ESTIMATION OF TEMPERATURE PROFILE AT SEQUENCE OHMIC HEATING BY FINITE-ELEMENT METHOD

The Ohmic heating process equipped with ring electrodes has been appli ed for variety of liquid foods. The gradient of electric potential for med by ring electrodes was never flat like as made by parallel electro des. The gradient of potential was estimated by an equation of electri c conduction. Assuming the liquid sample flew in the shape of plug thr ough the gradient of potential, the temperature profile in cross-secti on of sample was estimated by an equation of heat conduction. The flow ing sample corresponded to shifting nodes by each step of the Finite E lement Method calculation. The result of the temperature profile gave good agreement with the result of the experiment. Other computations w ith any induced voltage, any velocity of a flowing sample and any spac e between electrodes were tested. The space between electrodes was the most effective on flat temperature profile of all factors.