CHARACTERIZATION OF HEATING OF SPHERICAL FRUIT IN PARALLEL PLATE RADIO FREQUENCY SYSTEM

摘要

In the quest of development of non-chemical treatments for disinfestations of fresh fruits, radio frequency (RF) heating have been investigated recently. To aid in design of the RF treatment, a computer model was developed to study the effect of various parameters on heating patterns in fruit. FEMLAB software was used to model coupled electromagnetic and Navier-Stoke's equations. Simulation results were validated with experimental heating pattern using 1% gellan gel model fruit. Results suggested that fruits would not heat uniformly if they are directly placed between two electrodes in air. Relative horizontal and vertical position of the fruit location with respect to electrodes and surrounding medium significantly influenced the heating pattern inside the fruit.