Integration and Simulation of Solar Thermal Energy to Diary Processes

Abstract

The application of the Solar Thermal Energy (STEn) systems to the dairy processes have shown a great potential for reducing fossil fuels use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. There are thirty- three STEn systems currently operating in the dairy industries worldwide providing temperatures from 140 oC to 200 oC that are mainly used for the heating purposes in the processes like pasteurization, preheating, and cleaning. The challenges of those systems include various operational issues such as shad and unoptimized equipment that affect the performance of the collector, tracking and control systems and other apparatus that could be overcome by a preliminary analysis of the dairy plant’s thermal load and use of integrated STEn systems. This study relates to a case study of the dairy industry, analyses the current thermal and cooling demands for production of skimmed milk, yogurt and cream, recommends two new scenarios for the integration and simulation of the STEn systems and evaluates the potential the process optimization. The Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) for each product and operational capacity requirement for the current and simulated processes are calculated and the most technically efficient solution considered.