Claims
- 1. A method for destroying harmful microorganisms in a liquid by short-time high-temperature heating of the liquid in a micro heat exchanger having up to 10,000 microchannels per cm3 active heat exchanger volume formed by stacks of metal foils having parallel microchannels formed in said metal foils, with the metal foils being joined by diffusion welding, said method comprising the steps of: in a first step, rapidly heating the liquid in a micro heat exchanger with a gradient of at least 200° K/sec, during a second step, maintaining the liquid at said high temperature for a time period of less than 2 seconds, and in a third step, cooling said liquid again in the micro heat exchanger with a gradient of at least 200° K/sec.
- 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said second step also takes place in the micro heat exchanger in which heat is supplied to said liquid to maintain the high temperature of said liquid.
- 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said liquid is heated within a time period of 0.2 to 0.3 second to a temperature of 140° C. to 200° C. and is cooled down again within the same time period of 0.2 to 0.3 second.
- 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said liquid is liquid food including milk.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
199 12 541 |
Mar 1999 |
DE |
|
Parent Case Info
This is a Continuation-In-Part application of international application PCT/EP00/02087 filed Mar. 10, 2000 and claiming the priority of German application 199 12 541.4 filed Mar. 19, 1999.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
Number |
Date |
Country |
44 08 073 |
Sep 1995 |
DE |
195 21 256 |
Dec 1996 |
DE |
196 08 824 |
Sep 1997 |
DE |
197 38 926 |
Mar 1999 |
DE |
0 722 075 |
Jul 1996 |
EP |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
F. Dannenberg, “Application of Reaction Kinetics to the Denaturation of Whey Proteins in Heated Milk”, Milchwissenschaft, vol. 43, No. 1, 1988, pp. 3-7. |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
PCT/EP00/02087 |
Mar 2000 |
US |
Child |
09/906006 |
|
US |