In recent years, with the relaxation of policy restrictions on the capacity of new breweries and the consumption upgrade of the beer market, the subdivision of craft beer has ushered in rapid development in the mainland. In the past, due to the lack of original design and basic research on domestic craft beer brewing equipment, the industry was repeatedly at a disadvantage in participating in international competition. In order to break down technical barriers and master the core technology, the low-carbon green process equipment team of the School of Mechanical Engineering of Tianjin University of Science and Technology has independently developed a complete set of whole-process craft beer equipment, and has been recognized by many awards such as "2021 Top Ten Achievements in the Food Machinery Industry" and the 2020 China Light Industry Federation Science and Technology Invention Award. At present, the project has been industrialized as a "model" for industry,000, academia and research.
The project team aims at "originality"
"We hope to give full play to the advantages of universities in basic research and original research, and further enhance the originality of processes and equipment." From technological breakthroughs to process innovation to equipment creation, it is ultimately necessary to realize complete sets and demonstration of equipment. Xu Qing, associate professor of the Department of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, told reporters that because there were many technologies in the field of craft beer equipment development in the past that were not mature enough, the team comprehensively applied a large number of chemical industry theories and processes, as well as ultrasonic technology, computer simulation technology, etc. in the project of "Craft Beer Whole Process Key Process Technology Integration and Equipment Research and Development", and finally achieved a breakthrough in the overall research and development of equipment.
Xu Qing said that compared with industrial beer, the brewing process of craft beer is more varied, so the universality of equipment is very critical. In view of the miniaturization, dispersion, complex raw materials and beer varieties and personalized characteristics of craft beer manufacturing, the team has developed a variety of boiling and saccharification process processes and equipment, invented the film-reducing wort boiling and ultrasonic defoaming and anti-spillage technology, developed the craft brewing one-tank method and the traditional two-tank fermentation process, and innovated a variety of craft beer hop addition processes.
In terms of energy saving and consumption reduction, the team has formulated a comprehensive energy utilization and recovery plan according to the entire production line, including low heat load boiling + centrifugal turbulence membrane efficient separation of poor volatile substances technology, chemical energy storage technology for low-grade brewing waste heat recovery in craft breweries, making the equipment more energy-saving and environmentally friendly.
Up to now, the "Craft Beer Whole Process Key Process Technology Integration and Equipment Research and Development" project has formed more than 20 invention patents, led the formulation of 2 light industry machinery industry standards, and won the second prize of Tianjin Science and Technology Progress Award.
Industry-university-research cooperation accelerates the landing of achievements
Innovative achievements from the laboratory to the enterprise and the market often require a long process, but the "craft beer whole process key process technology integration and equipment research and development" project, from the beginning of the project has insisted on carrying out industry-university-research cooperation, and maintain close cooperation with enterprises. Ningbo Hugang Food Machinery Co., Ltd., as a partner in the joint development of the project, has exported this set of craft beer equipment with independent intellectual property rights to Europe, the United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea and other places. Today, orders from the world account for about 80% of corporate sales.
It is understood that Dai Xiaoyong, former deputy general manager of Ningbo Hugang Food Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd., who is deeply involved in the research and development of the "Craft Beer Whole Process Key Process Technology Integration and Equipment Research and Development" project, is now pursuing a full-time doctorate degree at Tianjin University of Science and Technology. For him, the purpose of returning from the market to the university laboratory is to make the craft beer brewing equipment made in China labeled with its own original "label", so that the data of the domestic equipment can convince the discerning international customers.
"In the past, when I did not master the original core technology, due to the lack of basic theoretical data, when competing with first-class enterprises in Europe and the United States, domestic enterprises always lacked the data support to convince customers, and could only choose to fight a 'price war' at a low price, which was not my original intention." Dai Xiaoyong said, "My undergraduate and master's degrees are all in Tianjin University of Science and Technology, after graduating from school, I have been dealing with technology and the market, so I know that simply imitating foreign technology is always just 'similar', in order to stand out in the fierce market competition, you must master the original core technology." ”
Dai Xiaoyong believes that the process equipment and control engineering major of the School of Mechanical Engineering of Tianjin University of Science and Technology is a first-class major in the country, and the characteristic research direction of the first-level discipline mechanical engineering doctoral program is light industry and food engineering machinery and equipment, which has strong research and development capabilities. As a result, joint R&D projects between the company and Tianjin University of Science and Technology have benefited.
Speaking of industry-university-research cooperation, Professor Song Jitian, director of the Experimental Center of the School of Mechanical Engineering of Tianjin University of Science and Technology, said that the college attaches great importance to industry-university-research cooperation with enterprises. Relying on scientific research platforms such as Tianjin Key Laboratory of Light Industry and Food Engineering Machinery and Equipment and Tianjin International Joint Research Center for Low-carbon Green Process Equipment, the College actively carries out research and innovation in the direction of mechanical design and manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and food equipment. In 2022, in the field of intelligent vehicles, the team of the college has carried out good cooperation with FAW and the Great Wall; in the field of food equipment, the team of the college has carried out in-depth cooperation with Ningbo Lehui, Ningbo Hugang, Ningbo Sanchuan and other enterprises. The college will continue to carry out industry-university-research cooperation to help enterprises develop with high quality, and then promote the further upgrading of the mainland equipment manufacturing industry.
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