Geometry Simplification of Wrinkled Wall Semi-rigid Aluminum Containers in Heat Transfer Simulation

Authors
H. Vatankhah 1
N. Zamindar 2
M. Shahedi 1
1 Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, 84156-83111, Islamic Republic of Iran.
2 Department of Food Science and Technology, Khorasgan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, 81551-39998, Islamic Republic of Iran.
Abstract
Semi-rigid aluminum containers are being used widely in food industries. They have wrinkle shaped walls for strengthening their physical structure. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of wrinkled parts on the heat transfer and temperature distribution of the containers by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis. Therefore, a precise designed geometry of the wrinkled walls container was compared to a straight one. The analysis was carried out based on the physical properties of a carrot-orange soup. The velocity vectors showed a strong circulation towards the core. The Slowest Heating Zone (SHZ) locations were the same for wrinkled and simplified containers. Average temperature of the symmetric plane and the coldest point of SHZ showed less than 1% difference. The lethality imposed to the SHZ in the wrinkled wall container was about 0.4% more than the straight one. The simulation results revealed that wrinkled walls do not play an important role in increasing heat transfer and as a result, such geometries could be simplified while modeling.

Keywords

1. Anandharamakrishnan, C., 2011. Applications of Computational Fluid Dynamics in Food Processing Operations, in: “Computational Fluid Dynamics: Theory, Analysis and Applications”. Nova publishers, New York, pp. 297-316.
2. Bown, G. and Richardson, P. 2004. Modelling and Optimising Retort Temperature Control. Improving the thermal processing of foods 103-123.
3. Brody, A. L., 2002. Food Canning in the 21st century. Food Technol. 56:75-78.
4. Chen, C. R., and Ramaswamy, H. S., 2007. Visual Basics Computer Simulation Package for Thermal Process Calculations. Chem. Eng. Process., 46: 603-613.
5. Datta, A. K. and Teixeira A. A 1988. Numerically Predicted Transient Temperature and Velocity Profiles during Natural Convection Heating of Canned Liquid Foods. J. Food Sci.,53:191-195.
6. Erdogdu, F. and Tutar, M., 2011. Velocity and Temperature Field Characteristics of Water and Air during Natural Convection Heating in Cans. J. Food Sci.,76:E119-E129.
7. Farid, M. M. and Ghani, A. G., 2004. A New Computational Technique for the Estimation of Sterilization Time in Canned Food. Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification 43:523-531.
8. Ghani, A.G., Farid, M. M. and Chen, X. D., 2002a. Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of the Thermal Inactivation of Bacillus stearothermophyllus in Food Pouches. J. Food Eng., 51:221–228.
9. Ghani, A. G., Farid, M. M. and Chen, X. D., 2002b. Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of the Thermal Destruction of Vitamin C in Food Pouches. Comput. Electron. Agr., 34:129-143.
10. Ghani, A. G., Farid, M. M. and Zarrouk, S. J., 2003. The effect of can rotation on sterilization of liquid food using computational fluid dynamics. J. Food Eng., 57:9-16.
11. Ghani, A. G. and Farid, M. M., 2006. Sterilization of Food in Retort Pouches. springer. 93-115
12. Ghani, A. G., Farid, M. M., Chen, X. D. and Richards, P., 1999. Numerical Simulation of Natural Convection Heating of Canned Food by Computational Fluid Dynamics. J. Food Eng., 41:55-64.
13. Ghani, A. G., Farid, M. M., Chen, X. D. and Richards, P., 2001. Thermal Sterilization of Canned Food in a 3-D Pouch Using Computational Fluid Dynamics. J. Food Eng., 48:147-156.
14. Hayes, G. D., 1987. Food Engineering Data Handbook. Wiley, New York. p. 55.
15. Kannan, A. and Sandaka, P., 2008. Heat Transfer Analysis of Canned Food Sterilization in a Still Retort. J. Food Eng., 88:213-228.
16. Khakbaz Heshmati, M., Shahedi, M., Hamdami, N., Hejazi, M. A., Motalebi, A. A. and Nasirpour, A., 2014. Mathematical Modeling of Heat Transfer and Sterilizing Value Evaluation during Caviar Pasteurization. J. Agri. Sci. Technol., 16: 827-839
17. Kiziltas, S., Erdogdu, F. and Palazoglu, T. K., 2010 Simulation of Heattransfer for Solid-liquid Food Mixtures in Cans and Model Validation under Pasteurization Conditions J. Food Eng., 97: 449-456.
18. Kumar, A., Bhattacharya, M. and Blaylock, J., 1990. Numerical Simulation of Natural Convection Heating of Canned Thick Viscous Liquid Food Products. J. Food Sci., 55:1403-1411.
19. Kumar, A. and Bhattacharya, M., 1991. Transient Temperature and Velocity Profiles in a Canned Non-Newtonian Liquid Food during Sterilization in a Still-cook Retort. Int. J. Heat Mass Tran., 34:1083-1096.
20. Naveh, D., Kopelman, I. J. and Pflug, I. J., 1983. The Finite Element Method in Thermal Processing of Foods. J. Food Sci., 48:1086-1093.
21. Nicolai, B. M., Verboven, P., Scheerlinck, N. and De Baerdemaeker, J., 1998. Numerical Analysis of the Propagation of Random Parameter Fluctuations in Time and Space during Thermal Food Processes. J. Food Eng., 38: 259-278.
22. Pflug, I. J., 1987. A Textbook for Introductory Course in Microbiology and Engineering of Sterilization ,6th edn. Minneapolis, Minnesota, Environmental Sterilization Laboratory.
23. Rahman, R., 1995. Food Properties Handbook. Boca Raton, CRC Press.
24. Ramesh, M. N., 2007. Canning and Sterilization of Foods. CRC Press. 585-625.
25. Steffe, J. F., Mohamed, I. O. and Ford, E. W., 1986. Physical and Chemical Properties of Foods. Transaction of American Society of Agricultural Engineers, St. Joseph, MI.
26. Teixeira, A. A., Dixon, J. R., Zahradnik, J. W. and Zinsmeister, G. E., 1969. Computer Optimization of Nutrient Retention in the Thermal Processing of Conduction-heated Foods. Food Technol., 23:134-140.
27. Varma, M. N. and Kannan, A., 2006. CFD Studies on Natural Convective Heating of Canned Food in Conical and Cylindrical Containers. J. Food Eng., 77:1024-1036.
28. Versteeg, H. K. and Malalasekera, W., 1995. An Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics the Finite Volume Method Longman Group Ltd. London, England.
29. Zechman, L. G. and Pflug, I. J., 1989. Location of the Slowest Heating Zone for Natural-Convection-Heating Fluids in Metal Containers. J. Food Sci., 54:205-209.
 
Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology
Volume 18, Issue 1
January and February 2016
Pages 123-133