DEVELOPMENT AND JUSTIFICATION OF PARAMETERS OF A MICROWAVE INSTALLATION FOR DEFROSTING AND HEATING COW COLOSTRUM
Introduction: the article is devoted to the issue of ensuring the preservation of the nutritional properties of cow colostrum during thawing and heating by developing a microwave technology and an ultra-high-frequency installation. Materials and methods: the development and design of new heat treatment processes and methods for the realization of thawing and heating of cow colostrum consists in solving a set of interrelated tasks, which include the study and consideration of the dielectric properties of frozen colostrum, the choice of a method for supplying microwave energy and justification of the optimal process mode, and the design of the installation. Results: the developed installation contains an annular resonator with a receiving capacity and a closed waveguide with a ball valve. Along the perimeter of the outer side of the resonator with a 120-degree shift, magnetrons with emitters from an air-cooled microwave generator are installed, so that the average length of the ring, equal to an integer number of waves, is divided into equal lengths between emitters corresponding to an integer number of wavelengths. The cross section of the ring resonator is represented by the intersection of two circles with the same radius, and the division of the ring resonator into upper and lower compartments is carried out in the cross section by dielectric perforated plates. The maximum distance between the walls of the cross-section of the resonator is a multiple of half the wavelength, and the diameter of the perforation holes is less than the diameter of the crushed raw material particles. Discussion: the obtained equations allow us to estimate the change in the resonant frequency and intrinsic q-factor of a ring resonator with an unconventional cross-section when the dielectric constant of cow colostrum changes during thawing and heating in an ultrahigh frequency electromagnetic field. Conclusion: studies show that using three microwave generators with powerful and useful-ness 2550 watts in the installation of continuous operation with a ring resonator, the plant capacity will amount to 16.8 kg/h power consumption microwave installation of 3600 watts, an energy cost equal to 0,214 kWh/kg