Presentazioni e Articoli Tecnici

The use of the finite element method for understanding and analyzing the freezing and drying processes of food products is in focus in this paper. The objective of this study is to develop a model that can predict temperature distribution and weight loss of food products during the freezing and drying processes. The problem was solved by utilizing heat, mass transfer and moving mesh model. In order to predict the heat transfer, the thermo physical properties of food products are evaluated by a composition-based prediction method. The mass transfer problem in the unfrozen region is solved by the Fickian model and in the frozen region with the receding front model that assumes that the water movement becomes immobilized and that the moisture sublimates first from the surface then through the dried area in the food.