SOLIDS HANDLING/PROCESSING FEATURE SAY CHEESE IN EVAPORATION
Matt Hale, International sales & marketing director, HRS Heat Exchangers, explains how the novel use of evaporation using heat exchanger technology has increased drying capacity at a European cheese processor
T
his cheese processor takes out-of- specification cheese products from
production sites across Europe and converts them into high-quality protein for use in pet food and animal feed. The cheese is pasteurised and then dried to produce a powdered additive.
REDUCING WATER CONTENT When the client wanted to increase production capacity, its first thought was to install an additional dryer; an expensive and energy-intensive solution. However, as the capacity of the dryer is determined by the amount of water it can remove per hour, another way to increase overall throughput would be to reduce the water content of the cheese products before drying, so that a larger volume could be dried at one time.
The client approached HRS because of its
expertise in evaporation and concentration technology. The first step was to determine if the existing dryer would cope with a more concentrated cheese solution. HRS supplied a trial evaporation system which the client used to analyse all aspects of the revised production system, the properties of the materials and the potential results. The trial unit proved that the concept was feasible, and so HRS designed an appropriate evaporation
The HRS Unicus series of scraped surface heat exchangers is ideal for high fouling materials like cheese and dairy products
system to sit between the existing pasteuriser and dryer. The trials and material analyses also
showed how the physical and thermal properties of the cheese change as it is heated and the water is removed. At the beginning of the process, the product is fairly liquid with good thermal transfer characteristics, but as water is removed it becomes more solid and concentrated, with less heat transfer. In order to provide adequate processing, a continuous treatment process would have to be designed around the ‘worst case’ thermal characteristics at the end of the process.
LESS IS MORE It was therefore decided to adopt a batch treatment approach as overall this required a smaller heat transfer surface, less equipment and less energy, requiring a smaller evaporator, smaller ancillaries and less energy to run. The batch system, which employs two tanks – one of which is filled while the other is being treated – is also simpler to design and operate. Employing a two-tank system with full automation also results in a continuous operational process. Heated cheese is a high-fouling,
Matt Hale, sales & marketing director, HRS Heat Exchangers
RAMPING UP TO MEET SURGE IN SNACK FOOD DEMAND
Fuelled by changes in consumer eating habits, the snack food category has seen an uplift of 40% during the pandemic, resulting in an increase in processing equipment orders from Spiroflow. The company’s mobile sack tip unit with conveyor is currently helping provide food processors with scalability during this unprecedented time. Perfect for adding seasoning, salt and seeds to snack products from ground floor up to seasoning drums, or other processing equipment, the sack tip unit offers processors flexibility as the system can be moved easily to a cleaning area or if space is limited. Consisting of a flexible screw conveyor, an agitator and a hopper with a dust
hood, the system helps to reduce the manual handling by consistently dosing seasoning into a process line. The action of the conveyor ensures the material is being constantly remixed, which is important when a specific blend needs to remain consistent. The simplicity of the conveyor system makes cleaning a simple operation which is essential if batch
changes occur. The electric motor may be reversed to empty the conveyor of residual ingredients. It can then be fully stripped down in minutes for cleaning and product changeovers, and the spiral can be quickly removed from the tube, with optional quick release connectors enabling rapid dismantling and reassembly to minimise downtime. Spiroflow’s mobile seasoning units can be provided with integral control panels as required, for a ‘plug and play solution’ requiring no installation. “We’re used to responding to changing market conditions and refocusing sales teams on the segments
that are in need of our equipment, but the increase in the snacking category has been unprecedented,” said Spiroflow’s James Podevyn. “Production of our mobile sack tip unit has been ramped up to support food processors and provide production flexibility. In responding to extraordinary disruption such as this, it’s vital that businesses such as Spiroflow apply our technology and expertise to facilitate improved supply chain resilience.” Spiroflow
www.spiroflow.com/industry/food/ / PROCESS&CONTROL
extremely viscous, material. Therefore, an evaporator based on the HRS Unicus Series of reciprocating scraped surface heat exchangers was supplied to prevent the build up of cheese and burnt-on cheese residue on the tube walls of the heat exchanger. To reduce energy requirements and improve operational efficiency, the evaporator operates at a vacuum of around 200 mbar, meaning that the water in the cheese solution boils off at 60°C. HRS supplied two complete skid-
mounted systems, each of which comprised the Unicus evaporator, two tanks, pumps, controls, and connections. Each skid-mounted system can process 3.6 tonnes of cheese product per hour, increasing the total solid concentration from 34 to 45 per cent, and increasing dryer capacity by a similar amount.
HRS Heat Exchangers
www.hrs-heatexchangers.com
PROCESS & CONTROL | SEPTEMBER 2020 25
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