Tubular Heat Exchanger:
Tubular heat exchangers are the most commonly used indirect UHT systems. They offer
significant advantages including low total cost of ownership; straightforward maintenance; the
option of higher pressure drops, and design flexibility. They are an economical option with
modern plants providing approximately the same heat recovery and similar investment costs to
plate UHT systems.
A tubular heat exchanger (THE) is used to warm or cool a product by exchanging heat between
the process fluid and a service fluid, which is typically water, ice water, glycol or steam. The hot
or cold service fluid flows around the tubes within the THE, and heat is transferred between the
product and the media.
The rate of heat transfer is dependent on the tubular heat exchanger configuration,
temperature differential, size of tubes, turbulence in the flow and flow velocity. Different
configurations are available, and the selection of the best solution is based on the properties of
the process fluid and production goals. Our experience and expertise will help ensure you
receive the best solution for your specific needs in terms of production goals, costs, efficiency
and product quality.
Tubular heat exchangers offer many processing advantages, including the ability to
handle high pressures and temperatures; fluids with large quantities of particulates, and
high viscosity products. Designed for sanitary use and clean-in-place (CIP) they are
robust, offer long process runtimes, and are easy to maintain.
Rather than directly heating the product, indirect methods transfer heat energy to the
product through a tubular heat exchanger. These come in a variety of designs from
double-tube, triple-tube, multi-tube and a coiled tube. A lot of the heat energy can be
recaptured after pasteurization, making this type of process more cost-effective.