APS is pleased to introduce another heat transfer innovation, the first successful marriage of the high efficiency of the multitube heat exchanger, with the highly cost effective "direct regenerator" for product to product regeneration applications; the APS Direct Regen Multitube, a 3A approved design. This unique design allows for lower surface area requirements, smaller footprint, better time temperature profiles for optimum product quality, and simply provides a less expensive alternatives to double tube, triple tube, indirect multitube regenerators.

 Lets examine how this works:

 Traditional indirect regenerators use a circulating water loop to warm the incoming cold, raw product, then the water passes to the pasteurized regenerators where it cools the product exiting the hold tube, heating the water and returning to the beginning. These systems typically require double the surface area to allow for the raw product to water / hot product to water interchange. This equals more heat exchangers, larger floor space, and a more gradual cooling of the product on the hot side of the system, increasing heat damage due to longer times in residence.

Plate heat exchangers have been using direct regeneration for over 50 years for milk pasteurization. It is an efficient, safe and proven method for processing. However, the plate heat exchangers have drawbacks when it comes to processing products with pulp or particulates. The contact points required for rigidity to maintain separating of the plates create "pinch" points allowing for retention of the pulp / particulates, effectively creating a filter. This becomes doubly problematic when processing more than one type of product on a single system, such as orange juice to a clear fruit drink that must contain no pulp. Insuring the unit is clean before running a new product can prove very difficult, if not impossible.

An alternative is using a double tube or triple tube system for direct regeneration. Unfortunately, double tube heat exchangers provide a relatively small amount of heat transfer area per section, (one 5" by 3" by 20' unit contains  ~15 ft^2 of surface area) and the large center annulus space lends itself to inefficient heat transfer coefficients, creating a large, inefficient system. A triple tube heat exchanger provides a moderate amount of surface area per section (one 5 by 4 by 3" by 20' unit contains ~36 ft^2 of surface area) as heat transfer takes place on both the center and inner tubes, however the closure method for these heat exchangers tends to be both expensive and complex.

By comparison a new APS Direct Regen Multitube, in 5" diameter by 20' length can contain 75 ft^2 per section, and provide more efficient heat transfer by the elimination of large annulus spaces for product travel.

More area per section, higher efficiencies of operation, faster heat up / cool down, and a terrific price all contribute to making this unit the new standard in juice and beverage processing.

Whether providing a heat exchanger upgrade to an existing system, or a complete and automated processing skid APS can assist in all your processing requirements.

Please contact us for details about how we can help your process needs.  Email: danc@gotoaps.com