Potential for damage to fruits during transport through cross-section constrictions

TL;DR

This study investigates the potential for damage to soft fruit particles during industrial transport through constricted pipes, using numerical simulations validated by experiments, highlighting the influence of flow conditions on damage risk.

Contribution

It introduces a numerical analysis of fruit particle damage during pipe transport using the homogenized lattice Boltzmann method, validated by pilot plant experiments.

Findings

Damage potential depends strongly on local Reynolds number.

Numerical model aligns well with experimental results.

Flow behavior influences fruit particle integrity during transport.

Abstract

Fruit preparations are used in various forms in the food industry. For example, they are used as an ingredient in dairy products such as yogurt with added fruit. The dispersed fruit pieces can be described as soft particles with viscoelastic material behavior. The continuous phase is represented by fluids with complex flow behavior depending on the formulation. Characterization has shown that this can be described by the Herschel-Bulkley model. Since damage to fruit pieces is undesirable in industrial transport processes, the potential for damage to fruit pieces during transport of pipes in cross-sectional constrictions is analyzed. The analysis is performed numerically using the homogenized lattice Boltzmann method and validated by an experiment on industrial fruit preparations at pilot plant scale. The results show a strong dependence of the damage potential on the (local) Metzner-Reed Reynolds number.