ABSTRACT
This chapter proposes a combination of experimental data and numerical models to develop a numerical modeling framework using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to analyze and optimize the pasta production process and equipments. The "natural" combination of experimental evidence and numerical modeling provides a symbiotic tool to gain insights into the physics of pasta dough extrusion, together with the possibility to identify the influence of each variable and possibly optimize product quality and minimize process handling. A key point in pasta dough simulations is represented by a detailed knowledge of rheological properties, as a detailed determination of physical properties is a preliminary step in modeling. Since in complex phenomena such as pasta extrusion, the possibility to achieve validation of numerical results with experimental data is linked not only to the numerical model, optimal design and detailed analysis of the experimental setup of both rheological tests and extrusion processes are required.
