Fig. 327 The Slurry Heater’s primary application is in the cooking of grain, mash, or starch slurry. Other applications vary from simple pumping of semi-solids to process applications involving reactions caused by addition of steam. Cold slurry to be heated is pumped from a container into the heater. Steam enters the heater through the other inlet. An intimate mixing of the slurry and the steam occurs in the venturi throat and the slurry absorbs the heat of the steam. The hot slurry is discharged from the discharge connection for further processing. A regulator in the steam line controls the pressure of the live steam admitted.
Fig. 327 Slurry Heaters can be substituted in processes normally requiring high cost capital equipment such as mechanical pumps, mechanical agitators, resistance or bayonet heaters, and containment vessels. The straight-through flow design of this in-line heater minimizes clogging problems usually associated with solids handling. Like other ejectors, the Slurry Heater has no moving parts and low maintenance and installation costs.