Loading...
hidden

View Mobile version

Meta navigation

Startseite – Hochschule Luzern

Language selection and important links

  • Contents
  • Contact
  • Login
  • De
  • En
Search

Main navigation

School navigation

  • Engineering and Architecture
  • Business
  • Computer Science
  • Social Work
  • Art and Design
  • Music

Sub-navigation

  • Degree Programmes
  • Continuing Education
  • Research
  • International
  • Campus
  • About us
  • News

Sub-navigation

Breadcrumbs

  1. Research Research
  2. Development of a desublimation system for freeze drying plants Development of a desublimation system for freeze drying plants

Development of a desublimation system for freeze drying plants

A modular and energy-efficient desublimation system for freeze drying processes is being developed. It is part of the new development of large-scale industrial belt dryers and drying cabinets.

Brief information

School:

Engineering and Architecture

Status:

Ongoing

Period:

04.01.2021 - 31.10.2023

Overview

Bucher Unipektin AG is a traditional and leading manufacturer of individual machines and complete systems for the beverage and food industry. In the course of a research project, a novel desublimation system for continuous and discontinuous freeze drying processes is to be developed.

In the freeze drying of foodstuffs, the energy demand is about twice as high as in standard pressure convection drying. The energy efficiency of this process, based on the pure sublimation enthalpy of 0.8 kWh/kgH2O of the water to be removed, is about 10%, depending on the size of the system. The sublimation of the frozen water in the drying chamber and the subsequent desublimation of the water vapour in the desublimation system account for the largest share of the energy demand, approx. 40-70% depending on the operating pressure. In the production and operation of freeze drying systems, the desublimation system accounts for about 30% of the total costs. The desublimation system thus has a decisive influence on the energy and economic parameters of the entire freeze-drying process.

The aim of this Innosuisse funded project is to develop a desublimator prototype that stands out from the current standard due to its modularity, standardised design and high energy efficiency. To begin with, a reference process of an existing, quasi-continuously operated small-scale plant at Bucher Unipektin AG will be investigated theoretically and experimentally. A mathematical-physical model of the desublimation process, which represents the dynamic heat and mass transport in a temporally and spatially discretised manner, is being developed for this purpose and validated with the reference system. This will be used to simulate the newly conceived regeneration concepts of the desublimator. Critical sub-processes are investigated experimentally in the large-scale laboratory of the HSLU with functional models, with the findings flowing back into the simulation models. With the help of the simulation results, a desublimator prototype of the more promising concept will then be designed, manufactured and experimentally evaluated at Bucher Unipektin AG. After further optimisation steps, recommendations for upscaling and series production of the new desublimator for large industrial plants will be derived.

hidden

Facts

Type of project

Forschung

Internal organisations involved
  • CC Thermal Energy Systems and Process Engineering
Funding
  • Innosuisse - HSLU als Hauptforschungspartnerin (Main Research Partner)
hidden

Persons involved: internal

Project manager
  • Mirko Kleingries
Member of project team
  • Sebastian Ammann
  • Peter Brun
  • Marc Fill
  • Benjamin Fumey
  • Roger Hürzeler
  • Moritz Krummenacher
  • Stefanie Little
  • Ruedi Pflugshaupt
  • Stefan Schmidt
  • Dominik Widmer
hidden

Persons involved: external

External member of project team
  • Roman Blättler

Brief information

School:

Engineering and Architecture

Status:

Ongoing

Period:

01/04/2021 - 10/31/2023

Project Head

Prof. Dr. Mirko Kleingries

Head of the Competence Center for Thermal Energy Systems and Process Engineering

+41 41 349 32 86

Show email

Footer(s)

FH Zentralschweiz

Social media links

  •  Facebook
  •  Instagram
  •  Twitter
  •  LinkedIn
  •  YouTube
  •  Flickr

Contact

Logo Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts

Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts


Werftestrasse 4
- 6002 Luzern

+41 41 228 42 42

info@hslu.ch

Direct entry

  • A bachelor's degree –
  • A master's degree –
  • Prospective Students (Continuing & Executive Programmes)
  • Unternehmen & Institutionen
  • Media Relations
  • For Students
  • For Members of Staff

Quick link

  • People Finder
  • University Buildings & Campus Locations
  • News
  • Libraries
  • Events
  • Jobs & Karriere
  • Home
  • Hiring Rooms

Static links

  • Newsletter
  • Data protection notice
  • Publishing Acknowledgements
Logo Swissuniversities

QrCode

QrCode
We use cookies on this site to give you the best browsing experience. By continuing to navigate this site or closing this banner you accept this use of cookies. For more information please visit our privacy policy.
OK