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DEVELOPMENT OF A QUANTITATIVE VIDEO‐BASED VISUALIZATION METHOD TO CHARACTERIZE THE FLOW BEHAVIOR OF FOOD PARTICULATES IN A MODEL CONTINUOUS ASEPTIC STERILIZER 3
Author(s) -
SHEFET SARID M.,
SHELDON BRIAN W.,
FARKAS BRIAN E.,
SWARTZEL KENNETH R.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of food process engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.507
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1745-4530
pISSN - 0145-8876
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-4530.1999.tb00477.x
Subject(s) - ball (mathematics) , standard deviation , flow visualization , volumetric flow rate , mechanics , aseptic processing , visualization , flow (mathematics) , simulation , mathematics , materials science , physics , mechanical engineering , computer science , geometry , engineering , statistics
The objectives of this study were to develop a quantitative visualization tool for evaluating flow behavior of particles in a compartmented aseptic system or other flow systems. The three dimensional movement of polystyrene balls as influenced by ball diameter (0.95 and 1.90 cm), fluid flow rate (10, 20 and 30 L/min) and conveyor disk design (2 configurations) was recorded in a model heating apparatus and analyzed using motion analysis software. Ball speed and net‐to‐gross‐displacement ratio (NGDR) values were calculated for ball movement in the x;y and x;z planes. As carrier liquid flow rate increased, there was an associated increase in both the mean and standard deviation speed and NGDR values. In general, larger ball sizes yielded lower speed and NGDR values (i.e., less movement). A concave (bowl‐like) conveyor disk design as opposed to a 90° flat‐edge disk design yielded greater speed and NGDR values when carrier velocity was greater than 20 L/min. Speed and NGDR values having higher standard deviations were interpreted as having more compartmental mixing. Furthermore, speed and NGDR mean and standard deviations were highly correlated. The results of this study demonstrated the potential utility of the flow visualization method for quantitating the flow behavior of particles through tubes. Furthermore, this method should be of value to food process engineers in developing continuous aseptic processes for particulate‐containing foods.