Systems and methods for heat exchange

A heat exchanger for a food product, compromising:

• a shell having a first end, a second end, and a heating media receiving chamber, the first end having a heating media inlet, a food product outlet, and an air vent, the second end having a heating media outlet and a food product inlet;
• a tubing for transporting the food product, the tubing disposed within the heating media receiving chamber of the shell and extending between the food product inlet and the food product outlet of the shell;
• a source of a heating media;
• a heating media inlet pathway for transporting the heating media from the source of the heating media to the heating media inlet of the shell;
• a recirculation pathway for transporting the heating media from the heating media outlet to the heating media inlet;
• a heating media outlet pathway for expelling the heating media from the recirculation pathway;
• a first valve interposed in the heating media inlet pathway so as to selectively control the flow of heating media from the source of heating media to the heating media receiving chamber of the shell;
• a temperature sensing device in communication with the tubing downstream of the food
• product outlet and with the first valve such that when a temperature of the food product flowing from the shell falls under a predetermined temperature, the first valve is actuated to permit the heating media to flow from the source of the heating media to the heating media receiving chamber via the heating media inlet pathway;
• a second valve interposed at an intersection of the heating media recirculation pathway and the heating media outlet pathway to selectively control the flow of heating media from the heating media receiving chamber to one of the heating media recirculation pathway and the heating media outlet pathway;
• and
• a level element in communication with the heating media receiving chamber and the second valve such that when a level of the heating media in the heating media chamber exceeds a predetermined level, the second valve is actuated to divert the flow of the heating media from the heating media recirculation pathway to the heating media outlet pathway,
• wherein the predetermined level of the heating media is from about 75% to about 95% of a height of the heating media receiving chamber, as measured from the second end to the first end so that the pressure within the heating media receiving chamber is substantially equal to atmospheric pressure as the heating media from the heating media source flows into the heating media receiving chamber.