Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchanger

Abstract

A shell-and-tube heat exchanger including a casing tube and at least one inner tube for treating liquid food products, optionally also with a product / product flow guidance, and having at least one thermal-expansion compensating device for the casing and / or inner tube, with the compensating device having a surface which can be contacted by the product to be treated, where the surface is provided on a bellows integrated into the casing and / or inner tube, with a plurality of relatively wide folds which extend around the tube axis and are of rounded cross-section, with the respective fold being configured with a radial depth and an axial width with a ratio of B:T of about 1 or more and to be cleanable on the product side in a hygienically irreproachable way.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]The present application claims the benefit of priority of German Application No. 102009040560.7, filed Sep. 8, 2009. The entire text of the priority application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE[0002]The present disclosure relates to a shell-and-tube heat exchanger of the type used for treating liquid foods.BACKGROUND[0003]Shell-and-tube heat exchangers e.g. for product / product flow guidance are known from DE 600 19 635 T2 and DE 102 56 232 B4. The heat-expansion compensating device is here a slide connection with seals or a floating or moveable bearing permitting thermally caused relative movements, but creating dead spaces in which the product can settle in such a way that despite intensive cleaning it cannot be removed any more, or requires a dismantling operation for hygienically irreproachable cleaning. Under hygienic aspects such compensating devices are not recommended by the authorities in ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a shell-and-tube heat exchanger with a hygienic bellows that can be cleaned in a hygienic way. The folds in the bellows are designed in a way that they can be cleaned easily, which means that the product can be flushed out of the folds without leaving any residue. The ratio of B:T in the bellows is increased to improve the cleaning efficiency. The cleaning process is facilitated by the fact that the surface of the bellows that can be contacted by the product is only on the inside, and there are no critical dead zones where the product can stick and be difficult to clean. The hygienic shell-and-tube heat exchanger is achieved by incorporating a hygienic bellows with a specific fold design that promotes turbulent flow conditions and allows for efficient cleaning.

Problems solved by technology

The heat-expansion compensating device is here a slide connection with seals or a floating or moveable bearing permitting thermally caused relative movements, but creating dead spaces in which the product can settle in such a way that despite intensive cleaning it cannot be removed any more, or requires a dismantling operation for hygienically irreproachable cleaning.

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