This technology is a device that sterilizes liquid by inducing cavitation within a housing featuring an inlet and outlet, where a hollow rotating body spins on an axis and concave dimples formed on the inner wall of the housing create cavitation in the fluid. The dimples are equipped with opening/closing members that can change their shape or open and close the inlet.
High-temperature short-time sterilization for liquid foods like milk has traditionally used plate heat exchangers for indirect heat exchange with steam. However, the complex, corrugated structures used to enhance heat transfer often lead to buildup on surfaces, causing secondary contamination. While ultra-high-temperature processing is cost-effective, it risks nutrient degradation, creating a need for a method that allows for easy control of sterilization conditions for large volumes without contamination.
This technology increases cavitation and heating effects by placing dimples on the large-radius housing wall to increase flow velocity and lower pressure. Sterilization intensity can be adjusted by changing cone-shaped dimples to a cylindrical shape or by closing the dimple inlets. The housing and rotating body are designed in two parts for easy dimple machining, replacement, and maintenance, while the hollow rotating body is lightweight, allowing for high-speed rotation with minimal power. It can be applied to continuous sterilization lines for liquid foods like milk and juice, large-scale beverage factory equipment, and dairy processing lines prone to heat exchanger fouling, effectively eliminating secondary contamination from surface buildup while allowing for flexible sterilization adjustments.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for the development of high-efficiency sterilization equipment for milk through direct heating.
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