Evaluation of thermo-economic performance of a novel hybrid pasteurization system

In this study, the thermoeconomic performance of a heater designed for use in an innovative hybrid pasteurization system was examined. Within the scope of the research, a system heated by an immersion resistance heater was designed, and experimental data were obtained from this system. These experimental data enabled analyses of the system's energy efficiency and exergy performance. Based on the results of the exergy analysis, a thermoeconomic analysis was conducted to evaluate the economic performance of the system. Furthermore, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis was performed to investigate the thermal behavior of the system under different mixing and flow conditions, allowing for the evaluation of performance variations depending on flow dynamics. The CFD analyses were conducted in accordance with conjugate heat transfer principles, and a three-dimensional model of the system's tank was developed for the analyses. Water was used as the liquid food medium in both experimental analyses and CFD simulations. The CFD analyses provided insights into the system's heat transfer performance and temperature distributions. At the end of the study, the exergy efficiency was found to be low. However, the thermoeconomic analysis revealed that the energy cost per unit price was also relatively low. This indicates that the impact of losses on costs is minimal.