LAUSR

Abstract In this article, we explore the heat transfer of non-Newtonian liquid food in the heating process in a channel connecting a tank. To achieve a rapid heat diffusion, several cylindrical agitators are inserted into the tank. We pay special attention to a Chinese traditional food, i.e. the black sesame paste, which is predicted by the power-law model. The fluid flow and heat transfer are investigated numerically, under the impacts of the angular velocity of cylinder, the stirrer size and the rotational direction. Three different settings are investigated: the two-stirrer, the three-stirrer, and the 2 × 2 stirrer settings. Several applicable strategies could be applied to improve the heat transfer in food engineering practices, including changing the size, the rotational velocity, the direction, and the number of stirrers in the heat exchanger.