J ournal of Food Engineering 20 (1993) 283-295

Short Communication
Mathematical Models and Logic for the Computer
Control of Batch Retorts: Conduction-Heated Foods
Ricardo Simpson, Sergio F. Almonacid-Merino
& J. Antonio Torres*
Food Engineering Group, Department of Food Science and Technology,
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
(Received 29 August 1990; revised version received 4 June 1992;
accepted 15 July 1992)
ABSTRACT
A computer program was developed to implement a mathematical model
to control on-line batch retort operations for conduction-heated foods.
The model is based on a numeric solution for heat transfer in cylindrical
cans. The heat transfer equation was solved using a numeric method with
a variable grid. I ntegrated lethality values are calculated assuming first-
order kinetics for microbial inactivation, taking into account the cumula-
tive lethality of the heating and cooling period. The program adjusts
process time automatically to compensate for any unexpected variation in
retort temperature, and was validated using processes reported in the
literature. The computational speed of the numeric method described
could be applied to other calculation-intensive simulations,
NOTATION
a
G
CO
Radius of the can (m)
Correction factor for deviant thermal processes for conduc-
tion-heated foods
Concentration of spores at time zero (counts/m3)
*To whom correspondence should be addressed.
283
J ournal of Food Engineering 0260-8774/93/$06.00 - 0 1993 Elsevier Science
Publishers Ltd, England. Printed in Great Britain
284 R. Simpson, S. F. Almonacid-Merino, J . A. Torres
Cbx,t)
D
D,
F
F,(t)
;;
k
L
Ik(i)
RTd
RT(t)
t
tc
;
T
T,
T(i,j)
Spore concentration ( counts/m3)
Decimal reduction time at temperature T (min)
Decimal reduction time at temperature T = T, (mm)
Process lethality at T, = 121.1C (min)
Accumulated lethality at time t (min)
Desired process lethality (min)
Integrated lethality achieved during heating with no tempera-
ture deviations (min)
First-order reaction constant (s - )
Half-height of the can (m)
Radial distance (m)
Location of grid increment ( i) in the radial direction (m)
Desired retort temperature (C)
Retort temperature at time t (C)
Time (s)
Cooling time (s)
Heating time (s)
Heating time to accomplish 80% of Fk (s)
Temperature
Reference temperature ( = 12 l*lC)
Temperature in volume element ( i, j) (C)
T ( r,Z, t) Temperature at location ( r, Z) at time t (C)
TW( t) Cold water temperature at time t (C)
Z Inverse slope of thermal death-time curve (C)
Z Vertical distance (m)
i R( i)
Thermal diffusivity (m'/s )
Variable grid increment in the radial direction (m)
At Time increment (s)
A Z(i)
Variable grid increment in the vertical direction (m)
INTRODUCTION
The advent of low-cost microcomputers has facilitated the imple-
mentation of strategies for the on-line control of processes. Computer
control systems deliver uniform product quality and minimize worker
supervision, human error and energy consumption. In the specific case
of canned foods, computer control addresses production problems with-
out compromising product quality and safety. Computer control allows
on-line corrections for temperature deviations from the pre-established
process and the implementation of optimum processes (Saguy & Karel,
Computer control of batch retorts 285
1979; Ohlsson, 19804 6; Van Boxtel & De Fielliettaz Goethart, 1982)
identified by mathematical modelling (e.g. Texeira et al., 1975; Ohlsson,
1980 b). Other potential benefits include automatic documentation of the
process (Holdsworth, 1983) and on-line measurement of heat penetra-
tion data.
Design factors to be considered in automatic sterilization systems
include the capital cost of the system, interaction between operators and
instruments, maintenance of hardware and software, reliability, instru-
mentation accuracy, and the interaction between management and the
system. Lappo & Povey ( 1986) described the development and perform-
ance of a facility, comprising a steam sterilizing retort, a microprocessor
development system and all associated instrumentation and control
equipment. The influence of instrument accuracy on the control of
sterilization was also explored. A sterilization monitor capable of
scanning 10 thermocouples and computing individual sterilization or
cook values for each channel was also described.
Giannoni-Succar and Hayakawa ( 1982) developed a procedure to
estimate the values of a correction factor, C,, for deviant thermal pro-
cesses for conduction-heated foods. Sterilizing values at the thermal
center of the food were used as a criterion for the estimation. The proce-
dure was based on a regression equation obtained through the dimen-
sional and statistical analyses of theoretically determined C, values.
Datta et al. (1986) developed a control logic algorithm for use with
computer-based control systems for batch retort operations capable of
automatically adjusting process time during the cook cycle to compen-
sate for any unexpected deviation in retort temperature. To evaluate F,,
the temperature was taken to be the temperature of the slowest heating
point in the product. A similar strategy was used by Gill et al. (1989).
A review of the current literature found no control systems evaluating
F,, values as a mass average lethality. The slowest heating point is not
necessarily where the probability of bacterial survival is greater. Com-
puter-supported experiments by Texeira et al. ( 1969 a) have been used to
show that this location may vary, depending on the container geometry
and size, food product, and the processing conditions. Although we have
reproduced the values observed by these workers for constant retort
temperature (data not included), we should note that the center point
was only slightly more lethal than other can locations. Our rationale for
the use of average lethality calculations is based on the consideration that
process deviations causing unusual container lethality profiles may be
safely corrected using integrated lethality. Even using computer simula-
tions, it would be impractical to determine for all can dimensions and
286 R. Simpson, S. F. Almonacid-Merino, .I . A. Torres
product types the location of least point lethalities for all forms of
process deviations that might occur during retort operations.
Teixeira et al. ( 1969b) and, more recently, Simpson et al. (1989a, b)
have shown that the accuracy of the predicted integrated lethality using
numerical methods with uniform grid depends on a large number of
space and time intervals. However, a software program for the on-line
control strategy requires a program capable of completing all calcula-
tions before the next temperature reading. The method developed by
Teixeira et al. ( 1969 b) and used by Datta et a 1. ( 1986) does not fulfill this
requirement because of its large partitioning grid ( 10 X 10).
In this paper we present simulation results of a program for the on-
line control for the thermal processing of canned foods in cylindrical
containers using an integrated F0 as the safety criterion. An integrated
lethality criterion required a more efficient numeric calculation process
as compared with that used by Datta et al. (1986). The variable grid
method developed by Hayakawa (1967), which uses only 12 points to
calculate integrated lethality, was used to reduce computational time.
This calculation was executed assuming simulated arbitrary deviations in
retort temperature.
METHOD
Sterilization criteria
In controlling thermal processes, the objective is to meet the designed
level of sterilization (F,d) for the process, irrespective of any retort
temperature variation RT( t) occurring during processing time ( t), and
with a minimum of overprocessing. The lethal effect of thermal proces-
sing is achieved during the heating ( th) and cooling period of the can (t,),
respectively. If C = C( r, 2, t) is the concentration of spores at a location
( r, 2) and time t, the sterilization process can be described as follows:
with k = ln 10/D and D = D,lO;- T)z. Integration over time and using
T, = 250F leads to:
Chz,t)
co
=exp[ -(h lo/D,)
(2)
Computer control of batch retorts 287
The integrated sterilization value for a cylindrical can was calculated as
follows. The time integral in eqn (2) was evaluated using the Simpson
integration method. The [ C( r,z, t)/Co] values thus obtained are integrated
over the entire can using the following expression evaluated by the Gauss
integration method (Abramowitz & Stegun, 1964):
-_=-
[C(r,z,t)/C,] rdr dZ
The values obtained from eqn (3) can be converted into an integrated F,
on the basis of the II, value used in eqn (2).
The grid defined to evaluate the Gauss integration included three
nodes in the radial direction and eight in the vertical direction. As the
cylindrical container is symmetric on both axes, Gauss integration was
evaluated with 12 points as shown in Fig. 1, and analogous to the
variable 3 x 4 grid reported by Hayakawa ( 1967) to calculate integrated
lethalities. This procedure achieved computational speed, an essential
component of computer-supported process control strategies, while
retaining the flexibility of a numeric method.
Modified variable grid (MVG) method
The numeric method used to solve the partial differential equation for
heat transfer was the Alternating Direction Explicit Procedure (ADEP )
1.0 (
1
. . . .
h
go.6 -
! .
%,a. n -
. .
-
f
Lo.4 -
Fi .
. . . .
0.2 -
0.0 -
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.6 1.0
Fig. 1. Variable grid to evaluate the volume integral by the Gauss method.
288 R. Simpson, S. F. Almonacid-Merino, J . A. Torres
reported by Allada and Quon (1966) combined with a variable grid. The
expression for heat transfer in cylindrical coordinates is
1aT aT+laT ;a21
_---_-
a at a22 r ar a?
(4)
with the following boundary conditions:
T
surface (heating)
= R T ( t), i.e. the retort temperature at any time t
T
surface (cooling)
= TW( t), i.e. the cold water temperature at any time t
The following expressions were used to evaluate the temperature
inside the can at any point and at any time:
AR(i)[T(i-l,j)-T(i,j)
+ AR(i - l)[AR(i) +AR(i - l)]
1
[ T(i,j) - T(i + lj)]
AR(i)[AR(i)+AR(i-l)]
[T(i-l,j)-T(i,j)
+AR(i-l)[AR(i)+AR(i-l)]
1
(5)
(6)
!?!_!I,2
[ T( i,j + 1) - T( ij)]
azz
Az(/Y]Az(j) +Az(j - 1)]
[T(i,j-l)-T(i,j)
+AZ(j-l)[AZ(j)+AZ(i-l)]
1
(7)
1 aT [T(i,j) - T(i,j)]
-_---_
a at aht
Substituting eqns (5)-( 8) in eqn (4), and rearranging, it is possible to
obtain an expression for T (i,j) t + l . Although this expression is an implicit
equation, a suitable choice of the initial point conditions generates
explicit calculations (Allada & Quon, 1966).
Computer control of batch retorts 289
Control program strategy
The effect of the lethality accumulated during the cooling phase on the
evaluation of total mass average lethality was included to avoid over-
processing. The algorithm simulates the cooling cycle assuming constant
water temperature and evaluates the integrated average F,, before the
next temperature reading.
The first calculation step is to design a process to achieve the desired
sterilization process and use it to define the following variables:
F,(t) - accumulated lethality at time t;
- integrated lethality desired;
;!j _*
mtegrated lethality achieved during heating with no tempera-
ture deviations;
th
- heating time;
t* - heating time to accomplish 80% of F,h.
For t < P, the program reads the temperature of the autoclave every
10 s. This information is used to calculate all temperatures inside the can
and also to predict an integrated average F,(t) value. When the accumu-
lated F,(t) is 2 0.8 F,h, i.e. when t 2 t*, the program simulates the cooling
phase and predicts a final F, value. Given that now too many calculations
are needed to accomplish the cooling simulation, the time for each read-
ing of the autoclave temperature is increased to 20 s. Preliminary experi-
ments showed that the simulation time required to predict F,(t) after
each temperature reading takes only 0.16 s and that the simulation of the
cooling phase takes approximately 10 s. Other strategies used to reduce
the number of calculations for prediction of the cooling phase include
temperature predictions using a 20 s time increment and the calculation
of integrated average F, values only every 120 s.
Implementation of the control program
The control program was implemented on an IBM pS2 Model 55SX
using IBM Advanced Basic. The logic for the on-line control program is
based on the work reported by Datta et al. (1986). First, input data are
checked against specifications for the product. If they agree, steam is
turned on and the computer completes the venting cycle. The retort
temperature increases, and through a controller interface the computer
attempts to maintain the design retort temperature (RF). As the heat-
ing cycle continues, the retort temperature RT( t) is read at intervals of
time t. The temperature distribution within the can, T( r, Z, t), is then
290 R. Simpson, S. F. Almonacid-Merino, J . A. Ton-es
calculated from RT(t) using the MVG method. The integrated average
lethality, F,(t), is then calculated.
The input data include a specified F& which is the integrated average
F, value normally achieved during heating when there are no tempera-
ture deviations. When F,,(t) exceeds the value 0% FE, the computer also
simulates the cooling cycle in addition to calculating T( r,Z, t) and F,(t)
during the elapsed heating period. If the F,(t) accumulated so far,
together with the simulated contribution from cooling, exceeds the
design total F. value for the process (F,d), i.e. when the condition
F,( ~)heating,calculated + ( FO)cooling,simulated 2 F,d
(9)
is satisfied, the computer turns off the steam and lets in cooling water.
The computer continues to read the retort temperature RT(t) and
continues with the calculations of T(r,Z,t) and F,(t). When Tcenter, the
calculated temperature at the can center, is below a certain specified
value, cooling is ended by stopping the flow of cooling water and the
water is drained before unloading the retort. At the end of the process, a
complete documentation of measured retort temperature history RT( t)
and the accomplished F, is kept on file for process documentation
purposes.
RESULTS
Numeric procedure validation
The MVG method was verified against results obtained with the method
reported by Teixeira et al. (19696) and implemented by Ahnonacid-
Merino (1988). The data used to conduct these computer simulations
are described in the Appendix. No major accuracy differences were
observed between the MVG and Texeira et al. (19698) methods, as
shown by the constant-temperature examples presented in Table 1. The
MVG method was also validated using variable retort temperature.
Again, MVG calculations compared well with values obtained using the
method of Texeira et al. ( 1969 b) (Table 1).
Control strategy implementation
There are three main differences between the control strategy reported
by Datta ef al. (1986) and the procedure here reported. First, F,(t) is
calculated using the integration method introduced by Hayakawa
(1969), which reduced the number of partitions needed to maintain
Computer control of batch retorts 291
TABLE 1
Validation Tests of the MVG Method
Process type Heating time (min)
Published methodb MVG method
(a) At constant temperature
Experiment 1
Experiment 2
Experiment 3
(b) With temperature deviations
Experiment 1
O-50 min, 121.1C
50-72 min, 1294C
72-79 min, 121.1C
Experiment 2
O-20 min, 12 l.lC
20-40 min, 1294C
40-83 min, 121.1C
Experiment 3
O-60 min, 12O*oC
60-112 min, 115OC
80 80
100 100
140 142
79 80
83 82
112 112
Data used to conduct computer-supported experiments are summarized in the
Appendix.
bTeixeira et al. (19696).
calculation accuracy. However, it required the implementation of a finite
difference method with variable grid. Another difference from the
strategy used by Datta et al. (1986) is the criterion chosen to end the
cooling phase simulation, which was
F,(t)-Fo(t-120)~0~001 F,(t)
(10)
This criterion was derived from many computer simulations showing
that when two consecutive F, values (using 120 s intervals) vary by less
than O.l%, subsequent F, values do not change significantly. Figure 2
shows two examples of F, accumulated during the cooling period. The
dotted lines represent the end of the F. predictions and indicate that
after the computer interrupted the predictions no further significant
changes occurred in process lethality. A third difference is the time
intervals used to solve the differential heat transfer equation; there are
three time intervals - two for the heating phase (10 s and 20 s), and one
for the cooling phase (20 s).
292 R. Simpson, S. F. Almonacid-Merino, J . A. Torres
Fi g. 2. Simulation of F,, values during the cooling period. Experimental details are
given in the Appendix.
TEMPERATURE, C
78 min
\
TEMPERATURE C
-__L___
TEMPERATURE, C
_____
(b)
TEMPERATURE, C
82 min
\
Fig. 3. Examples of process corrections after various types of temperature deviation.
Heating time for the constant temperature process is 80 min. Further experimental
details are given in the Appendix.
Computer control of batch retorts 293
Control strategy demonstration tests
Tests were conducted to examine various time-varying retort tempera-
ture profiles simulating process deviations (Fig. 3). In all cases, the
control program behaved as expected, and stopped the heating period
earlier or later depending upon the type and severity of the temperature
deviation. The minor adjustments to process time required to ensure
compliance with lethality objectives confirmed the advantages of on-line
process control, which eliminates the need to reprocess a given batch
after a process deviation has occurred.
CONCLUSIONS
Several strategies were incorporated to develop a program capable of
controlling the retort processing of conduction-heated foods using an
integrated average F0 concept. This program can make practical use of
calculations reported in the literature using the integrated F, concept.
The efficiency of the numeric procedure here implemented can be
applied with advantage to other calculation-intensive simulations (e.g.
Banga et al., 1991).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors gratefully acknowledge the contribution of MS Silvana
Roncagliolo, whose programmin g skills were essential for the comple-
tion of this project. This publication is the result of research sponsored in
part by Oregon Sea Grant with funds from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, Office of Sea Grant, Department of
Commerce, under Grant NA85AA-D-SG095 (project E/ISG-6) and
from appropriations made by the Oregon State Legislature.
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conduction equation for multidimensional nonhomogeneous media. Chem.
Engng Progress Symposium Series, Heat Transfer, 62( 64), 15 l-6.
Almonacid-Merino, S. F. (1988). BS thesis, School of Food Engineering,
Catholic University of Valparaiso, Chile.
294 R. Simpson, S. F. Almonacid-Merino, .I . A. Torres
Banga, J. R., Simpson, R., Almonacid-Merino, S. F. & Torres, J. A. ( 1991).
MOTI? multipurpose optimization of thermal processing. Presented at the
Annual Meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists, l-5 June, Dallas, TX.
Datta, A. K., Teixeira, A. A. & Manson, J. E. (1986). Computer-based retort
control logic for on-line correction of process deviation. 1. Food Sci., 51,
480-3.
Giannoni-Succar, E. B. & Hayakawa, K. I. (1982). Correction factor of deviant
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642-6.
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control strategies for a steam retort. 1. Food Engng, 10,135-54.
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Hayakawa, K. (1969). New parameters for calculating mass average sterilizing
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thermal sterilization operations. J. Food Engng, 5,31-53.
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Ohlsson, T. (1980 b). Optimal sterilization temperatures for sensory quality in
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Computer control of batch retorts 295
APPENDIX: EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS FOR VALIDATION
TESTS
Constant temperature tests
Can type 307 x 409
Thermal diffusivity l-6,??-7m2s-
Initial food temperature 7 1.1 C
T,
121*1C
Z 10C
Q
3min
TW (coohg water) 26*6C
Simulation Results
Experiment 1 Experiment 2 Experiment 3
6 (h) 994 1 l-90 13.36
F;: (mui) 13.68 14.45 14.54
Retort temperature ("C ) 122.1 118.5 114.4
Variable temperature tests
Can type
307 X 409
Thermal diffusivity 1.538E - 7 m2 s-l
Initial food temperature 7 1.1 C
T,
121C
Z 10C
Q
4min
TW (cooling water) 26elC
Simulation Results
Experiment 1 Experiment 2 Experiment 3
Fob (mid
Fad (mm)
Retort temperature
11.12 10.94 13.8
16.96 15.0 15.0
See Table 1 See Table 1 See Table 1