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DOI: 10.15507/2658-4123.036.202602.367-391

UDK 637.233:637.133.3

Scientific and Methodological Bases for Calculating the Parameters of Electrode Thermosiphon Milk Heaters in Pasteurizing

Andrey A. Bagaev
Dr.Sci. (Eng.), Professor, Head of the Department of Electrification and Automation of Agriculture, Altai State Agrarian University (98 Krasnoarmeysky Ave., Barnaul 656049, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2586-2590, Scopus ID: 57205438220, SPIN-code: 7421-2807, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sergey O. Bobrovsky
Senior Lecturer at the Department of Electrification and Automation of Agriculture, Altai State Agrarian University (98 Krasnoarmeysky Ave., Barnaul 656049, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9243-0179, Scopus ID: 58608530600, SPIN-code: 5222-6537, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract
Introduction. Thermal treatment is a technology that ensures guaranteed quality of milk and dairy products in terms of pathogenic microorganisms and enzyme systems, under specific combinations of temperature regimes and heating times. The most effective is the “thermosiphon pasteurizer using direct or indirect electrical heating” with a closed cycle of vaporization and condensation. But it is important to reduce energy costs for heating milk and develop a calculation method for a tankless milk heater parameters for pasteurizing taking into account the hydro-thermodynamic and design characteristics of the electrode heater.
Aim of the Study. The study is aimed at developing the theoretical and experimental justification of a method for calculating the parameters of a tankless electrode thermosiphon heater to increase the efficiency of the milk heater in pasteurizing at a given final milk temperature and capacity in a steady-state equilibrium mode.
Materials and Methods. There were used the basic provisions of the theory of hydrodynamics and thermodynamics, heat exchange and heat transfer, the methods of similarity theory, electrothermics and electrode resistance heating.
Results. There has been described the technique for calculating parameters on the example of an electrode thermosiphon heater with a coil heat exchanger made of food-grade stainless steel. This technique includes the sequential determination of: the components of heat flows in a thermosiphon electrode heater under an isochoric thermodynamic regime; the flow rate of condensate; the heating area of a coil heat exchanger at given milk production rate; the power of an electrode heating device; the geometric dimensions of an electrode system. After this, experimental verification and testing of permissible values of electric field strength and current density are implied.
Discussion and Conclusion. The presented calculation method allows in the equilibrium heat exchange mode agreeing the geometric and energy characteristics of the electrode system of the electro-technological heater with the parameters of the coil heat exchanger of known milk productivity, the results of the experimental verification of the proposed technology, taking into account the hydro- and thermodynamic parameters. The results of the study not contradict the results of the previous research conducted by the authors. The practical significance lies in the justified possibility of reducing the energy consumption for heating milk in thermal processing by 15–16% compared to the known technologies with a coefficient of efficiency of 84–88%. A promising area of research aimed at reducing energy consumption for milk heating, depending on the initial data of the technological process, is the study of the effect of self-regulation of the heater power using a compensatory capacity and the level of the aqueous solution.

Keywords: milk heating, pasteurization, reducing energy consumption, electrothermics, electrode heating, thermosiphon, coil heat exchanger

Conflict of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

For citation: Bagaev A.A., Bobrovskiy S.O. Scientific and Methodological Bases for Calculating the Parameters of Electrode Thermosiphon Milk Heaters in Pasteurizing. Engineering Technologies and Systems. 2026;36(2):367–391. https://doi.org/10.15507/2658-4123.26362.367-391

Authors contribution:
A. A. Bagaev – ideas; formulation or evolution of overarching research goals and aims; development or design of methodology; creation of models; management activities to annotate (produce metadata), scrub data and maintain research data (including software code, where it is necessary for interpreting the data itself) for initial use and later re-use; oversight and leadership responsibility for the research activity planning and execution, including mentorship external to the core team; verification, whether as a part of the activity or separate, of the overall replication / reproducibility of results / experiments and other research outputs; preparation, creation and / or presentation of the published work by those from the original research group, specifically critical review, commentary or revision – including pre- or post-publication stages.
S. O. Bobrovsky – management activities to annotate (produce metadata), scrub data and maintain research data (including software code, where it is necessary for interpreting the data itself) for initial use and later re-use; preparation, creation and / or presentation of the published work, specifically writing the initial draft (including substantive translation).

All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Submitted 10.11.2025;
revised 25.12.2025;
accepted 20.01.2026

REFERENCES

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