As a general rule, cavitation is an event that makes food engineers cringe, an anomaly associated with product degradation and hammering in pipes and pumps. But the formation and collapse of small bubbles is essential in marine propulsion, and a number of design engineers are mastering the explosive power of air bubbles and turning them into a positive force in mixing, heat transfer and other food manufacturing processes (see “Supersonic processing,” Food Engineering, August 2005).
Over a decade ago, Hydro Dynamics, a Rome, GA, engineering firm, developed and patented the controlled cavitation technology. The initial focus was on rapid steam generation but quickly changed to scale free heating and mixing fluids or a mixing of a fluid and a gas. Chemical processes, paper-and-pulp applications and a few sanitary applications were pursued by Hydro Dynamics, but engineers at SPX Flow Technology saw an untapped potential for controlled cavitation in food and beverage production. They invited their Hydro Dynamics counterparts to exhibit their Shockwave Power Reactor at a food industry trade show in 2005. That led to some successful food applications and eventually a licensing agreement between SPX and Hydro Dynamics. At last year’s Process Expo show in Chicago, SPX introduced an APV Cavitator customized for food applications.