Premium
Experimental Analysis of a Beverage Carbonation System Equipped with a V enturi Nozzle
Author(s) -
Bottani Eleonora,
Ferretti Gino,
Vignali Giuseppe
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of food process engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.507
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1745-4530
pISSN - 0145-8876
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-4530.2012.00692.x
Subject(s) - carbonation , nozzle , process engineering , carbon dioxide , process (computing) , unit operation , industrial equipment , materials science , environmental science , computer science , pulp and paper industry , mechanical engineering , chemistry , chemical engineering , composite material , engineering , organic chemistry , operating system
This article investigates an important issue in carbonation systems for beverages, i.e., monitoring and optimizing the amount of carbon dioxide concentration in carbonated beverages. The study is grounded on two series of experimental tests performed using a laboratory apparatus that reproduces an industrial carbonation unit equipped with a V enturi nozzle, properly manufactured for this application. The experimental tests aimed to optimize the carbonation process as a function of both two parameters of the V enturi nozzle, namely the injection distance and the length of the cylindrical part, and a plant parameter, namely the pressure of the fluid at the end of the V enturi device. Analysis of variance was used to assess whether the parameters mentioned earlier have a significant effect on the carbonation level reached by the fluid (i.e., water), and on the amount of carbon dioxide sucked by the V enturi device. This study contributes to the literature in that it examines and optimizes an industrial carbonation process. The outcomes obtained could be useful for the optimization of the equipment. Practical Applications This study can be useful to practitioners because it examines and optimizes a real industrial carbonation process. The outcomes obtained provide indications as regards the optimal size of the V enturi device, and could be useful for the optimization of the equipment used in the beverage industry, as well as for the optimization of the carbonation process.