Heat transfer coefficient during deep-fat frying

The heat transfer coefficient is significant in the design of equipment and processes which must be carefully evaluated and used. For example, the coefficient value defines to a great extent the equipment size and also establishes the contacts between phases and processing time. The value of the heat coefficient is traditionally obtained by calculation or experimentation. It is the average of the precise coefficients throughout equipment. The evaluation of the heat transfer coefficient by calculation involves a dimensional relationship obtained by geometry and determined thermal and flow conditions. Sometimes, these have been determined originally by mass transfer and others by heat transfer. The heat transfer coefficient during frying is relevant in the modeling and calculation of the fryer systems of foods. The methods found in the literature to measure the heat transfer coefficient during deep-fat frying have some limitations such as the lack of standard techniques. The mass transfer neither the packing effects are not considered. To our knowledge, few studies, if any, on the heat transfer coefficient based on the position of the material are available. The present paper has been devoted to explore the main effects of deep-fat frying on fried material and to review the most important methods used to measure the convective heat transfer coefficient.