Milk Chilling: The Ultimate FAQ Guide

Before you invest in a new milk chiller, read this guide.

It has all information that will help you choose high performance and reliable chiller systems for milk processing.

Keep reading to learn more.

What is Milk Chilling?

Milk chiller system

Milk chilling is the process of cooling milk to lower temperatures so as to check the growth of micro-organisms.

In other words, it is the process where you will cool milk to low temperatures to prevent it from going stale.

Which Types of Machines Do You Use in Industrial Chilling of Milk?

You will use chillers or milk chilling machines in the industrial chilling of milk.

Milk chillers help in removal of heat from milk or pasteurization to an appropriate temperature thus keeping it fresh for long.

In other words, it prevents milk from deteriorating thus increasing the shelf life of milk.

There are two main types of milk chillers that you can use in milk chilling process including:

· Two Varieties of Dairy Chillers

These are two different types of dairy chillers that you will choose according the scale or magnitude of operation.

Here, you can either use the double-walled tank milk chillers or the plate diary chillers.

· Water-Cooled and Air-cooled Milk Chillers

These are the two most modern types of milk chilling machines which use water and air to chill milk.

You can either choose to use the water-cooled or air-cooled milk chillers to help in cooling the milk.

What are the Two Varieties of Diary Chillers?

There are two varieties of dairy chillers that you can use in the chilling of milk products.

Implying that, you will choose the dairy chillers according to the scale of operation.

Here are the two main types of dairy chillers that you can use in the milk chilling process.

· Double-Walled Tank Milk Chillers

This is an old model of a dairy chiller that have water and cooling coils surrounding the tank of milk.

It also has a compressor which is in constant operation to freeze the water around the ice thus building ice.

The compressor will run for a while until it completes building a certain thickness of ice around the wall.

As soon as the ice achieves a certain level of thickness, the compressor will shut down.

This will give the tick ice surrounding the tank to continue with the milk chilling process.

In case the thickness reduces, the compressor will pick up pace and continue with ice formation process.

· Plate Dairy Chillers

You will use the plate dairy chillers in large scale chilling demands of milk.

There are quite a number of different types of plate dairy chillers that you can choose from.

One of the types uses a mixture of water and glycol in the cooling process of milk.

It also has stainless steel plates with a mixture of water and glycol on the other side that produces the chilling effect.

It results to a chilling process of the milk down to appropriate temperatures.

How Does the Water-Cooled Milk Chiller Compare to Air-Cooled Milk Chillers?

This is what you need to know about these chillers systems:

· Air-cooled Milk Chillers

Air chiller

Air-cooled milk chillers are special types of milk chilling equipment that use air as the main chilling agent.

These air chillers will absorb and eliminate heat to the surrounding air thus the reason for installation outside the building.

· Water-cooled Milk Chillers

Water cooled chiller

Water-cooled milk chilling machines are types of chilling machines which use water as the main chilling agent.

Water-cooled chillers absorb heat from the system and gets rid of it back to the water tower or source.

Which is the Best Location for the Milk Chillers?

Well, the location of the milk chillers will solely depend on the type of milk chillers you are using.

There are two main locations where you might place the milk chilling machines.

Water cooled milk chillers are often quite delicate and will require a mechanical room for installation.

The mechanical room will shelter it from the damaging weather elements such as rain and sunshine.

Apart from that, it does not require a lot of ventilation hence the need for a mechanical room for installation.

On the flip side, you will install the air-cooled milk chillers outside the building of operation.

You can also install it inside a mechanical room provided that you ensure maximum ventilation for it to work.

Implying that, air-cooled chillers require plenty of air to cool off or get rid of the heat.

It is also strong enough and can withstand the weather elements that might cause a lot of damage.

What is the Significance of Cooling Milk Using Milk Chillers?

There are numerous reasons why you should cool milk using the milk chillers.

Chilling of milk using milk chilling machines will help in maintaining the freshness of milk for a long time.

Apart from that, chilling of milk aids in pasteurization which kills pathogen in milk thus making it safe for consumption.

You can also store the milk under chilled conditions for a very long time without the risk of going bad.

In other words, chilling of milk reduces the growth of pathogen in milk thus extending he shelf life.

How Do You Choose the Right Milk Chilling System for Your Production Plant?

You will choose the right milk chilling system by looking at the technical specifications of the milk chillers.

You must have a plan on how you would like the milk chillers to look like in reference to the technical specifications.

The main specifications that you ought to look at when selecting the milk chillers are:

Milk chiller system

· Scale of Operation

You will choose a milk chilling machine by looking at the magnitude or scale of operation you work on.

In this case, the bigger the scale of operation, the greater and more efficient the mode of operation.

· Dimensions of Machine

You must also consider the dimensions of the machine in terms of size and relate it to the application requirements.

Here, you should choose a size of milk chilling machine that can comfortably accommodate your application requirements.

· Chilling Capacity

You must also consider the capacity of milk that you will be chilling using the milk chilling machines.

The rule of thumb expects you to choose a machine that is greater than the actual chilling capacity requirements.

· Chilling Temperature Range

You must also have specific chilling temperature range which will mark the minimum and maximum chilling levels.

This will also depend on the application specifications or application requirements of the milk processing industry.

Which Factors Affect the Milk Chilling Efficiency Using Milk Chillers?

There are numerous factors that affect the efficiency of the milk chilling machines.

Here are some of the numerous factors that you ought to look at when determining milk chilling efficiency.

· Flow Rate of the Cooling Fluid

You should consider using a chiller that allows for maximum and most efficient flow of the milk chilling refrigerants.

The faster the flow of the milk chilling refrigerants, the greater the efficiency or performance of the milk chillers.

· Available Surface Area

Here, the wider the surface area, the greater and more efficient the milk chilling or cooling capacity or efficiency.

Wider surface areas allow for greater space for heat absorption thus increasing the heat chilling efficiency.

What are the Main Components of the Milk Chilling Systems?

Milk chillers have numerous parts that work in conjunction with one another to cool milk adequately.

Here are the main parts of the milk chillers that you should pay close attention to.

Portable milk chiller system

· Control Panel

The control panel is the main unit of the milk chilling system for controlling the chilling specifications.

It allows you to configure, program, and also monitor the chilling specifications on a touch screen.

It also has a human machine interface that makes it easy to use even from a remote distance.

· Refrigerant Storage Unit

This is a special type of tank of various capacities that you will use in the storage of refrigerant fluids.

Your choice for the milk chiller will determine the capacity of the refrigerant tank you ought to have.

· Expansion Valve

The expansion valve will help in controlling the overall pressure of the milk chiller refrigerants.

It will reduce the pressure as well as well as speed of the refrigerants while feeding it to the compressors.

· Compressors

You can choose between the three main types of compressors available including scroll, screw, or centrifugal compressors.

The compressor is responsible for the compression of the fluid to increase the speed and pressure.

· Evaporators

You will also use the evaporators for the purpose of collecting enough heat from the supply or distribution tubes.

They come in different shapes, designs, and sizes according to the specifications of the customer.

· Condensers

You will choose the type of condenser that you would like to work with depending on the type of machine.

In other words, you can either use the air-cooled or water-cooled milk chillers to eliminate the heat.

Condensers will enable the elimination of heat from the refrigerant using water or air as chilling agent.

· Electric Control System

This is the part of the milk chiller machines that you will use to control the amount of electric current.

You will be able to control the amount of power in this system from the control panel of the milk chillers.

How Does Milk Chiller Work?

There are different types of milk chillers which help in the cooling of milk at different temperatures.

Here we are going to look at how the water-cooled milk chillers work to eliminate heat.

The main liquid in use in this application is a mixture of water and glycol which will absorb the heat.

First you will have to pour the milk into plates or tanks that have heat conducting and absorbing materials.

The heat will move from the milk through the plates and into the tubes that contain the mixture of glycol and water.

After that, the fluid consisting of water and glycol will retain the heat from the system thus leaving the milk cool.

It will then transfer the heat to the water-cooled milk chillers which is bready to collect the heat at the evaporator.

As the system was absorbing heat from milk, the water-cooled milk chiller was activating the compressor.

You will depend on the compressor to compress the refrigerant and increase its pressure and speed.

It will allow it to flow to the evaporator where it will absorb heat that comes from the system.

As soon as it reaches the evaporator, the refrigerant will change its state from liquid to gas after absorbing heat.

With the same pressure and speed, the gas refrigerant will carry away the heat to the condenser of the machine.

The condenser will increase the residence time of the gas refrigerant and absorb the heat from the refrigerant.

It will use cool water which will condense the refrigerant and eliminate the heat from the system.

The refrigerant will change from gas to liquid and flow to the expansion valve under high pressure.

At this point, the expansion valve will reduce the pressure of the refrigerant and supply back to the compressor.

Which Quality Certification’s Must Milk Chillers Adhere to?

Milk chiller system

There are numerous quality certifications that your milk chiller must adhere to.

Since we are talking about a food product, you must use machines that are certified for food processing.

In other words, you must have the food quality certifications such Food and Drug Administration (FDA) quality certifications.

Apart from that, there are other multiple quality certifications for chillers that you must adhere to.

Here are some of the quality certifications that you need to consider.

• UL Quality Certification
• UNI EN ISO 90001: 2008 Quality Certifications
• CE Quality Certifications
• RoHS Quality Certifications
• ANSI/ AHRI Quality Certifications

The above quality certifications will ensure that the machine is safe for you to use.

Apart from that, it will protect you from counterfeit products from unscrupulous dealers.

What are the Benefits of Using the Milk Chillers in Milk Chilling Applications?

You can use the milk chillers in milk chilling applications to reduce the temperature of milk to storage levels.

Here are some of the benefits that you will realize while using the milk chilling machines.

· Easy to Maintain

You will go through an easy and simple time when cleaning and maintaining the milk chillers.

All the parts are in strategic positions that will allow you to simply clean and replace them accordingly.

· Instant Chilling

You will also realize that the machine will chill the milk at a very fast pace as soon as you start the chilling process.

You don’t have to get a storage tank as the cooling time will take a few seconds thus extending milk shelf life.

· Reduction in Losses

You will also chill milk in the most economic way as the machine will reduce the losses of refrigerants.

It has shorter refrigerant pipe runs, that will reduce refrigerant loss and save on the cost of operation.

· Energy Conservation

You will also save a lot of energy as the machine uses very little energy to produce maximum chilling results.

In the same sense, it will help in the reduction of operation cost of the milk chilling systems.

What is the Best Material for Manufacturing Milk Chilling Systems?

The best material that you will use in the manufacturing process if milk chillers is stainless steel.

Stainless steel is the best material of choice because of the high levels of hygiene.

Apart from that, it does not corrode or stain easily thus increasing the overall machine efficiency.

In addition to that, stainless steel is a very good conductor of heat and will help in absorbing of heat faster.

What’s more, stainless steel has very high tensile strength that will maintain the overall structure of the milk chillers.

What is the Difference Between Scroll Milk Chillers and Semi-Hermetic Milk Chillers?

You can either use the scroll milk chillers or hermetic milk chillers in the chilling of milk.

Scroll chillers and hermetic milk chillers are available in both water- and air-cooled versions.

Scroll chillers operate under 1 to 60 hp while the semi-hermetic chillers operate under 15 to 100 hp.

Scroll chiller

What are Remote Condenser Milk Chilling Systems?

Remote condenser milk chilling systems have different parts of the chilling systems in different locations.

It has the compressor of the milk chillers and condensers on different locations thus controlling chilling process.

How Do the Tandem Scroll Milk Chillers Compare to Screw Milk Chillers?

Well, you can also choose to use the tandem scroll milk chillers or the screw milk chillers.

Both types of milk chillers use water- or air-cooling systems to help in the elimination of heat.

Tandem scroll chillers use between 28 to 120 hp while screw milk chillers use 80 to 214 hp.

Screw chiller

Why Should You Consider using the Industrial Milk Chilling Systems?

You should consider using the industrial grade of milk chilling system over the standard milk chilling systems.

Here are the reasons why the industrial milk chilling systems are more appropriate.

· Stronger Performance

Industrial milk chilling systems have greater and stronger performance in comparison to standard milk chilling systems.

It will deliver heavy duty strength that will perform better chilling functions on the milk chilling process.

· Tight Temperature Control

You will also enjoy a tight temperature control system which will increase the efficiency of milk chilling.

It will help you achieve the right temperatures that you need in the chilling systems within a short period.

· All Round Performance

You will also use the industrial milk chilling systems all through the year with minimal hitches.

All you have to do is maintain proper maintenance schedule and adhere to it fully.

Which Options Should I Choose from When Customizing the Milk Chilling Systems?

When choosing the right options for customizing milk chilling systems, there are particular factors to look at.

Here are the main factors that you will look at during the planning stage of customization for milk chillers.

• Redundancy Options
• Custom Controls
• Heat Tank and Heat Exchanger
• Energy Efficiency Options
• Variable Capacity Control Options

Which Factors Do You Consider When Choosing Energy Efficiency Options of Milk Chilling Systems?

A good milk chiller should work at optimum conditions while saving energy at the same time.

This will result into a cast saving option thus reducing the overall cost of production.

Here are some of the energy efficient options that you ought to consider.

• EC condensers and fan motors that will save on energy while stabilizing refrigerant pressure
• Electronic Expansion valves
• Floating Head Pressure for proper cooling in temperatures under 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Variable frequency drives that conserve energy

What are the Redundancy Options of the Milk Chilling Systems?

You can either have partial or full redundancy options to help in setting the right milk chilling capacity.

Here are some of the redundancy options that you can choose from.

• Full Capacity Redundancy Options
• Full Electrical Isolation Redundancy Options
• Dual- or Multi-circuitUnits
• Auto-changeover Redundant Pump Options

Do You Have Solar Powered Milk Chilling Systems?

Yes, we also supply solar powered milk chilling systems according to the requests of the customer.

This system uses power from the sun to give enough energy for the operations of the machine.

What Determines the Cost of Milk Chilling Plant?

The size, quality and type of machines you will be using will determine the cost of milk chilling plants.

In other words, the greater the quality, and size of the machines, the higher the overall cost milk chilling.

Apart from that, the latest form of technology on the milk chillers will also increase the cost of milk chillers.

Generally, the cost of milk chillers range between 5,000 to 50,000 US dollars.

Is there Milk Technique that can Replace Milk Chilling Systems?

No, there are no milk chilling techniques that can replace the milk chilling systems.

All you have to do is improve the technology on the milk chilling systems to improve the milk chilling efficiency.

How much Energy does Milk Chiller use?

Well, most of the milk chillers do not use a lot of energy in the chilling process of milk.

This is because the milk chillers have energy saving capacities that will help in saving energy from excess consumption.

The amount of energy that the milk chillers consume will depend on the machine as well as application demands.

Higher application demands tend to consume more energy than low application demands.

How does Milk Chilling System Increase Profitability in Food Processing Industry?

Bulk milk chiller

Chilling systems increase the profitability of food processing industry by:

· Reducing Losses

Chilling systems help in maintaining the freshness of food thus eliminating the possibility of losses

· Energy Conservation

You will also conserve a lot of energy while using the milk chillers thus reducing cost of production.

· Value Addition

Milk chilling systems also help in the process of adding value to the milk in process such as fermentation.

This increases the variations of milk products in the market thus increasing profitability.

With this information, you can definitely choose high performance milk chilling system.

In case you have any question or inquiry about milk chillers, contact TopChiller now.