Forced-air precooling of spherical foods in bulk: A parametric study

• Published in: The International journal of heat and fluid flow 1997-12, Vol.18 (6), p.613-624
• Main Authors: Sadashive Gowda, B., Narasimham, G.S.V.L., Krishna Murthy, M.V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Finite difference method; Food engineering; Food industries; Food preservation; Food products; foods in bulk; forced-air precooling; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; heat; Heat conduction; Mass transfer; Mathematical models
• ISSN: 0142-727X; 1879-2278
• DOI: 10.1016/S0142-727X(97)00028-3

In this paper, a mathematical model for forced-air precooling of spherical food products in bulk is developed. The foods are arranged in horizontal layers stacked one above the other to form a rectangular parallelepiped with a vertical gap in between the product layers. The foods are cooled by chilled air blown along the height of the package. The governing equations for the conduction heat transfer in the foods, simultaneous heat and mass transfer at the food-air interface and in the air stream are solved numerically using finite-difference methods. A comprehensive numerical study is performed by varying the process parameters over a wide range. Typical results showing the variation of moist air properties along the height of the package and the effect of each parameter on the process time are presented. The ranges of parameters for advantageous operation of the precooling system are identified. Correlations are obtained for the process time based on the product center and mass-averaged temperatures in terms of process parameters.