Some processes call for more than a new piece of equipment: they call for a better thought-out solution.
SACOME has designed and manufactured a new heat exchanger for a national coffee producer that is part of an international group, with the aim of adapting the concentrated coffee heating process to new production requirements.
The client already had an existing tubular heat exchanger for this service, but increased process demands made it necessary to develop a new solution capable of meeting a more demanding thermal duty. The objective was to heat a variable flow of highly concentrated coffee, with concentrations of up to 60%, from ambient temperature to 80 °C using direct steam.
In order to size the new unit correctly, it was necessary to accurately characterise both the thermal properties and the rheological parameters of the product. In addition, SACOME’s previous experience with similar coffee-heating applications made it possible to define the fouling factor characteristic of this type of system with confidence.
This thermal requirement was combined with an additional challenge: the high pumping pressure of the concentrated coffee, with peak pressures of up to 80 barg. To meet these conditions, SACOME designed and manufactured a sanitary single-tube heat exchanger with HARD corrugated tubes, model S-TF20-I, made up of several 5-metre nominal length units arranged in series on a common frame.
In an application like this, design is not driven by thermal duty alone. It also requires a clear understanding of the real behaviour of the product and the ability to translate that knowledge into a a more carefully designed solution capable of delivering reliable and consistent performance in service.
When the process changes, the equipment must evolve with it.
