A NUMERICAL STUDY OF THE AIRFLOW PATTERNS IN A SAUSAGE DRYER

ABSTRACT

This paper describes the use of a computational fluid dynamics code (Star-CD)in the food industry. We assessed the capability of CFD to predict airflow patterns in a modern sausage dryer by comparing numerical results with experimental air velocity data. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons showed that simulated values agreed closely with measurements although some discrepancies appeared for specific flow conditions. Using CFD, it was established that these differences couid be attributed to slow time-variations in the blower airflow rate. These comparisons also revealed errors in measurement.

Key Words and Phrases:

• airflow patterns
• computational fluid dynamics
• food industry
• sausage dryer
• air velocity