Reyes-Trevino Ricardo
• Beutler Ernst

Classifications

• A23B11/1403

  Freezing in loose unpacked form · CPC title

• A23B11/133

  and progressively transported through the apparatus · CPC title

• A23B2/803

  Materials being transported through or in the apparatus, with or without shaping, e.g. in the form of powders, granules or flakes · CPC title

• A23B2/46 Primary

  with transport through tubes · CPC title

• A23L3/361

  Human Necessities · mapped topic