Numerical simulation of food convection heating process

Abstract

In some cities or regions with a faster pace of life, prepared foods have become a choice for many office workers and students. Such foods usually only need to be heated in a microwave or oven after purchase before they are ready to eat. The heating method for this type of food is usually air convection heating. However, temperature control is very important for cooking. If the temperature is too low, the cooking time will be prolonged or the food will not be cooked. If the temperature is too high, the surface of the food will be burnt. In addition, there is a difference in the rate at which the inside and outside of the food heat up during the cooking process, and this difference has a significant impact on the quality and taste of the food. In order to solve related problems, this thesis takes cylindrical chicken patties as an example and uses the COMSOL software numerical simulation method to simulate the transient temperature and moisture concentration distribution of cylindrical chicken patties at different temperatures during the convection heating process of an air fryer. This study found that changing different heating temperatures does affect the efficiency of convective heat transfer and the diffusion of moisture, and restricts the heating process to a certain extent. Therefore, in actual production, repeated trials and continuous optimization are required to find the best heating method.