ALFA LAVAL PLATE PASTUERIZERS IMPROVE BIOLOGICAL STABILITY OF BEER
Warminster, Pa. -- Alfa Laval's plate pasteurizing systems for the brewing industry enable brewers to increase the shelf life of their product while maintaining flavor, aroma, brightness, color, and foam stability. Plate pasteurizers deliver excellent beer quality because of the low thermal impact caused by the short residence time in the system.
Three plate pasteurizers are offered by Alfa Laval -- Flexitherm, Fixtherm-A, and Fixtherm-B.
Flexitherm is a variable flow pasteurizer that maintains a constant pasteurizing unit value. PLC control ensures uniform heat treatment as well as providing a user-friendly operator interface. Flexitherm capacity is automatically adjusted to match variations in filling demand. A buffer tank is used to avoid re-circulation of pasteurized beer.
The automatic Fixtherm-A pasteurizer is a fixed-capacity unit for brewery applications where there is a constant flow rate. The PLC controller provides uniform heat treatment of the product. Fixtherm-A can be pre-programmed for different types of beer.
Fixtherm-B is a low-cost semi-automatic pasteurizer with less sophisticated control functions than the Fixtherm-A. Because it is a fixed-capacity unit, product routing and operation modes are controlled by an operator. Pasteurizing and cooling setpoints are entered on the control panel, which also has stop/start buttons, motor and valve control, and fault indication.
Plate pasteurizers are comprised of three sections; regenerative, heating and cooling. In the regenerative section, incoming beer is preheated by pasteurized beer. In the heating section, the beer is heated by hot water to the final pasteurization temperature. The beer is then held at the pasteurization temperature in a specially designed holding cell, then returns through the regenerative section where heat recovery takes place. Finally, the beer is cooled to the required outlet temperature in the cooling section.
Plate pasteurizers offer a number of significant advantages over tunnel pasteurizers. Comparisons show that estimated operating costs for tunnel pasteurization could be more than seven times those for plate pasteurization. Tunnel pasteurizers also require higher investment costs and have greater effluent production. Thermal impact is more than 90 percent less in plate pasteurization as opposed to tunnel pasteurization. In addition, where total processing time in a tunnel pasteurizer may be as much as 45 minutes, process time in a plate pasteurizer is less than two minutes.
Three plate pasteurizers are offered by Alfa Laval -- Flexitherm, Fixtherm-A, and Fixtherm-B.
Flexitherm is a variable flow pasteurizer that maintains a constant pasteurizing unit value. PLC control ensures uniform heat treatment as well as providing a user-friendly operator interface. Flexitherm capacity is automatically adjusted to match variations in filling demand. A buffer tank is used to avoid re-circulation of pasteurized beer.
The automatic Fixtherm-A pasteurizer is a fixed-capacity unit for brewery applications where there is a constant flow rate. The PLC controller provides uniform heat treatment of the product. Fixtherm-A can be pre-programmed for different types of beer.
Fixtherm-B is a low-cost semi-automatic pasteurizer with less sophisticated control functions than the Fixtherm-A. Because it is a fixed-capacity unit, product routing and operation modes are controlled by an operator. Pasteurizing and cooling setpoints are entered on the control panel, which also has stop/start buttons, motor and valve control, and fault indication.
Plate pasteurizers are comprised of three sections; regenerative, heating and cooling. In the regenerative section, incoming beer is preheated by pasteurized beer. In the heating section, the beer is heated by hot water to the final pasteurization temperature. The beer is then held at the pasteurization temperature in a specially designed holding cell, then returns through the regenerative section where heat recovery takes place. Finally, the beer is cooled to the required outlet temperature in the cooling section.
Plate pasteurizers offer a number of significant advantages over tunnel pasteurizers. Comparisons show that estimated operating costs for tunnel pasteurization could be more than seven times those for plate pasteurization. Tunnel pasteurizers also require higher investment costs and have greater effluent production. Thermal impact is more than 90 percent less in plate pasteurization as opposed to tunnel pasteurization. In addition, where total processing time in a tunnel pasteurizer may be as much as 45 minutes, process time in a plate pasteurizer is less than two minutes.