ABSTRACT
Information on heat transfer is important in the thermal processing of foods. For instance, knowing the surface convective heat transfer coefficient is necessary in the study of food-processing applications such as blanching, retorting, freezing, and drying. This chapter argues that the principle involved in the calculations, which is the assumption of a negligible internal (conductive) heat transfer resistance of an object exposed to a convective heat transfer condition. Information on heat transfer is important in the thermal processing of foods. For instance, knowing the surface convective heat transfer coefficient is necessary in the study of food-processing applications such as blanching, retorting, freezing, and drying. The chapter offers students hands-on experience in the evaluation of the heat transfer coefficient in some unit operations. A small aluminum object may be used to determine the external heat transfer coefficient because its internal resistance can be considered negligible due to high thermal conductivity.
