Enabling computer-aided food process engineering: Property estimation equations for transport phenomena-based models

During processing of a food, its temperature, moisture and other compositions, structure, etc., can change, continuously changing its physical properties. Realistic simulation of food processes require dynamic estimation of the food physical properties as they continue to change during the process. Having a few data points for a few states of the material, as is true for the majority of food properties data, is not sufficient for realistic process simulations. The goal of this article is a practical one: it is to develop a concise resource for the equations that can estimate food properties as they change during processing. Such a resource should make computer-aided food product, process and equipment design one step closer to reality by making the necessary input parameters available in one location and in a format that can be readily used in a simulation software. Several equilibrium, transport and electrical properties are included. The estimation equations for any property are chosen from among the most successful and accurate, staying away from property estimators that have theoretical basis but have not been as successful for food materials. For each property, implementation of its prediction equations in a computer model has also been discussed. Accuracy of each property estimation process have been included from the literature, showing most properties can be estimated to within 10% accuracy, sufficient for modeling purposes. Having such reasonable prediction models has the important implication that unavailability of sufficient data, that is expected to be always true due to the variety and complexity of food materials and processes, is not a bottleneck for computer-aided food process engineering.     

Influence of Linker Length on Conformational Preferences of Glycosylated Sugar Amino Acid Foldamers

Glycosylation of foldamers derived from furanoid sugar amino acids with mannose and a propyltriazole linker results in an unprecedented 16/10 mixed‐turn structure in the glycopeptides in water, with a preference for the higher‐order structure irrespective of the stereochemistry of the starting foldamer. This is in stark contrast to the structures displayed by the same oligomers in water when mannosylated with a two‐carbon‐shorter methyltriazole linker: 16‐membered turn structure in the cis‐foldamer and 10‐membered in its trans congener. This demonstrates the defining influence of the linker length on the structural preference of these novel glycopeptide mimics.     

Performance Analysis of Photovoltaic Thermal System Using Silicone Oil Spectrum Filter

The paper reports use of silicone oil as spectrum filter and heat absorber for photovoltaic thermal systems. The terrestrial solar spectrum is in the wavelength range of 0.25 to 2.5 μm. The response range of C-Si solar cell is 0.75 to 1.125 μm. In the current study, the feasibility of Silicone oil (Transformer oil) as spectrum filter cum heat absorber for C-Si solar cell is investigated. The spectroscopic analysis of 1 cm thick Silicone oil sample with UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer is carried out. This analysis concludes that the Silicone oil is transparent to the response range of C-Si solar cell. Also, it shows a significant absorption for UV and IR part of the spectrum. A glass container with 1 cm thick Silicone oil layer is mounted on the C-Si PV module. The performance of the system is analyzed using solar simulator at irradiance of 1000 W/m², AM 1.5 G and in natural sunlight at Nagpur (21.10 N, 79.090 E). The experiments were performed for the entire year for time period of one hour in the noon. With Silicone oil spectrum filter, the average electrical efficiency of the PV module was found increase marginally. However, for 10 W module, 27 W average heat gain was recorded. In this study, the surface area of PV module (30 × 35 cm = 0.105 m²) was very small. In actual practice, for large scale installations, significant heat gain is possible. The experimentation and significant outcomes are discussed in this article.