The determination of convective heat transfer coefficient during frying

The convective heat transfer coefficient during deep-fat frying was determined at different temperatures. In this study, aluminum wool filled with potato mash having a size of 0.05 x 0.05 x 0.003 m(3) was used as a model sample. Frying was performed by fixing the sample vertically to make the system symmetrical. Sunflower oil was used as a frying medium at temperatures 150 degrees C, 160 degrees C, 170 degrees C, 180 degrees C and 190 degrees C. The centre temperature of the transducer particle was recorded for 10 s time intervals. The variation of thermal conductivity and specific heat of the sample during frying was taken into consideration and the data were analysed by solving the heat transfer equation using an explicit finite difference method. The convective heat transfer coefficient ranged between 90 and 200 W/m(2 degrees)C for a temperature range of 150-190 degrees C. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.