Abstract
In this study the effect of packing on freezing time, effective heat transfer coefficient and global thermal resistance were evaluated during the freezing of fruit juice model solution in an air blast freezer. Two configurations were arranged with 40 buckets and 15 kg of solution in each, totaling 600 kg. Thermocouples were installed to monitor the temperature profiles within the solution and at the packaging and cooling air surface. The temperature data were used to calculate the effective heat transfer coefficients and the resistances throughout the freezing process. The use of metal buckets represented reductions of up to 19.60% in the freezing times. Also, the temperature curve plateau, characterizing solidification (phase change period), was reduced. The main result of this paper was the possibility of calculating the effective heat transfer coefficients and global thermal resistances during the complete process of freezing. These properties assumed different values, not having a constant distribution throughout the freezing process.
Highlights
The freezing of food inside freezing tunnels is a process based on a simultaneous heat and mass transfer between the food and the air flow
The aim of this work was to study the heat transfer process during the freezing of fruit juice model solution stored in buckets made of different materials; to calculate the experimental effective heat transfer coefficients and the global thermal resistance throughout the freezing process
This work allowed the understanding of the heat transfer dynamics process during freezing of fruit juice model solutions in a freezing tunnel
Summary
The freezing of food inside freezing tunnels is a process based on a simultaneous heat and mass transfer between the food and the air flow. One important factor to be considered during food freezing is the packaging material. That with low thermal resistance would be of interest since it allows faster heat exchange between the packaging material and the food. According to Santos et al (2008) it is difficult to decompose the different heat transfer resistances quantitatively during freezing. This is due to the complexity of the interfaces between the product and the packaging, the gap between the primary and secondary packaging, as well as the thermal contact resistances
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