Starch heating has long been one of the most difficult issues in the pulp and paper industry. Ensuring you get the right mix of heat across the process pipe is a challenge, thanks to the fact that the streams are fairly viscous. Traditional steam heaters use concentric tubes with steam in one tube and the process fluid in the other, but they use an extensive amount of energy and require quite a bit of maintenance.

At Komax, though, we’ve developed an entirely different solution. Our inline heater uses static mixing elements in the pipe to create the mixing process. Inside are six hollow cylinders with a static mixing element inside. They spin the process fluid clockwise, while the inlet for steam allows the heat to enter. When the fluid leaves, a turbulent zone is created, and the streams all come together. They’re fully integrated with each other.

The set up is fairly simple, and it manages to keep the operating temperature within a degree over the flow velocity. The noise levels are quite low, too.

This technology isn’t just for pulp and paper. There are sanitary versions of the technology too, so the range of industries is virtually unlimited for this application.

Ready to learn more? Contact us today.