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Industry 4.0; fourth industrial revolution; internet of things – Three terms referring to the shift in industry towards autonomous production systems using machines which are controlled and monitored by computer-based algorithms. While there can be a lot of hype, there is no doubt that the general direction of travel in manufacturing is for the use…

Thanks to tighter environmental regulations and greater public awareness, companies are increasingly looking to reduce or eliminate the waste that they produce. In recent years, Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) has become an important waste reduction technique, but its potential in dealing with hazardous waste streams has not been fully appreciated until now. One of the…

At BioCycle REFOR18 stand 38, HRS Heat Exchangers will be demonstrating the crucial role that heat exchangers can play in improving the overall efficiency of biogas plants: from pre-heating feedstock to concentrating and pasteurizing digestate. HRS Heat Exchangers provides a wide range of dedicated heat exchangers for the anaerobic digestion sector around the world, including…

At PACK EXPO International 2018 stand E-10317, HRS Heat Exchangers will showcase its new HRS RHD Series of heavy duty heat exchangers, perfect for highly viscous, almost solid materials such as nut butters. As one of the biggest food trends over the last two years, the nut butter market has exploded to include peanut, almond,…

At WEFTEC 2018 New Orleans, stand 2357, HRS Heat Exchangers will demonstrate the trial version of its unique effluent Concentration System for the first time ever in the US. The trial system enables plant operators to measure how much their effluent waste volumes can be reduced before committing to a full-sized system. With the trial-size…

Nut butter is one of the big food trends of the last two years. Once the only choice on the shelf would have been between smooth or crunchy peanut butter, but recently, as the health benefits of quality nut butter have been understood, the market has exploded to include peanut, almond, cashew, and even seed…

A key challenge in the food industry is recovering valuable product which is left in equipment and pipework after production runs, for example between product change-overs and before cleaning. Product lost in this way increases operating costs unnecessarily and affects beverage manufactures to sauce producers, fruit and vegetable purées, and many other products. Companies often…

When treating wastewater, sludge and digestate, it can be beneficial to reduce the volume of material or increase the solids content. Mechanical dewatering via a centrifuge or belt press to separate solids and liquids is standard for the water treatment and anaerobic digestion sectors – but what if you want to further reduce the water…

Different materials need different types of heat exchanger. For the simplest fluids such as water and milk, plate heat exchangers are often sufficient, but as products become more challenging (for example more viscous, or containing particles), then different types of tubular and scraped surface heat exchangers are required. For those products with extremely high fouling…

At UK AD & World Biogas Expo 2018 stand D603, HRS Heat Exchangers will showcase its novel Digestate Concentration System (DCS), which increases the dry solid content of digestate three-or four-fold, typically to between 10-20 per cent. By reducing the liquid fraction and therefore the overall volume of digestate produced, the DCS minimizes the economic…

HRS Heat Exchangers is shining a light on a forgotten area of food wastage at this year’s Propak Asia (stand BN42) – food lost during cleaning cycles and production changes. The HRS R Series of scraped surface heat exchangers removes food residues from inside the exchanger, meaning that food factories can now recover valuable product…

At EXPO PACK Mexico City stand 760, HRS Heat Exchangers will showcase its Asepticblock Mini Series – a new skid-mounted unit which combines a pasteurizer or sterilizer system with an aseptic filler for food manufacturers requiring a compact portable solution to complete smaller batch runs. The Asepticblock Mini Series is designed to sterilize foods for…

Heat exchangers are widely used across a range of industries, including food manufacturing, chemical processing, water treatment and renewable energy production. As well as basic heating and cooling, they are used for a wide range of other processes including pasteurization, sterilization, crystallization and evaporation. With so many uses, and an almost infinite number of materials…

The use of biomethane as a transport fuel is an exciting prospect, but to date development of the necessary infrastructure in the UK has been disappointing. A report last year¹ showed using biomethane could reduce well-to-wheel (WTW) CO2e emissions in road transport by between 35% and 88% depending on the vehicles and lifecycle analysis used….

Hall 10.2, Stand: D069 With resource efficiency topping the agenda at this year’s Anuga FoodTec show, HRS Heat Exchangers is shining a light on a forgotten area of wastage in food processing – food lost during cleaning cycles and production changes. The HRS R Series of scraped surface heat exchangers removes food residue, meaning that…

Around the world the demand for premium fresh and not-from-concentrate orange juice is buoyant, with chilled fresh products often bucking a general trend towards reduced juice consumption. With such products depending on the maintenance of high quality to support demand, we look at how the ‘flash pasteurization technique’ can help satisfy discerning consumers. Whether fresh…

Heat is fundamental to the food and drink industry. Processes such as cooking, drying and pasteurization are widely used in all but the most basic food manufacturing and processing situations, in sectors including dairy, fruit and vegetable processing, meat, prepared foods, brewing, dietary supplements and others. This demand for heating (and cooling) requires a large…

Zero liquid discharge (ZLD) is a technique whereby liquid waste streams from industrial plants are eliminated. These are instead replaced with clean water, which can be reused in the process, and the minimum amount of solid residues, which often include valuable by-products that can be sold or reused. ZLD is suitable for a wide range…

The last detailed study of heat use in the agricultural industry was carried out almost 10 years ago*, but it showed that UK farmers used almost 2,200 GWh of heat each year, and that heating accounted for 37 % of the total energy used in agriculture. When horticulture (greenhouses and nurseries) are added, these figures…

1. Can you give me an overview of the range of the water/waste analysis/industry sectors you are involved with? HRS Heat Exchangers provides heat exchangers, pasteurizers and Digestate Concentration Systems to wastewater anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities. HRS’ customers and end-users include Southern Water, Severn Trent Water, Welsh Water, Yorkshire Water, Anglian Water, Northumbrian Water, Wessex…

Over the years, different wastewater companies have adopted different approaches to sludge treatment, but there is now a trend towards anaerobic digestion (AD) and away from incineration. In the UK, the number of AD facilities for sludge treatment has grown 12% from 2010-2015. Those 159 plants generated 25% more energy during the same period*. This…

Aseptic filling is a key process in modern food and ingredient manufacturing, particularly for fruit purees and fillings. We recently installed an upgraded combined line to sterilize, cool and aseptically fill fruit purees for a UK client, and it provides a perfect illustration of how different equipment comes together to form a line capable of…

Aseptic filling, packing and processing are at the heart of many modern food, beverage and pharmaceutical operations. Despite this, the availability of increasingly effective and autonomous aseptic filling machinery means that the actual principles are not always understood, resulting in wrongly specified equipment which does not function as intended. The dictionary tells us that aseptic…

Heat exchangers are a well established tool for the thermal processing of materials. They are used for cooking, pasteurisation and sterilisation, as well as for heating or cooling a range of products. When it comes to designing a heat exchanger, there are two main considerations. The first is to select the right type of heat…

HRS Heat Exchangers is supplying the pasteurization technology for a new anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in the south of France, which, once operational, will convert more than 71,650 tons of abattoir and agricultural waste products into electricity, useful heat and a valuable biological fertilizer for use by local farmers. The plant is being developed for…

The HRS pasteurizer allows the user to adjust the heating-holding-cooling cycle for each product to best suit its requirements with the HTST (High Temperature Short Time) method, where the product is subjected to a high temperature for a short time, thus giving an efficient process allowing sterilization to be optimised ensuring that the desired results…

By Arnold Kleijn, Product Development Manager, HRS Heat Exchangers Thermal processing is an essential part of many production processes. Whether cooking, pasteurising or sterilising, or heating or cooling a range of products, it’s a safe bet that many manufacturers will be using a heat exchanger to carry out their thermal processing requirements. Yet, with such…

HRS Heat Exchangers are proud to announce our recent alliance with the recently launched  World Biogas Association (WBA). With a key focus on managing energy efficiently across the Anaerobic Digestion sector, HRS has partnered with the WBA as founder members to help the association to further develop growth and sustainability across the international AD community….

Did you know that Malaysia is one of the world’s largest producers of rubber, and synthetic nitrile rubber, gloves? This position has arisen thanks to Malaysia’s large scale production of rubber. The first rubber trees were planted in the early 1880’s by the British who imported Brazilian and Sri Lankan stock, with some help from…

By Arnold Kleijn, Product Development Manager, HRS Heat Exchangers Thermal processing is an essential part of food production. Whether cooking, pasteurizing or sterilizing, or heating or cooling a range of products, it’s a safe bet that most food producers will be using a heat exchanger to carry out their thermal processing requirements. Yet, with such…

The ability to move products around during processing is an inherent need for most medium and large-scale food manufacturers. The exact requirements depend on many factors, including the nature of the product itself and the processes involved. However, they tend to fall into two types; those which can be pumped and transported in pipes and…

The scientific consensus on climate change is now well established. 2016 was the warmest year on record, and it is clear that in order to avoid the very worst effects of climate change, we need to use every available tool to decarbonize as many aspects of society as possible, from energy generation and transport, through…

By Matt Hale, International Sales Manager, HRS Heat Exchangers   With a few notable exceptions, such as new US president Donald Trump and our own Nigel Lawson, the scientific consensus on climate change is well established. As far back as 2004, 75%[1] of US scientific papers accepted the premise of human modification of the climate….

By Matt Hale, International Sales Manager, HRS Heat Exchangers   In the UK, the wastewater treatment sector has used both aerobic and anaerobic treatment for many years. It is therefore not surprising that when the Renewables Obligation (RO) was introduced in April 2002 (April 2005 in Northern Ireland), sewage sludge anaerobic digestion (AD) plants were…

A leading American dairy manufacturer selects HRS annular space heat exchangers to overcome several processing challenges within their existing processing line. HRS offered a compact single pass system incorporating triple tube technology, in place of the existing system, which was previously run in parallel lines. Designed to withstand high pressure operations, HRS AS Series  sanitary heat…

HRS Heat Exchangers USA has recently been awarded an order to supply a bespoke sanitary pasteurization system for a leading fruit processor. The efficient system incorporates 3-off HRS UNICUS Series reciprocating scraped surface heat exchangers, with the addition of an HRS BP Series piston pump. The patented HRS UNICUS Series is ideally placed for high…

Sustainability has never been higher on the agenda for food and drink companies than it is now. Not only does operating in an ethical and environmentally responsible way make sense for both planet and pocket, but it’s clear that this is what consumers want, too. Research from Globescan revealed that 92 percent of shoppers think…

Heat exchangers are a well-established tool for the thermal processing of materials, such as cooking, pasteurization and sterilization, as well as heating or cooling a range of products.   When it comes to choosing the right heat exchanger for a particular situation, there is no substitute for professional advice, but you will have a better…

Our focus on enabling customers to increase energy efficiency based on application engineering is a unique proposition. For food processing, HRS offers an additional advantage to processors with our state-of-the-art sterilizer and filler systems to ensure a sanitary end product with superior shelf life. The advantage is provided to a vast client base applying the…

Whether to add pasteurization to an anaerobic digestion plant can be a contentious topic in certain circles. While there are undoubtedly benefits, including compliance with the PAS 110 standard for digestate, many plant operators and those considering biogas project see pasteurization as adding unnecessary cost and complexity to the process.   However, six years of…

After several months of hard work and dedication, we are pleased to officially announce the launch of our new website. With a bold new look and simplified navigation, the updated website is not only visually appealing, but also significantly more functional. Enhanced with a host of new features, the streamlined menus provide a more interactive…

When processing any kind of remotely viscous food product it is inevitable that a certain amount will adhere to surfaces, such as the inside of vessels and pipe work, or become left in equipment after processing. The potential value of this lost product can soon add up, especially when handling large quantities of viscous, valuable…

HRS Heat Exchangers are pleased to announce the launch of the new HRS MP Series Multi-Tube Heat Exchanger; the HRS MP Series is the latest innovation from our Product Development Centre. Ideally placed for sanitary and industrial applications, the HRS MP Series is a complete stainless steel multi-tube design with multiple passes on the tube…

Traditionally scraped surface heat exchanger (SSHE) technology has been the preferred method selected by processing lines for heating and cooling viscous products. Triple tube corrugated tubular heat exchangers, commonly known as annular space heat exchangers (AS Series) can be utilized in many applications as pre-heaters or pre-coolers prior to the SSHE. The HRS AS Series…

Highlighting our established expertise within the pulp processing sector, HRS India has gained an impressive number of orders for our food evaporation systems. The combination of our technology partnership with key clients has played an integral role in securing new growth within India’s food market. Carefully tailored to meet the challenging requirements for fruit processing,…

HRS India has successfully supplied Nagarjuna Fertilisers with a bespoke thermal transfer solution to overcome a challenging fertilizer production application in India. Nagarjuna Fertilisers are one of the most recognized agricultural brands in India and manufacture a broad range of specialty fertilizers to the farming sector. Energy efficiency in terms of quantum and cost is…

HRS BP Series Piston Pump vs. Progressive Cavity Pumps Pumping inside a helical pump, progressive cavity pump or mono pump is based on a rotor and a stator. The rotor has a helical shape that turns inside a stator made of elastic material. The stator contains cavities in order to create chambers of product that…

Using patented technology designed and manufactured by HRS Heat Exchangers, the DCS is a superior and energy-efficient way of concentrating digestate. Q: What is your product/technology? The HRS Digestate Concentration System (DCS) reduces the volume of digestate while increasing its nutrient content, reusing water from the CHP engine and surplus heat from other parts of…

Over the past 12 months, HRS India has paved the way to becoming the preferred choice amongst fruit pulp producers and exporters. Having shown great promise within the sanitary sector; HRS India has secured a string of impressive orders for their novel HRS Monobloc Sterilizer; whilst creating further sales expansion across several new states to…

Anaerobic digestion (AD) produces many valuable and useful products, including biogas (which can then be turned into heat, electricity or biomethane gas) and digestate, a biofertilizer rich in nutrients and organic matter. However, many AD plants also produce incidental heat, which can be captured and used within the AD process or for other on-site operations….

Following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, concerns have been raised about the wide-ranging impact faced by existing AD operators, the supply chain and future developers within the AD industry. Suffice to say the recent Brexit result didn’t dampen our fifth consecutive year at the annual UK AD & Biogas exhibition, held at…

Since the release of the HRS R Series Scraped Surfaced Heat Exchanger in 2013, HRS has enjoyed its largest global sales figures from Australia and New Zealand, and the numbers are on the rise. A large number of units sold have been to the manuka honey industry in New Zealand, where cooling of the extremely…

HRS has been selected by one of Australasia’s largest food manufacturers based in New Zealand for the supply of a continuous pasteurizer for their new factory producing fruit and vegetable puree. The compact solution, to be delivered and commissioned this year, is part of a multi-million dollar factory fit-out to drastically increase production while lessening…

HRS India has recently supplied aReactor Circulation Heater for a leading producer of oleochemical products, such as fatty acids, glycerine, esters, technical oils, specialty oleochemicals and biodiesel made from renewable raw materials through use of natural energy resources. The heat exchanger will be utilized as Critical Process Equipment (CPE) and will be applied in the…

HRS Heat Exchangers has provided an ultra-efficient combined sterilizer for a leading fresh fruit processor for their premises in Murcia, Spain. The combined sterilizer comprises of several key components and has been designed to process fruit puree and fruit particles in a totally sterile atmosphere. The aseptic system incorporates a deaeration system, principally designed to…

We are delighted to announce that HRS Heat Exchangers is among the 2016 Awards finalists at the UK AD & Biogas Industry Awards for a second consecutive year. Our innovative Digestate Concentration System (DCS) has been shortlisted for two awards at this prestigious event, where HRS joins four other companies in the category “Making The Most…

A heat exchanger is simply a device for transferring heat from one fluid or gas to another. Yet choosing the best-suited heat exchanger for a particular application is not that simple and requires the supplier to fully understand your process and products so that the solution delivers optimum performance throughout its working life. With 35…

To build on the success of trials conducted on our scraped surface heat exchanger technology, HRS has now increased our capabilities to run product trials on our unique BP Series piston pump for clients in Australia and New Zealand. The recipe is the same; with a try, before you buy€™ option for clients who are…

Alimentos Profusa, a Mexican fruit and vegetable processor approached HRS to design an aseptic thermal processing system to treat caramel syrup and fruit bases. HRS submitted two proposals based upon their scraped surface heat exchanger technologies, the HRS UNICUS and R Series. The HRS R series was selected as the optimum solution due to the…

On 11th April, the President of Murcia, Pedro Antonio Sánchez, attended an inauguration ceremony for the Kernel Export biogas plant installed in Los Alcázares, Murcia (Spain). The President praised the significance of the efficient biogas plant and commented: “Kernel Export is a modern company that has grown within the traditional agricultural sector and has become…

HRS Heat Exchangers has provided a leading Spanish fruit and vegetable processor with an aseptic sterilizer for a fruit concentrate application.  A leader in processing and treatment of seasonal fruits, citric fruits and vegetables, selected HRS for the design, manufacture and installation of the complete sterilization unit. The plant, which consists of several fully skid mounted…

As a relatively stable Newtonian fluid, liquid milk presents few handling challenges, something which has resulted in the use of simple plate-type heat exchangers in the majority of dairies. However, other dairy products, such as yogurt, butter, curds and cheese can all vary according to temperature and, if handled incorrectly, may have their key textural…

It is easy to see why anaerobic digestion (AD) has become such a popular technology in the food processing industry. Currently over 400 AD plants are generating more than 500 MW of energy – yet the potential for UK AD is as much as 80 TWh of methane (equivalent to 30% of the UK’s household…

It is easy to see why anaerobic digestion (AD) has become so popular with farmers across a range of sectors, from livestock and dairy production to vegetable growers. Currently over 400 AD plants are generating more than 500 MW of energy – yet the potential for UK AD is as much as 80 TWh of…

At the end of January Ofgem announced that more than 3 GW of renewable energy capacity had been accredited under the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme in the UK. While solar photovoltaic projects accounted for more than 98% of the schemes, 135 anaerobic digestion (AD) plants accounted for 3.5% of the electricity generated*. While AD represents…

With biogas combustion heat tariffs under the Non-Domestic RHI between 2.2 and 7.5 p/kWth and heat from an LPG-fuelled boiler currently costing somewhere around 6.6 p/kWth, the price of heat is self-evident. With a typical gas engine producing half its output as usable heat, the heat produced by a 300 kWe engine could be worth…