Low Capital Expenditure Technology for Frozen Products

Zuzana Sedivá

Background

Frozen products such as ice cream mostly rely on traditional industrial processes. Manufacturing of frozen goods is energetically demanding and there is a constant search for innovation. One such novel process was developed in the Food Processing Laboratory within the Low Temperature Extrusion process (LTE). [1],[2] The LTE combines a conventional freezer with a co-rotating extruder resulting in smaller energy costs due to the better heat transfer rates in comparison to conventional freeze-hardening process. [1] The Low Capital Expenditure Process (LCT) aims at further lowering the operational costs and the initial capital costs for the machinery. The LCT represents a high risk high gain project with the goal of developing and optimizing a new approach for rapid and robust freezing technology applicable worldwide across various fields.

The LCT consist of two branches: chemical engineering part focused on thermodynamics of non-electrolyte water gas solutions and understanding of material properties of these solutions and the process engineering part related to the construction of a pilot plant prototype, which would deliver a product equal to, or better than the conventional product in an energetically favorable manner and at lower costs.

Research goals

Chemical engineering, material science:

• Characterize candidate materials for the process using P,V,T analysis and thermodynamic, kinetic models.
• Prove functional structures molecularly with Raman spectroscopy or scattering techniques.
• Understand mechanical frozen foam properties and their behavior among depressurization coupled with Joule-Thompson expansion.

Process engineering:

• Based on material properties construct an all in one prototype allowing continuous formation and flow of frozen slurries.
• Development of separate operational units including control units, sampling, and analytical in line sections operating under specified pressure and temperature conditions.
• Optimize the first prototype and scale up.

Current research

Material science:

• High pressure rheology of frozen foams
• Raman spectroscopy and PVT analysis of crystallization

Process engineering:

• Development of transfer under high pressure in a pilot plant frozen slurry generator.

Master and bachelor thesis

Theses are available starting Spring semester 2017 and onwards. The project is suited for students from various fields. The requirement for the student is in the first place motivation and curiosity. If you are interested in physics of frozen products or ice cream please do not hesitate to contact me.

References

1. Wildmoser, J., (2004), Impact of low temperature extrusion processing on disperse microstructure in ice cream systems. PhD Thesis
2. Eisner, M. ,(2006), Fat structure development in low temperature extruded ice cream. PhD Thesis
3. Diamond, L. et al (2003), Solubility of CO2 in water from −1.5 to 100 ◦C and from 0.1 to 100 MPa: evaluation of literature data and thermodynamic modelling. Fluid Phase Equilibria 208, p.265-290
4. Sloan, E.D., Koh, C.A., (2007) Clathrate Hydrates of Natural Gases, 3rd Edition, CRC Press