INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, VOL.

17,9-18 (1993)

AN EXACT HEAT TRANSFER ANALYSIS OF SPHERICAL

PRODUCTS SUBJECTED TO FORCED-AIR
COOLING
IBRAHlM DlNCER
Department of Energy Systems, TURITAK-Marmara Research Centre, PO Box 21, 41470, Gebze-Kocaefi, Turkey

SUMMARY
The thermal analysis of forced-air cooling processes being of primary concern, an experimental and analytical study
program was undertaken to investigate the heat transfer during the cooling of figs as spherical food products. The process
conditions were analysed according to a mathematical model to gain a better understanding of the product’s behaviour.
The heat transfer between the product and air was influenced by conduction inside the product, convection outside the
product, radiation, respiratory heat rate (internal heat generation), and moisture evaporation at the surface of the
product. These situations were considered as three cases, such as h = h,, h = h, + h,, and h = h, + h, + he. The four
various air velocities of 1.1, 1.5, 1.75, and 2.5 m/s were applied in the experimental study. The results obtained by the
mathematical model in the estimation of the heat transfer rates from the products were compared with the experimental
data, and the best agreement was found for the third case ( h = h, + h, + Ite). The fastest cooling was accomplished with
the highest airflow velocity.

KEY WORDS Precooling Forced-air cooling Heat transfer Spherical product

INTRODUCTION
Precooling is a cooling process in which the field temperature of fruit and vegetables is reduced to their
storage or transportation temperature in the shortest possible time after harvest in the field and before
storage and transportation (Dincer, 1991a; 1991b).
Many heat transfer problems are known t o be time dependent. Such unsteady or transient problems
typically arise when the boundary conditions of the system are changed. Transient conduction problems are
encountered in numerous food engineering applications, such as cooling, freezing, heating, and drying of food
products, and it is important to appreciate the different methods for dealing with such problems. Unsteady-
state heat transfer analysis is obviously of significant practical interest because of the large number of cooling
processes which must be calculated in food processing applications. In view of the variety of food processing
applications, an efficient and accurate model for the heat transfer analysis of food products subjected to
cooling is needed (Dincer, 1991b; 1991~).
A number of studies have been made in the past to relate the heat and mass transfer analysis during the
cooling of food products (Ansari and Afaq, 1986; Ansari et al., 1984; Baird and Gaffney, 1976; Guemes et al.,
1988; Hayakawa and Succar, 1982; and Sastry et al., 1985).Various methods developed for calculating heat
and mass transfer in fruit and vegetables have been reviewed and discussed in detail (Gaffney et al., 1985).
There are numerous instances of fruit and vegetables being subjected to heating or cooling process, some of
which involve mass transfer in the form of evaporation of moisture (Dincer, 1991~).
As an illustration of the mathematical model, because the Biot number ranges between 0 and 100 for four
different air velocities, the finite internal and surface resistances to the heat transfer during the cooling of figs
were considered. This leads to a boundary condition of the third kind in the transient heat transfer.
Considering the fact that the convective heat transfer is more significant in the first case, and thus the total
heat transfer coefficient is taken as the convection heat transfer coefficient. In addition, the total heat transfer

0363-907X/93/010009- 10$10.00 Received 2 December 1991

0 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Revised 19 February 1992
10 I. DINCER

coefficient is the sum of the convection and radiation heat transfer coefficients in the second case, and the sum
of the convection and radiation heat transfer coefficients, and the effect of the moisture evaporation on the
convective heat transfer coefficients, in the third case.
The purpose of this study is to develop a realistic mathematical model for the analysis of the transient heat
transfer during cooling, to determine the effective thermal properties of the product, and to compare the
computations with the experiments for four different air velocities, together with an error analysis.

ANALYSIS AND MATHEMATICAL MODEL

The unique features of the mathematical model made are stated in detail in Dincer (1991~).
The assumptions
made in the mathematical model can be outlined as follows:
Unsteady state conditions exist.
The rate of heat transfer in the radial direction of spherical product is much greater than the rate in all
other directions.
The spherical product is homogeneous and isotropic.
The initial temperature and water content of the product are uniform.
The temperature and thermophysical properties of the cooling medium are constant.
The thermal properties (the thermal conductivity thermal diffusivity and specific heat) of the product are
constant .
The thermal conductivity k from the correlation of Sweat, (1986), thermal diffusivity a by using the
correlation of Riedel (ASHRAE, 1981) and the specific heat from Fikiin’s model (Sweat, 1986) are estimated
as follows:
k = 0148 + 0.493 W (1)
a = 0.088 x + (a, 0.088 x
- W (2)
C, = 1.381 + 2.930W (3)
(vii) The convective and radiative heat transfer coefficient are constant with time.
The convective heat transfer coefficient h, is calculated from the following relationship for the flow of gases
pass a single sphere (Geankoplis, 1978):
h, = ( k , / D ) (2.0 + 0*552.R:.53*P*0.33)
for (1 < Re < 48000) (4)
where
Re = U D / v (5)
In many instances, the convective heat transfer coefficient is not strongly dependent on the temperature.
However, this is not so with the radiative heat transfer coefficient. The value of hr can be calculated from the
following formula (Holman, 1976):
hr = a&(Ts + Ta)C(Ts)’ + (Ta)’I (6)
where E = 0-9 for the cooling applications between 0 and 27 “C (Gaffney et al., 1985).
(viii) The moisture rate transferred from the product during the cooling is constant for different air flow
velocities.
(ix) The evaporation of moisture on the surface of the products subjected to forced-air cooling has little
influence on the heat transfer rates and the temperature distributions that occur within the products.
Furthermore, the evaporation produces a cooling effect on the product surface.
As stated above, it is important to consider this effect on the estimation of the heat transfer coefficients for
more accurate results. This effect he is formulated as follows (Suntur, 1982):
 FORCED-AIR COOLING 11

(x) The rate of respiration heat affects the surface temperature. The product has a uniform heat transfer rate
generated per unit mass at any point in its interior. However, this amount is a function of temperature at
each point in the interior of the product. Some models exist for determining the rate of respiratory heat
generation (Gaffney et al., 1980, 1985; Dincer, 1991~).
A mathematical model in the form of a second-order polynomial equation is regressed and developed
depending on the product temperature, using the values of respiration heat rate and temperature that were
taken from the ASHRAE Handbook of fundamentals (1981).
This model is developed as follows (Dincer, 1991~):
q = 01262618 x 1 0 - j T 2 + 0.7061543 x 1 0 - 2 T - 0.7815126~lo-* (8)
which is valid for temperatures between 0 and 27 "C.
As a simplification of this model, it is also assumed that the product has a uniform rate of respiratory heat
generation per unit volume throughout its interior.
Consider the forced-air cooling of a spherical product of radius R placed in a surrounding air medium of
constant temperature T, with a constant heat transfer coefficient h in three cases, such as h = h,, h = h, + h,,
+
and h = h, + h, he. At any time, the temperature distribution of spherical product at all points is T ( R ,t).
The differential heat transfer equation with internal heat generation in spherical co-ordinates is written as
'-[:( r':)] + q = ;at
1dT
(9)
r2
The formulation of the problem in terms of the excess temperature 4 = T - T, is

The initial and boundary conditions are given as follows:

$(r,O) = q5i = Ti - T,
a(0, t ) = finite

To solve equation (lo), the separation of variables method can be used as analytical treatment (Arpaci, 1966;
Carslaw and Jaeger, 1959; Luikov, 1968).
Consequently, the heat transfer rate of a spherical product is found as follows:

where
p,, cot gp,,= (1 - Bi)
Equation (15) is a transcendental equation, and the values of p,, are its roots.
The Biot, Fourier, and Pomerantsev numbers are given as follows.
Bi = hR/k
F, = at/R2

The dimensionless radial distance is expressed as in equation (19).

r = r/R
12 I. DINCER

The dimensionless experimental heat transfer value is obtained from the experimental temperature measure-
ments as follows:

EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS AND PROCEDURE

Experimental apparatus
An experimental forced-air cooling system has been designed and installed in the pilot plant of the
Refrigeration Technology Department, and has been used for the experimental study to provide comparison
and validation for the mathematical model employed. The entire experimental system consists of two main
portions, namely a precooling chamber as a test section and a combined cooling unit. This experimental
system could be used in multipurpose applications, such as heating, cooling and drying. The cooling mode
was utilized for these experimental runs. A schematic diagram of the experimental facility used in this study is
shown in detail in Figure 1.
Precooling processes were carried out in the test chamber of outer dimensions 1 x 1 x 2 m. The chamber
was manufactured from 004 m square profiles whose surface was plated with stainless steel sheet of 04OO5 m
in thickness. Glass wool filled the space between the inside and outside sheets to ensure heat insulation. An
observation window on the door of the chamber was provided to follow up the experiments. A wiper was
installed to remove the condensation on the window which took place during process applications.
A fluorescent lamp was used to illuminate the inside of the chamber. Two separate heat exchangers, that were

12 Thermostatic expansion valve

13 Thermostat
I . Precooling chamber 14 Air- cooled condenser
2. Products IS Pressostat
3. Thermostat (dwble) 16 Compressor
4 . Entrance for low presswe steam ( L P S ) 17 Solenoid valve
5- Cold water heat exchanger I8 Valve
6. Steam heat exchanger I9 Open case
7. Radial fan 20 Digital weight indicator
8. Fan speed controller 21 Temperature - humidity data logger
9. Water pump 22 Microprocessor device
10. Water tank 23 Transmutter
11. Evaporator
26 Printer

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of experimental setup

 FORCED-AIR COOLING 13

installed on the chamber, were used for providing either cooling or heating effects. In the first exchanger,
10 to 15 "Ccooling water was circulated by a pump with a power of 750 W, and 1.1-1.3 bar steam condensed
in the second exchanger. The cooling effect was achieved with ethyleneglycol that cooled a cooling tank of 10
tonnes capacity. In the system, a compressor of 9280 W capacity was used. Two fans of 370 W capacity were
used in the condensation unit. An expansion valve and a combined pressostat were used to control the
pressure.
A radial fan, having a power of 1500 W and running at 2830 r/min, provided air flow velocities between 1.1
and 2.5 m/s in the cooling chamber. Various air velocities were obtained, as the fan motor had a variable
speed controller unit. Air was circulated through a channel of 0.28 m diameter made from PVC. Bellows were
installed to absorb fan vibrations. The inside temperature of the chamber was controlled by a 4111
thermostat with a pair of contactors. Two contactors were used in controlling both the solenoid valves in the
cold water and the steam lines. A digital temperature measurement instrument was also used to monitor the
temperatures inside the chamber in - 5 O / + 150 "C temperature range by means of thermocouples.

Measurement of temperatures: The temperatures of the products and the air at various points were measured
by a microprocessor device capable of measuring to an accuracy of within kO.1 "C between -60 and
+ 169.9 "C and having 15 channels. The response time was found to be 0.8 s. To minimize the conduction
losses in these experimental studies, the shortest temperature probes (copper-constantan thermocouples
having 0.05 m length and 0.0012 m diameter) were used to measure the temperatures. The temperatures were
read, displayed and printed every 30 min.

Measurement of relative humidity: The change of the relative humidity inside the test chamber was measured
by a squirrel meter/data logger, having capacitive vaisala probes. To process the digital signals in the desired
fashion, the data logger was connected to Microcomputer.

Measurement of air velocity: The flow velocity of air over the products inside the test chamber was measured
via a digital flowmeter.

Measurement of weight ofproducts: Using a compression load cell connecting with a digital weight indicator
located outside the chamber, the load was monitored. The load cell and instrumentation were calibrated and
proved to an accuracy of within +0*001kg. The load cell can be measured up to weights of 100 kg in the
ranges of 0.005 kg at the temperatures between - 10 and + 40°C.

Determination of water content of product: The initial and final water content of the product, figs, were found
to be 78% and 77%, measured by drying the sample in a vacuum oven at 100°C for 24 h. The product
density was also determined by measuring the volume and the mass of the products.

Experimental procedure
The experimental tests were conducted in order to determine the temperature distributions of the spherical
products exposed to the forced-air cooling at various flow velocities of air. In this experimental investigation,
figs of 0-047m average diameter were used as test specimens. For each test, a sample of 5 kg of similar figs
was taken and placed into the polyethylene case. The eight temperature probes were embedded in the mass-
average positions (l- = 0-75) of the eight products in sets of 5 kg weight, placed in polyethylene cases. The
other probes were used to measure the temperatures at the bottom, middle, and top of the chamber, and the
inlet and outlet temperatures of the cooling air. The relative humidity probes were located inside the
chamber. After the desired temperature and relative humidity level in the chamber were reached, the case
containing the products was hung on the hook of the.load cell, and in these conditions the experimental setup
was turned on.
This procedure was repeated four times for four different air velocities of 1.1, 1.5, 1.75, and 2-5 m/s,
respectively. A detailed description of the experimental apparatus, instrumentation, procedure, data reduc-
tion techniques, and experimental results for various air velocities is given in detail by Dincer (1991~).
14 I. DINCER

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

As mentioned earlier, the analysis of the heat transfer from a spherical product to the air was obtained in the
+
present investigation in which three cases, namely h = h,, h = h, h,, and h = h, + h, + he were considered.
The cooling air properties used in the theoretical formulations were taken as k = 0.0239 W/mK, P, = 0.71,
and u = 1.41 . m2/s at the film temperature of 13.1 "C from Holman (1976).Some experimental results of
the tests performed, and theoretical results used in the model, are given in detail in Table 1.
As can be seen in Table 1, the Biot numbers for each case apply to different air velocities ranging between
0.93 and 1.702. Therefore, they indicate the existence of a minor internal and major external resistances to
heat transferred from the products.
The respiratory heat rate (internal heat generation rate) was obtained as 0.08612 W/kg using the product
initial temperature in equation (8) carried out by regression analysis. This heat rate for each product volume
of 5.436 x l o p 5m3 was found to be 5.037 x W. Some simplifications can be made in equation (14)owing
to a much more smaller value of the Pomerantsev number of 2.87 x lo-'. These are (1 - P o / p ; ) z 1, and
(P0/6) (1 + 2/Bi) z 0 for the values of pn = 2-1 1, and Bi = 0.93-1.702 for the three cases. In this case,
equation (14) can be written as follows:

The experimental heat transfer rate values were obtained by substituting temperature measurements in
equation (20). Based on the above analysis, a computer program was developed to compute the theoretical
heat transfer rates using the parameters specified by the experimental conditions. The complete solution is
readily obtained from equation (21). To verify the modelling employed, the present results were compared
with the experimental findings as described earlier.

Table 1. Medium conditions, and the thermophysical parameters of the

products

Shape of product: sphere

D = 0.047 -t 0.002 m
P = 1076 kg/m3
= 5.436 x
V
T
Te
= 22.2
= 7°C
*
0.2"C
m3

r, = 4 f 0.1 "C
RH = 75 f 5%
w, = 78%
We = 77%
hfg = 334000 J/kg (ASHRAE handbook of fundamentals, 1981)
k = 0.5325 W/mK (equation 1)
ll = 0.135 x m2/s (equation 2)
CP = 3666.4 J/kg "C (equation 3)
4 = 0.08612 W/kg (equation 8)
Po = 2.87 x lo-' (equation 18)

Case 1 Case 2 Case 3

h = h,/Bi +
h = h, h,/Bi + +
h = h, h, he/&
U , m/s Re W/m2K W/m2K W/m2K

1.10 3666.6 21.1/0.93 25.66p.132 26.92/1.188

1.50 5000.0 24.7/1.09 29.2611.29 1 30.73/1.356
1.75 5833.3 26.7/1.18 3 1.26/1.380 32.86/1.450
2.50 8333.3 32.1/1.42 36.66/1.617 38.58/1.702
 FORCED-AIR COOLING 15

o experimental
I , 2 . 3 : mses 1,2,3
1 u: 1.1 m/s

I I I I I
0 01 0.2 0.3 0.L 0.5 0.6
Fo

Figure 2. Comparison of experimental (0)

and theoretical (-) heat transfer rates for U = 1.1 m/s

o experimental
1 . 2 . 3 : cases 1.2.3
1 U r 1.5 m1s

0
0 I I I 1 I

0 0.1 02 03 OL 0.5 06
Fo
Figure 3. Comparison of experimental (0)
and theoretical (--) heat transfer rates for U = 1.5 mjs

In the determination of the heat transfer rates for precooling experiments, the reason for using the product
mass-average (r = 0.75) temperature is to obtain a more realistic value. Therefore the mass-average
temperature denotes the amount of heat within the product, and yields an accurate heat load.
Figures 2-5 show graphically comparisons of the experimental data with the analytical results for three
cases in terms of the dimensionless heat transfer rates at four air velocities of 1.1, 1.5, 1.75 and 2.5 m/s,
respectively. It is clear from Figures 2-5 that all the measured and computed heat transfer rate profiles
decrease monotonically with an increase in the Fourier number.
16 I. DINCER

1
0.8

Ob

e
l
0.4
o erperirnentol
1.2.3:coses 1.2.3
l J = 1.75 m l s
0.2

0 I I I 1
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0i
Fo

Figure 4. Comparison of experimental (0)

and theoretical (--) heat transfer rates for U = 1.75 m/s

0.8

0.6

e
l
0.4
o experimental
1.2.3:coses 1.2.3
U=2.5 rnls
0.2

0
0 0.1 a2 0.3 Q4 0.5
Fo
Figure 5. Comparison of experimental (0)
and theoretical (---) heat transfer rates for U = 2.5 m/s

For a constant T,, larger values of air velocity caused greater heat transfer from the product. As the heat
transfer was increased, the cooling time of the product became lower. In these Figures, although the
experimental and theoretical curves do not seem to have common crossing points, the theoretical heat
transfer rate curves for the third case match the experimental results closely. As can be seen from these
Figures, these results also show an acceptable agreement with the experimental results. The maximum error
+
between the measured and computed results was within f20% for case 1, 15% for case 2, and +9% for
case 3, with the exception of the first few values for each case. Therefore the generally satisfactory agreement
between the third case and experimental data indicates that the present model is feasible for the solution of
this type of problem.
 FORCED-AIR COOLING 17

The close agreement of the present results with the experimental data indicates the validity of the
expansion. The advantage of the present method of analysis is its simplicity compared with the very lengthy
and complicated procedures used for solving similar problems. In order to minimize the system transients
due to temperature measurements, an average of eight readings was used for each of the cases.

CONCLUSIONS
Transient heat transfer from a spherical product (in a set of 5 kg) to the air has been analysed by considering
the effects of radiation, internal heat generation, and water loss. From the results and discussions presented in
the preceding Section, the following conclusions can be drawn:
(i) The thermal properties and Biot numbers of figs as spherical products were found as given in Table 1.
(ii) The variations of heat transfer rate at four various air velocities of 1.1, 1.5, 1.75, and 2.5, respectively,
were determined both experimentally, with the temperature measurements at the mass-average positions
of the products, and theoretically by means of mathematical model. Three cases, namely h = h, (only
convection heat transfer coefficient), h = h, + h, (combined convection and radiation heat transfer
coefficient), and h = h, + h, + he (combined convection and radiation, and an increase in the convection
heat transfer coefficient due to evaporation at the product surface) were considered in this mathematical
model.
(iii) The mathematical model reported here can be used to predict accurately the variations of heat transfer
rate for spherical products.
(iv) For a constant T,, larger air velocities cause lower cooling times, and a wider increase in the heat
transferred from the products.
(v) A second-order polynomial equation was developed that can be used to predict the respiratory heat rate.
In this way, the respiratory heat rate, the internal heat generation rate, was found to have negligible
magnitude.
(vi) The results of the mathematical model were found to be in very good agreement with the experimental
data. Moreover, agreement was also found to be excellent for the third case as h = h, + h, + he.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work was submitted as an MSc thesis to the Yildiz University. The author would like to express his
thanks to the Refrigeration Technology Department, for providing partial support for this investigation.

REFERENCES
Ansari, F. A,, Charan, V. and Varma, H. K. (1984). ‘Heat and mass transfer analysis in air-cooling of spherical food products’, Int. J .
Refrigeration, 7 , 194-197.
Ansari, F. A. and Afaq, A. (1986). ‘Precooling of the cylindrical food products’, Int. J . Refrigeration, 9, 161-163.
Arpaci, V. S. (1966). Conduction heat transfer, Addison-Wesley, Reading, Mass., USA.
ASHRAE (198 1). Handbook of fundamentals. American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers, Inc., Atlanta,
GA, USA.
Baird, C. D. and Gaffney, J. J. (1976). ‘A numerical procedure for calculating heat transfer in bulk loads of fruits and vegetables’,
ASHRAE Trans., 82, 525-535.
Carslaw, H. S. and Jaeger, J. C. (1959). Conduction oJheat in solids, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, London.
Dincer, 1. (1991a). ‘Experimental and theoretical heat and mass transfer studies on the forced-air precooling of spherical food products’,
MSc thesis, Mechanical Engineering Department, Yildiz University, Istanbul.
Dincer, I. (1991b). ‘Estimation of the temperature distributions in the hydrocooling of spherical products’, 4th International symposium
on Transport phenomena in heat and mass transfer, July 14-18, UNSW, Sydney.
Dincer, I. ( 1 9 9 1 ~ )‘A
. simple model for estimation of the film coefficients during cooling of certain spherical foodstuffs with water’, Int.
Commun. Heat Mass Transfer, 18, 431-443.
Gaffney, I. J., Baird, C. D. and Eshleman, W. D. (1980). ‘Review and analysis of the transient method for determining thermal diffusivity
of fruits and vegetables’, ASHRAE Trans., 86, 261-280.
Gaffney, J. J., Baird, C. D. and Chau, K. V. (1985).‘Methods for calculating heat and mass transfer in fruits and vegetables individually
and in bulk’, ASHRAE Trans., 91, 333-352.
Geankoplis, C. J. (1978). Transport processes and unit operations, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, USA.
Guemes, D. R., Pirovani, M. E. and di Pentima, J. H. (1988). ‘Heat transfer characteristics during air precooling of strawberries’, Int. J.
Refrigeration, 12, 169-173.
Hayakawa, K. and Succar, J. (1982). ‘Heat transfer and moisture loss of spherical fresh produce’, J. Food Science, 47, 595-605.
18 I. DINCER

Holman, J. P. (1976). Heat transfer, McCraw-Hill Book Co., New York.

Luikov, A. V. (1968). Analytical heat diffusion theory, Academic Press, Inc., New York.
Sastry, S. K., Zuritz, C. A. and Anatheswaran, A. (1985). ‘Interaction between heat and mass transfer in foods’, ASHRAE Trans., 91,
353-370.
Sweat, V. E. (1986). ‘Thermal properties of foods’, In: M. A. Rao and S. S. H. Rizvi (eds.) Engineering properties offoods, Marcel Dekker,
Inc., New York, 49-87.
Suntur, S. R. (1982). Besinleri sogukta saklama teknolojisi, Caglayan Yayinevi, Istanbul.

NOMENCLATURE
= thermal diffusivity of the product, m’/s
= thermal diffusivity of water at the product temperature, m2/s ( = 0148 - m2/s)
= Biot number
= specific heat, J/kg “C
= diameter, m
= Fourier number
= total heat transfer coefficient, W/m2 K
= convection heat transfer coefficient, W/m2 K
= increase in h, due to evaporation, W/m2K
= latent heat of vaporization, J/kg
= radiation heat transfer coefficient, W/m2K
= thermal conductivity, W/mK
= density of product, kg/m3
= Pomerantsev number
= Prandtl number
= respiratory heat rate, W/m3
= heat transfer rate, W
= radial co-ordinate
= radius, m
= Reynolds number
= medium relative humidity, %
= time, s
= temperature, “C or K
= average flow velocity, m/s
= kinematic viscosity, m’js
= water content, decimal
= Stefan-Boltzman constant, W/m2K4 ( = 5.669 x W/m2K4)
= surface emissivity
= temperature difference, “C or K
= dimensionless heat transfer rate
= dimensionless radial distance
= root of transcendental equation

Subscripts
a = ambient condition,
e = final
exp = experimental
i = initial
m = mass-average (mean)
S = surface
W = water
n = refers to nth number of characteristic value