Modelling non-Newtonian two-phase flow in conventional and helical-holding tubes

Summary The research described in this communication was undertaken to test the hypothesis that the fluid mechanics and heat-transfer aspects involved in aseptic processing could be modelled. In order to do this, a finite difference FORTRAN program (using the fourth-order, four-stage explicit Runge–Kutta method) was written by the authors to compute the velocity of fluid elements and particles during fully 3-dimensional flow in conventional and helical-holding tubes. The effect of particles on the fluid-flow field and the interaction between particles was taken into account during the modelling. Simulation results showed that an increase in specific gravity, tube diameter or coil diameter resulted in an increase in the residence time of the particles, while an increase in the flow rate decreased the residence time of the particles. An increase in the particle diameter or the flow rate narrowed the Residence Time Distribution (RTD) of the particles, while an increase in specific gravity or the tube diameter increased the RTD of the particles.