Atomization Technology for the Food and Beverage Industry

 



Atomization technology is used in a wide range of industries, from fruit storage companies and bakeries to supermarkets and transporters. It improves fruit storage conditions, cuts out-of-oven bread cooling times and improves product qualities. In addition, it can reduce energy costs and is more environmentally sound than conventional steam-based systems. In fact, a single unit uses up to 10 times less energy and water compared with traditional steam-based systems. This is particularly significant in the context of a rapidly growing food and beverage industry, where energy consumption and resource efficiency are key challenges.

This is an enabling technology that can enable companies to cut costs and save energy while improving product quality and increasing productivity. It can also help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and environmental impacts by enabling companies to use clean, renewable energy in place of expensive fossil fuels. This is why the National Science Foundation (NSF) is supporting a new project to develop an innovative, cost-effective atomization system for the beverage industry.

The system will be able to reduce water and energy consumption, as well as eliminate the need for expensive aeration equipment. It will be easy to install and run on tap water, making it a simple upgrade for existing production lines. It will also require minimal maintenance and operate using a fraction of the energy required for conventional steam-based processes. Furthermore, the system will be able to reuse a large portion of the water it processes, which will significantly reduce wastewater discharges.

Atomization is a key enabling Atomization technology  that can improve the competitiveness of the U.S. manufacturing sector by accelerating innovation and technology transfer. The new atomization consortium aims to bring coherence to the R&D agenda and better connect R&D activities between federal laboratories, universities and the private sector to enable a more rapid deployment of innovations in the industrial value chain.

Ultrasonic vibration atomization is one of the most commonly used atomization techniques. It utilizes the radial vibration of piezoelectric ceramic ring and axial vibration of a micropores mesh plate to spray a liquid jet. The liquid jet is atomized into tiny droplets and the size of the drops can be controlled by varying the fluid parameters, the nozzle profile, the stagnation point height and the vibration frequency.

For example, at a frequency of 60 MHz and a supply flow rate of 90 ml/min, the deposition rate of Ventolin inhalation solution can reach 57%.

The new circuit-driven atomizer is capable of real-time control of a precise atomization flow rate with accuracy down to the nanoliter per second. It can achieve this by using a metering pump to deliver liquid, and an advanced carrier gas channel design. A number of atomizer manufacturers including Sono-Tek, USI and Siansonic have already developed devices using this technology. The technology can be applied to a variety of applications including drug atomization inhalation and atomized coating. The technology is particularly promising for small portable atomizers such as household portable inhalers and beauty replenishment instruments.


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