A stitch in time saves nine, so it is said. The proverb certainly applies to the heat treatment equipment used in food processing – and the need to keep it in peak condition.
Plate heat exchangers play a vital role in the food and beverage industry by facilitating efficient heat transfer during pasteurisation, heating and cooling. They are essential to preserving food quality and safety, but can be a potential weak spot if they are not kept in good working order.
Even a small crack in a single plate can compromise sterility, causing product losses and risking brand integrity. Breakdowns result in production stops, which in turn cause unwanted downtime and lost production while the problem is fixed.
The good news is that following several simple steps will keep your heat exchangers in great condition. And maintaining heat treatment equipment correctly offers other benefits beyond food safety and quality. Keeping heat exchangers in good order saves energy and reduces carbon footprint. Here’s how.
Integrity testing keeps your process safe
Over time, material fatigue, corrosion and fouling can compromise plate quality and jeopardize product assurance. This creates a significant food safety and quality risk. You can eliminate this risk by conducting integrity testing.
An integrity test alerts the food producer to any problems, even before they arise, explains Veronika Binder, Tetra Pak Product Manager.
“The test can detect microscopic cracks thinner than a human hair in a heat exchanger plate. If a problem is identified, the engineer simply replaces any damaged plates with the right replacement part. This eliminates any contamination risk, safeguards product quality and keeps food safe.”
Save money with proactive maintenance
Heat treatment is also an energy-intensive process. Its efficient and regular utilization, along with proper servicing of each heat exchanger, could contribute significantly to a substantial reduction in global carbon emissions.
Checking the condition of heat exchanger plates is a way to maximize process uptime, minimise costs, and be more sustainable. This is best done by conducting regular maintenance and integrity testing to ensure that heat exchanger plates and gaskets are free from cracks that can cause a leak and lead to fouling.
Be more energy-efficient with high-quality plates
Proactive maintenance minimises the energy a heat exchanger uses, leading to a lower carbon footprint. This is possible thanks to significant advances in heat exchanger technology in the last decade or so.
“Lets’ say you have a heat exchanger that is five or ten years old. Today’s improved regeneration know-how makes it possible to reduce energy costs by adding more plates within the same space,”
says Jimmy Moons, Tetra Pak Commercial Product Manager Plate and Tubular Heat Exchangers.
At Tetra Pak, we offer energy optimisation checks that allow you to see how much you could save by upgrading. If replacement plates are advised, the important thing is to choose authentic parts. Low-cost generic options are less likely to fully deliver the available benefits. They can also be expected to fail earlier than genuine plates from the original supplier.
Save resources with a configuration review
Much can also be achieved beyond simple plate or gasket updates. Optimising a heat exchanger’s configuration enables the entire heat treatment process to be fine-tuned to maximize efficiency and minimise future wear.
Sometimes producers run products at different flowrates compared to when their heat exchanger was installed. Or they start producing products with inclusions or different fat content, that might have an effect on the product 's physical properties. If so, it may be time to tweak the heat exchanger’s configuration.
This is because process variables can significantly affect heat exchanger performance and wear. An expert supplier like Tetra Pak will advise on the best gaskets and plates to choose – including whether you can benefit from thicker or thinner plates or even reuse an old gasket.
All so your heat treatment process ensures full food safety while running as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Preventing heat exchanger corrosion risks
Integrity testing enables you to detect signs of corrosion in your heat exchanger before they cause a breakdown, saving you time and money. Read more about how it works in practice, and how it helped one food producer avoid costly downtime.
