Egg washing and liquid egg pasteurisation on chiller heat
How an egg plant washing 2 lakh eggs and pasteurising 7,000 litres of liquid egg a day can heat its water with a heat pump fed from its chiller condensers, instead of a diesel boiler.
▶Video: Waste-heat recovery heat pumps
V10 · 2–2.5 minLifting warm water from condensers, effluent and process cooling to useful heat
Video coming soon01Problem statement
- Wash water must be warmer than the egg. Wash water must stay at least 10 K above egg temperature, or water is drawn through the shell with bacteria.
- Liquid egg is easily damaged. Whole egg coagulates just above 62 °C. The heating medium must be only a few degrees warmer than the product.
- Heating and chilling together. The plant heats egg for pasteurisation and then chills it straight away, rejecting the heat to a cooling tower.
- Losses between fuel and process. Burning diesel in a boiler or heater and distributing the heat loses a quarter or more of the fuel's energy before it reaches the process.
- Compliance, safety and handling. Fired equipment brings boiler inspections, fuel storage and unloading, flue emissions and an attendant on every shift.
02Use case
The reference plant grades and washes about 2 lakh eggs a day. About 60% are broken into liquid whole egg, yolk and white, which are pasteurised and chilled to 4 °C. The plant runs two shifts with a CIP at the end of the day.
| Heat user | Process temp. | Basis | Heat, kWh/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egg washer make-up and losses | 30 → 45 °C | 8,000 L/day make-up, 20% tank and spray losses | 167 |
| Liquid egg pasteuriser | 45 → 61 °C | 7,000 L/day after regeneration, 10% losses | 127 |
| CIP | 75 °C | 2 cycles × 2,000 L, 30 → 75 °C | 209 |
| Storage and pipework standing losses | – | about 5% | 25 |
| Total useful heat | 528 | ||
Averaged over 16 running hours, the heat pumps need about 33 kW.
03P&ID
Tags: HP heat pump, TK tank, SG steam generator, P pump, PHE plate heat exchanger, TCV temperature control valve, TIC temperature indicating controller (panel), TT temperature transmitter, MT moisture transmitter, PT pressure transmitter, LT level transmitter, FS flow switch, NC normally closed. Process fluids are heated through their own exchanger, coil or jacket.
04Solution
System description
- A Customized water-source cascade machine of about 35 kW, two-stage water-source machine built to duty, lifting 32 °C to 75 °C.
- A 1,500 L insulated storage tank decouples the heat pumps from the process peaks.
- Heat source: liquid egg chiller condenser water at about 32 °C. Cooling the condenser water lowers head pressure and saves chiller power.
- The diesel-fired hot-water boiler stays connected behind a normally closed valve as standby.
- Condenser water from the liquid egg chiller, at about 32 °C, is the heat pump source.
- The pasteuriser hot-water circuit is blended down from the tank to 63–64 °C, so the egg is never overheated.
- Egg washer tanks are heated through a plate exchanger, and CIP takes water from the same tank.
Selected equipment
| Machine | Customized water-source cascade |
|---|---|
| Capacity | about 35 kW, built to duty |
| Concept | two-stage water-source machine built to duty, lifting 32 °C to 75 °C |
| COP used | 2.9 (estimate) |
| Supply temperature | 75 °C |
| Storage | 1,500 L insulated tank |
Capacity is sized from the heat demand above. COP is an estimate until Sunniva engineering confirms the design.
Control philosophy
TT-101 at the tank top starts the heat pump below 70 °C and stops it at 75 °C. TIC-201 holds liquid egg at 61 °C at the holding tube inlet, with the hot-water circuit limited to 64 °C. TIC-202 holds washer water at 45 °C. If the tank falls below 68 °C, the existing boiler is enabled as standby.
05Energy saving and ROI
Change any input to match a customer's site. Defaults are typical Indian prices for October 2026. The installed cost is a placeholder; replace it with the actual quotation.
| Existing | Heat pump | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily consumption | – | – |
| Annual energy cost | – | – |
| Cost per 1,000 eggs | – | – |
| CO₂ per year | – | – |
06Benefits
No coagulation
A blended hot-water circuit with a small approach protects liquid egg from overheating.
Safer washing
Wash water stays reliably above egg temperature.
Chiller heat reused
Heat removed from chilled egg heats the next batch.
Lower energy cost
Each kWh of electricity delivers about 2.9 kWh of heat at the required temperature, against well under one kWh of useful heat per kWh of fuel burnt.
No flame on site
No burner, flue or fuel tank for this duty, and no fuel deliveries to schedule.
Solar-ready
Running hours can be placed in daylight so rooftop solar supplies much of the electricity, which also cuts CO₂ further.
07Engineering pointers
Site data to collect
- Eggs washed and broken per day
- Liquid egg products, pasteurisation temperature and hold time
- Washer type, tank size and make-up
- Chiller capacity and condenser water temperature
- CIP schedule
- Present fuel or electricity use and monthly bill
- Sanctioned electrical load and spare capacity
- Space for the heat pumps and storage, with service access
Design notes
- Approach limit. Keep the pasteuriser heating medium within 2–3 K of the egg outlet temperature.
- Wash water quality. Use potable water with controlled chlorine and change it each shift. Low-iron water avoids shell staining.
- Divert logic. Keep the existing divert valve and temperature recorder for food-safety records.
- Source stream. The source must give up roughly two-thirds of the heat delivered. Confirm its flow and temperature over a full production day, and filter it before the evaporator.
- Water quality. Scale forms quickly above 60 °C. Use softened make-up and keep the heat pump loop closed, with process fluids on the far side of an exchanger or coil.
- Performance figure. The COP on this page is an engineering estimate, not a data sheet value. Sunniva engineering will confirm it for the actual source and supply temperatures.
Service and warranty
Sunniva has supplied 5,000+ heat pumps since 2012, with nine service technicians across India, including remote sites such as Leh. All components carry a one-year warranty.
Talk to us
Egg washing and liquid egg pasteurisation on chiller heat
How an egg plant washing 2 lakh eggs and pasteurising 7,000 litres of liquid egg a day can heat its water with a heat pump fed from its chiller condensers, instead of a diesel boiler.
▶Video: Waste-heat recovery heat pumps
V10 · 2–2.5 minLifting warm water from condensers, effluent and process cooling to useful heat
Video coming soon01Problem statement
- Wash water must be warmer than the egg. Wash water must stay at least 10 K above egg temperature, or water is drawn through the shell with bacteria.
- Liquid egg is easily damaged. Whole egg coagulates just above 62 °C. The heating medium must be only a few degrees warmer than the product.
- Heating and chilling together. The plant heats egg for pasteurisation and then chills it straight away, rejecting the heat to a cooling tower.
- Losses between fuel and process. Burning diesel in a boiler or heater and distributing the heat loses a quarter or more of the fuel's energy before it reaches the process.
- Compliance, safety and handling. Fired equipment brings boiler inspections, fuel storage and unloading, flue emissions and an attendant on every shift.
02Use case
The reference plant grades and washes about 2 lakh eggs a day. About 60% are broken into liquid whole egg, yolk and white, which are pasteurised and chilled to 4 °C. The plant runs two shifts with a CIP at the end of the day.
| Heat user | Process temp. | Basis | Heat, kWh/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egg washer make-up and losses | 30 → 45 °C | 8,000 L/day make-up, 20% tank and spray losses | 167 |
| Liquid egg pasteuriser | 45 → 61 °C | 7,000 L/day after regeneration, 10% losses | 127 |
| CIP | 75 °C | 2 cycles × 2,000 L, 30 → 75 °C | 209 |
| Storage and pipework standing losses | – | about 5% | 25 |
| Total useful heat | 528 | ||
Averaged over 16 running hours, the heat pumps need about 33 kW.
03P&ID
Tags: HP heat pump, TK tank, SG steam generator, P pump, PHE plate heat exchanger, TCV temperature control valve, TIC temperature indicating controller (panel), TT temperature transmitter, MT moisture transmitter, PT pressure transmitter, LT level transmitter, FS flow switch, NC normally closed. Process fluids are heated through their own exchanger, coil or jacket.
04Solution
System description
- A Customized water-source cascade machine of about 35 kW, two-stage water-source machine built to duty, lifting 32 °C to 75 °C.
- A 1,500 L insulated storage tank decouples the heat pumps from the process peaks.
- Heat source: liquid egg chiller condenser water at about 32 °C. Cooling the condenser water lowers head pressure and saves chiller power.
- The diesel-fired hot-water boiler stays connected behind a normally closed valve as standby.
- Condenser water from the liquid egg chiller, at about 32 °C, is the heat pump source.
- The pasteuriser hot-water circuit is blended down from the tank to 63–64 °C, so the egg is never overheated.
- Egg washer tanks are heated through a plate exchanger, and CIP takes water from the same tank.
Selected equipment
| Machine | Customized water-source cascade |
|---|---|
| Capacity | about 35 kW, built to duty |
| Concept | two-stage water-source machine built to duty, lifting 32 °C to 75 °C |
| COP used | 2.9 (estimate) |
| Supply temperature | 75 °C |
| Storage | 1,500 L insulated tank |
Capacity is sized from the heat demand above. COP is an estimate until Sunniva engineering confirms the design.
Control philosophy
TT-101 at the tank top starts the heat pump below 70 °C and stops it at 75 °C. TIC-201 holds liquid egg at 61 °C at the holding tube inlet, with the hot-water circuit limited to 64 °C. TIC-202 holds washer water at 45 °C. If the tank falls below 68 °C, the existing boiler is enabled as standby.
05Energy saving and ROI
Change any input to match a customer's site. Defaults are typical Indian prices for October 2026. The installed cost is a placeholder; replace it with the actual quotation.
| Existing | Heat pump | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily consumption | – | – |
| Annual energy cost | – | – |
| Cost per 1,000 eggs | – | – |
| CO₂ per year | – | – |
06Benefits
No coagulation
A blended hot-water circuit with a small approach protects liquid egg from overheating.
Safer washing
Wash water stays reliably above egg temperature.
Chiller heat reused
Heat removed from chilled egg heats the next batch.
Lower energy cost
Each kWh of electricity delivers about 2.9 kWh of heat at the required temperature, against well under one kWh of useful heat per kWh of fuel burnt.
No flame on site
No burner, flue or fuel tank for this duty, and no fuel deliveries to schedule.
Solar-ready
Running hours can be placed in daylight so rooftop solar supplies much of the electricity, which also cuts CO₂ further.
07Engineering pointers
Site data to collect
- Eggs washed and broken per day
- Liquid egg products, pasteurisation temperature and hold time
- Washer type, tank size and make-up
- Chiller capacity and condenser water temperature
- CIP schedule
- Present fuel or electricity use and monthly bill
- Sanctioned electrical load and spare capacity
- Space for the heat pumps and storage, with service access
Design notes
- Approach limit. Keep the pasteuriser heating medium within 2–3 K of the egg outlet temperature.
- Wash water quality. Use potable water with controlled chlorine and change it each shift. Low-iron water avoids shell staining.
- Divert logic. Keep the existing divert valve and temperature recorder for food-safety records.
- Source stream. The source must give up roughly two-thirds of the heat delivered. Confirm its flow and temperature over a full production day, and filter it before the evaporator.
- Water quality. Scale forms quickly above 60 °C. Use softened make-up and keep the heat pump loop closed, with process fluids on the far side of an exchanger or coil.
- Performance figure. The COP on this page is an engineering estimate, not a data sheet value. Sunniva engineering will confirm it for the actual source and supply temperatures.
Service and warranty
Sunniva has supplied 5,000+ heat pumps since 2012, with nine service technicians across India, including remote sites such as Leh. All components carry a one-year warranty.