Abstract

PEREZ-SANCHEZ, Amaury et al. Evaluation of a tubular heat exchanger for preheating a cell suspension of Tsukamurella paurometabola. Ing. invest. y tecnol. [online]. 2017, vol.18, n.3, pp.331-340. ISSN 2594-0732.

Today, the development and implementation of more efficient and profitable thermal processes constitute a topic with high priority in a great amount of industries and chemical plants. At the present work the experimental evaluation of a tubular heat exchanger is carried out in order to preheat a liquid cell suspension (bio-formulate) of Tsukamurella paurometabola bacteria strain C-924, as an alternative to substitute the current batch preheating method. Cell viability studies, as well as chemicals and electricity consumption studies, were carried out for both preheating methods considered (batch and continuous), while the results obtained were mutually compared. Batch preheating mode reduces the cell viability of the bio-formulate in 75% during the first 6 hours of preheating, while the application of the continuous preheating method using the tubular heat exchanger don’t reduces the viability of the bio-formulate. The dehydrated powder obtained by the continuous preheating approach had a viability value 1.37 times higher than the powder obtained during batch preheating method. The cost involved due to electricity consumption is 1.4 times higher in batch preheating method as compared with continuous preheating process, while regarding reagents consumption it is near 3 times higher. It’s concluded that the proposed tubular heat exchanger constitutes a profitable and feasible alternative to apply during the bio-formulate preheating step in substitution of the actual batch preheating procedure.

Keywords : Tubular heat exchanger; bio-formulate; cell viability; cost.