Evaluation of semi-analytical/empirical freezing time estimation methods part I: Regularly shaped food items

The freezing of food is one of the most significant applications of refrigeration. Numerous semi-analytical/empirical methods for predicting food freezing rimes have been proposed. Therefore, a quantitative evaluation of selected semi-analytical/empirical food freezing time prediction methods is provided in two parts. This report focuses on methods that apply to regularly shaped food items, while Part ii covers techniques that apply to irregularly shaped food items. The performance of these various methods is quantitatively evaluated by comparing their numerical results to a comprehensive experimental freezing time data set compiled from the literature.