1,721,123 research outputs found
Analysis and comparison of emerging sugar dissolution systems
No full textAim of this paper is the analysis and the comparison of three different sugar dissolution systems applied in the field of beverage processing. The typical method uses the thermal and mechanical energy in order to dissolve sugar inside a beverage: the solution with a variable quantity of sugar (in some cases more than 60° Brix) is recirculated inside the equipment with a velocity greater than 3m/s. The turbulence allows a homogeneous mix of sugar and beverage until 40°Brix in a reasonable time (less than 10s). When more than 40° Brix are needed, the use of thermal energy is required in order to reduce the time of dissolution. On the basis of these premises this paper investigates two alternatives emerging technologies and compare them to the typical method described above, with the aim to analyze the effect on the beverage and define the total cost of the systems. Ultrasonic and Controlled cavitation methods are tested on the same beverage (water + sugar), in order to analyze the behavioral changes and the energy consumption of the technology. The settings of process adopted to compare the three technologies are: product flow 15000l/h, final product 65°Brix, product inlet at 25°C, operating time 20h /day for 312 days/year, cost of energy 0,15€/Kwh. Results show that the controlled cavitation system is the most interesting technology, allowing a good mixture of sugar and beverages with some interesting effects on the final beverages. The investment and energy cost of this solution is less than the ultrasonic technology and competitive respect to the thermal traditional one
Modeling and design of an aroma recovery equipment integrated in a fruit juice and puree production system
No full textBallasted or ballastless for a railway infrastructure? A comparative environmental impact assessment of two solutions
No full textIn the railways sector environmental concerns are growing, and many state-owned holding companies are investigating which is the best superstructure solution from the environmental point of view. In this regards, in the last years some companies have proposed ballastless systems, to reduce the replacement and maintenance activities and increase the reliability of the solution. Nevertheless, some environmental discussion emerged, even bearing in mind of different reference service lives.
This study aims at comparing from an environmental point of view a ballasted and ballastless solutions using Life Cycle Assessment, by considering a declared unit of 1 km of railways infrastructure located in Italy. Results show the ballastless system has, on the contrary of previous studies, the lower environmental impact, due to its extended shelf life (90years) and low maintenance activities if compared with a ballasted one. Considering the same timeframe, the ballastless system has about halved impact on climate change (3.33E+06 kg CO2eq) compared to the ballasted one (1.75E+06 kg CO2eq). A sensitivity analysis has been carried out to consider possible variations in reference service life, transports and interval of rails substitution
Environmental assessment of domestic boilers: A comparison of condensing and traditional technology using life cycle assessment methodology
Full text linkThis study has carried out a life cycle assessment of two different domestic natural gas boilers in Italy, taking into account 3 different climatic regions and two dwellings with different energy classes. The aim of this research was to compare traditional and condensing boiler technologies. Primary data relating to the two products under analysis was supplied by an international boiler manufacturer, whilst the Ecoinvent database v2.2 was used as a secondary source of data. The assessment was performed using the CML and Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) methods, by considering the categories required by “Environmental Product Declaration” (EPD) certification systems. The results of the analysis show that on average, the condensing technology has a 23% lower environmental impact than its traditional counterpart for each scenario in the six impact categories considered. This is essentially due to its lower fuel consumption during the use phase and the lower levels of CO and NOx emitted during the combustion of natural gas. The study also shows that the use phase is by far the biggest contributor to the environmental impact, and on average is responsible for more than 90% of the total impact
Shelf life analysis of a ricotta packaged using Modified Atmosphere Packaging or High Pressure Processing
No full textThe aim of this work is to evaluate several packaging and treatment processes for ricotta cheese in thermoformed trays. Shelf life has been evaluated considering microbiological aspects, colour variation and the quantity of Volatile Organic Compound (VOC). The first solution tested was Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP). Experimental tests were performed to evaluate not only the effect of a mixture of CO2, O2 and N2 in different percentages but also the deep of the trays (20, 30 or 40 mm). As a comparison, High Pressure Processing (HPP) at 6000 MPa for 3 min was applied to a second series of packaged ricottas. Microbiological results show that MAP preserves the product for 10 days, while HPP extends its shelf life for up to a month due to the lower levels of yeasts, moulds and lactic bacteria. In addition, the treatment preserves the ricotta's colour and VOCs
An analytical method for halon alternative selection in fire suppression systems design
No full textCleanliness is the priority property of an active fire-extinguishing
agent for protection of expensive electronic equipment and high value materials. Halon 1301 was considered the most suitable clean agent to ensure industrial fire safety because it leaves no residue and allows a high level of extinction efficiency and human safety, as with many other extinguishing media. However, over 15 years ago, several studies showed that this agent damages the atmospheric ozone layer and causes global warming.
As law has ruled out halon agents, a variety of clean fire suppression alternatives has surfaced over the past decade, but none of these has become the ‘perfect’ halon substitute.
In this paper the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach is proposed as a tool to select the best halon alternative for fire protection. A hierarchical structure comprising 19 criteria is reported here to illustrate the performance and characteristics of several halon alternatives in order to define the most suitable agent for different fire risk situations
Modelling and Multi-objective Optimisation of the VHP Pouch Packaging Sterilisation Process
No full textSpouted pouches are being increasingly used in the beverage sector. However, aseptic packaging technology used for spouted pouches requires a highly complex sterilisation and rinsing process for the packaging materials before filling. This paper deals with the pouch packaging sterilisation process used in aseptic technology. A mixture composed of vaporised hydrogen peroxide and hot sterile air is injected into the package through a sterilisation nozzle. A CFD multicomponent model in ANSYS CFX (version 14.5) has been created and validated in order to simulate the real process. Based on this model, the paper aims to minimise hydrogen peroxide consumption and optimise the sterilisation treatment of the packaging. This issue has been approached using multi-objective optimisation software applied to CFD multicomponent simulations. The most suitable nozzle position inside the pouch has been established, as well as the optimal treatment time, concentration and flow rate of the sterilising mixture
Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of hot filling and aseptic packaging systems used for beverages
No full textThis paper aims to assess the sustainability and the environmental performance of hot filling systems and aseptic packaging systems used for beverages. These technologies are the systems mostly adopted nowadays to package high acid beverages with extended shelf life. The potential environmental impacts are calculated using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology.
The analysis only includes materials and processes that differ between the two technologies, i.e. heat treatment, filling operations, and packaging materials. PET bottles are considered in this study. Beverage production and transport of raw food materials are not taken into consideration as there are no differences between the two systems in these phases. Impact assessment is performed using ReCiPe method.
The results from the analysis indicate that aseptic packaging systems on the whole have lower impacts in all the impact categories assessed. This is mainly due to the greater weight of PET bottles used in hot filling systems, necessary to withstand the higher filling temperatures. This aspect enhances the impacts of hot filling compared to aseptic packaging systems, while the environmental profile of the processing phase is similar between the two technologies in most of the impact categories considered
Optimization of Bakery Products Manufacturing through Process Capability Analysis
No full textProcess capability analysis includes a set of analytic tools that allow comparing the real variability of a parameter, measured during a process, with the theoretical variability of the same parameter. This work has two aims. First, to implement the process capability tools for the analysis of a production process of bakery goods; second, to use such tools to check the outcomes of the process and to derive suggestions for process improvements, so as to reach the optimal condition.
This study was carried out inside a well-known multinational food industry, located near Parma (Italy), and specialized in the manufacturing of biscuits and bread sticks. The choice of the product and process to be investigated was made after a preliminary analysis of the current situation of the manufacturing processes, with a particular regard to the number of blocks occurring during manufacturing, due to the detection of out-of-control features of the products. The rusk production line was found to be particularly weak in this regard, and was selected for process capability implementation. Moreover, humidity of the final product was identified as the main parameter to control. For such product, we conducted a process capability analysis of the “as is” manufacturing process, by cooking about 50 samples of rusks. As a result, the process was proven to be characterized by excessive variability in terms of humidity in the final products. We thus performed further statistical analyses to investigate in greater detail the main factors affecting the humidity in the product, and identified specific interventions for improving the process capability. Such interventions were implemented in the manufacturing line, which was finally re-examined in terms of the process capability, showing relevant improvements.
The process capability analysis conducted provided significant benefits to the company, by improving the production process of bakery lines, reducing the number of defects and stabilizing the humidity of the finished product
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