More efficient milk powder production through evaporation to very high solids content
Research Project, 2013
– 2014
The project aims to improve the energy efficiency of powder plants in the dairy industry. The drying process for the preparation of milk powder is performed in two stages; first the milk is evaporated, and then final drying is done using a spray dryer. As spray drying is 10-20 times more energy intensive than evaporation, the aim of the project is to develop new knowledge in order to drive the evaporation stage of the process further than today. An increase from the current maximum of 51% solids to 56% reduces the total energy usage by 12-15%. The proposed project is experimentally based and the work will be connected to an existing pilot evaporator at Chalmers. The project aims to develop knowledge and understanding of the flow and heat transfer mechanisms during evaporation of milk, especially at high solids contents, and identify how the construction of evaporators need to be modified to enable higher final dry contents industrially.
Participants
Mathias Gourdon (contact)
Industrial Energy Systems and Technologies
Funding
Swedish Energy Agency
Project ID: 37314-1
Funding Chalmers participation during 2013–2014
Related Areas of Advance and Infrastructure
Sustainable development
Driving Forces
Energy
Areas of Advance