Modeling of dispersed particle-liquid (solid-liquid) phase flow and applications to food processes

This thesis presents a numerical model approach, i.e. Dispersed Phase model (DPM), to describe the particle phase flow pattern in solid-liquid food flows. DPM model was used to simulate specific food flows such as riser section (vertical pipe) of aseptic process and UV pasteurization of apple cider in an annular reactor. For this purpose, commercial CFD code, Fluent5, was modified by incorporating DPM model, constitutive relations, and boundary conditions to predict the flow behavior of foods containing particulate matter including particle residence times and particle velocities.; The results of our calculations showed good prediction of the steady state Laminar liquid food flow compared to available experimental data in the literature. DPM model along with UV intensity model was also applied to UV disinfection process of apple cider to find how much UV radiation ultimately reaches the microorganisms attached to the large particles (e.g. 225 μm) for a specific UV reactor system. Based on our simulation results we propose new design of the system with mixing and internals such that the flow becomes turbulent and the transport of particles with a small residence time is being eliminated.; We concluded that DPM model has the capability to simulate different solid-liquid food flows to reduce costly experimentation. It may also be used as an effective numerical tool for the design of the food flow processes.