Prediction of freezing and thawing times for foods of regular multi-dimensional shape by using an analytically derived geometric factor

Analytical solutions for transient heat conduction with phase change and general boundary conditions were used to calculate a geometric factor to take account of the effect of product geometry on freezing and thawing times for a number of regular two- and three-dimensional objects. These analytically derived formulae depend only on the Biot number and simple parameters that describe object shape. The accuracy of these formulae was demonstrated by comparisons with both large sets of experimental food freezing and thawing data and numerically calculated data. The performance of the new formulae was better than that of any previous ones and the formulae are simple to use.