A reduced model for the freezing step in ice cream manufacture

This contribution deals with the development of a reduced yet complex model, to support process design and operation. The model is computationally effective. The main physical phenomena considered in the model are the axial convective transport of mass, the radial outflow of heat at coolant wall to the refrigerant, the growth of the frozen ice layer, the periodic removal of the ice crystals by scraping and the melting of the ice crystal population in the bulk liquid. Rate equations for the relevant physical phenomena, as well as phase equilibrium conditions and thermodynamic equations of state are also present. The target output variables to meet the product quality specifications are the ice crystals size and the air content. Results of some preliminary steady state simulations are presented