EnginSoft - Conference Abstracts

EnginSoft International Conference 2009
CAE Technologies for Industry

Simulation of the interaction between packaging material and air/liquid flows during the sterilization process of food containers

Apparuti Daniele - Tetrapak

Abstract

The process of packaging liquid food, like milk and juice, needs the development of advanced technologies to guarantee the safety of the final product. In particular the container has to be aseptic meaning that the food must be filled and the package sealed in aseptic conditions, furthermore the material must protect the contained beverage from the external environment (oxygen and light) during its entire shelf life.
In the case of Tetra Pak’s packages, the packaging material is therefore sterilized through a complex process involving both hot air and a liquid mixture of water and sterilizing agent. Afterwards the web is dried using a controlled gas flow before the food enters in contact with the container.
By the fluid dynamic point of view, the simulation of this sterilization process represent a challenge since involves a complex physics which deals with turbulent multiphase flows.
The present work addresses the applicability of CFD multiphase models (primary VOF model) to the simulation of the interaction between packaging material and the liquid sterilizing agent both exposed to air flows. Different methods are used and compared in order to resolve gas/liquid interface and to study the interaction with a complex geometries like package’s openings.