High temperature/short time pasteurization system and method of cleaning

An automatic cleaning, liquid food pateurizing system comprising:

• a source of liquid food product to be heated to a pasteurizing temperature;
• a source of cleaned in place solution;
• a source of potable water;
• a heat exchanger including a heater section for heating a food product to a pasteurizing temperature, said heater section including an infeed pipe for receiving the liquid food product to be heated and an outfeed pipe for delivering the heated liquid food product from the heater section;
• a balance tank having an operating level fill plane, a first tank inlet positioned below said operating level fill plane, a second tank inlet positioned below said fill plane for receiving a first cleaned in place solution therein and a tank outlet fluidically connected to said infeed pipe of said heater section;
• and
• a first mixproof valve having a first valve inlet fluidically connected to said source of liquid food product and a second valve inlet fluidically connected to said source of water simultaneously, and a valve outlet fluidically connected to said first tank inlet, said first mixproof valve being actuatable between a first closed mode to block the flow of liquid therethrough, a second mode for permitting only said liquid food product to flow from said first valve inlet and said valve outlet without said liquid food product and said water mixing in said first mixproof valve, and a third mode for permitting only said water to flow from said second valve inlet to said valve outlet without said liquid food product and said water mixing in the first mixproof valve;
• and
• a second mixproof valve fluidically connected to and positioned intermediate said first cleaned in place solution source and said second tank inlet, said second mixproof valve being selectively actuatable between a first closed mode to block the flow of liquid therethrough and a second mode for permitting the flow of liquid therethrough.

A method of cleaning a liquid food pasteurization system having a source of liquid food product to be heated to a pasteurizing temperature, a pasteurized liquid food delivery pipe, a balance tank for receiving the liquid food product to be heated from the liquid food product source, the balance tank having a fill plane during normal operation and a first inlet positioned below the fill plane for receiving said source of liquid food product to be heated from said source of liquid food product, and a heat exchanger having a heater section including an infeed pipe for receiving the liquid food product to be heated from the balance tank and an outfeed pipe for delivering the heated liquid food product from the heater section to the delivery pipe, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a source of potable water and a first mixproof valve,
• fluidically coupling said first mixproof valve to receive liquid from both said water source and said liquid food product source and to deliver liquid received therein to said balance tank inlet;
• actuating said first mixproof valve to permit passage of said liquid food product to be heated therethrough into said balance tank and blocking the flow of water therethrough;
• flowing said liquid food product to be heating to said infeed pipe of said heat exchanger;
• elevating the temperature of the liquid food product in said heater section to pasteurize said liquid food product;
• delivering said pasteurized liquid food product from said outfeed pipe of said heat exchanger to said pasteurized liquid food delivery pipe;
• actuating said first mixproof valve to block the flow of liquid food product therethrough and to permit the flow of water through said first mixproof valve into said balance tank and said heat exchanger without flowing said liquid food product past said first mixproof valve to said source of water.