This study presents a 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to predict the temperature profile of bulk-packed whole chickens during forced-air freezing based on 3D computed tomography (CT) images of the chicken. The model was validated against experimental cooling data. By using the temperature-dependent thermal properties of chicken meat, the mean differences between the predicted average drumstick temperatures with corresponding experimental results were less than 1.3 °C for all tested conditions. Based on the validated model, a correlation was proposed to estimate the effect of operating conditions on freezing time and that correlation may be used to optimise the design of the freezing tunnel for chicken products.

这项研究提出了一种基于鸡的3D计算机断层扫描（CT）图像的3D计算流体动力学（CFD）模型，以预测强冷期间散装整只鸡的温度曲线。针对实验冷却数据验证了该模型。通过使用鸡肉的温度相关热特性，在所有测试条件下，预测的平均鸡腿温度与相应的实验结果之间的平均差均小于1.3°C。基于已验证的模型，提出了一种相关性，以估计操作条件对冷冻时间的影响，并且该相关性可用于优化鸡肉产品的冷冻通道的设计。