Question:

The hot side and cold side pressure in the regenerator of a pasteurizer is controlled by which of the following?

Show Hint

To prevent cross-contamination, the pasteurized milk must always be at a higher pressure than the raw milk in the regenerator. This safety pressure differential is maintained using a specialized raw milk booster pump.
  • Homogenizer
  • Booster pump
  • Cream separator
  • Flow diversion valve
Show Solution
collegedunia
Verified By Collegedunia

The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
In an HTST plate pasteurizer regenerator, hot pasteurized milk and cold raw milk flow on opposite sides of thin metal plates.
To prevent raw milk from contaminating the pasteurized milk if a pinhole leak develops in the plates, the system must maintain a positive pressure differential.
The pasteurized (hot) side must always be kept at a higher pressure than the unpasteurized (cold) side.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:

Let us analyze how this pressure differential is controlled:
- To ensure safety, the pressure on the pasteurized milk side must be maintained at least \(0.07\text{ bar}\) to \(0.14\text{ bar}\) higher than that on the raw milk side.
- This pressure differential is achieved by installing a centrifugal booster pump in the system.
- The booster pump is typically located on the raw milk line after the regenerator inlet, or it is operated in conjunction with pressure-relief valves to keep the pasteurized milk under positive pressure.
- If the pressure on the pasteurized side drops below the safety threshold, the booster pump is shut down by the control system, preventing unpasteurized milk from entering the pasteurized stream.
- Other components like the homogenizer, cream separator, or flow diversion valve do not control this differential pressure in the regenerator.
Therefore, the booster pump is the component used to control these pressures.

Step 3: Final Answer:

The pressure differential in the regenerator is controlled by the booster pump. Hence, the correct option is (B).
Was this answer helpful?
0
0