An investigation into the flow behaviour of complex non-newtonian foodstuffs

Abstract

An investigation has been carried out to determine the constants that characterize the flow properties of a non-newtonian liquid which also possesses a wall effect, such that these constants can be used to predict pressure drop or flowrate for engineering purposes. It has been found that if the wall effect is neglected, as is usually the case, then the errors involved in a design calculation can be considerable. A relationship has been derived between pressure drop and flowrate for this type of liquid, on the assumption that it behaves as a generalized-power-law liquid, using four constants which can be determined either on a rotational viscometer or in a tube viscometer. The results as computed from the relationship have been compared with experimental results and have been found to agree to well within acceptable tolerances for engineering applications.