Optimization Of Energy Saving In Ice cream Making Plant With Heat Pump

Abstract

Worldwide consumption of icecream is very high and increasing day by day. Icecream manufacturing consists of processes like pasteurization, homogenization, chilling of mix and freezing. Around 65°-70°C temperature is required in pasteurization which is generally supplied by hot water from electrical or gas heater. Around 1°C cold water is usually supplied by refrigeration for cooling of the icecream mix. After this mix is aged for 5-6 hr in aging tank at 4°C and then it is sent to freezer to produce icecream. Also icecream plant requires large amount of hot water for cleaning and sanitizing of equipment, piping, utensils and washing of floors. As in icecream making plant both heating and cooling are required, use of heat-pump may prove to be a better solution. The heat-pump technology is applied to a real case study of an icecream factory. The aim of process integration is to increase the efficiency and to reduce the energy consumption and operating costs in an icecream-making plant. To have maximum utilization of heat available existing process diagram of icecream-making plant has been analysed. Heating and cooling requirement of 2000 liter icecream production plant per day has been calculated. Suitable heat pump has been integrated in the existing plant in order to have benefit of heating utility in partial pasteurization upto temperature 58°C and cooling utility in the partial cooling of mix upto temperature 8°C. Cooling and heating load profiles for existing and modified system have been generated and compared. Saving of 32% of energy consumption is resulted in heat pump integrated systems. A detailed economic analysis is carried out and project's viability is found out. Exergy efficiency of a heat pump is found out. Heat pump integrated modified system has been installed and commissioned at an icecream factory at mumbai. Experimental results obtained is also presented and compared.