CFD investigation of suspension-based pigs in chocolate processing plants

In chocolate processing facilities, water-based cleaning fluids are unsuitable since they bear the risks of chocolate agglomeration and introduction of salmonella and other microorganisms to the system.Common plastic cleaning pigs pose contamination risks and have specific design requirements.Research is now focusing on using highly concentrated sugar-in-oil suspensions as flexible cleaning pigs.The rheology of these suspensions is complex, allowing for various compositions.This study presents a simulative pre-design of these pigs using the volume-offluid method, targeting challenging components like L-bow pipes and continuous expansions.Simulations systematically varied the rheological properties of the pig-suspension.Strong shear-thinning behavior emerged as crucial for creating cohesive pigs with effective cleaning capabilities.No correlation with yield stress was found when the pig was flowable.The tested parameter combinations did not achieve satisfactory contour adaptivity for pigs during continuous expansion.