Pasteurization technology takes a new turn with the introduction of Sidel’s “Swing,” a new systemthat cuts energy consumption by 25%. The new design (patent pending) was created in thecompany’s R&D labs, in Verona, in response to the market’s growing demand for sustainablesolutions. As you are reading this, work is underway on the installation of Sidel’s innovative Swingpasteurizer at the Carlsberg UK plant in Northampton, UK.
The evolution and development of Swing, an innovative custom solution
| The new pasteurizer’s outstanding feature is a single heat exchanger for all pasteurization zones,rather than one for each zone as in the past. Unlike the systems currently available on the market,Swing has no buffer, meaning no standby tank to act as an energy reserve. Sidel’s system simplyhas a single ring-shaped circuit, through which water passes, kept at a constant temperature by anexchanger, before being distributed to different areas as required. This prevents waste of energy (aswhen heating a mass of water only to leave it to cool at the end of the production cycle) and ensuresgreater reactivity (treating only the amount of water required by different zones). As Carlsberg UKProject Manager Martin Essex states: “We were very impressed with the new technology. In fact,it’s so simple it’s difficult to understand why this idea has not been thought of before.” |
The second, even more important, new development is the presence of a rain deviation system inthe various central areas. Hot and cold water never mix in this system; the “rain” that crosses theproduct at a given temperature is returned to the tank from which it was taken. With Swing, it istherefore possible to establish exactly where the water will be collected, deviating its path with amechanical device. The goal is to keep the tanks at the required temperatures so that the water canbe reused offering significant benefits in terms of costs and consumption. The Carlsberg UK ProjectManager adds: “With energy and water being so expensive these days and the promise of using a lotless of both, we see this as an opportunity to vastly reduce those costs.”
And so it is clear that all these changes mean effective, concrete, measurable energy savings. That’s not all: greater control over heat treatment means a higher quality finished product. Swing, in combination with the UP PRINCE (PRediction IN Control Equations) control system, a software system (patent pending) to control Pasteurization Units (PU: equal to the effect of the product being kept at a temperature of 60°C for one minute.), permits optimization of the process, making it similar to operating conditions. The result is precise control of PUs, which determine the quality of heat treatment of the product and protection of its flavor and aroma.
The pasteurizer with the Swing system also has a number of useful technical features that make it extremely compact: positioning the piping below the water level in the tanks permits easy access to pumps, valves and probes for safe, easy maintenance. “We do not have masses of pumps, pipework and auto valves across the top of the pasteurizer which makes access for maintenance a lot easier and safer” underlines Mr Essex.
| Sylvie RAK Tel.: +33 2 32 85 82 46 sylvie.rak@sidel.com |
