ME526

Simulation of Physical Processes

Assignment 3:
Egg Cooking

Group 11
Victor Salguero, AbdelRahman AbdelRahman
Dancho Ivanov, Dan Kenney
Introduction 2
Part 1: Simulation of a Semi-Cooked Egg 3
2-D Slice Plots: t = 0, 60, 120, 180, 240, 300 seconds 5
Time Curves: t = 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 270, 300 seconds 11
Part 2: Theoretical Analysis 13
Part 3: Predicting a Fully-Cooked Egg White 19
Conclusion 19
Sources 20
Appendix 21
Assignment Description 21

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Introduction
The purpose of this exercise is to verify the numerical accuracy of the COMSOL program
for a complex, transient thermal problem. The assignment will consist of three parts and revolve
around the task of analyzing the behavior of a raw egg that is dropped in boiling water. The first
part will involve modeling the three layers of the egg - the shell, albumen, and yolk - and
conducting a simulation in COMSOL. The simulation will provide data regarding the behavior of
the 3D-rendered egg as it undergoes thermal changes in the boiling water. The second part of
the report will focus on the analytical solution obtained using a spherical egg consisting of a single
material. The final part of this exercise will use the simulation results in part one to predict the
time it takes to cook the egg white, leaving the yolk runny.
The previous homework focused on analytically and numerically solving the heat equation
for steady state problems with differing degrees of complexity. Using FEA techniques, the
analytical results were proven and their limitations better understood. While this homework will
also deal with solving the heat equation, it will analyze a transient problem which depends on time
- an arguably better representation of real life. Additionally, the numerical results yielded by
COMSOL will be compared with analytical and empirical findings. The analytical and experimental
results will serve as two separate sources of information that can corroborate the simulation
results and provide a better understanding of any discrepancies.

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Part 1: Simulation of a Semi-Cooked Egg
This part of the exercise involves modeling the egg and performing a thermal simulation
in COMSOL. The egg consists of three layers, all with differing physical and thermal
characteristics. Starting at the center of the egg and expanding outwards is the yolk, a substance
which generally comprises 33% of the volume of the egg. Surrounding the egg yolk is the
albumen, or egg white, which comprises around 66% of the egg’s volume. The outermost part of
the egg, encapsulating the albumen, is the egg shell, which makes up the remaining ~1% of the
egg’s overall volume. This data, along with the average length and width of an egg, were provided
as part of the exercise [Source 1].
The specific heat (c), thermal conductivity (K), and density (ρ) of the yolk and albumen
were also provided as supplemental material to this exercise. The thermal and physical properties
of the egg shell, including the average thickness of the shell, were obtained online [Source 2].
The data for the three layers of the egg is summarized in the tables below:

Property Yolk Albumen (Egg White) Shell

Specific Heat, c (J/g·K) 2.7 3.7 0.9

Thermal Conductivity, K (W/cm·K) 3.4 x 10-3 5.4 x 10-3 2.25 x 10-2

Mass Density, ρ (g/cm3) 1.032 1.038 2.300

Table 1: Thermal characteristics of the three layers of an egg.

For the purpose of this exercise, several options were explored. The first was a full 3D
simulation with all components as an assembly. The assembly was created in SolidWorks and
consisted of the three parts, all modeled to the specified dimensions:

Figures 1a, 1b: Preliminary 3D model of the egg consisting of all three layers of the egg.

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 This seemed fairly complicated in terms of producing a viable mesh and defining heat flow
from one component to the next (shell, egg white, and yolk). We used a general fine mesh for this
simulation. This would give the opportunity for the temperature gradient to be captured throughout
the entire volume of the egg.
Ultimately, we decided to use the symmetry of the egg to our advantage. We conducted
a 2D-symmetrical simulation in COMSOL. This allowed us to simplify the modeling process as we
assumed that the yolk will be centered as the egg cooks. The notion that the egg will be centered
comes from knowing that the heat flow will be coming from all directions.
Data was found regarding the egg shell and its mechanical properties. However, after
considering the thickness of the shell, we decided to neglect the shell entirely. The shell will reach
steady state very quickly (matching the outside temperature) and will simply allow heat to flow
into the egg white. This property data was found in an article at the ‘Wiley Online Library’. The
thinness of the shell was found using the source ‘Science Direct’. These sources can be found at
the end of the document [Sources 2 & 3].
The simulation was also run with a temperature boundary condition on the outside of the
egg. This represents the temperature of boiling water. In time t = 0 seconds of the simulation, you
can observe the initial temperature condition present.
Additionally the simulation was run neglecting the velocity flow of the boiling water
because the assumption was made that the water was maintained at a constant temperature
throughout the volume. This meant that there was no temperature gradient in the surrounding
volume and as such the small velocity attributed to the boiling water would not majorly affect the
heat transfer to the egg.
In reality there is variation in the shape of the egg yolk however, we modeled the yolk as
a sphere because that would be the average physical representation. The size of the sphere is
12.5 mm in radius to make up roughly 33% of the entire egg.
In the simulation, material properties were added for both the yolk and egg white
respectively. These values came from the provided assignment.
Readiness of the egg will be judged by observing at which time the “cooked” temperature
(~335°K or 143°F) of the egg white approaches the yolk boundary. The yolk boundary can be
seen in Figures 2-7 in the form of a 180° arc.

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2-D Slice Plots: t = 0, 60, 120, 180, 240, 300 seconds

Figure 2: 2D slice plot at t = 0 seconds.

At the initial time of dropping the egg into the boiling water it can be seen that as expected
the eggs temperature is almost uniformly room temperature. The heat has yet to be able to
penetrate the egg and increase the heat throughout the egg.

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 Figure 3: 2D slice plot at t = 60 seconds.

After a minute in the boiling water, the heat has had some time to increase the temperature
of the egg white. The outermost ring of the egg white has begun approaching the external
temperature around the egg. This is to be expected as this egg white is the closest to the heat
source and therefore will absorb more of the heat than the yolk that has remained at a low
temperature comparatively. In a steady state assumption, the egg should approach the external
temperature throughout in an attempt at equilibrium in the system. Therefore, as time goes on,
the expectation is that the egg will approach that temperature starting from the outer rings of the
egg and going inward.

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 Figure 4: 2D slice Plot at t = 120 seconds.

As previously predicted, the ring of higher temperature has begun to increase and take
over the egg. This demonstrates that the egg white that remains close to the center of the egg
has begun to cook and the yolk should soon begin to increase in temperature as well.

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 Figure 5: 2D slice plot at t = 180 seconds.

The trend seen in Figure 3 and Figure 4 continues here and it can be seen that the fringes
of the yolk of the egg has begun to show mild increases in temperature as the egg white has
begun to fully cook. The center of the yolk remains uncooked at room temperature, however this
should begin to change as the heat penetrates the egg.

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 Figure 6: 2D slice plot at t = 240 seconds.

As the heat continues to progressively cook the majority of the egg white can be said to
be either cooked or just below set as it has reached roughly 330°K (134°F). The yolk of the egg
has similarly seen an increase in temperature as the color scale shows that the lowest
temperature seen in the egg is now 310°K (98°F) at the center of the yolk. While a minor change,
this shows that the heat has had time to penetrate the egg fully.

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 Figure 7: 2D slice plot at t = 300 seconds.

At the fifth minute, the egg white has almost set fully with only the smallest parts remaining
below the 330°K (134°F) mark. The yolk however, remains relatively unaffected as its temperature
is holding steady between 310°K - 325°K (98°F - 125°F). The yolk is considered cooked around
340°K, which remains well above the current temperature of the yolk.

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Time Curves: t = 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 270, 300
seconds

Figure 8: 11 temperature curves along the egg’s center axis. The x-axis shows the
position, in meters, while the y-axis represents the temperature in Kelvin.

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 Figure 9: The geometry of an egg. The x and y-axes show the position, in meters, of
differing parts of the egg relative to the center.

The above figures describe the temperature along the main vertical axis of the egg. Figure
9 shows the geometry of the egg including the vertical axis from which the temperature data was
derived. Each curve in Figure 8 describes the temperature along the egg at a specific instant in
time. As time goes on the curves begin to flatten and the dip in temperature that represents the
yolk begins to rise and approach the temperature of the outermost ring of the egg white.
The egg white that surrounds the yolk rises in temperature much faster than the yolk due
to its position in the egg and the fact that it is much closer to the heat source than the yolk.

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Part 2: Theoretical Analysis
All plots generated derive from the expansion formula and solution for a sphere of constant
media:

Equation 1: Temperature Gradient of Egg

All plots show temperature over the full extent of the sphere’s diameter where 0 is the
sphere’s center and 2.5 is the other side of the sphere boundary.
Plots 1-3 all plot the temperature at time = .00001sec. This is ultimately 0 and represents
the instant the homogenous sphere was dropped into the boiling water. This serves as a good
baseline to demonstrate the effect of using more terms in Equation 1. The use of increasingly
more terms in Plots 2-3 show an increase in oscillation frequency with an increasing number of
terms. The comparison between Plots 1 & 3 is drastic with the only parameter difference being
the number of terms used. The oscillations are significantly closer (higher frequency) and
decreased in amplitude. Plot 3 seems to converge more to the sphere’s initial temperature.
It is hard to get data for t = 0 because a value of t = 0 would yield 0 heat transferred into
the sphere. All plots show an infinite number for where radius is zero. This occurs because the
value of zero is entered for ‘a’ in Equation 1. This value causes the complete second part of the
equation to be zero, leading to the temperature at the center being evaluated as the temperature
of the water, which is not true.

Plot 1: Temperature plot at time .00001 sec using 25 terms.

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Plot 2: Temperature plot at time .00001 sec using 50 terms.

Plot 3: Temperature plot at time .00001 sec using 200 terms.

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 Plots 4-8 below demonstrate how the temperature profile changes over time. All the
following plots hold the same number of terms used (200) in Equation 1. The purpose of this
comparison is to show how the temperature rises over the radius over time. Plot 4 starts at .01
sec with each consecutive plot being further in time until plot 8, which is at time t = 100 sec.
These plots can be assumed to be accurate given the large number of terms used in the
expansion. It is important to note that these plots resemble exponential functions. This visual
observation demonstrates how the exponential portion of Equation 1 dominates the function as
N, the number of terms, becomes large.

Plot 4: Temperature plot at time .01 sec using 200 terms.

Plot 5: Temperature plot at time .1 sec using 200 terms.

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Plot 6: Temperature plot at time 1 sec using 200 terms.

Plot 7: Temperature plot at time 10 sec using 200 terms.

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 Plot 8: Temperature plot at time 100 sec using 200 terms.

Plot 9 and above in the assignment handout show that similar results can be achieved
with only the first term (N = 1). We could suggest that the first term (N = 1) is the dominant term
in the summation. Additional terms only marginally add sign improvement to simulation results. In
other words, the accuracy added for each additional term becomes less each time.
Using 200 terms may actually be a bad thing. Computational power will be greatly affected
(the simulation will take considerably longer) for minimally improved accuracy. The takeaway from
these plots is that the exponential portion of Equation 1 has less effect on the function’s form
than the Sine portion does when N is small.
The plot below shows results for a single term used at time t = 100. This is a good
comparison for Plot 8, which shows similar results for the same time but with 200 terms. This
comparison supports the notion that using only the first term is a good representation of what you
should expect, although accuracy is technically less. A balance between accuracy and
computation time should be considered when selecting a number of terms N to be used.

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Plot 9: Temperature plot at time 100 sec using 1 term.

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Part 3: Predicting a Fully-Cooked Egg White
Given the results of the simulation in the first part of this exercise, it is possible to predict
the time at which the egg white is fully cooked but the yolk remains uncooked and runny. Based
on the results shown in Figure 7, it appears that the egg white takes at least 5 minutes (300 sec)
to cook. At that time, the albumen displayed small but noticeable areas, mainly around the egg
white-yolk interface, that were at a temperature of less than 330°K. This means that at the fifth
minute, the egg white was still not 100% cooked. However, at the sixth minute, the yolk appeared
to be physically changing, indicating that it had begun cooking.
From these results, an estimate can be extrapolated which falls between those two time
frames. Therefore, based on simulation results, it is estimated that the egg white would be fully
cooked, while the yolk still remains uncooked, at 5.5 minutes or 330 seconds.

Conclusion
For this exercise, COMSOL was successfully used to model an egg with its three layers
(the egg shell, albumen, and yolk) and predict the behavior of the overall system when placed in
boiling water for a duration of time. When the egg is first placed inside the boiling water, it is still
at room temperature as it has not been exposed to any heat yet. As time passes, heat slowly
penetrates into the system, altering the physical characteristics of the egg’s components. Figures
2-7 examine the timeline of how the egg reacts as it is boiled. Using these simulations, it can be
observed that the temperature on the outside increases first due to its direct contact with the
boiling water. As time progresses, the heat penetrates the egg and travels inward through means
of conduction and convection. The temperature continues to increase and propagate inwards
until, at minute five, most of the albumen is fully cooked. At that time, the yolk is estimated to be
at a temperature of 310°K, which indicates that it remains uncooked (due to the assumed cooking
temperature of 340°K). Based on these observations, an estimate of 330 seconds was made in
Part 3 of the experiment for the time it takes the egg white to fully cook while still retaining a runny
yolk.
During this experiment, a few major assumptions were made. For one, air pockets and the
egg shell were disregarded during the modeling of the egg. The egg was also assumed to be
symmetric and at room temperature before being cooked. The effects of radiation were also
disregarded. Using all of these assumptions, a simulation was performed that yielded certain
results. While this was an excellent exercise that tested COMSOL’s abilities to simulate transient
problems, the accuracy of the simulation could only be verified by analyzing the analytical solution
and performing a real-life experiment. This exercise was a great way to verify the accuracy of the
simulation and understand its limitations given the assumptions that were made.

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Sources
[1] S. L. Polley, O. P. Snyder, and P. Kotnour, Food Techol. 34(11) (1980) pp. 76-94

[2] Global variation and uniformity of eggshell thickness for chicken eggs - ScienceDirect

[3] Numerical modeling of heat transfer and pasteurizing value during thermal processing of
intact egg - Abbasnezhad - 2016 - Food Science & Nutrition - Wiley Online Library

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Appendix

Assignment Description

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