Thermal Conductivity Measurements and Predictive Models for Frozen Guava and Passion Fruit Pulps

Abstract

The thermal conductivity of guava and passion fruit pulps was measured at temperatures between −30°C and their initial freezing temperature using the hot wire probe method. The results were compared with those calculated using the parallel, perpendicular, and Maxwell-Eucken models as a function of the ice fraction, and the discrepancies in the results are discussed. Exponential equations were then fit to the experimental data to determine the thermal conductivity of the pulps as a function of temperature. These equations produce mean relative errors of 8.1 and 4.0% in the values estimated for the guava and passion fruit pulp, respectively.