POSSIBILITIES FOR MINIMIZING WATER CONSUMPTION BY HEAT EXCHANGE IMPROVEMENTS IN A DAIRY PLANT

Abstract

Introduction:
The dairy industry has a high demand for water and energy, primarily in heat exchange systems. At the Villa Clara Dairy Products Company, this results in high costs, effluent pollution, and a significant environmental footprint, compromising its sustainability.
Objective:
To determine the optimal operational alternatives for the thermal exchange systems to reduce energy and water consumption. Materials and Methods: An integrated methodology was applied in four stages: 1) mass and energy balances to quantify consumption; 2) thermal design of equipment using established methods and artificial intelligence software for iterative calculations; 3) development of condensate recovery systems; and 4) operational optimization by adjusting thermal gradients. This enabled a systematic approach to minimizing water and energy use.
Results and Discussion:
It was demonstrated that it is possible to minimize water inputs by using lower temperatures in cooling systems and recovering condensed vapors in the already installed systems.
Conclusions:
The redesign of thermal equipment, the adjustment of operating temperatures, and the recovery of condensates proved to be effective strategies for optimizing dairy processes. These measures led to significant improvements in energy efficiency and substantial reductions in water consumption, achieving savings ranging from 12.5% to 76.81% across the different production lines. Additionally, considerable volumes of condensate and thermal energy were recovered (up to 847.33 kg/h and 573.7 kW), highlighting the substantial resource potential that is typically wasted in conventional industrial processes.