The Importance of Product Identity in Heat Exchanger Specification – PART 2

When it comes to choosing the right heat exchanger, the biggest factor is the nature of the materials being processed and the client’s requirements for the finished product – something that we at HRS refer to as the product identity.

While products such as fruit and vegetable mixtures may be the most obviously examples of materials which require such handling, some co-products and waste streams also need such gentle treatment. For example, some of the by-products from meat processing need to be handled gently in order to preserve shelf life – the more such products are handled, the quicker they degrade – and so the Unicus Series is often specified in such situations. Examples where the Unicus Series has been specified for this reason include sauce and marinade manufacturers.

In contrast, some products do not need to maintain the integrity of their ingredients, and in such cases the HRS R Series of scraped surface heat exchangers may be suitable, or even preferable. The R Series features a scraper bar which rotates at around 300 rpm and effectively breaks up or homogenises materials such as mechanically deboned meat (MDM) or jams and sauces.

Many systems will use a combination of two or more heat exchangers, for example a simpler system to pre-cool or pre-heat the bulk of the product and then the more specialist system to perform the main process. Many HRS pasteurisation systems will use an MI or DTA Series heat exchanger, followed by an R Series unit. Alternatively cooling processes may utilise an AS Series heat exchanger before the Unicus to improve efficiency and reduce system costs, as it reduces the size of the scraped surface heat exchanger required.

Ultimately the considerations about product identify and preserving product integrity are the same whether you are cooling or heating. HRS’s comprehensive range of tubular and scraped surface heat exchangers means that we will have the ideal starting point from which to construct your system, with individual units being specified to meet exact needs in terms of temperature, energy, thermal medium and product.