Modeling the Heat Treatment of a Starch Suspension inside a Tubular Heat Exchanger

A. Plana-Fattori[1,2], E. Chantoiseau[1,2], C. Doursat[1,2], and D. Flick[1,2]
[1]AgroParisTech, Massy, France
[2]INRA, Massy, France
Published in 2010

Many liquid food processes involve coupled phenomena of fluid flow, heat transfer and product transformation. A typical example is the heat treatment of a starch suspension inside a tubular heat exchanger. Fluid flow influences heat transfer which determines temperature evolution along fluid trajectories. Temperature locally influences the food product transformation. The latter influences transport properties notably the viscosity, which in turn influences the fluid flow behavior. In this study a numerical model was developed with the help of COMSOL in order to account for these coupled phenomena in the case of a modified waxy maize starch suspension.

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