Combined CFD and experimental approach for determination of the surface heat transfer coefficient during thermal processing of eggs

A combined Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and experimentally based approach is presented for determining the surface heat transfer coefficient acting at the shell when processing intact eggs. The methodology comprises (1) determining the contour of eggs from digital photographs, (2) generating a computational geometry, and (3) predicting the transient temperature profiles in eggs filled with a conductive heating medium. CFD profiles were compared with experimentally observed data, and the surface heat transfer coefficient was obtained through an optimization procedure. Agar gel was used as a model system, having properties very similar to those of water. The approach eliminates unknown factors such as natural convection, which is expected to occur in real eggs.