What Kind of Boilers are Used for Food Industry?

Boilers are thermal machines specially designed to generate steam that is used in different processes. There are different types of these machines, each with a particular design and operating mode that makes them more or less suitable for certain applications.

This post will be devoted to talking about the uses that are given to a boiler in different sectors, the way they work and the different types of boilers that can be found in the market today with specific focus on the kind of boilers used in the food industry.

In the food industry the electric steam boilers are also used for the sterilization of utensils, containers and preparation surfaces and are even used in some food processing processes.

In the electricity production industry, the use of boilers has been widespread, especially because there are currently certain legal provisions for the sustainable use of resources.

This, in addition to reducing the environmental impact of industrial activities on the environment, allows industries to reduce costs for the responsible use of energy sources and, in the case of boilers, nowadays biodiesel can be used to feed them , a cheaper alternative than other fuels.

Therefore, it is increasingly common to find boilers in electric steam generators and in other industries that want to reduce costs by generating their own electricity. The petrochemical industry, in many of its processes requires steam, so the boilers are used to meet that need.

For example, it is used to reduce the density of fluids in order to accelerate their transportation through pipelines, in the fusion of some substances, for the homogenization of raw materials and in the smelting of petrochemicals to manufacture certain products.

Since we have talked about some of the applications that have this type of machines we will explain roughly how they work. Well, the operation of a boiler is based on the principles of dynamic pressure physics to produce energy from the flow of steam.

The boilers have a tank and piping systems through which circulates a fluid, which can be water or thermal oil, at a constant pressure and by the transfer of heat to the fluid it changes phase and becomes saturated vapor.

Saturated steam, in addition to the specific applications already discussed, depending on its flow, temperature and pressure can be used to heat machinery and process equipment, generate mechanical motive power through steam engines or turbines and generate electricity by turbines.

As we mentioned, there are different types of boilers but usually they are made of steel laminated with cast iron and tempered, materials that are highly resistant to high temperatures and environmental variations.

Depending on the type of fuel they use, they can be classified into:

Boilers of liquid fuels.

It is necessary to preheat them to reduce the viscosity and pump them efficiently to the burners. Burners in boilers that use liquid fuels are usually installed horizontally.

Gas fuel boilers. 

They can use natural gas, LP gas, propane or gas obtained from gasifiers. The burners of these boilers have little pressure so it is necessary to equip them with pressure reduction systems.

Solid fuel boilers. 

They use firewood, production waste and coal, among other materials.