HEAT PUMP APPLICATION IN FOOD TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

The economy of food technologies is greatly influenced by their energy consumption. Almost no operation or procedure exists that could be executed without the need for electricity. At the same time, several technologies require direct or indirect input of thermal energy as well. An example to quote is the heating of the raw materials of food industry or the pasteurisation or sterilisation of finished products, but heating the production rooms or cleaning or washing the machinery also require energy. Needless to say food industry plants constantly seek ways to improve their energy efficiency such as the reintroduction of waste heat into the technology and the use of renewables. Heat recovering heat exchangers are used in the pasteurisation technology of milk. In case of lower temperatures, however, simple heat exchangers are of no use. Few practical examples of heat recovery obtained upon cooling products or raw materials exist in the food industry even though the possibility of this is available using heat pumps. Heat pumps have been successfully applied to heat apartments with thermal energy recovered from the cooling of soils, water or air or to utilise the excess heat of thermal spring waters. Our present article introduces the application possibility in a soda water plant, fundamentally determining the quality of soda water and showing an example of rational utilisation.