The plate cooler is considered to be a vital part of any cooling system and often it is something that one cannot do without. It is very commonly used in milk cooling systems and is often used to protect milk from the infection of bacteria and strive to get healthy drinking milk to the average population. All milk providing brands make sure their products are boiled to purify them and one of the most common things they use are plate coolers in the cooling system. However, many people often complain that their plate coolers are not performing as well as they should and they do not know how to check the effectiveness. Read on to find out how to check the efficiency of plate coolers.
Flow Rates
The rate at which the cooling fluid and milk both flow is supposed to be very important in the process. One duly needs to note the rate at which the milk is going to flow from the pump into the cooling system. It is highly recommended that the rate is even and remains consistent throughout the cooling process. This is because it will make plate coolers easier to size and easier to design. It will also result in a better use of the cooling water making sure that it is not wasted at any cost. It is better that a pump which transfers is used rather than one that pumps fluid into the cooling system. The older industrial models work better with the ratio of 3:1 (water: milk) while the newer models can work with a 2:1 ratio and also a 1.5:1 ratio. Thus, it is important to ensure that the ratios of the two fluids are constant with each other.
Other Factors
There are a number of other factors that can affect the performance of a typical plate cooler. To begin with, the compressions of the plate will have to be looser. If plates are way too tight, the fluid will not be able to pass through the cooling system. People need to allow at least three millimeters between each plate and each gasket but make sure that the distance does not fall between 2.3 millimeters. Moreover, the available surface area is important as well. The maximum rate at which water flows from the pump into the cooling system will determine the amount of plates and the size of each plate in the system. The cleanliness of the plates matter too as the cleaner they are, the quicker the fluid will pass through as well. If the flow is blocked by contaminants, it will hamper the flow of the fluids as well. The temperature of the source of water being used in the cooling system is important as well. One can account for a few fluctuations in temperature over time but it is best to make sure that the coolest source of water on-sight is used. The temperature of the milk needs to be 35 degrees Celsius to about eighteen degrees Celsius after the cooling process.
Tests to Run
There are also a number of tests to run in order to test the effectiveness of the cooling system. First of all, the inlet and outlet pipes, as they leave the cooling system, will be checked to so that any leakages can be seen beforehand. Find a place to wrap the thermometer (paper) which can be wrapped around the water inlet pipe as well as the milk outlet pipe so that one can determine the performance of the plate cooler. Keep on checking the temperature at regular intervals so that any glitches are captured beforehand and also to make sure that the temperature remains consistent throughout the process.
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