EVALUATION of CONTINUOUS THERMAL PROCESSES USING THERMOCOUPLE DATA and CALIBRATING REACTIONS

Abstract

Twelve continuous thermal processes were evaluated with the equivalent point method based on time‐temperature histories and the destruction of Blue #2 at four different pH's to provide different kinetic parameters as calibrating reactions. the Arrhenius kinetic parameters for the four reactions were estimated under continuous flow conditions. Three were used as calibrating reactions to determine the equivalent times and temperatures for each process. the loss of blue #2 for the fourth was estimated for each process, using its kinetic parameters and equivalent points based on thermocouple and calibrating reactions. Log concentration reductions, using equivalent points based on calibrating reactions, more closely matched (slope = 0.962, r2= 0.999) actual results than did equivalent points based on thermocouple data (slope = 1.030, r2= 0.976). Thermal process estimates based on calibrating reactions were more useful to estimate kinetic parameters or product quality because they more closely represented the process actually experienced by the product.