Modelling of the Heating Process in a Thermal Screw

The procedure of separating efficiently dry-stuff (proteins), fat, and water is an important process in the handling of waste products from industrial and commercial meat manufactures. One of the sub-processes in a separation facility is a thermal screw where the raw material (after proper mincing) is heated in order to melt fat, coagulate protein, and free water. This process is very energy consuming and the efficiency of the product is highly dependent on accurate temperature control of the process. A key quality parameter is the time that the product is maintained at temperatures within a certain threshold. A detailed mathematical model for the heating process in the thermal screw is developed and analysed. The model is formulated as a set of partial differential equations including the latent heat for the melting process of the fat and the boiling of water, respectively. The product is modelled by three components; water, fat and dry-stuff (bones and proteins). The melting of the fat component is captured as a plateau in the product temperature. The model effectively captures the product outlet temperature and the energy consumed. Depending on raw material composition, "soft" or "dry", the model outlines the heat injection and screw speeds necessary to obtain optimal output quality.