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COMPARATIVE STUDY OF WIRELESS VERSUS STANDARD THERMOCOUPLES FOR DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSES IN ROTARY COOKERS
Author(s) -
DWIVEDI MRITUNJAY,
RAMASWAMY HOSAHALLI S.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of food processing and preservation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.511
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1745-4549
pISSN - 0145-8892
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-4549.2008.00358.x
Subject(s) - thermocouple , retort , cooker , wireless , thermometer , mechanical engineering , simulation , computer science , process engineering , materials science , automotive engineering , engineering , composite material , waste management , telecommunications , physics , quantum mechanics
The performance of a wireless temperature sensor was compared with that of a conventional thermocouple for gathering heat penetration data. A central composite rotatable design experimental design with three different processing conditions (glycerin concentration [70–100%], retort temperature [111.6–128.4C] and retort speed [4–24 rpm]) were employed using 307 × 409 cans containing the particulate fluid to compare the performance of the two devices. Experiments were performed in a fixed axial mode of rotation in a rotary cooker, and only liquid temperature was measured using both temperature sensors. The heating rate index, f h , cook value to lethality ratio, C O /F O , were evaluated and compared using a t‐test. Statistically there were no differences (P > 0.05) in the performance of the two systems with respect to the parameters tested; however, compared with conventional thermocouples, the wireless sensors were more stable, and more practical for use in rotary cookers especially for free axially rotating cans.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS In order to meet the recent industrial demand to optimize the thermal process in rotary cookers, it is imperative that time‐temperature data during processing be accurately gathered. To gather temperature data in rotary retorts, standard thermocouples equipped with a slip ring assembly are used together with a data acquisition set up. A biaxially rotating can, as in continuous cooker simulators, would require two such slip rings: one at the can level and one at the retort level, making the data gathering more cumbersome. To assist in such scenarios, use of self‐contained “wireless” sensors is more practical. This study focuses on concerns about using wireless sensors due to their own volume influencing the temperature measurement at the critical control point. This study will demonstrate that wireless sensors could potentially replace standard thermocouples for the measurement of temperature for convection‐heated food in large size 307 × 409 cans.