Heat Transfer Analysis of Sterilization of Canned Milk Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations

A uniform and effective heat distribution inside the canned milk is very crucial for achieving effective sterilization. It is
extremely difficult to establish the temperature profile inside the canned milk during continuous industrial scale operation.
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation can be a useful tool to determine the temperature distribution of the fluid inside the
can during the sterilization process. A CFD model was developed for the sterilization of canned milk at 121 °C. The simulation
results were validated with the experimental measurements of temperatures. The formation and movement of slowest heating zone
(SHZ) during the sterilization process was tracked. Moreover, effect of can position (vertical and horizontal) during processing on
milk temperature distribution inside the can was also investigated. Higher Grashof and Rayleigh numbers were obtained for vertical
positioning of can compared to horizontal can processing. Further, effectiveness of the process was calculated based on F-value and
these results reinforced the positive effect of horizontal position of can during the sterilization process.